2021-08-15 – Philippians 2:19-30 – Fellowship of Servants
2021-08-15 – Philippians 2:19-30 – Fellowship of Servants
Good morning everyone. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with you all in fellowship with the Lord. Thank you and God bless you for being with us today.
Some years ago, author Alexander Irvine wrote a novel entitled My Lady of the Chimney Corner. In it there was the incident in which “the lady” went to comfort a neighbor whose boy lay dead. It reads:
As gently as falls an autumn leaf, she laid her hand on Eliza’s head: “Ah, woman, God isn’t a printed book to be carried aroun’ by a man in fine clothes, nor a cross danglin’ at the watch chain of a priest. God takes a hand wherever he can find it, and just does what he likes with it. Sometimes he takes a Bishop’s hand and lays it on a child’s pain, the hand of a mother to guide a child, and sometimes he takes the hand of a poor old craither like me to give comfort to a neighbor. But they’re all hands touched by His Spirit, and His Spirit is everywhere lukin’ for hands to use.”
Ladies and Gentlemen, that is this Fellowship Of Servants that we call church. Regular people who have in them the mind of Christ, who emptied Himself and became a servant for us. That is what our Christian faith does for us: it leads us out of ourselves, freeing us from ourselves, and binds us to Christ and to our brothers and sisters. Today we have the privilege of reading about two of those like-minded Christian Servants that chose to serve God and man wholeheartedly.
Please turn now to Philippians 2:19, page 1041 in your pew Bibles, which we call God’s Inspired, Infallible and Living Word. Prayer..
In our last sermon message, we discussed where Paul had written about unity in ministry and how important it is for us to be united in fellowship for the benefit of the saints and for the mission of sharing the Gospel. Paul also said that he and Christ had “poured themselves out” for the cause and we should consider doing likewise. My favorite verse though was verse 10 & 11 where Paul wrote that very famous proclamation, “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. I don’t know about you but that verse inspires me. It causes me to proclaim in my own heart “Praise the Lord” indeed.
In today’s verses, we are going to see Paul now reflect on the character of two truly Faithful Servant Soldiers. In this instance I am referring to Christian Soldiers or Soldiers for the cross. I find it admirable that Paul consistently compliments and elevates those around him that are contributing to his care and the work of sharing the Gospel to the world. Paul knows better than most that it isn’t easy to consistently portray a character that is sold out to the Lord. It isn’t easy to give up ones agenda and take on instead the cause of Christ. When we see such people, we need to give them our support, give them our love and encouragement, so that they might receive a brief refresh to continue on in that just cause. I hope you will agree with me in this, we are in this together. Amen?
[SLIDE] So, starting now in our text at verse 19 Paul writes:
19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be encouraged by news about you. 20 For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests; 21 all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his proven character, because he has served with me in the gospel ministry like a son with a father. [SLIDE]
23 Therefore, I hope to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 I am confident in the Lord that I myself will also come soon.
To back up a little, you should know that Paul was one of the first Christian Missionaries of note after Jesus ascended into heaven. At this point in scripture, Paul has traveled a lot of the known world at that time presenting the Gospel, and he started several churches in different countries, including this church he is writing to in Philippi. Timothy, mentioned here by Paul, was one of his personal apprentices. Paul considered Timothy like his own son, and he commissioned Timothy into the role of being a missionary and pastor.
Paul speaks very well of Timothy throughout the New Testament. Their first encounter is mentioned in Acts 16, and Timothy is mentioned several times in the Paulene letters of Romans 16, 1 Corinthians 4 & 16, 2 Corinthians 1 & 19, Philippians 1, 2, Colossians 1, 1 Thessalonians 1, 2 & 3 and of course the two Timothy letters, Philemon 1 and Hebrews 13. So you see, Paul thought a lot about his young apprentice.
In our verses today, Paul says that Timothy and him are “like-minded”. That infers that they felt the same about the missions at hand, they cared a lot about sharing the Gospel message to the lost, and they also both cared about the church believers back in Philippi. Being “like-minded” with others in Christ can be challenging at times, but it is a most worthy goal to pursue. You have to spend time with others, to get to know them and grow together. Likewise, my hope is that you all will become more “like-minded” with each other in learning to love God’s word, His children, and the Great Commission in sharing the Gospel here in Orion and elsewhere for the glory of God, Amen? And the key to success in that endeavor, is first knowing God’s word and God’s will. And then recognizing God’s design, that He made all of us a little different, so that when we do come together on a task or challenge, we can accomplish even more than we might be able to do by ourselves. In the business world that is called synergy. And in that, we need to respect the thoughts and ideas of one another, and exercise grace as much as possible. Grace, Grace, God-like Grace is the key to success, Amen?
It seems obvious in these verses, that Paul was preparing for Timothy to carry on the ministry in his absence. Paul knew that his days on this earth were truly numbered, as he was even writing this letter from his prison cell, and awaiting the court’s decision as to what his demise might be. And as Paul experienced back then, it is still true today, that when times are tough, that’s when you learn who your real friends are. Isn’t that the truth? When tough times come, it really makes you appreciate those that stick by you through thick and thin. That is what Paul had in Timothy. And now Timothy is going to go back to Philippi, as Paul’s and Christ’s Ambassador if you will, to strengthen them and encourage them, and report to them the situation that Paul now finds himself in. Paul trusted Timothy to serve in this capacity. Like Paul, I know I could trust most all of you here as well. And that understanding brings me much confidence and peace, and I thank you for that. For we are in an upside-down world, and we truly need each other.
The next person that Paul endorses and encourages in this letter is Epaphroditus. Starting at verse 25, Paul writes:
25 But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus—my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need— 26 since he has been longing for all of you and was distressed because you heard that he was sick. 27 Indeed, he was so sick that he nearly died. However, God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. [SLIDE] 28 For this reason, I am very eager to send him so that you may rejoice again when you see him and I may be less anxious. 29 Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with great joy and hold people like him in honor,
30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.
Epaphroditus was a delegate of the Christian church in Philippi, who sent him with their gifts to Paul during his imprisonment in Rome. Today, Epaphroditus is considered a saint of the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, and he is recognized now as the first Bishop of Philippi. In Paul’s letter to the church of Philippi here, Paul calls him “my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need”. That is quite a list of impressive pronouns and titles for one man. I would suggest that he must have been quite the trustee from Philippi, and now Paul to gain such positive accolades. Unlike Timothy, Epaphroditus is only mentioned in this one letter-book of Philippians. We find his name in our verses today, but also in Philippians 4:18 where Paul declares that “I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God”.
So in this letter, Paul says that he is sending two of his closest companions, that would also have been well known already to the Philippian believers. Paul trusted these men, as they have proven out their good character and they served as excellent models of the humble obedience and unity characteristics that Paul has been talking about and encouraging the Philippian believers to emulate. We too should look to these great examples, these heroes of our faith, as well as many other fine examples in scripture to model our lives after. Like me, you may not have grown-up in the most ideal of circumstances, but let even those life-lessons strengthen your resolve to become more like Christ instead, and more like these servant saints of Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus.
Like Paul, we should all endeavor to surround ourselves with more “like-minded” Christian believers. Ones that stay with us through the times of trial and tribulation. My hope is that you will also have the opportunity to even mentor a few people, so they may be able to learn from the wisdom and experiences that you have to share. There are few things that brings more joy and satisfaction then seeing others prosper from your own life experiences. That is what this church family is all about. Coming together for the benefit of each other and for living out the Christ centered life to the joy of Father God.
You are my brothers and sisters, my true friends in Christ. Sadly though, there are a lot of folks that think they have no friends these days, maybe even some of you here in this church. But there’s and old saying that goes “in order to get a good friend, you first have to be a good friend”. What that means is, if you want get a good friend, you shouldn’t wait for someone to be nice and friendly to you, instead you should first try to be nice and friendly to them. That goes right along with the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. And that’s right out of Matthew 7:12, what Jesus said Himself. So if you want a good friend then be a good friend.
And then when you get that good friend, then you must spend some time with that friend. Experience life with that friend, and especially when it is inconvenient. Just like with most anything else, if you don’t maintain it, it will fall apart. As a good friend, you should be intentional in finding ways to stay engaged with each other. And find ways to help out a friend in need. Another old saying is “a friend in need is a friend in deed”. That might sound a bit corny, but it’s true, isn’t it?
So, give it a try. For the sake of yourself and for the sake of the Gospel, extend yourself a little beyond Facebook and twitter and Instagram and snapchat. Spend some time being a friend and maybe even be a mentor to somebody else in this church family. Jesus gave us this church family, so that we can get through this life together. Please recall that when Jesus was getting ready to ascend into heaven, he said “I am going to send the counselor” to you, and that counselor, the Holy Spirit, is now what holds this church family together. And with the Holy Spirit along with the help from each other, brothers and sisters, friends in Christ, we then can much better, get through this life. Amen?
In this letter today, we see that Paul took the time to commend and encourage some of his most trusted and loving friends, co-workers in the faith. So, I thought I should take a moment like Paul to commend a few of my closest associates here at church as well. Please keep in mind this is not an all-inclusive list but just a few I wish to recognize here today.
Of course, on top of the list is Pastor Jeremiah who I have had the privilege of seeing him rise up and take charge here at our church in several different areas. He and Bridget contribute so much to this church’s health and welfare, and I am so thankful for their faithful fellowship. Then there is Brother Ryan, who took over the Treasury job with such vigor and enthusiasm, also teaching the youth with his wife Keli, who also serves as a kitchen Stewart. Then there is Terray and Lisa who helps in most anything needing to be done in this church. You may not be aware that they also help keep this church clean and organized, which by the way we could use one or two other volunteers to assist with. Then I must also mention Lisa and Bob Sieghartner as they help with the youth programs, especially camp, and Lisa also runs the Women on Mission group here at the church. But the truth is that most everyone here contributes in some way and I cannot tell you how much we all appreciate you. But the one that works the hardest, in my humble opinion is my dear wife Amy. She does so much behind the scenes that you couldn’t hardly imagine. Thank you all for your service to this church, this Orion community, and to the cause of Christ in sharing the Gospel. We have accomplished so much in the past few years, and I am so excited to see what else God has in store for us in the future.
[SLIDE] I like what it says in Hebrews 10:24-25 about all this: “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” That is our charge, together for the Gospel, Amen? And finally, as that author Alexander Irvine wrote her novel I read at the start, I will adapt for us now today: God takes a hand wherever he can find it, and just does what he likes with it. Sometimes he takes the hand of a poor old craither like me and sometimes to a wonderful saint like you, to do His great and might work. As they’re all hands touched by His Spirit, and His Spirit is everywhere lukin’ for hands to use. But the question is, are you willing? Would you please stand now and let us close together in prayer.