Two Examples of Christian Service

WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.879 --> 00:00:06.040 Well, if you're able, please remain standing and let's hear God's Word from 2 00:00:06.040 --> 00:00:20.910 Philippians Chapter Two, Verses Nineteen through thirty, Philippians two, nineteen through thirty. 3 00:00:23.260 --> 00:00:26.100 I hope in the Lord Jesus, to send Timothy to you soon, 4 00:00:26.940 --> 00:00:30.620 so that I too may be cheered by news of you, for I have 5 00:00:30.780 --> 00:00:35.460 no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare, for they 6 00:00:35.500 --> 00:00:40.210 all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know, 7 00:00:40.409 --> 00:00:44.409 Timothy's proven worth. How, as a son with a father, he 8 00:00:44.530 --> 00:00:48.850 has served me in the Gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him 9 00:00:49.369 --> 00:00:52.479 just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I 10 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:57.640 trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also. I have thought 11 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:03.119 it necessary to send to you epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow 12 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:07.150 soldier and your Messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing 13 00:01:07.269 --> 00:01:11.349 for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 14 00:01:12.269 --> 00:01:18.030 Indeed, he was ill, near to death. God had mercy on him, 15 00:01:18.030 --> 00:01:22.980 and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should 16 00:01:22.980 --> 00:01:26.859 have sorrow upon sorrow. I am that more eager to send him there, 17 00:01:26.980 --> 00:01:32.219 for that you may rejoice at seeing him again and that I may be less 18 00:01:32.219 --> 00:01:37.609 anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy and honor such men, 19 00:01:38.409 --> 00:01:41.969 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to 20 00:01:42.090 --> 00:01:47.480 complete what was lacking in your service to me and God bless his word to 21 00:01:47.519 --> 00:02:02.269 us. You may be seated. Well, these verses we have some travel 22 00:02:02.390 --> 00:02:10.430 logistics, we have some commands and instructions about comings and goings, very personal 23 00:02:10.629 --> 00:02:16.699 instructions from Paul to the Philippians involving some particular people, two men, Timothy 24 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:22.659 and Epaphroditus, men that were living at this particular time. We're known to 25 00:02:23.139 --> 00:02:28.300 both Paul and the Philippians, but not known except through the pages of scripture, 26 00:02:28.979 --> 00:02:35.050 to us. Now these kinds of passages often occur at the end of 27 00:02:35.169 --> 00:02:42.650 Paul's letters and for that reason some people think, wrongly, that this is 28 00:02:43.530 --> 00:02:49.000 indication that this letter has been compiled to get together in some strange and odd 29 00:02:49.080 --> 00:02:54.520 way, that some redactor did didn't realize or didn't respect the fact that Paul 30 00:02:54.520 --> 00:03:00.870 ended his letter at Verse Thirty in Chapter Two and then added on some other 31 00:03:00.990 --> 00:03:06.990 kind of thing piecing these things together. But if you pay attention to these 32 00:03:07.189 --> 00:03:12.189 verses, you see very quickly that it's much more than travel logistics or some 33 00:03:12.469 --> 00:03:16.379 basic instructions. And even in those when we have them at the ends of 34 00:03:16.500 --> 00:03:21.659 Paul's letters or in the middle or whatever the case may be, we find 35 00:03:21.780 --> 00:03:25.580 that if we pay attention, they're never there in a kind of random way 36 00:03:25.620 --> 00:03:30.530 or for no purpose. I'm all of God's Word is profitable for teaching, 37 00:03:30.729 --> 00:03:38.689 reprove correction and training in righteousness, including passages like these, but you have 38 00:03:38.810 --> 00:03:43.199 to pay attention. You have to think about what Paul, or whoever the 39 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:49.360 author is, is doing. How is it he is I'm weaving these instructions 40 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:53.919 that are to be carried out by these particular people in a particular time and 41 00:03:53.039 --> 00:03:59.830 place. How those instructions apply to us, particular people in a particular time 42 00:03:59.870 --> 00:04:04.310 and place? We have no timothy to receive. He's dead, same with 43 00:04:04.349 --> 00:04:11.060 Epaphroditus, same with Paul. And yet there are there are instructions here and 44 00:04:11.659 --> 00:04:16.699 even examples that go much broader and do instruct us in a number of things. 45 00:04:18.540 --> 00:04:23.779 To see how these things are woven together, how these five how these 46 00:04:24.060 --> 00:04:29.089 instructions here to the Philippians about these two men are connected with the rest of 47 00:04:29.170 --> 00:04:31.730 the book. I want to do a little bit of review with you and 48 00:04:31.889 --> 00:04:36.410 see how Paul is bringing this particular section of the letter to a close. 49 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:43.439 The this section that I just mentioned starts back in chapter one of verse, 50 00:04:43.879 --> 00:04:47.079 Verse Twenty Seven, one, verse twenty seven, and he says this. 51 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:55.269 Only let your manner of Life Be Worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so 52 00:04:55.389 --> 00:04:58.910 that, whether I come to come and see you or an absent, I 53 00:04:59.029 --> 00:05:02.029 may hear that you are standing firm in one spirit and one mind, striving 54 00:05:02.709 --> 00:05:06.899 side by side for the faith of the Gospel. He goes on from there, 55 00:05:08.339 --> 00:05:12.180 but focusing on just that first part, this one thing I want to 56 00:05:12.259 --> 00:05:15.740 tell you just this. Only let your manner of Life Be Worthy of the 57 00:05:15.860 --> 00:05:20.930 Gospel. This is how Paul begins on this section that goes all the way 58 00:05:20.970 --> 00:05:27.209 up to this point that we've read this evening. He begins by saying that 59 00:05:28.089 --> 00:05:33.129 because of God's salvation, because of this good news about Jesus Christ coming into 60 00:05:33.129 --> 00:05:38.839 the world and dying for sinners like me, like you, because of that 61 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:44.839 news, our lives should be lived in a particular way. Our lives should 62 00:05:44.839 --> 00:05:48.759 be lived in a way that's worthy of God revealing himself in the world. 63 00:05:49.870 --> 00:05:57.550 In other words, when God sheds this or makes manifest a salvation as great 64 00:05:57.589 --> 00:06:03.540 as this, we should respond not only in believing the good news about Jesus 65 00:06:03.860 --> 00:06:10.060 and his salvation, the salvation that he brings, not only believing it, 66 00:06:11.019 --> 00:06:15.899 but in acting in accordance with it. There is this way in which scripture 67 00:06:15.939 --> 00:06:20.410 is so clear on this point, that faith in Jesus always flows forth in 68 00:06:20.649 --> 00:06:29.250 actions, Christian actions, Christ like actions, and it's because of that that, 69 00:06:29.449 --> 00:06:35.600 after this instruction, I'm soon Paul gives us testimony about our savior. 70 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:41.480 He talks to us about Jesus, he gives us his example and shows us. 71 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:44.879 This is the what he this is what he did, this is the 72 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:47.750 humility he bore forth. This is the on the way in which he came 73 00:06:47.829 --> 00:06:53.509 into the world. We read it, for example, in verse five, 74 00:06:54.430 --> 00:06:56.829 he says, though he was in the form of God, he did not 75 00:06:57.350 --> 00:07:02.620 count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking 76 00:07:02.699 --> 00:07:08.500 on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and 77 00:07:08.660 --> 00:07:13.300 being found in this humble form, this human form, he humbled himself by 78 00:07:13.379 --> 00:07:17.930 becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Well, 79 00:07:17.970 --> 00:07:21.930 this is our great hope, isn't it? This is our very salvation. 80 00:07:23.089 --> 00:07:26.569 This is the very reason that we live the lives that we do, 81 00:07:27.529 --> 00:07:31.000 that we seek to please and honor God. But it does also, of 82 00:07:31.079 --> 00:07:36.600 course, a great example to us of how we ought to live. So, 83 00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:41.519 to go back Paul Again, is saying we are to live our lives 84 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:46.069 in a manner worthy of this Gospel, worthy of this salvation, and he 85 00:07:46.110 --> 00:07:50.110 gives some specifics about that. How do we live a life, manner, 86 00:07:50.870 --> 00:07:55.310 life in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ? Well, he tells 87 00:07:55.310 --> 00:08:00.220 us in Verse Twenty Seven. He says we are to stand firm in one 88 00:08:00.339 --> 00:08:05.259 spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the 89 00:08:05.339 --> 00:08:09.420 Gospel. What do you see, very briefly, what do you see in 90 00:08:09.579 --> 00:08:15.730 a passage like that? You see unity, you see direction and you see 91 00:08:15.850 --> 00:08:20.329 courage. You see unity in the way that they are standing side by side 92 00:08:20.449 --> 00:08:24.730 for the faith of the Gospel. That's what it means to live a life, 93 00:08:24.970 --> 00:08:28.240 a man in a way, in a manner worthy of the Gospel. 94 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:33.320 It's not just to live our lives individually in a way wholly to God, 95 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:39.240 but together, corporately as the body of Christ, he says, we are 96 00:08:39.320 --> 00:08:43.750 to stand firm in one spirit. There is to be this unity, but 97 00:08:43.870 --> 00:08:48.309 also direction. We're not just standing together huddling like a bunch of chicks to 98 00:08:48.429 --> 00:08:54.669 sort of wandering around collecting themselves together. We do it with a purpose, 99 00:08:54.950 --> 00:09:00.779 moving forward, with a particular goal and sight and vision in mind. And 100 00:09:00.899 --> 00:09:03.980 he says what that is. Side by side for the faith of the Gospel. 101 00:09:05.620 --> 00:09:07.340 And he's given a number of examples of this too, hasn't he, 102 00:09:09.019 --> 00:09:13.929 such as sending out epaphroditus with this gift of sending and helping Paul in his 103 00:09:15.049 --> 00:09:20.929 Apostolic Ministry, providing for the means for these ministers to go forth and to 104 00:09:20.009 --> 00:09:26.919 spread the Gospel. But there's also in addition to unity and direction, there's 105 00:09:26.039 --> 00:09:31.000 courage. It comes out even more clearly in Verse Twenty Eight, Again Chapter 106 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:37.240 One, he says, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. Even 107 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:41.870 suffering, he says in Verse Twenty Nine, is not to be feared but 108 00:09:43.029 --> 00:09:48.309 considered something akin and on the something on the same level as the as a 109 00:09:48.389 --> 00:09:54.659 gift of God. So this is what living life in a Christian way is 110 00:09:54.779 --> 00:10:00.379 like. It's what it means means unity, it means direction, it means 111 00:10:00.419 --> 00:10:03.179 having courage, even in the face of opponents, in the face of suffering. 112 00:10:05.620 --> 00:10:11.769 Now the converse is also true, and you get the specifics there in 113 00:10:11.850 --> 00:10:18.649 chapter two, verses three through four. Instead of standing in addition or complementing, 114 00:10:18.809 --> 00:10:26.120 standing firm and together, we are to do nothing from selfish ambition or 115 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:33.960 conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Let each 116 00:10:33.000 --> 00:10:37.269 of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests 117 00:10:37.309 --> 00:10:45.549 of others. When we see ourselves in Christ, it means seeing our pride 118 00:10:45.710 --> 00:10:52.820 slain. It means rejoicing in seeing our pride slain. It means rejoicing and 119 00:10:54.059 --> 00:10:58.899 being able to get on our knees and wash the feet of others, to 120 00:10:58.179 --> 00:11:03.409 care and love for those in need. To See ourselves in Christ, to 121 00:11:03.809 --> 00:11:11.330 know the Gospel, is to see self ambition tossed aside and to praise God 122 00:11:11.610 --> 00:11:18.090 for it, to finally be free of oneself so that we might worship God 123 00:11:18.250 --> 00:11:28.000 and serve one another. Paul adds another specific to that in verse twelve of 124 00:11:28.320 --> 00:11:33.549 Chapter Two. He summarizes some of these things and an adds one thing to 125 00:11:33.669 --> 00:11:37.750 it. He says as you have always obeyed. So now, as not 126 00:11:37.950 --> 00:11:41.629 only in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own 127 00:11:41.710 --> 00:11:48.299 salvation with fear and trembling, in light of the Gospel of Christ, in 128 00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:52.500 light of everything that God has done for us, in saving us from our 129 00:11:52.580 --> 00:11:58.860 selfishness and saving us from our pride and saving us from our brokenness as a 130 00:11:58.019 --> 00:12:05.169 people, as humanity, and bringing us together, uniting us together in holy 131 00:12:05.289 --> 00:12:11.490 and even holy spiritual love. We have much to be prayed we have meet 132 00:12:11.490 --> 00:12:16.039 much to be thankful for, but also to stand before God in fear and 133 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:24.120 trembling for all that he has done. He adds more specifics to this in 134 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:28.799 verse fourteen. No grumbling or disputing, but like shining stars in the darkness 135 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:35.669 of the world, instead of arguing and complaining and tarnishing the Gospel Message by 136 00:12:35.710 --> 00:12:39.629 which we have been saved, we are to offer our lives up to God 137 00:12:39.909 --> 00:12:46.179 as a sacrifice of worship. Even in the midst of suffering, even in 138 00:12:46.259 --> 00:12:50.779 the midst of suffering one another, even in the midst of our disunity and 139 00:12:50.899 --> 00:12:56.659 our disagreements and our struggles, we are called to offer ourselves up to God 140 00:12:58.730 --> 00:13:05.850 and in doing so we become like bright lights in the sky. So, 141 00:13:05.970 --> 00:13:11.210 as we hear these various things again, just summarizing and tying them all together 142 00:13:11.289 --> 00:13:18.320 in a brief way, we have before US instructions, clear and beautiful instructions, 143 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:24.279 about how we live our lives as Christians. We live our lives as 144 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:30.309 those who have been Gospel fied, to make up a word, as those 145 00:13:30.429 --> 00:13:35.549 who have been changed in this way by the Gospel, by this news that 146 00:13:35.590 --> 00:13:39.389 has come, news that has not only come to our ears in just a 147 00:13:39.590 --> 00:13:45.700 hearing way, but has come to our hearts and changed, changed them the 148 00:13:46.059 --> 00:13:52.019 spirit of God working in us to believe, to hope and to see one 149 00:13:52.100 --> 00:13:56.250 another in a new light. We live our lives as those who have been 150 00:13:56.370 --> 00:14:05.529 Gospel fied. But it means also not trekking out apart on our own, 151 00:14:05.570 --> 00:14:11.679 away from Christ and his body, but striving for unity, group, courage 152 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:18.840 and direction because of the Gospel and for the Gospel. So this is what 153 00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.159 Paul has been telling us, this is what he's been opening up been explaining 154 00:14:24.309 --> 00:14:30.269 to us in various ways. Now, Paul, it may seem that Paul 155 00:14:30.309 --> 00:14:35.470 has kind of left all this behind for the sake of these travel logistics, 156 00:14:35.470 --> 00:14:39.899 but, as I've said, he of course, has not. What has 157 00:14:39.940 --> 00:14:46.139 he done? Well, he's given us, in addition to the example of 158 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:50.860 Christ and an existion to his own example, which we've touched on before, 159 00:14:52.740 --> 00:14:58.049 he now gives us these examples of these two men, Timothy and epaphroditus. 160 00:14:58.129 --> 00:15:03.570 He gives this these examples, as a way to fill out and explain and 161 00:15:03.129 --> 00:15:07.679 inspire perhaps even the way forward and the kind of life that he is calling 162 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:15.240 us to live. Personally, I found the very helpful to have role models 163 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:18.639 in my own life, people that I know and I look up to and 164 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:26.309 say that is someone to worth following, and I think that's true for all 165 00:15:26.389 --> 00:15:31.830 of us. It's so helpful to not only hear a command be wise, 166 00:15:33.950 --> 00:15:39.539 be loving, but to see it in action, but to see it in 167 00:15:39.700 --> 00:15:45.860 action, to see it lived out in the all the complications of life. 168 00:15:46.659 --> 00:15:48.899 Sometimes we draw directly from it and we say, Oh, I saw ah 169 00:15:48.980 --> 00:15:52.409 how she did that, I saw how he did that, I can do 170 00:15:52.610 --> 00:15:58.929 the same thing. But sometimes it's not even as simple as that. Sometimes, 171 00:15:58.009 --> 00:16:02.850 as we say, it's sort of thinking of ourselves in that person's shoes, 172 00:16:03.769 --> 00:16:07.399 kind of situating ourselves and we say, okay, this is a holy 173 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:11.279 person, this is a person who knows what it means to live their lives 174 00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:17.559 in a manner worthy of the Gospel. What would they do? What would 175 00:16:17.559 --> 00:16:22.710 they do in this kind of situation? These examples that Paul gives us here 176 00:16:23.710 --> 00:16:30.070 is yet another one of God's blessings to us. It's yet another one of 177 00:16:30.110 --> 00:16:34.740 the ways that God teaches us. The Word of God says that Christ and 178 00:16:34.860 --> 00:16:41.860 his ascension poured out gifts on his church, and those gifts are apostles and 179 00:16:41.019 --> 00:16:48.970 prophets and evangelists and teachers, men like Timothy and epaphroditus. These gifts, 180 00:16:48.090 --> 00:16:55.049 these men holy examples in the world and in our lives to show us the 181 00:16:55.169 --> 00:17:00.480 way forward. And that's exactly what we see here in these in these two 182 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:07.480 men, in Philippians too, and Timothy and epaphroditus. Let's take them each 183 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:15.039 in turn and and see what we can learn. First, Timothy. Paul 184 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:18.390 says that he hold to send Timothy to them. Timothy, as we know 185 00:17:18.549 --> 00:17:22.869 from here and from other places in scripture, was one of Paul's some companions 186 00:17:23.029 --> 00:17:27.390 and and fellow workers, but he's very close to him as well. He 187 00:17:27.430 --> 00:17:34.859 knew him for a long time and had mentored him and excuse me obviously thought 188 00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:41.619 very highly of him, but notice why he thinks highly of Timothy. Notice 189 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:47.609 the kind of works that Timothy is going about doing and striving after. Paul, 190 00:17:47.650 --> 00:17:52.049 amidst all the people that are persecuting him and troubling him, says, 191 00:17:52.170 --> 00:17:56.690 and Verse Twenty, I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned 192 00:17:57.250 --> 00:18:03.079 for your welfare. Do you see what the Apostle of God prizes? He 193 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:11.599 prizes this one not because he's wealthy or because he's fabulously smart or is able 194 00:18:11.720 --> 00:18:19.390 to do some amazing things, but because he is genuinely concerned for the your 195 00:18:19.549 --> 00:18:26.349 welfare. He loves the PHILIPPIANS FROM HIS HEART. That is something to be 196 00:18:26.549 --> 00:18:30.259 prized. Paul says, I have no one like this, and he gives 197 00:18:30.460 --> 00:18:34.019 the opposite, as we sort of saw before. He says, for they 198 00:18:34.019 --> 00:18:41.650 all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. Isn't that interesting 199 00:18:41.769 --> 00:18:47.490 how he parallels those two things? There that Timothy genuinely is concerned for the 200 00:18:47.569 --> 00:18:53.369 interest of the Philippians, which Paul Parallels with not seeking his own interests but 201 00:18:53.529 --> 00:18:59.920 those of Jesus Christ. It is to say that Timothy, in pursuing Jesus 202 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:04.720 Christ, is at the same time pursuing Christ's people. To pursue Christ's people 203 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:11.869 is to pursue Jesus Christ. It is his body after all. Is How 204 00:19:11.950 --> 00:19:15.390 the scripture speaks of it and how we speak of it. He then says 205 00:19:15.390 --> 00:19:19.509 in Verse Twenty Two, you know Timothy's proven worth. How has a son 206 00:19:19.670 --> 00:19:26.579 with a father. He has served with me in the Gospel. Timothy is 207 00:19:26.660 --> 00:19:32.019 a hard worker and has treated Paul very well. Learned from him, grown 208 00:19:32.180 --> 00:19:37.059 in, grown from him and his teaching, for the purpose not of just 209 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:44.609 becoming a appallite but of serving together. That unity right, even like a 210 00:19:44.809 --> 00:19:53.480 father and a son together moving forward. In the Gospel. Then epaphroditus. 211 00:19:56.079 --> 00:20:03.400 He calls epaphroditus my brother, my fellow worker and fellow soldier and your Messenger 212 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:11.549 and minister to my need. What probably happened here is that epaphroditus, as 213 00:20:11.589 --> 00:20:17.390 he was going from the Philippians to Paul, got really sick on the way 214 00:20:18.230 --> 00:20:22.180 and on that way met some kind of messenger who went back to the Philippians 215 00:20:22.220 --> 00:20:27.420 and told them epaphroditus is really sick. Epaphroditus continues on his journey to go 216 00:20:27.700 --> 00:20:32.140 see Paul, but then, by the time he gets there, they get 217 00:20:32.180 --> 00:20:37.930 word that the Philippians not only know that epaphroditus is sick, but that he's 218 00:20:37.970 --> 00:20:41.250 very sick and they are very worried. They've sent him out to go take 219 00:20:41.289 --> 00:20:45.490 care of this need and and now they hear that he is sick. And 220 00:20:45.569 --> 00:20:48.450 Paul says, yeah, he was sick. Indeed, he almost died. 221 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:57.720 Mentions it twice. The the longer passage with more details comes in verse thirty. 222 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:04.069 He says he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life 223 00:21:04.670 --> 00:21:10.630 to complete what was lacking in your service. To me, I'm Paul is 224 00:21:10.750 --> 00:21:18.069 not chastising the Philippians here, but he's simply saying epaphroditus was sent out to 225 00:21:18.509 --> 00:21:25.819 do a service and he was committed to fulfill that fulfill that service again for 226 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:30.539 the sake of the Gospel. You hear how all of these people, in 227 00:21:30.619 --> 00:21:33.930 various ways, are living their lives in a way that is honoring to God. 228 00:21:34.089 --> 00:21:41.730 On Epaphrodite is risking his life for the sake of ministering the Paul for 229 00:21:41.970 --> 00:21:48.920 serving alongside him as a fellow worker and fellow soldier. Notice also not only 230 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:53.559 epaphroditus is hard work this kind of direction and courage that we talked about earlier, 231 00:21:55.279 --> 00:22:00.480 but again also that unity and love in verse. Twenty six for he 232 00:22:00.599 --> 00:22:04.430 has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he 233 00:22:04.589 --> 00:22:11.349 was ill. He's distressed because they're distressed and they're distressed because he's sick, 234 00:22:11.509 --> 00:22:18.099 and everybody's worried, but it's out of love, right. There's genuine concern 235 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:23.059 for each other, there's genuine knowledge of the and unity among the among one 236 00:22:23.099 --> 00:22:30.289 another, and so Paul, I'm desiring to be a blessing to them and, 237 00:22:30.490 --> 00:22:34.650 having received the gift that they had sent, even though epaphroditus is very 238 00:22:34.690 --> 00:22:41.009 valuable to him, ascends him back. And here you see Paul's love. 239 00:22:41.809 --> 00:22:45.240 You see Paul's love as well. He's just he has timothy, the only 240 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:51.400 one who is of help to him, and here he's just received epaphroditus, 241 00:22:51.440 --> 00:22:56.640 a fellow worker, a fellow soldier, someone who's genuinely concerned about the right 242 00:22:56.839 --> 00:23:00.430 things and doing the right things and is a man even willing to risk his 243 00:23:00.509 --> 00:23:04.549 own life. And here's Paul in jail, hoping to get out soon, 244 00:23:04.750 --> 00:23:10.269 but not nest, not knowing that with any guarantee and he sends both of 245 00:23:10.349 --> 00:23:15.339 these encouragers and helpers back to the Philippians. Why? For their sake, 246 00:23:17.420 --> 00:23:22.099 you see, how this, the Church of God is, is all together, 247 00:23:23.299 --> 00:23:27.890 bowing down to one another, not in worship but in service and in 248 00:23:29.089 --> 00:23:36.930 love, seeking to serve one another, seeking the other's interests. And so 249 00:23:37.130 --> 00:23:41.599 in these two examples, and Timothy and epaphroditus, and implicitly in Paul and 250 00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:48.559 somewhat in the Philippians, we begin to see these these rich, full blooded 251 00:23:48.680 --> 00:23:52.720 examples of what it means to live life in the Church with this kind of 252 00:23:52.319 --> 00:24:02.349 Gospel, Unity, Gospel, direction and courage, mission love, things that 253 00:24:02.910 --> 00:24:10.500 sometimes bring us much persecution, excuse me, and even death. But never 254 00:24:10.579 --> 00:24:15.259 mind it, never mind them, the Christian says, for the sake of 255 00:24:15.420 --> 00:24:21.099 the Gospel, for the sake of telling others about Jesus, for the sake 256 00:24:21.180 --> 00:24:26.490 of growing together in unity and love. It's more than worth it. It's 257 00:24:26.569 --> 00:24:30.289 more than worth it because of what our God has done and the way that's 258 00:24:30.329 --> 00:24:36.529 that he blesses us through it. Now, of course, would make sense 259 00:24:36.609 --> 00:24:41.839 for Paul to say to receive these men with rejoicing and with joy, and 260 00:24:41.920 --> 00:24:45.359 he does that in Verse Twenty Nine. And it would also make for a 261 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:48.359 sense for him to say that they should be honored, but he doesn't say 262 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:56.509 that exactly. Instead, he says receive him. That is epaphroditus in the 263 00:24:56.630 --> 00:25:02.109 Lord, with all joy and honor s such men. Here we see that 264 00:25:02.829 --> 00:25:07.180 these this command or these examples given are not just for the Philippians and these 265 00:25:07.339 --> 00:25:11.579 particular men, but there's something to here, to be learned after on buy 266 00:25:11.660 --> 00:25:18.019 all of us to honor these kinds of people, to be joyful about having 267 00:25:18.059 --> 00:25:22.769 them in our myths, to to strive to be like them and be them 268 00:25:22.809 --> 00:25:30.970 ourselves. In these verses we hear what it is to be prized among God's 269 00:25:30.049 --> 00:25:37.480 people. It is not to be that someone with great authority or power, 270 00:25:37.240 --> 00:25:41.720 it is not to be someone who a bullies people or has a lot of 271 00:25:41.920 --> 00:25:48.759 control or is very knowledgeable in all things, but it is to be one 272 00:25:48.880 --> 00:25:52.549 who's filled with love, and genuine, genuine love and service for others, 273 00:25:53.910 --> 00:26:00.390 not for the sake of gaining credibility or points with God or being puffed up, 274 00:26:00.549 --> 00:26:03.900 but for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of what God 275 00:26:04.059 --> 00:26:11.099 has done for us self. Sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel wholly living, 276 00:26:11.259 --> 00:26:15.019 courage and love for the brothers. These are the things that God calls 277 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:22.289 us to honor, to see and to strive after. With these kind of 278 00:26:22.369 --> 00:26:26.089 examples before us and, of course, others that perhaps you are thinking of 279 00:26:26.809 --> 00:26:34.039 people in your own lives, let us respond not with hard hearts and heavy 280 00:26:34.079 --> 00:26:41.680 feet, but let us respond with faith. Let us respond and seeing the 281 00:26:41.799 --> 00:26:45.920 good gifts that God is giving us, to seeing the gospel not only preached 282 00:26:47.079 --> 00:26:51.670 but lived out in the lives of our brothers and sisters, and not only 283 00:26:51.789 --> 00:26:55.630 see it and honor it and praise God for it, but to do the 284 00:26:55.750 --> 00:27:00.150 same. We hear of these examples, when we hear of the Gospel, 285 00:27:02.099 --> 00:27:08.460 respond. Go to your sister and serve her, go to your brother and 286 00:27:08.660 --> 00:27:15.730 meet his need and love. Strive to be people like Timothy and epaphroditus and 287 00:27:15.849 --> 00:27:22.450 Paul. Follow in their way and follow with confidences, because their way is 288 00:27:22.849 --> 00:27:30.200 a gospel way. Paul will say this explicitly later on in chapter three, 289 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:33.640 verse Seventeen, and will revisit some of these things when we get there, 290 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:37.759 but I'll tell read it to you now. He says, Brothers, join 291 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:44.950 in imitating me and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example 292 00:27:45.470 --> 00:27:49.430 you have in us. You See, then, we don't need to be 293 00:27:49.549 --> 00:27:56.710 ashamed at honoring and esteeming those who honor and esteem Christ and his ways. 294 00:27:57.029 --> 00:28:03.099 We need not be ashamed at imitating them and others like them. Why? 295 00:28:03.380 --> 00:28:08.539 Because it in doing so we are honoring and esteeming our Lord, because he 296 00:28:08.859 --> 00:28:15.250 is, after all, the one they are following. These men and women 297 00:28:15.650 --> 00:28:18.490 that God gives to us in our lives, that point the way forward, 298 00:28:18.609 --> 00:28:25.289 that point us to Jesus, are ones to be followed, because they're pointing 299 00:28:25.529 --> 00:28:30.559 in the right direction. Of course, we don't worship them or or idolize 300 00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:37.960 them, but we do follow after them. It is God, Paul reminds 301 00:28:37.000 --> 00:28:41.269 us in verse thirteen of Chapter Two, who works in us, to will 302 00:28:41.349 --> 00:28:45.390 and to work for his good pleasure. When we see him working in our 303 00:28:45.430 --> 00:28:51.109 brothers and sisters, when we see examples like Timothy and Paul and epaphroditus, 304 00:28:52.230 --> 00:28:56.500 we are right to give praise to God who is working in them, remembering 305 00:28:56.579 --> 00:29:00.099 also what Paul said in chapter one, verse six, that he who began 306 00:29:00.339 --> 00:29:06.460 a good work in us will bring it to completion. It's true that we 307 00:29:06.500 --> 00:29:10.890 can follow after men, worshiping and idolizing them, and we must not do 308 00:29:11.130 --> 00:29:15.609 that. To do that would be to fail to follow the example that they 309 00:29:15.609 --> 00:29:18.970 are setting. But at the same time, we must not learn, or 310 00:29:19.009 --> 00:29:23.400 we must not fail to learn from the living examples that God gives us to 311 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:30.440 lead, to lead us in the right ways, to go back to where 312 00:29:30.440 --> 00:29:36.039 we began. Christ gives these gifts to us. He gives, in our 313 00:29:36.200 --> 00:29:41.430 lives and in the pages of scripture, people to point the way, to 314 00:29:41.589 --> 00:29:47.990 point the way to the Gospel and to the way of Gospel Living, to 315 00:29:48.190 --> 00:29:52.299 show us what it means to believe in Jesus Christ and to live our lives 316 00:29:52.380 --> 00:29:59.539 in a manner worthy of that belief, of that good news. May God 317 00:29:59.740 --> 00:30:03.900 grant us that kind of faith, that kind of ability to see and to 318 00:30:04.019 --> 00:30:11.369 know who to follow and who to strive to be like. Let us pray