Sunday, May 2, 2021

“Two Great Lights” :19-30

Idea: Faithful Christian living does not always look extraordinary. God normally meets us and uses us in the ordinariness of life.

Intro: Green...We hear a lot of rhetoric about “going green” these days. Solar power, wind power, electric cars, and living “carbon neutral” are products and concepts being pushed. The ideology behind these is one that advocates for a clean and thus a green planet. Personally, I do not know nor have I heard of anyone who desires a filthy and contaminated environment. Quite the contrary. It seems we want to live in a world that is beautiful and thriving. A lush, green, and growing world is what we want to call home.

This past week I had the privilege of meeting an pastor over lunch with one of our church members. I learned that he is from the southern region of Egypt. As I was trying to get oriented with the location of his hometown, mentally the Nile River became my major reference point. What do know about that great river? We know it runs north out of Uganda, into South Sudan, through Sudan and Egypt, and into the Mediterranean Sea. It runs through some extremely arid areas, carving out a fertile basin that brings life to a seemingly lifeless environment. I have flown over Egypt several times. From the air, much of it looks like a barren wasteland. The land on the banks of the Nile, however, is lush, fertile, and green. It stands out like a shining beacon against the backdrop of the Sahara Desert. Life is present there because of the Nile River.

Greenness is the test of a . As we read through the , we learn the chief result of a disciple’s life should be the same of that which characterized the life of . He made things live. Now, the Lord sends His disciples into a spiritually arid wasteland and expects them to leave it fertile, green, and full of life. Using the image that the Apostle Paul presented in 2:15, the Lord sends disciples out as lights in a dark world to shine and dispel the darkness. He presents a practical Christianity. If the unbelieving world is to see the outworking of the already inward salvation (2:13), it is necessary that believers affirm and simulate the Word of God in their living. The light of the is to be lived out in contrast to the darkness of sin in this world.

Now, on the heels of what we have read thus far in Philippians, we might expect to hear a set of extraordinary stories, detailing miraculous ways the disciples shined as lights in their dark world. Instead, Paul presents two ordinary dudes who let their light shine in the routine affairs of life. These two great lights show us that faithful Christian living does not always look extraordinary. In fact, God normally meets us and uses us in the ordinariness of life.

Read Philippians 2:19-30.

Inquiry: At first glance, these verses may seem like a bit of a downer. It is doubtful that anyone’s favorite verse is found in this passage. Thus far, Paul has talked about his ambition and vision in ministry, exhorted the Philippians to live worthy of the gospel, and called them to work out the life of Christ within them. In the final two chapters, he offered more great teaching on theology and how to find joy in Christ. Sandwiched, however, between what we have already examined and what is coming is basically a travel itinerary. Should we skip over it and move on to more important things? Never! Every verse in the is there on purpose. This travel itinerary is present because communication was important. Paul could not pick up a phone or log into a computer and FaceTime. The Philippian church was supporting him, so he wanted to extend thanks and outline his plans. Therefore, he wrote this letter. In addition, he was sending Epaphroditus back to and Timothy would come to them at a later date. Paul needed to alert the church to these dynamics.

Travel itineraries are common in New Testament . What is unusual about the one in Philippians is that it comes in the middle of a letter. Typically, they are presented at the end of the letter (Col 4:7-8). It seems the reason why Paul laid out the Philippian letter like this is because the travelogue fits perfectly within the flow of the whole letter. By speaking about Timothy and Epaphroditus, Paul provides concrete examples of what he has been talking about in the previous two chapters. They are living illustrations…two great lights. Let’s look at them.

1. Timothy (vs. 19-24)

Paul and Timothy shared not only a wonderful friendship but a partnership in the gospel (vs. 22). More than likely Timothy had believed on Christ through Paul’s preaching in Derbe and Lystra (Acts 14). Later, on his second missionary journey, Paul enlisted Timothy as one of his fellow laborers (Acts 16:1- 4). They traveled, preached, and planted churches together. Paul believed in and trusted this brother because there was no one like him. He was “like-souled.” The idea here has nothing to do with personality or common interests. Instead, it speaks of the fact that the basic life principles by which each lived coincided. Timothy possessed…

• Genuine concern for others (vs. 20) He was not just interested in winning friends and influencing people. He was genuinely interested in the physical and spiritual welfare of others. This same characteristic is found in Paul. He was deeply concerned about the church in Philippi and wanted to send someone to convey his concern and get the facts. There were hundreds of believers in . Paul mentioned twenty-six such believers by name in his letter (Rom 16). Unfortunately, not one of them was “available” to make the trip. Instead, they all sought their own interests (vs. 21).

In a very real sense, all of us live either in :21 or Philippians 2:21!

Timothy had a “supernatural” concern for the welfare of others. He possessed the mind of Christ (2:5). Focusing on and caring for others over and above yourself does not come naturally. It is not the default position of the flesh. A genuine concern for others’ physical and spiritual welfare only comes as believers work out of the life of Christ that dwells within them. It comes as we allow the life and love of to be pressed out through ours.

• Faithful service in the gospel (vs. 22) Timothy faithfully served Paul like an apprentice serves his teacher and like a son his father. Paul, however, more importantly commends Timothy because of his faithful service in the gospel. He possessed a proven track record in the work of the gospel. He had a good testimony (Acts 16:2) not just a good title.

2. Epaphroditus (vs. 25-30)

Paul plans to send Epaphroditus to Philippi first because of their concern over his health and the distress Epaphroditus feels over their worrying. He had come to Paul in Rome as a blessing from the Philippians. He brought gifts and assurance from that church to Paul while imprisoned in Rome. On the 800-mile journey, Epaphroditus became very sick and nearly died. The church had gotten word about his condition and was deeply concerned. He had been nursed back to good health there in Rome and was a valuable blessing to Paul. Nonetheless, the apostle desired to send him back to Philippi to encourage the church and bring word from him to them. In this correspondence, we learn Epaphroditus was a…

• Christian brother There is no such thing as spiritual elites in the church. Everyone who knows Christ as Lord and Savior has been adopted by the Father through Jesus. In salvation, however, we not only experience new life with God, we also experience a new relationship with other believers. We become brothers and sisters in the faith. There is an identity change that takes place. Paul’s use of this term highlights this identity change as well as his affection for Epaphroditus.

• Christian worker He was a fellow worker, a co-laborer in the mission of the gospel. Obviously, Paul as an apostle was more visual and in a position of leadership, but he recognized that they were equals. He did not take on a superior position.

• Christian soldier The image changes to one of Paul’s favorite pictures of the Christian life. He goes to the battlefield (2 Tim 2:3-4). He and Epaphroditus had been through a spiritual battle together, which further endeared them to one another. A special relationship develops when individuals willingly risk their lives for each other.

• Christian servant Now, Paul moves from describing his relationship with Epaphroditus to describing the relationship the church had with Epaphroditus. He was their messenger. He was sent with a mission to convey the love of the church and to give a gift to Paul. He was also their minister. The word (leitourgovV) carries the idea of priestly service. It does not refer to a position but rather to a particular function. All believers are God’s priests, and all believers are called to worship God through sacrificial service (Rom 12:1-2). Epaphroditus worshiped God by serving Paul and others.

This great servant of God carried out his duty even at the risk of his life, but it seems that he was never concerned about his own well-being. Instead, he was deeply concerned for his home church as he feared they expected the worst (vs. 26). They had heard how sick Epaphroditus was and probably thought he might die.

In Philippians 2:5-11, we see the theology of a Christian. In 2:12-18, we see the exhortation of a Christian. Now, in 2:19-30, we see the type of lifestyle that should mark a genuine Christian. Believers should possess genuine concern for others, model faithful service in the gospel, live as a brother, operate as a worker, mauever as a soldier, and give himself as a servant. Timothy and Epaphroditus are two great lights shining as models against the backdrop of a sin-stained world.

We all need good models to learn from and follow. Christian character is as much caught as it is taught. If you think about it, we all grow up imitating the people we are around and admire. D. A. Carson shares a story from his time as a college student at McGill University. He and another guy started a Bible study on campus to introduce students to the gospel. They both were green and inexperienced. When Carson was presented questions he could not answer, he would bring that person to a graduate student named Dave. One such person was named Rick. When he met Dave, Rick set the scene for his question. He said, “I come from what you people would call a liberal home. We do not believe the way you do. But it is a good home, a happy home. My parents loved their children; disciplined us; set a good example; and encouraged us to be courteous, honorable, and hardworking. And for the life of me I cannot see that you people who think of yourselves as are any better. Apart from a whole lot of abstract theology, what have you got that I haven’t?”

Dave stared at Rick for a few seconds, and then he simply said, “Watch me.” A puzzled look came over Rick’s face. “I am sorry. I do not understand,” Rick said.

Dave answered, “Watch me. Come and live with me for a month, if you like. Be my guest. Watch what I do when I get up, what I do when I am on my own, how I work, how I use my time, how I talk with people, and what my values are. Come with me wherever I go. And at the end of the month, you tell me if there is any difference.”

Rick did not fully take Dave up on his invitation, but he did get to know Dave better. Eventually, Rick became a Christian, married a Christian woman, and they used their profession as medical doctors to serve the kingdom of God.

God blesses His children with models and guides to follow. We find them in the Bible, such as Timothy and Epaphroditus, and we discover them in our personal lives. One of the beauties of Christ’s church is how God uses the body to raise up the body. How shall we respond to these shining examples?

Responding to God’s great servants: • Receive them. Paul commended both Timothy and Epaphroditus to the Philippians (vs. 19, 25, 29). They were to receive them as brothers and the shining lights they were.

When you receive something or someone, you bring the thing or person into your life. Unfortunately, we receive a lot of things in our lives that are detrimental. Every time we do so, in some way we are influenced and impacted. On the flipside, too often we are slow to receive Godly examples. In fact, there are times we might even be resistant to them. We need to receive them.

• Honor them. Paul instructs the church to show their appreciation and give respect to Epaphroditus because of his service in the gospel work (vs. 29). It nearly cost him his life. He was to be held in high esteem.

Church, we should also treasure and celebrate those who serve the Lord in ways that are costly and dangerous.

• Mimic them. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. – Phil 3:17

The exhortation has been that the church would shine as lights in a dark world. These two men are examples of just that. The church should notice and mimic the patterns of life they flesh out. Today, we also want to recognize and mimic the examples of Godly believers in our own lives and church. We want to learn and grow from their investment. Conclusion: Greenness is the test of a disciple. As disciples living in a spiritually arid wasteland, we want to cultivate a fertile and green culture that is full of life. There has been nothing flashing about the two examples Paul has presented. They were just ordinary dudes, but this is what much of Christian living is. It does not always look extraordinary. Sorry to say, we are too often drawn to the dramatic. The church gets sucked into the extraordinary as a product of culture, in which everything gets sensationalized around us. As a result of our addiction to the sensational, we get bored easily. We cannot be still to study or listen, and we tend to downplay faithful, normal Christian service that honors Jesus. God, however, normally meets us and uses us in the ordinariness of life.

Christian service does not always, in fact rarely, requires the ultimate sacrifice. It is not you giving a one-time million dollar offering saying, “Here is my life, Lord. I give it all.” Rather, the Lord sends you to the bank with that million dollars with instructions to cash the bills in for quarters. Christian service is you putting down 25 cents here and 50 cents there. It is befriending the kid that lives down the street who comes from a broken home. It is caring for the elderly woman who has outlived her friends and has no family. It is babysitting for the single mom. It is being a foster care family so you meet the darkness with the light of the gospel. It is ministering to people in tragedy and pain. It is helping someone move across town. It is seeing a need and simply stepping in to meet it. This is the example we see in both Timothy and Epaphroditus. Two ordinary guys…two great lights.

May we go and do likewise. You can only do so in the power and life of Jesus Christ. If you have not yet turned from sin and placed faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, this is not for you. Good intentions and even good works are not enough. You need Jesus, and the Bible shares the news you need to know.

Good news: God loves you. He created you and desires to know you.

Bad news: You are a sinner in rebellion against your Creator.

Best news: God has done everything necessary to justly deal with your sin and bring forgiveness and restoration to your life. Today, He calls you to turn from your sin and self and turn to Him as Savior and Lord.