A Servant’s Heart Series

Series: Philippians

Sermon: “A Servant’s Heart”

Philippians 2:19-30

Pastor John Bright

Philippians 2 “19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. 20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. 23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. 24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.”

“25 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; 26 since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. 29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; 30 because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.”

Back in middle school science class, we had a project in science class. We each had to make a model of a human cell. We used clear plastic bags and filled them with some goopy liquid. I think we put some cornstarch in water to make it thick. After 40 some years the details are fuzzy. Then we put something round in the bag – again, I can’t remember what it was, but it like a red ball. When we tied up the bag, we had a cell with three parts: cell wall, liquid, and a nucleus. That’s what scientists had seen inside the cell and we saw in our Science Books. We were thoroughly impressed… WOW!

I’m a bit of a science nerd because the more I learn it confirms, over and over, that there is a designer behind the scene. I believe in Intelligent Design – the idea that what we see is too complex to have evolved over time. Like that cell. Now that we can see inside that cell with a scanning electron microscope science has discovered a complex system of tiny factories that produce proteins or chemical compounds used in the body. All these factories are powered by the mitochondria in the cells. They are also complex. (Play Video - https://youtu.be/39HTpUG1MwQ ) What we see in there is also complex – electrical and chemical processes that produce the only substance with the ability to power a human cell. Yet they are hard for the average person to see.

There’s also something deep within the Christian Believer that no microscope – even the most powerful – can expose, but it’s there… A Servant’s Heart. It’s either there or it’s not! Paul could see that servant’s heart in two men described in today’s reading – Timothy and Epaphroditus (some folks are glad I’m the one that has to say that one!).

We know about Timothy from Acts 16. Paul had just separated from Barnabas over having another join their ministry team – John Mark. We are not sure why, but then Paul and Silas welcome Timothy as a travel partner to visit the churches that were up and going. Also in Acts 16, they receive the call to go to Macedonia I mentioned at the start of teaching through the Book of Philippians. They end up in Philippi, so the Philippian Believers have known Timothy from the beginning. They would have looked forward to his return. Paul is going to use Timothy as an example to them – even as he uses himself as an example.

TIMOTHY

• Timothy was like-minded – “20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.”

We have talked about being like-minded back at the beginning of Chapter 2 – “2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” I have been doing some pondering on this and I keep coming back to the same image – a boat with lots of folks rowing. To make any headway, to keep on course, everybody has to work together and row in the same direction. That pulling together as one shows that we each care for one another. Now, that also means we go in a direction that I don’t feel like going but the Church can never be directed by everyone’s individual feelings (even though it looks like denominations are doing that today).