Mrs. Jenny’s 2nd and 3rd grade Wednesday night class has been memorizing Philippians 2:5-11. They have done from verse 5-8 so far and I want to invite them all to come up here and share these verses with all of us. Will all you students please come on up?
This week’s "through the Bible" readings have taken us through Acts 20-28, then the prison epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon.
I have selected Philippians 2 for our lesson this morning. This little letter of Philippians is the warmest and most positive of all the New Testament letters. Rejoicing in the Lord, no matter the circumstance, is a central theme. This joy is based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and built by a pursuit of knowing and even experiencing Jesus in all of life’s ups and downs. An underlying theme is fellowship in Christ when relationships with one another don’t go so smoothly.
This is hinted at in the first chapter when Paul says that there are some who preach Christ out of envy trying to bring him distress. But Paul says, “I just rejoice that Christ is preached!” You’ve got to love his attitude. Here he is, sitting in prison, and writing to a church to cheer them up! Paul looks for God’s hand of blessing even in his hardship. In chapter 1:29 he tells them that it has been granted for Christ’s sake that they not only believe in Him but also suffer for his sake! This is said as if it is a blessing for them! Now that’s a different sort of view than most of us are used to.
Chapter two is woven together with instructions and examples. Three main characters are presented as examples to help us understand and accept the instruction: Jesus Christ, Timothy, and Epaphroditus. But before we look at the examples, let me just read the instruction part first:
Follow with me: verses 1-4, & 12-18.
2:1 If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing;
15 that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.
17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
18 And you too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.
Lord, help me to live from day to day
In such a self-forgetful way
That even when I kneel to pray
My prayer shall be for others.
Help me in all the work I do
To ever be sincere and true
And know that all I’d do for you
Must needs be done for others.
Let "self" be crucified and slain
And buried deep, and all in vain
May efforts be to rise again
Unless to live for others.
Others, Lord, yes, others
Let this my motto be,
Help me to live for others
That I may live like Thee.
When I was a teenager someone made popular the statement that Joy means Jesus first, others second and yourself last. It’s true that self centeredness is the most miserable and ugly attitude of the heart. True joy is finding Jesus by serving others in his name.
Someone wrote:
I sought my God, my God I could not see.
I sought myself, but self eluded me.
I sought my brother and found all three.
To help us understand the instructions of chapter 2 Paul gives us these three examples: Jesus Christ, Timothy, and Epaphroditus.
Let’s start with the most unfamiliar one and work our way to the most familiar. Epaphroditus… Look with me at verses 25-30.
25 But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need;
26 because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.
27 For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28 Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly in order that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.
29 Therefore receive him in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard;
30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.
This man, Epaphroditus, was sent from the Philippian church to Paul to help him and minister to him there in prison. Evidently, his work there with Paul was deeply appreciated. Paul calls him my brother, fellow-worker, and fellow-soldier! These are all descriptive of what kind of help he was giving to Paul while there. Paul also calls him: your messenger and minister to my need. The Philippians were responsible for his coming. They sent him. This helps us see the kind of relationship Paul has with this church. They love this man, Paul. He is more than an authority figure in their hearts and minds. Paul is like their father in the faith. They long for him and worry about him and pray for him. Isn’t it nice to have people that love and care about you? You know something? We get more love and care from more people simply because we are Christians than you would believe! It is amazing! Christians are loving toward one another by command and identity! Jesus said, “This is how they will know that you are my disciples: by your love for one another!” That’s just part of who we are! And, listen to me now… if we fail at this, we fail to be Christians. This love is modeled by Jesus Christ for us and also by those who walk closely with Jesus. Epaphroditus is an example of this for us. Notice how much he shows humility and service through love. He works so hard for Paul that he gets sick and nearly dies! See it there in verse 30. He came close to death for the work of Christ! But the church at Philippi love Epaphroditus too. They’ve heard he was deathly sick and are all upset about it. Now listen to Epaphroditus. He gets distressed that they are distressed because he was sick so he wants to go back and cheer them up. Paul is distressed that they are distressed so he sends Epaphroditus back to them to cheer them up. When they rejoice about Epaphroditus, Paul will have more joy as well. Did you get all that? Everyone wants everyone to have joy! Everyone is thinking about everyone else’s need! That’s the ticket! Others first! This brings home the instruction of verses 1-4 and especially 4… do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Ok, next!
Backing up now, we turn to our next example which is actually the second one in the chapter: Timothy. Read verses 19-24 with me.
19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition.
20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.
21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.
22 But you know of his proven worth that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.
23 Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me;
24 and I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall be coming shortly.
What does this tell us about this man Timothy? Let me read verse 20-22 one more time. Wow! Doesn’t that back up the whole message of chapter 2? Timothy is Paul’s number one man. Paul calls him elsewhere, “My son in the faith.” and there are two personal letters to him from Paul in the New Testament. Timothy got the message when it comes to loving others. He genuinely cares. He’s not just a put on. He’s not a trainee trying to fake it till he makes it. He really, honestly, cares with the love of Christ for others. What a great example.
Notice what Paul says he will do. He will learn of your condition and bring a report to Paul so he can be encouraged. Don’t you know that Timothy will also encourage the church there in Philippi! How? By bringing the love of Christ and showing it, sharing it, and instructing them in it as he also learns how they are doing, and as he cares genuinely for them.
Don’t you enjoy being with people who genuinely care about you? Isn’t that great! Now, if you are a person who genuinely cares you will most likely find that you build that up in others. The love of Christ is contagious. But so is selfishness and empty conceit. The love of Christ is seen in humility and service, selfishness and empty conceit are seen in grumbling and complaining. Humility and service in the love of Christ are expressed with rejoicing in the Lord, encouragement in Christ, consolation of love, fellowship of the Spirit, and affection and compassion! These build unity and prove one to be blameless and innocent!
Do you ever wonder why some churches die off while others in the same area grow? Sometimes they hold to the same doctrine and practice the same patterns of worship. But one dies and the other thrives. Why? Growth comes from God. God gives the increase. To whom does he entrust increase for his kingdom? To those who will follow Jesus Christ in obedient love and faith. Grumbling and complaining won’t hold out the word of life and make anyone shine like Jesus Christ in this crooked and perverse generation.
Timothy cared genuinely. He learned it from Paul, who learned it from Jesus Christ himself.
Our third example is actually the first in the chapter: Jesus Christ himself. Let’s read 5-11 one more time.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The ultimate lover of humanity. The ultimate example of humility. The ultimate model of obedience. Jesus. What can we say to these words that call us to such a high and holy calling? Have this attitude in yourselves that was also in Christ Jesus! God help us! Humble us! Pour out your love into our hearts! May it overflow into every aspect of out lives! Thank the Father for Jesus Christ! Thank the Lord Jesus, for this holy example.
How… how can anyone do this? How? How is it possible to attain to such a command and call?
Listen… The answer is in 12-13. Listen and be glad.
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Working out our salvation can only happen when God works in us. The entire context of working out our salvation here in Philippians is about how we work toward Christ-likeness in our relationships and attitudes.
