Title: “3 Great Examples” Script: Phil. 2:17-30
Type: Expository series Where: GNBC 10-14-18/RW 6-29-25
Intro: The story is told of the World War II American submarine, the USS SQUALUS (SS-192), which on 23 May 1939, while making practice dives at sea, sank and bottomed out on the ocean floor in 243 feet (79 kilometers) of water! Of the fifty-six (56) members of the crew that were onboard, twenty-six (26) were killed; but, thirty-three (33) were rescued and survived! It was a dismal end for that submarine’s career - however, on 13 September 1939, the USS SQUALUS (SS-192), was raised from the bottom, it was reconditioned, it was repaired and overhauled! On 15 May 1940, it was renamed the USS SAILFISH (SS-192), and battling, on 04 December 1943, the darkness, a typhoon, colossal waves and torrential rains, in the Pacific Ocean, went on to sink the Imperial Japanese Navy Ship (IJNS) Chuyo - an escort carrier! The submarine was awarded the "Presidential Unit Citation" for its meritorious action! What an inspiring vessel for the Navy. We all like and appreciate great examples of heroism, valor, success. Same for the faith.
Prop: Phil. 2:17ff shows 3 men who were exceptional servants of Christ.
BG: 1. Examine 3 men – Paul, prisoner, chained to soldier in own rented quarters, Timothy, “son in the faith” of Paul’s. Epaphroditus – Philippian church sent him with financial support to aid Paul. 2. Each man had own spiritual and personal characteristics.
3.
Prop: Looking at Phil. 2:17f we’ll see 3 exceptional servants of the Lord.
I. Paul: Rejoicing in Sacrifice vv. 17-18
A. Paul’s Life was Characterized by Love of the Lord.
1. Paul loved the Lord!
a. Illust: Paul never got over the fact that the Lord Jesus had saved his soul. “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15). We have all heard it and perhaps we have even said it ourselves. “I am the worst cook…” “I am the worst organizer…” “I am the worst preacher…” “I am the worst teacher…” “I am the worst gardener…” “I am the worst mother/father/daughter/son-in-law…,” etc. Why do we say such things? We don’t believe these things when we say them. So, why do we say them? I would like to suggest a few reasons. Sometimes, we just don’t want people’s expectations to be too high. We don’t want them to be disappointed if we fail to deliver the goods. Or perhaps we say such things simply to elicit sympathy. We want people to feel sorry for us. We want them to pat us on the back and tell us that we are really not the worst, but someone else is. Often, people say things like these out of a false sense of humility. We are subtly fishing for compliments. We want people to tell us that far from being the worst, we are actually the best they know. Sometimes we say these things due to a very poor self-image. Life has been so hard for us. We have been battered for so long. Why Does Paul Call Himself the “Chief” of Sinners? Why does he do that? We need to be clear right here at the outset. Paul doesn’t address himself as the “chief” of sinners because he wants to limit people’s expectations of him. Far from it! He doesn’t make this statement because he wants to elicit sympathy. He doesn’t make because he has some false sense of humility. Paul as an apostle makes this statement under the inspiration of Holy Spirit. This was not an off-handed or an incorrect self-depreciating comment. This statement is one of deep gratitude!
b. Paul disciplined his own body so that he would better serve the Lord (I Cor. 9:27). Paul vigorously wanted to discipline his body and life so that he would not be a hypocrite and disqualify his life or message in the minds and hearts of others. Listen, is there anything we are doing in our bodies that poses a danger of disqualifying our lives or message? Quit it due to your love of the Lord! We are to limit our own freedom for the sake of Christ and the sake of others. Notice Paul’s appraisal of his condition: “I am being poured out as a drink offering.” – Gk – spendo – Libation (Word used in both Jewish and Greek religious services. Paul saw his life as being his ultimate act of sacrifice for the Lord. Illust: Jim Elliot said 60+ years ago: “Only one life soon to pass, only what’s done for Christ will last.” Paul realized the truth of this statement and wanted to do everything could to lead as many to Christ as possible.
2. Paul Loved the Lord’s Work. Illust: I really appreciated Mr. Hatch’s testimony that after found his job as a glass blower, he “loved going to work every day of his career”. Now, if you are a boss, that’s the type of employee you want! I imagine Peter “rejoiced” in going to work. Paul “rejoiced” at getting to serve the Lord. Read I Cor. 9:24-27 – Love compelled Paul to serve unreservedly and sacrificially so that he gave his best effort. Any less than his best for his Lord was completely unthinkable for the Apostle Paul.
3. Paul loved the Lord’s People.
a. “drink offering” – As I said, this was a term that would have been familiar to both Jew and gentile listeners in the 1st century. (Lev. 23:18, 37). This “drink offering” was yes, first for the Lord, but also it was performed for his beloved brethren at Philippi. Notice Paul is crediting the believers at this Church with being more faithful than himself. Paul was humbly attempting to serve the people of God. That is the sign of a good pastor!
B. As Believers in Christ we can Follow Paul’s Example.
1. We too are to be Joyful in our Sacrifice of Service for the Lord.
a. Illust: Adoniram Judson was one of the pioneers of American foreign missions. His task became harder even before it began because his Bible study while he was sailing to the mission field convinced him that obedience to the Bible requires believer’s baptism. When he arrived in Calcutta, he was baptized by a member of William Carey’s missionary team and became a Baptist—cutting off all his financial support. He endured great hardship, sickness, disease and imprisonment. His beloved wife and two of their first three children died on the field. There were few converts at first. After a dozen years of labor, only eighteen believers had been baptized.
Yet he endured. Early in his ministry he set a goal of translating the Bible into the Burmese language, and he hoped for 100 converts. Not only did Judson translate the Bible (a translation still widely used today), but he compiled a Burmese-English dictionary that remained in use for decades. When Judson died, instead of 100 converts, there were 100 churches with thousands of converts. Of his years of toil and suffering, he wrote, “If I had not felt certain that every trial was ordered by infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated sufferings.”
b. Serving God does not guarantee that things will always go right. But His faithful presence and blessing offer hope even in the most difficult circumstances. The inward work of the Holy Spirit offers us joy regardless of what is going on around us. And that joy sustains us when the days are dark and encourages us to remain faithful to the end.
2. We will serve the Lord Joyfully when we love the Lord’s Work and His People.
a. Many people have the misconception that being “called” by God is something only missionaries, pastors, and other church leaders experience. But the Bible says everyone is called to serve God by serving others. “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13)
We are not saved by serving, but we are saved for serving. The basis for serving others is salvation. Paul says, “You were called to be free.” You cannot serve God until you’ve been set free by Jesus. It’s the prerequisite for serving.
b. Until you experience the transforming power of God’s grace in your life, you’re too enslaved by your own hurts, habits, and hang-ups to think much about others. Without the freedom of forgiveness, you’ll end up serving for the wrong reasons: trying to earn the approval of others, trying to run away from your pain, trying to remedy your guilt, trying to impress God. Service motivated by these illegitimate reasons is bound to leave you burned out and ¬bitter in the end.
C. Applic: The more Paul increased in the knowledge of Christ, the more he grew in grace. The more the image of Christ was restored in him, the more he understood how much of that image was yet to be restored in him. We can all realte! Illust: The further we stay from the light, the less we see the dirt on us. Conversely, the closer we get to the light, the more clearly we will see the dirt on us. Here is a very sobering truth that we all need to grapple with: the most spiritual among us are those who most clearly see their sins and NOT those who think they are okay and have no sin. And so it was with Paul. Towards the end of his life, a very long way down the road, he ultimately came to view and speak of himself as the “chief” of sinners. Those who are maturing in the faith and growing closer to Christ, have a low view of themselves and a high view of God. I wonder if that describes you and me? Paul was a fantastic example.
II. Timothy: Single-Minded and Sympathetic. Vv. 19-24
A. Timothy is a great example of a believer with Single-minded focus.
1. Timothy was Paul’s beloved “son” in the Christian faith.
- Who was this man, timothy? Native of Lystra (Galatian province). Mother, Eunice, was Jewish and father was Greek. Paul led him to Christ (Icor. 4:17), probably during 1st Missionary Journey. Both his mother and grandmother were believers who had faithfully taught him Scripture since youth. His mixed Jewish and Greek heritage made Timothy uniquely qualified to minister with Paul. Paul spoke of Timothy with great joy and affection. My “true child in the faith” (I Tim 1:2). Traveled with Paul in Corinth, Macedonia, Jerusalem. Was Paul’s trusted envoy to Corinth, Thessalonica, Ephesus, and Philippi.
2. Timothy was faithful and dependable in the Lord’s work.
-Illust: #1 characteristic employers are looking for today in the American marketplace? Someone who will faithfully show up to work on time! Not setting the bar too high! Apparently is a problem, however. No one was more faithful to Paul than Timothy. Could count on him.
B. There are at Least 5 Spiritual Virtues Timothy had we would do well to Emulate.
1. Timothy was similar to Paul.
a. Part of discipleship is imitation. Ideally (and biblically), this will be an informed imitation, in that it will not merely be done in an unthinking, assuming way “because I said so.” Proper discipleship includes biblical, theological, cultural, and philosophical reasoning for the pattern is explained and defended. But informed or not, part of discipleship is the molding of the student to become like the teacher. As such, in the school of Christ, it is an immense help to pattern ourselves after human examples who exemplify aspects of the life of faith and holy virtue we wish to cultivate (are not these and a thousand other aspects of the Christian life learned by emulation, by doing? What book can teach you to pray better than watching the example of a seasoned believer?).
b. “kindred spirit” – equal souled – over time Timothy and as Timothy grew in the Lord, began to think like Paul, act like Paul, evaluate situations like Paul, trust the Lord like Paul, pray like Paul! Timothy has become fully like his teacher, in the best way. If Paul cannot go himself, he sends the one who is most like him! Timothy’s passions, soul-patterns, desires, theology, worldview, value system, goals, and intentions are one with Paul’s after serving alongside him for nearly a decade.
2. Timothy demonstrated genuine sympathy for those in need.
- “will genuinely be concerned for your welfare” – the verb means to have a strong enough feeling for someone that you are “burdened for him/her. Illust: If you see me on campus of UI and is a passing period and I say: “How ya doing?” as we pass, DOES NOT mean I want to stand and talk. Apparently not the case with Timothy!
3. Timothy was “single minded” in serving the Lord.
a. Paul contrasts Timothy’s single minded devotion with those leaders who “sought after their own interests and not the interests of Christ.” Apparently, many of the church leaders at Rome had already become unstable, teaching false doctrine or else had a personal agenda of self promotion. Most notable of these was Demas , who although had once been a faithful co-worker had unsuitable desire to “be first”. Pride and arrogance swallowing him up!
b. Illust: How many of you wear glasses, either for reading or distance? How many of you did wear glasses but fixed the problem with surgery? Since I was 11 years old, I have worn glasses to see objects in the distance. Everything more than a foot away is out of focus, and the further away it gets, the fuzzier it becomes! That’s why I wear contacts for distance—so I can see all of you just fine. But when I have them in, now that I am getting older, they prevent me from focusing my eyes on what is right in front of me. I have had to begin to use glasses in order to read. So every day I have to make a choice about what to focus on in order to get anything done. If I am out and about, I wear my contacts, but if I am reading, I often use glasses. My goal determines my focus. The same thing is true physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Without focus, we will not achieve the goals before us; without focus, we will not gain the reward in the race. Timothy was focused in single minded service of the Lord.
4. Timothy was a seasoned servant of the Lord. Illust: Employers often want “experience” in potential employees. i.e. Timothy was no “greenhorn”. The Church at Philippi knew his “proven worth”. Timothy had a tested value. Many times Timothy’s mettle had been tested and proven to be courageous. He and Silas had stayed on at Berea when Paul left. Went w/ Erastus to minister to Paul at Macedonia (Acts 19,20). Church at Philippi saw worth and value.
5. Finally, Timothy was virtuous in his submissiveness. Just like his “father”, Timothy served the Lord with submissiveness. “in the furtherance of the Gospel”. This is one of the most common verbs used in service to the Lord. Timothy put his desires aside to do what God wanted done.
C. Applic:
III. Epaphroditus: The Christian Gambler. Vv. 25-30
*Not legitimizing gambling. Nor should you go to Riverside and claim to be Epaphroditus!
A. Epaphroditus was an example of Christian servant.
1. What do we know about this special saint?
a. We know very little! He was not an apostle or even an elder like Paul and Timothy. We do not know his family, personal background, conversion, or even ministry in the churches where we see him associated. Basically, we know what his name meant: “belonging to” or “favored by Aphrodite”, the Greek goddess of love. Like Timothy, we assume he was Greek in background.
b. The name “Epaphroditus” came to be associated with “loving or lovely”. Epaphroditus sets a wonderful example as a believer who lovingly serves members of the Body of Christ for no public acclaim or recognition, no talent no high office, no prominence, no talented preacher or learned teacher, nor apostle nor elder. No, just a lot like the rest of us!
2. Epaphras was an example of courageous Christianity.
a. Yet, this saint was a man of courage! Epaphras went to Rome even while Paul was in prison. If Caesar changed his mind about Paul’s situation and executed him, all of the apostle’s friends would be suspect too.
b. Illust: Bob Larson told the story: “When I was a small boy, I attended church every Sunday at a big Gothic Presbyterian bastion in Chicago. The preaching was powerful and the music was great. But for me, the most awesome moment in the morning service was the offertory, when twelve solemn, frock-coated ushers marched in lock-step down the main aisle to receive the brass plates for collecting the offering. One of the twelve ushers was a man named Frank Loesch. He was not a very imposing looking man, but in Chicago he was a living legend, for he was the man who had stood up to Al Capone. Capone’s rule in Chicago was absolute. The local and state police and even the FBI were afraid to oppose him. But single-handedly, Frank Loesch, as a Christian layman and without any government support, organized the Chicago Crime Commission, a group of citizens who were determined to take Mr. Capone to court and put him away. During the months that the Crime Commission met, Frank Loesch’s life was in constant danger. There were threats on the lives of his family and friends. But he never wavered. Ultimately he won the case against Capone and was the instrument for removing this blight from the city of Chicago. Frank Loesch had risked his life to live out his faith.
Each Sunday at this point of the service, my father, a Chicago businessman himself, never failed to poke me and silently point to Frank Loesch with pride. Sometime I’d catch a tear in my father’s eye. For my dad and for all of us Frank Loesch was the epitome of courage.
B. Notice the Titles Paul Gives to Epaphras.
1. The first 3 title are introduced by the possessive pronoun “my”: brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier. What a deep relationship Paul shared with this man! “My brother!” A fellow child of God! Apostle Paul calls you his BROTHER! Fellow worker and soldier! Equally important. Stating their shared struggles against the enemies of the Gospel including their spiritual enemy! Wouldn’t you love it if Paul called you a “Spiritual Warrior!”? He did with Epaphras! The second set of titles Paul gives to Epaphras are: “your messenger and minister to my need”. “Your” like “my” refers to an implied relationship.
2. Paul sent Epaphroditus to meet a deficiency in the Philippian’s faith. (vv.26-30)
a. The Church at Philippi had heard that Epaphras was sick and on the point of death. When God healed and touched him Epaphras wanted to encourage the church with the Good news that He was still alive and well. I find it interesting that Paul did not use his gift of healing (Acts 28:8) which he certainly possessed at least previously, to heal his favored assistant. Yet, God in His mercy healed the man and spared Paul further grief.
b. Epaphras willingly risked or gambled his own life to serve the Lord. “risking his life” – “to throw aside”. This dear saint “threw aside” his personal safety to minister to the church as well as to the Apostle. He was, a “loving gambler” Illust:
C. Applic: Soon after the period of the Apostolic Fathers ended there arose a group called the “Parabolani” which translated means “The Gamblers”. Taking Epaphroditus as their example they visited the sick and prisoners, ministering to those in dangerous circumstances. When the city of Carthage was suffered a severe plague in 252 ad, the pagans were so afraid of contagion that they would not even touch the dead to bury them! Cyprian, the bishop of that city, led the Christians in the arduous task of visiting the sick and dying and burying the corpses that littered the streets of the city. The spiritual witness of that nonverbal testimony was powerful in speaking to the hearts of those outside of Christ. The loving gamblers were loved in return!
3 Great Examples: Paul, Timothy, Epaphroditus.
