Leading by example

Well, I want you to think of the best leaders you've ever worked under in your life.

The best leaders you have ever worked under in your life.

Now, it might be a boss.

It might have been a really good manager that you had.

It could have been a school teacher, someone who took a good interest in you.

It could have been a sports coach, somebody who'd taken a great interest in your physical development

and helped you in your sporting career.

So think about some of the best people that you've ever worked under or ever come under their tuition.

Now, how about the worst?

We can probably all think of that one absolutely dreadful boss that we've had.

Or that school teacher that we just could not get on with.

That one who always seemed out to get us.

Or maybe it's that sports coach who we just dreaded.

Going out onto the field with them.

You see, the interesting thing is, as you compare these two people or peoples in your mind,

the interesting thing is that the best ones, the best leaders, the best managers,

are normally the ones who lead by example.

They're normally the ones who give you really clear direction and a clear idea of where they want you to go.

But not only that, they show and emulate that instruction themselves.

And then the worst have pretty much the opposite.

They will give instructions, they're pretty good at that.

But often they are very unclear as to where exactly they want you to go or what they want you to do first.

But most importantly, they never do them themselves.

You see, someone once said to me that the best leaders are also brilliant followers.

They know when to lead. They know when to lead from the front.

But they also know when to take a step back and lead by example and to follow other people's lead.

And here in our text this morning, we see three brilliant leaders in the church.

We see three men who were appointed, set aside by God,

for the special task of serving in some form of Christian ministry.

They were set aside for serving in this role, or a certain role, in the church.

And what we will see today is all of them embody this spirit of leading by example.

So we're going to pay particular attention to Philippians chapter 2, verse 19 to verse 30.

So get that open again if you haven't already.

And if you take a quick glance down at those verses, you would be forgiven for saying that Jonathan can't count.

Because you will read this and say there are actually only two men mentioned here.

Timothy and Epaphroditus. So who is the third man?

Well, the answer to that is this man who writes the letter.

The author himself, the Apostle Paul.

What you will find here in our text is that Paul writes a lot about these two faithful friends who've served God

and who have served alongside him, who have supported him and helped him in his own service.

But as he does this, as he writes about them, he reveals a lot about his own character as well.

We saw last time how the Apostle Paul said that he is pouring himself out as a drink offering.

Do you remember how he's set it up?

He's setting an example there all the way back in the Old Testament

where the high priest would pour forward a drink offering of sacrifice to symbolise their own personal dedication to God.

He pours himself out for the service of Christ and for the service of his church.

And the central point that he's trying to get across over or throughout this chapter

is the importance of humility before the world and the importance of humility

submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lordship of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And how do we do that?

Well, we do it by putting others before ourselves.

And you can almost imagine him thinking as his letter is written.

He's written out this wonderful example of humility.

He's told them to be humble and then he's given this wonderful example of the Lord Jesus Christ's humility.

And then he's explained to them how they should demonstrate that in their daily walk.

And he's now told them that they are to work out their own salvation

and that they should demonstrate that by shining like lights.

Into this dark world.

And then you can sort of think of him scratching his head and going

while he's sat there in jail, while he's sat there chained up

thinking, well, who on earth can I think of?

Who on earth is a personal example that I can give to these Philippians

that they will know, that they will recognise.

And you can almost imagine at that moment the door flings open

and in comes Timothy and Epaphroditus.

And he goes, of course, bingo, I've got it.

These are the people that I will write about.

You can almost imagine him casually saying,

well, you can always rely on Timothy.

You can always rely on Epaphroditus.

These men were ministers and very important preachers and leaders in the church,

particularly in Timothy's case.

But more importantly, each of them considered themselves

not as more important than anyone else in the church,

not more special than anyone else in the church.

Be careful here because some people will try and elevate these people

to a position that they never claim.

But they considered themselves as servants and workers.

Look at verse 25 in particular here.

Verse 25 of Philippians 2.

I consider it necessary to send you Epaphroditus.

He's talking about Epaphroditus here, but it applies to Timothy as well.

A brother, a fellow worker.

That's the primary way in which they describe themselves.

Workers for the gospel.

And in a time of great personal trial,

in a time where Paul is imprisoned with no proper timeline for his release,

Paul got by with the disciples.

He got by with a little help from his friends.

These two men supported him.

They encouraged him and they served alongside him

in the vital work that they were doing for the cause of the gospel.

And the gospel was their central focus.

They cared for Paul, they cared for each other,

but the message of good news in the Lord Jesus Christ

was always their central focus.

Look at verse 22, talking about Timothy.

He has served with me.

End of verse 22.

He served with me

in the gospel.

Not in anything else.

He served with me in the gospel.

These three men all work together.

All serving different roles.

And that is the normal pattern for evangelism.

We go together, we work together.

We may do slightly different things,

but that is how we do it.

So I want us to use these 11 verses

to do something slightly different this morning.

We're going to do a little character study

on each of these three men.

The three men of the gospel.

So that's my title,

if you wanted a title for your notes this morning.

Three men of the gospel.

Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus.

And then after that,

once we've looked at all three characters,

we'll just have a few minutes

of final reflection and application.

So let's notice, explore, and discover more then,

firstly, about the character of the apostle Paul.

There's four things that we're going to note down

about Paul in a second.

But of the three men that we will look at today,

this is probably the man who needs

the least of an introduction to us.

He authored this letter to the Philippian church,

and at least 12 other books in the New Testament

are attributed to him.

He's a zealous man.

He's a man who served God with conviction

and all of his energy.

But it wasn't always this way, was it?

Many of you will be familiar with

what he was like before he became a Christian.

What Paul was like before he was converted

in those first eight chapters of the book of Acts.

Then he was more commonly known by his Hebrew name,

Saul of Tarsus,

a violent hater of Christ

and a persecutor of the church.

This man made it his mission to attack

and wipe out as many Christians as possible.

And he was a man who used to be intent

on the slaughter of Christians.

But one day, everything changed.

Acts chapter 9, God shows up.

Jesus Christ shows up and calls out to him,

Saul, why are you persecuting not these people,

not these Christians,

why are you persecuting me?

And at that moment on seeing him,

Paul believed on the Lord Jesus Christ.

And as a result, he became a real enemy

to many Jewish people who saw him as a traitor.

Who saw him now as a terrible example.

Instead of persecuting the church,

this man became devoted to the work of God.

And with time, and it did take time,

he became one of the most highly regarded figures

in the church and became a man of faith

for his preaching and his pastoral insight

and encouragement.

And from that desire to encourage

flowed a great ability to see the good

that God was working in every situation.

So I want you to notice firstly that Paul

was a man who was always rejoicing.

Look at verse 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.

So I will find encouragement

when I know your state.

Talking to the Philippian church.

The joy and the encouragement of the apostle here

is quite remarkable.

Remember where he is.

He's chained, probably physically chained

to a Roman guard 24 hours a day.

He's going through a great trial himself.

But the source of his rejoicing is not,

ah Paul, you're going to be let out.

No, the source of his rejoicing is always

in the work of God being displayed

in other people's lives.

When I know your state, verse 19.

You see across his letters,

he is always rejoicing.

He is always encouraged by the growth

of other Christians.

Chapter 1 and verse 18.

You see that first of all that he is rejoicing

because Christ is preached.

And then in verse 2 of chapter 2.

What does he say here?

He says, fulfill my joy by being like-minded,

having the same love, by being of one accord,

by being of one mind.

You see that there?

He's giving instruction to them.

And if you do this,

you will make me even more joyful.

And then we see it most recently

in chapter 2 and verse 18.

He describes all of these things that he is doing,

all of the service that he is doing for God.

And then he says for the same reason,

you should be glad and rejoice with me.

The first priority of any minister

is to see his people grow.

It's his longing to see the church grow.

It is his longing to see the church grow.

Not necessarily numerically,

that's not always possible,

but to grow in a love for each other,

to grow in a love for Christ,

to grow in a knowledge of him

and a pursuit of him.

He longs for the name of Christ to be uplifted.

And that is our job too.

And you'll see here how he did this

no matter the personal cost that he endured.

He says there in verse 19,

I'm going to send Timothy to you.

I'm going to send my friend Timothy to you.

Here was a man, the Apostle Paul,

who needed encouragement from his friends,

who needed faithful people

like Timothy and Epaphroditus alongside him.

But he was willing to sacrifice the fellowship

and the encouragement that he has with them

in order that they may go to serve God.

That was his first priority.

Why does he do this?

Because I want you to notice secondly

about the Apostle Paul,

that he was a man who was greatly concerned

for the health of the church.

Notice that secondly.

Paul was a man who was concerned

for the health of the church.

Verse 20.

For I have no one,

talking about Timothy,

like-minded,

who will sincerely care for your state.

What he's saying here is that

I'm only ever going to send people to you.

I'm only ever going to send ministers to you

who genuinely have your best interest at heart.

I will only send people to you

who are going to be good for the church.

He's not going to send some random bloke off the streets.

He's not going to send anybody.

He's going to send the best ministers possible

to help them grow.

We've seen him constantly so far in this letter

rejoicing and encouraging the people in this church.

But at the same time,

Paul is a man who is very wise to the things

that are likely going to distract the Christians there.

Likely to be causing them to stumble.

Which is why he is so keen

that men like Timothy and Epaphroditus are with them,

are on hand to set an example.

We saw this concern a few weeks ago

when Paul reminds his readers

not to constantly grumble or to complain,

but to focus on what is important.

What are we to do?

We are to shine as light.

Verse 15.

Amid this dark world.

But now he addresses another issue

that he is clearly very concerned about.

And that is the long-term health of the church

and the risk posed to the church

by weak leaders who are more interested in themselves

than anything else.

You see that there in verse 21.

For all seek their own,

not the things which are of Christ Jesus.

For all seek their own interests,

you might see in another translation.

He's not speaking literally here.

He's not saying literally

every person in the church

is only out to get things for themselves.

He's speaking figuratively

that there's far too many of them.

There's far too many people

who simply are out to get something

from the Christian ministry.

He's saying it's too often the case

that there are people in the church

looking out for number one,

looking after themselves.

You hear that criticism made

of politicians a lot today.

You've certainly seen that

in the last number of months, haven't you?

They're in it for themselves.

It's only whatever they can get out of things.

Sometimes it's a fair criticism,

other times maybe a little bit harsh,

but it's a reminder that Paul is telling us

that it is so easy

for this same attitude to creep into the church.

He refers to it in chapter one

as selfish ambition.

If you were to look over at chapter one

and verse 16,

he says some preach the name of Christ

out of selfish ambition,

not sincerely hoping,

supposing that they'll be able

to add affliction to my chains.

These people who are constantly competing

for who is the best preacher,

who is the most articulate,

who is the biggest congregation,

who has the most followers.

But Paul makes it clear

the minister of God's first priority

is to seek and promote the interests

of no one else

but the interests of Jesus Christ.

And because of his concern

for the health of the church,

because of his focus on ensuring

that the church in the next generation

is still preaching the word of God,

he is intentional about mentoring

and helping to build up

those younger in the faith,

particularly those who are ministering God's word.

Look at verse 22.

But you know, talking about Timothy,

his proven character,

that as a son with his father,

he served with me in the gospel.

Like a son with his father,

Timothy has worked with me in the gospel.

He is comparing the relationship

that he has with Timothy

to a father-son relationship.

Paul sees himself as a spiritual father

to Timothy and many others.

And this reminds us, doesn't it,

of the importance of discipleship.

Our job, yes, is to preach the word.

Our job, yes, is to evangelize

and share the gospel with people.

But it doesn't actually finish there.

It's more than that.

Do you remember when Jesus gives the Great Commission

in Matthew chapter 28?

He says,

All power is given to you.

Now go and make disciples.

Go and make disciples.

This work does not stop at people getting saved.

We are to work with them.

We are to mentor them.

We are to care for them.

We are to look after them.

We are to look after them

as the world beats them and attacks them

and tries to get them to change course.

And here we see Paul, an older man,

looking out for those who are younger,

looking out for those who are maybe

a little bit newer to the faith,

encouraging them, pushing them forward,

giving them opportunities.

So may I humbly say

to those of you who are older,

this is your job.

This is your job.

To hand down that torch that you hold so dear

on to the next generation.

To hand down that word of life

down to the next generation.

We are very blessed in this country

to have so many Bible preaching churches.

We may think how the country is getting darker,

but we still have a great gospel witness

when you compare us to the rest of Europe.

But it only takes one generation

for the lights to go out.

So it is our job to mentor,

to work, to disciple

those who are newer to the faith.

So Paul was a man genuinely concerned

for the welfare of the church.

We also see how he was a man

who committed himself totally to God's care.

Thirdly, Paul committed himself

to God's care.

Look now at verse 23

in the first part of 24.

I hope to send him

at once as soon as I see how it goes with me.

And then the first part of verse 24.

But I trust in the Lord.

If any single sentence

or any single few words

sums the Apostle Paul up,

it's this.

I trust in the Lord.

Paul was a man of confidence and boldness.

But the boldness and confidence that he had

never came from within.

In fact, he goes at great lengths

in 2 Corinthians chapter 4

and 2 Corinthians chapter 12

to describe just how weak he is

and how he draws all of his strength

and confidence from Jesus Christ.

So that when I am weak,

that's when I'm actually strongest.

That's why he can observe

what he does in chapter 4 of Philippians

and verse 19.

My God will supply all my needs

according to the riches of his glory

in Christ Jesus.

He entrusts himself totally to God.

Totally to God's provision,

knowing that he has always provided up to now.

He has always provided for me up to now.

So why should I think

that he's not going to help me this time round?

Verse 27.

He talks about how Epaphroditus nearly died.

He talks about how his friend nearly died.

But God had mercy on him.

But not only on him,

but on me also.

You see there the Apostle Paul

recognises God's provision.

Even when he has been put through

so much hardship,

still has he received great mercy.

And similarly we should always be like this.

Yes, days are dark.

Yes, days are difficult.

As we read earlier, 1 Timothy 1 and verse 13.

But I obtained, I received mercy.

Mercy there was great and grace was free.

Pardon there was multiplied to me.

There my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary.

He entirely entrusts himself

to God's provision past, present, future.

He entrusts himself to God's provision past

in that great provision of the cross.

He entrusts himself to God's provision now.

There in verse 24 and later on in the letter,

he recognises that God's provision

will go beyond even the grave.

Tis Jesus the first and the last.

You can imagine Paul almost singing these words.

Whose spirit shall guide us safe home.

We'll praise him for all that is past

and trust him for all that's to come.

You see Paul was a man who trusted God.

But he was also finally,

before we move on to Timothy,

a man who always encouraged us

and encouraged others.

Verse 28, he always encouraged others.

Therefore I sent him,

speaking about Epaphroditus now,

I sent him the more eagerly

that when you see him again

you may rejoice and I may be less sorrowful.

He is seeking to encourage these people

by sending Epaphroditus to them.

And we'll see that a little bit

in just a moment, a little bit more.

But you see also those words

that I may be less sorrowful.

That sorrowful there, that particular word

could also be translated anxious or worried.

This is one of the occasional moments

of vulnerability that the Apostle Paul expresses.

And there's a stark contrast here

between what we are constantly told to do

with sorrows and worries and anxieties in the Bible

and Paul's clearly lived experience.

He's expressing concern for the future in some ways.

He may be no doubt had worries

about whether he would live or die,

whether he would have enough money,

whether he would simply run out of resources.

And you can imagine people perhaps trying to think

or thinking that they're perhaps being helpful

saying to him, well, Paul,

have you not read 1 Peter 5?

Cast all of your cares on him

because he cares for you.

Have you not read Jesus' words in Matthew 6, Paul?

Don't worry about tomorrow.

Of course he's read those things,

but he still admits his own frailty.

And he trusts himself to God's care.

You see, this is the thing.

Sometimes we think if we don't,

when we're worried,

when we're fearful in our lives,

sometimes we think that we're somehow less of a Christian

and perhaps we shouldn't go to God because I'm worried.

No, that's the solution to our worry.

Go to him.

Share with him your concerns.

Share with him your fears.

Paul encourages them with this

by kind of admitting an element

of weakness.

He encourages them

because then the focus is shifted away from him.

As he later on talks about,

it talks in his letter

of how Christ is going to meet all his needs.

And then he sums it up

after talking about his own sorrow.

He sums it up by expressing his gratitude.

Epaphroditus has just brought this wonderful gift

which is going to help him

and supply many of his needs.

And in verse 30,

he thanks them for this.

He talks about Epaphroditus' sacrifice first

and then he says,

he came to supply what was lacking in your service

toward me.

Now that might look like a criticism at first,

but it's not.

He's actually demonstrating his gratitude.

What he's almost saying there is

if all of you could have come to me

and brought me this gift yourselves,

I know you would have done.

And in return,

as a thank you for the gift you have given me,

I return Epaphroditus back to you

and I will send my friend Timothy to you too.

So that's the Apostle Paul.

Let's move on then

and look a bit more about the character of Timothy.

Now Timothy is probably most well known

for being the primary recipient

of two of Paul's letters.

He was in many ways Paul's understudy.

He was most likely saved

under the Apostle Paul's ministry.

And he was with Paul

for a number of his other writings.

He was of course there for the book of Philippians,

but he was also there

for the writing of 2 Corinthians,

1 and 2 Thessalonians.

But he was also there

for the writing of Philemon.

This was a man who was with Paul a lot.

And Timothy travelled on Paul's behalf to Corinth.

And then of course he travelled on Paul's behalf

to Philippi.

But later on,

he then becomes a pastor in his own right,

serving the congregation at Ephesus.

And he was a man with a real pastor's heart.

So I want you to notice just two things about Timothy.

We're not going to spend quite as much time,

you'll be pleased to hear,

with Timothy and Epaphroditus.

But I want you to notice two things about Timothy.

First of all,

he was a man focused on working for Christ.

Focused on working for Christ.

So let's jump back then to verse 20.

For I have no one like-minded,

talking about Timothy,

who will sincerely care for your state.

He will sincerely, genuinely care for you.

Timothy has a genuine concern for the church,

like Paul.

He's interested in their spiritual state.

He's interested in their spiritual condition.

This means that he's not one of these people

who pastors from afar,

who pastors from a distance.

He's not going to preach a sermon and then disappear.

But he takes an active interest in the growth

and discipleship of other Christians,

ministering to their needs,

coming alongside them,

helping them,

supporting them,

looking after others,

discipling others,

caring for them.

And that is how we are to show the example of Christ.

That is how we truly care for people.

It is by reflecting all of his glory

and all of his beauty,

by caring genuinely for the spiritual state of other people.

And there is a nice side to this.

There's also a side that's less popular.

That means speaking the truth in love to people,

even when it hurts.

That's how you often put other people.

That's how you often put other people first,

is by saying things and ministering to them things

that maybe they don't want to hear.

But Timothy was a man who embodied this.

He was focused on working for Christ.

But he also proved himself.

There was times when he would work with Paul

and he proved himself.

Look at verse 21 and verse 22.

For all seek their own,

not the things of Christ Jesus.

Timothy is the opposite to many other people,

as we've already seen.

But you know his proven character,

that as a son,

he worked and served with me in the gospel.

He proved that he was genuinely committed

to the work of Jesus Christ.

Preaching Christ was his first priority.

Preaching Christ was his primary concern.

That his name would be honored,

that his love would be known.

Timothy's attitude was that of the hymn writer.

Oh, that the world might taste and see

the riches of his grace.

He is all that Timothy's life is about.

And if you are a Christian,

that is what Timothy recognized.

It is what we must also recognize.

That it is Christ that our life is all about.

He is everything now.

Chapter 1, verse 21.

To live is Christ.

He is the object of every action.

He is the object of every portion of my praise.

He is the focus of all of my life.

He is the object of all of my affections.

And it is him that I proclaim with my whole life.

So when you're looking for good preaching,

we want preaching that proclaims him.

It's Jesus that we want.

We don't want any other people's ideas.

We don't want preaching that just gives a political agenda.

We don't want someone who stands up

and gives a really nice moral story.

We don't want preaching that gives us on-the-fence ideas

to follow God.

Maybe you don't.

Maybe you want to explore the other religions.

No.

Preaching is not also, at the same time,

it's not just a really good New Testament class

where you get a really good lecture,

but you don't get the power of the Holy Spirit in it.

Preaching is to declare from the rooftops

the name of Christ.

Who he is and his significance in the Trinity.

What he thinks about us

and the great salvation that he calls about,

calls us to.

Preaching is to show people how he stood in our place.

Preaching is to show people that he is coming back

and there is a day where he will come

in glory and judgment.

Preaching is to show people that he is always,

throughout your entire life,

your hope and your joy

and your strength and your peace.

Preaching is to show Christ and his glory.

Preaching is to be done.

Preaching is to be done in the pulpit, first of all,

but it is not limited to the pulpit.

It is something to be done one-on-one, too.

Mentorship, as we've already mentioned.

Discipleship.

This is proclaiming Christ.

And you see, Timothy was a man who recognized this, too.

I want you to notice, secondly,

the second thing about Timothy,

he was a man who had a teachable spirit.

He was a man who had a teachable spirit.

You see, Timothy compared to Paul and Epaphroditus,

he was still a very young man,

but he was also someone who had come to faith

at a very young age.

He was the grandson of Lois

and the son of a lady called Eunice,

two very faithful women that we hear about in the Bible.

Paul highlights in his second letter

how these two godly people, these two godly women,

brought Timothy up in the way of the Lord

and taught him the Scriptures, the Word of God,

to make him wise for salvation.

And despite his relatives,

he was a man who knew his Bible very well indeed,

and yet he was still willing to take instruction

and correction from his seniors.

And this is important,

because sometimes we can have a lot of knowledge

and as a result not be very teachable.

Timothy wasn't like that.

Verse 22, you know his proven character,

that as a son with his father,

he served alongside me in the gospel.

Timothy was mature enough,

he was mature enough to glean what he could

from those around him.

Paul saw Timothy as a spiritual son,

Timothy saw Paul as a spiritual father.

He was mature enough to get what he could

from those older Christians,

those around him who were able

to give him advice and counsel.

So can I say humbly, young people,

this is our job in the church.

To seek out the wisdom and counsel

of those who are older.

To seek out the wisdom and the guidance

of those who are mature in the faith.

That may sometimes be the case

that you're seeking out the advice

of someone who is by age younger than you,

but has been a Christian for longer.

You are to seek these people out

so you can better serve God.

And you can imagine that Timothy

would have been criticised and mocked

for his desire to serve God.

Maybe it was like how we saw last time.

Oh, Timothy, you're wasting your life.

Timothy, you're wasting your youth.

Enjoy life a little bit first.

Go do some of those sins, Timothy.

They're not that bad.

Go and spend time with those people.

You can still be a Christian

even if you spend time with those people.

Earn a decent amount of money first

before going into the ministry, Timothy.

Take it easy.

But the gentle encouragement and reminder

that Paul consistently gave to Timothy

was the one that he gave

in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 12.

Let no one despise your youth.

And maybe there was another side

of bitter people, much older.

I'm not taking spiritual advice from him.

He's far too young.

I'm not listening to his preaching.

What does he know?

How can he relate to me?

I'm 40 years his senior.

And in those times of discouragement,

Paul gently comes to Timothy and says,

Timothy, let no one despise your youth.

You see, this is what the world tries

to teach young people today.

That actually, you're far too young to serve God.

You're far too young.

Don't do it now.

Don't waste your life serving God just yet.

The Bible is always so much more urgent than that.

The Bible's reminder.

The Bible always tells us that today

is the day of salvation.

That thing that God is calling you to,

don't delay.

He's calling you to do it today

in your youth or otherwise.

Remember how we read in Ecclesiastes 12 verse 1.

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.

Whether you're spiritually young

or just young in age,

today is the day that you come

to Him to serve Him.

Hear the words of J.C. Ryle

in his book, Thoughts to Young Men.

The devil will tell you

at the beginning of your lives,

it is far too soon to serve God.

The devil will tell you

at the end of your life,

it is far too late.

Oh, be not deceived,

says J.C. Ryle.

So then we look lastly then.

Our final character,

Epaphroditus.

We'll see him briefly

and then we'll sort of go through

and sort of sum up these three men.

He's probably less well known

than the other two.

He's probably,

he's certainly referred to less in the Bible

so we don't know quite as much about him.

But the name Epaphroditus

actually has pagan origins.

The word Epaphroditus

or the name Epaphroditus

comes from the words

or the term from Aphrodite.

Aphrodite, the Greek goddess

of love and beauty.

And you'll see some of these things

in Cyprus even today.

If you go to Cyprus,

you've got Aphrodite's rock

right on the south coast of Cyprus.

And then a little bit further along,

you've got the baths of Aphrodite,

which it's said that if you stand in them,

you will have eternal love and beauty.

And I went on holiday there a few years ago

and I'll leave you to judge

whether or not it worked.

But there you are.

So Epaphroditus was likely from Cyprus.

Cyprus was the place

where Aphrodite was alleged

to have come out of the sea.

So he was likely from there.

And he would have had nothing

against Christ necessarily,

but he would have had

no interest in him personally.

He would have not necessarily

had anything against Jesus Christ,

but would not have personally

wanted anything to do with Jesus.

He had a totally different belief system.

Very much the attitude

of many people in the world.

Well, you've got your beliefs,

but I'm not interested myself.

He would have been content

with his own system of beliefs,

that there are lots of other gods,

lots of different gods and goddesses,

all with different roles.

And he would have been

more than happy with that.

And here he is a Christian.

Here he is serving God.

And it's suggested by many scholars

that it's most likely

that he was actually

a retired Roman soldier.

Do you remember how we saw last time

that Philippi was a settlement

for Roman soldiers

because of many historical battles

that had taken place there?

So many Roman soldiers

would settle there.

And Paul hints to this

in verse 25 as well.

He refers to Epaphroditus

as his fellow soldier.

So he was most likely

a retired soldier.

So we have a man named

after a pagan goddess,

a former Roman soldier

living in a place

with very little morals.

And here he is serving God.

And I want you to notice

two things about Epaphroditus as well.

First of all, I want you to notice

that he was a man

who was totally servant-hearted.

Epaphroditus was servant-hearted.

He was a man who just loved

to serve God.

We don't know all that much about him,

but this we know.

His attitude would probably have been

that of Charles Spurgeon

who would often say

it's simply heaven to serve Jesus.

Verse 25, Paul refers to him

and speaks to him

in these very endearing terms.

He says,

I consider it necessary

to send Epaphroditus over to you,

my brother, fellow worker,

and fellow soldier.

And then he goes on,

the one who ministered to my needs.

To the Philippian church,

maybe insignificant.

To the Philippian church,

your messenger.

But to Paul, he was a brother,

a fellow soldier,

a co-worker who took care

of his needs.

It was his job

not only to deliver the gift

that the Philippian church had for him,

but it would have been his job

to take the letter back

to the Philippian church

and read it out to them.

But what did he do before that?

He came and brought

this wonderful package of care,

this gift.

It was Epaphroditus

who fostered a spirit

of generosity in the church.

There are people like that

that you know, Christians,

who are so generous,

but they encourage other people

to be generous too.

He fostered a spirit of generosity

in the church

and longed for these people.

Look at verse 26.

He ministered to my need

since he was longing for you all.

Since he was longing for you all.

The natural position of the minister,

the natural position of the servant of God

is someone who longs to be with Christians,

someone who longs to be with his people.

A serious desire

to minister his word

wherever they go.

But do you notice what else

he says in verse 26?

He was longing for you all

and was distressed

because you had heard

that he was sick.

Epaphroditus nearly died.

And here he is, distressed,

not because he was ill,

not because he was focusing

on his illness

and subsequent recovery.

He was distressed

because he knew how much

he would be worrying the church.

Such was his concern

for the Philippian church.

Such was his concern

for Jesus Christ's church

that he longed to see them so much

simply so he could reassure them.

So he was a man

concerned for the church.

He was a man

who was longing

to serve the church.

But finally,

he was a man

who made himself available.

Here is a man

who put his hand up

and did the job

that many other people

perhaps didn't want to do.

He was a man

who was willing

to do anything

to do something,

perhaps as significant

as delivering a package.

Yes, he was ill.

Yes, he was suffering.

Yes, he could have died.

We see that there

in verse 27

and verse 28 and verse 30.

He could have died.

But for him,

it was worth it.

He was willing

to risk suffering death

for the service of Christ.

It was a two-month journey to Rome

where Paul was.

And that's likely

when he fell ill.

He may have picked up pneumonia

or something on the way,

risking his life

to visit and encourage Paul.

And I wonder,

do you ever think about

what you might go through,

what might go through your mind

when you're dying?

It's a horrible thought,

really, isn't it?

What might go through your mind

when you're dying?

Maybe it's kind of

those memories

that flash back before you.

But for Epaphroditus,

there's only one thing

on his mind.

And that was serving the church.

Serving Christ's church.

There was only one thing

on his mind.

Serving Christ's church.

Why?

Because he was a man

for whom to live

was Christ.

Well then,

how do we respond

to the example

of these three men?

Just two ways

that I want you to think about.

We are to honour these men

and we are to honour Christ.

Alright?

Two very easy things

to remember.

We are to honour these men.

Verse 28.

Verse 29.

Talking about Epaphroditus

but applies to all of them.

Receive him therefore

in the Lord with all gladness

and hold such men in esteem.

We honour Jesus

by honouring those

the Lord has given to us.

These men point us

to a higher shepherd,

to a chief shepherd.

So we are to honour them.

We are to respect them.

We are to encourage them.

What does it say there?

Receive him in the Lord

with all gladness.

Encourage these men.

Encourage these people of God.

Help them.

And do it with joy.

Do it with gladness.

This should be a glad thing.

This should be a happy thing

for us to do.

You see,

it's something for us

to bear in mind

that nowhere in the Bible

are we told

to help humble the preacher.

Nowhere in the Bible

are we told

to put them down

by withholding thanks

from him

just in case

it makes him

a little bit proud

or cracking jokes

about the quality

of his content.

We are to honour him

in the Lord

by withholding thanks

from him

just in case

it makes him

a little bit proud

or cracking jokes

about the quality

of his content.

As funny as that

can sometimes be.

It is our job

to encourage,

to lift them up

and God

will certainly

do the job

of keeping them

humble.

But why is having

a servant heart?

Why is putting others

ahead of themselves

so important

for these

three men?

Well it is so

that they can do

the second application.

It is so

they can honour

Jesus Christ.

I want you

to think

just a few

verses before

the beginning

of our text

this morning

of that wonderful

exposition

that Paul gives

on the life

death

and glorification

of the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Before he has

written that

he said

look not only

to your own

interests

but also

to the interests

of others.

And then he writes

that Jesus Christ

humbled

himself.

We see there

going down, down, down,

making himself nothing,

humbling himself.

And then you can imagine,

we've thought about this before,

but you can imagine him

saying these words out loud

as he writes them,

that Jesus Christ

appearing as a man

humbled himself

and became obedient to death.

Imagine him sort of taking a pause

and a deep breath

even death

on a cross.

The most humiliating,

horrible death on a cross,

but at the same time,

the chiefest and prime example

of a shepherd

sacrificing himself

for his flock.

Jesus Christ suffered

and bled and died on a cross

for these three men.

Jesus Christ suffered

and bled and died on a cross

for Paul,

a religious extremist,

a murderer,

a blasphemer,

someone who hated Jesus.

Jesus died on a cross for him.

Jesus died on a cross for Timothy,

a faithful man

who gradually learned the scriptures

and gradually became converted,

probably went to church

with his parents for many years

every Sunday.

Jesus Christ died on a cross

for Timothy.

Jesus Christ died on a cross for him.

Jesus Christ died on a cross

for Epaphroditus,

a pagan man

who wanted nothing to do with Jesus,

but who discovered,

who discovered

that Jesus wanted everything

to do with him.

All right?

Jesus wanted everything

to do with him.

And let me tell you,

this Jesus

wants everything to do with you too.

He wants you to come to him.

He wants you to seek him out.

And he wants you to serve him.

It's not easy.

But at the same time,

we are serving a great king,

a great master.

And we can cry out to him,

saying, Lord, teach us to serve you.

Here I am, Lord.

You want all of me.