Living Proof
Philippians 2: 19
– 30
Introduction
Thursday,
November 7 was Billy Graham’s 95th birthday. On Thursday night, several television
stations broadcast Billy Graham’s a birthday party and a special message from
Billy Graham himself. Billy Graham’s
son, Franklin Graham, is calling this message Billy Graham’s last sermon. I didn’t get to watch this on Thursday
night. But, I got to watch it on YouTube
last night. (I posted a link to this
“last sermon” on my Facebook page if you would like to watch it.)
Watching
Billy Graham’s “last sermon” caused me to have a couple of thoughts.
First,
Billy Graham’s last sermon is not really much different from any sermon he has
ever preached. He said that America is
in great need of a spiritual awakening.
Our people, our cities, our media and our culture in general have
strayed far away from God. The only
answer for the American people is the Cross.
The Cross is God’s message of love and hope and salvation. When Jesus died on the Cross and rose from
the grave, God made it possible for our lives to be changed; for our sins to be
forgiven; and for God’s people to experience eternal life in Heaven. There is no other hope for us as individuals
and no other hope for any nation.
Second,
I began to wonder how many people have been influenced by Billy Graham. I am confident this is no exaggeration. He has preached the Gospel to millions of
people around the world. And, there is
no way to estimate how many lives have been changed as a result. (Of course, I am not trying to say that Billy
Graham has changed anyone’s life. God is
the only one who can change lives, forgive sins and give eternal life. But, God has used Billy Graham to preach the
Gospel and to share God’s message of salvation.)
Most
of us (perhaps even ALL of us) will never have the kind of influence that Billy
Graham has had. However, we can have the
same KIND of influence on a smaller scale.
We may never stand up and preach the Gospel to sold-out football
stadiums. We may never travel around the
world and reach thousands of people with the Gospel. We may never have the kind of television
presence Billy Graham has had for the past forty years. BUT…God has placed people in our lives who
need our influence. God has given each
of us a mission field and a circle of influence.
Your
first mission field is your family.
Parents influence their children.
Children influence their parents as well as their brothers and
sisters. Grandchildren, uncles, aunts,
nieces, nephews, cousins…
Your
next mission field is the people you encounter on a daily basis. You work with and go to school with the same
people every day, and they are watching you.
You live in a neighborhood with people who notice how you live out the
Christian life.
You
may not be “the next Billy Graham”—and there may never be another Billy
Graham—but there are people in your life who will never hear Billy Graham
preach the Gospel. You can make a
difference in someone’s life.
In
Philippians 2, Paul describes two Christian men who were influential in the
city of Philippi. Paul holds them up as
examples for each of us to follow.
Philippians 2: 19 – 30
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to
you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news
about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who
takes a genuine interest in your welfare. 21 For everyone
looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But
you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I
hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.24 And
I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my
brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who
is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For
he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard
he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had
mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon
sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have
less anxiety. 29 Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and
honor men like him, 30because he almost died for the
work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
We
have already established that the Book of Philippians was written by the
Apostle Paul from house arrest in Rome.
Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman
authorities to be punished for causing a riot.
However, Paul was a Roman citizen and could not be punished without due
process. So, Paul appealed to Caesar and
was sent to Rome to await his trial.
More than likely, Paul was kept under house arrest in Rome, chained to
Roman soldiers twenty-four hours a day.
He waited until Caesar could determine his fate. Either Paul would be executed by the Romans,
or he would be released.
In
this passage, he tells the Philippians two very important things about his
state of mind. First, he tells them that
he plans to keep Timothy with him until they hear from Caesar. Then, Timothy will come to Philippi to report
the news. Second, he tells them he is
“confident in the Lord” that he will be released.
Timothy
Why
would Paul send Timothy to report the news?
It’s
possible that this is simply a matter of convenience. Timothy was in Rome during Paul’s house
arrest. If Timothy was nearby, he would
be the logical and convenient choice to send with the report.
It’s
possible that this is a common service Timothy provided to Paul. Timothy shows up several times in Paul’s
letters as his trusted emissary. He
delivered letters to churches and sometimes checked on the churches for Paul.
The
most likely explanation is what Paul says in verse 20. Paul says, “I have no one like Timothy.”
Paul
and Timothy had a very special relationship.
They probably were not related to each other, but Paul thought of
Timothy as a son. This is not to say
that Paul thought of Timothy as his inferior.
No. Paul invested himself in
Timothy like a father invests in his son.
He taught him how to preach the Gospel and how to serve as a
missionary. It was like passing down the
family business from one generation to the next generation.
We
first meet Timothy in Acts 16. Paul and
Barnabus were on their second missionary journey and met Timothy. Timothy was already a Christian when we meet
him in Acts 16. Some people believe that
Paul and Barnabus MIGHT have led Timothy to faith on their first missionary
journey…but the Bible never tells us this.
All we know is that Timothy was a Christian who had a very good
reputation among the churches. So, Paul
took Timothy with him as part of the missions team.
If
you are familiar with Paul’s missionary journeys in the Book of Acts, you will
notice something very interesting about what happened next. Paul took Timothy to Philippi. Therefore, Timothy was part of the missions
team that first preached the Gospel in Philippi and planted the first Christian
church in Philippi.
Therefore,
Paul planned to send Timothy with the news about his trial, because the church
already knew Timothy. They knew
Timothy. They probably loved
Timothy. They definitely had observed
his life and ministry. Now, Paul is
encouraging the church to follow Timothy’s example.
Epaphroditus
Timothy
was not the only person Paul was sending to Philippi. He was also sending a man named
Epaphroditus. Paul hoped to send Timothy
(eventually) to Philippi. But, Paul
thought it necessary to send Epaphroditus immediately. It is possible that this means Epaphroditus
was the one who actually delivered this letter to the Philippians and may have
read it to them as a part of their worship service.
Paul
wrote some great words about Epaphroditus, and this raises a question for
us. Who was Epaphroditus? The short answer is that we don’t really
know. This is the only place where
Epaphroditus is mentioned in the Bible.
But, we can learn a lot about him in these short verses.
Epaphroditus
was from Philippi. He was the one the
church sent to Rome to deliver a financial gift to help Paul. More than likely, this was to support Paul
while he was under house arrest. The
Romans did not provide for their prisoners.
Family and friends were responsible for any needs a prisoner might face
while in custody.
Epaphroditus
was sent by the church at Philippi to work alongside Paul. Paul says as much when he describes him as
(1) “my brother”; (2) “my fellow worker”; and (3) “my fellow soldier.” Brother tells us that Epaphroditus was a
Christian. Fellow worker tells us that
Epaphroditus was a missionary alongside Paul.
Fellow soldier tells us that Epaphroditus had faced opposition and
suffering as a result of his ministry.
Paul
also tells us that Epaphroditus became deathly ill while he was serving alongside
Paul. He was so sick that he almost died
and Paul felt it was necessary to send him home to Philippi. This does not mean Epaphroditus was a
failure. Just the opposite. Paul praised Epaphroditus so that no one
would think he had failed.
Then,
Paul closed out his praise by saying the church ought to honor Epaphroditus and
to hold men like him out as examples to follow.
The Mind of Christ
Paul
held up Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples for the church to follow.
These
two men showed genuine interest in the health and welfare of the church. They were not causing divisions in the
church. They brought unity to the Body
of Christ.
They
did not seek their own best interests.
Instead, they looked out for Jesus’ interests and what would serve the
church best.
They
were actively engaged in the spread of the Gospel. They served the Lord in good times and in bad
times. They spread the Gospel through
preaching and by serving other people in the name of Jesus.
They
were even willing to sacrifice their own lives.
In
short…They lived Christ-like lives.
A
couple of weeks ago, I preached on Philippians 2: 5 – 11. Many scholars refer to this as the “Christ
hymn.” It was a familiar hymn in the
Philippian church. It describes the
humility and the obedience of Jesus. It
sets Jesus up as an example for Christians to follow. Timothy and Epaphroditus are two Christians
who follow the example of Christ.
This
week, I discovered a wonderful story about a missionary doctor named Fred
Shepard. Dr. Fred Shepard lived and
worked in the modern day nation of Turkey during the time of the Ottoman
Empire. He gave his life treating people
with disease. Eventually he died among
the people he had served. His funeral
was held in the largest room available, and people lined the streets to
celebrate the life of Dr. Shepard. At
his funeral, one of his poorest patients said, “I have never seen Jesus, but I
have seen Dr. Shepard.”[1]
I
am sure there were people in Philippi who said, “I have never seen Jesus, but I
have seen Paul…Timothy…Epaphroditus.”
What
do people say about your life? I believe
Paul is encouraging us to live our lives so that at our funerals people will
say: “I have never seen Jesus, but I have seen (insert your name).”
Conclusion
For
some reason, we think only famous people can be influential. Paul was a famous missionary in the ancient
world. Timothy was famous to many of the
churches Paul started. But, Epaphroditus
was NOT famous. He was just like you and
me. He was an ordinary Christian who had
influence among a small group of people.
Let’s
try a little mental exercise together. Major
League Baseball’s World Series just ended a couple of weeks ago.
Can
you name the team that won the World Series this year? (Boston Red Sox)
Can
you name the World Series Most Valuable Player?
(David Ortiz)
What
about last year? What team won the World
Series in 2012? (San Francisco Giants)
Who
was the World Series Most Valuable Player in 2012? (Pablo Sandoval)
Now,
let’s think about the Academy Awards.
Can you name the woman who received the Academy Award for Best Actress
this year? (Jennifer Lawrence)
Can
you name the Best Actress from last year?
(Meryl Streep)
These
are some of the most famous people in our culture. But, it’s funny how quickly we forget the
most famous people in the world.
Now,
let’s think of someone else…
Can
you name a teacher from elementary school, middle school or high school who
made a difference in your life?
Can
you name a minister or a church member who helped you grow in your relationship
with Jesus?
Who
is the one person in your life (living or deceased) that most resembles Jesus
Christ in the way he or she lives life?
These
are the people we will never forget. We
forget the famous people but remember the people who influenced us the
most. Some of the most influential
people in our lives are not famous and never will be famous.
Hopefully,
your name is on someone’s list.
Hopefully, you are the non-famous person who most resembles Jesus Christ
in another person’s life. You may never
have the far reaching influence of the Apostle Paul, Timothy or Billy
Graham. But, you can be a Christ-like
example and influence on others.
I
have never seen Jesus, but I have seen (insert your name).
[1] Alice Shepard Riggs, Shepard of Aintab. (New York:
Interchurch Press, 1920), p. 198. http://ia600309.us.archive.org/5/items/shepardofaintab00riggrich/shepardofaintab00riggrich.pdf
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