Epa Tim
Philippians • Sermon • Submitted
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· 5 viewsTimothy and Epaphroditus are held up by Paul as models of humble disciples, what we should all be!
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Timothy
Timothy
We all need to be discipled by a more mature follower of Jesus.
Being discipled means...
A lot of you have probably seen the movie Karate Kid. Maybe you saw the one with Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith, maybe you saw the real one that came out in 1984 with Mr. Miyagi and Daniel-san.
Daniel and Dre had Mr. Miyagi and Mr. Han to train them in the ways of who they wanted to become. They understood that they needed the training and when they understood that, they sought that training out.
That’s what Timothy did with Paul, that’s what we should do!
philippians 2:19-
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.
Who was Timothy?
We see four things about Timothy...
20; He was humble, the kind of humble Paul talked about back in v3-4.
This isn’t an easy time for us to do this, but it’s a great opportunity for us to do it!
21; He put the gospel first, like Paul talked about in ch 1.
22; He was discipled by Paul.
Here’s what the father/son relationship looked in this culture...
This is what Timothy and Paul’s relationship looked like in discipleship.
Discipleship in a nutshell is this comment from Paul...
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Timothy’s humility and Jesus first mindset were a result of his discipleship. His training in the Gospel.
23; He was prepared in this discipleship to go out in ministry.
Timothy ended up being the pastor of the church in Ephesus, that the letter oh Ephesians was written to.
As you’re discipled, you grow and you are ready for more. Just like with anything you train in...
This is a really strong recommendation that Paul gives Timothy? Is there someone who knows you like this? Who would sign your Christian rec letter?
Have you acknowledged your need for discipleship? Are there more mature Christians around you to help you grow?
Several of you have some in your house that you’re spending a lot more time with suddenly! Talk with your parents about...
Or you can use some of your extra time to hit me up! I’d love that!
But you need discipleship and in this season you’ve got more time to invest in it and to be invested in!
And this investment will be well worth whatever you put into it!
Epaphroditus
Epaphroditus
As disciples, we must prioritize the growth of God’s Kingdom by serving others.
I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.
philippians 2:25-30
Paul loves to talk about Christ followers as soldiers. Here he uses it to not only talk about the work of advancing the Gospel, but also the unity between Christians striving together for one goal. Think about what soldiers go through… and how that brings them together. They put their goal first and their fellow soldiers second. Christians should be the same way!
Who was Epaphroditus?
This is all we know of him. He was a “fellow worker and soldier”, most likely a missionary.
In verse 30, Paul is not saying the church didn’t do anything for him, it was the opposite…
Some things we see about him…
He was working to grow God’s Kingdom. Hard.
We don’t know what the sickness was, when it hit, or anything. We just know it happened while he was going to supply Paul’s ministry and he finished what he was doing.
What are you doing to grow God’s Kingdom?
He was a very selfless guy and loved his friends.
He was almost sick enough to die, but he was worried about other people feeling bad because he was sick.
How are you loving your friends in this time that you aren’t getting to interact with them like normal?
Seems like everybody loved him.
Safe to assume that he treated everyone well, if they will rejoice when he returns.
This can be a difficult time to treat others in a way that will make them rejoice when they see you! My boys are not treating each other well…
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Colossians
In verse 30, Paul is not saying the church didn’t do anything for him, it was the opposite…
The Gospel calls us to serve God by serving others. Paul talks again in verses 28 & 29 about rejoicing and joy.
Will you rejoice when you get to hang out with your friends again like normal?
Our friendships with our brothers and sisters in Jesus are so important.
They are a gift from God to bring joy.
Oil and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the sweetness of a friend is better than self-counsel.
Proverbs 27:9
I read an acronym for joy in a commentary this week. It’s cheesy, but it’s good!
Jesus, Others, Yourself
I think that’s accurate. I think that will help us all get through this season we are in…
I think that mentality is what God calls us to live with.
This kind of love can only from knowing Jesus. He shows it to us and then we can show it to others. He has shown it to us in the Gospel…