Sermon Tone Analysis

Philippians 2:19-30 is where we are going to be at tonight and I am just happy that we were able to finish chapter 2 before we took our break for the Summer.

I do want to remind you all that we will be looking at Philippians 3 and 4 throughout the summer on our youtube page and I will send out a link every week for that so you can watch it whenever you want so make sure that you are getting our weekly text or email updates.

Last week we talked about how Philippians 2:12-18 could basically be referred to as Sanctification 101.

These verses are a crash course as to what the Christian life should look like and as we have travelled through Philippians 2, we have seen how we should live.

We have seen the great example of Christ and we have heard how we are to interact not only with believers, but with unbelievers.

As we get to these last few verses in Philippians 2, we are going to go from practical to personal.

If we take what Paul talked about last week and line it up with what we are going to read tonight, we could almost see it as Paul saying, “here’s what we are supposed to do and here are your examples of those that are doing it.”

Tonight we’re going to read about two men: Timothy and Epaphroditus.

If you have grown up in the church, Timothy may sound familiar but Epaphroditus might be someone that you are hearing about for the first time but they are both excellent examples of followers that are putting Philippians 2:1-18 into action.

What do we mean by that?

As we are going to see, Timothy is an example of Christian love in action and Epaphroditus is an example of Christian service and sacrifice.

We’ll look at these two men and see how their actions can inspire our actions.

Let’s pray and then we will read Philippians 2:19-30

Timothy: An Example of Love

Paul and Timothy

I’ve mentioned numerous times over the last several weeks that Paul loved the Philippian church.

Paul has heard of the report that has been brought in about the state of the Philippian church and it is better than he could have hoped but he wants to do more than just hear how they are doing, he wants to see it for himself.

Now how is he going to do this if he is in a Roman prison?

He does it by sending a representative and this would be Timothy.

It’s important to emphasize the relationship that Paul and Timothy have.

Timothy is Paul’s closest ally.

He is a direct disciple of Paul and Paul has been training Timothy to hand over the ropes to him.

Paul says in verse 20 that he has no one like Timothy and that he is like a son to him.

We have 2 letters in the New Testament that Paul wrote to Timothy that have been of tremendous value to believers throughout the centuries.

Paul does not trust anyone like he trusts Timothy.

For Paul to send Timothy to check out the situation in Philippi would be as if Paul were sending his own eyes because he knows that Timothy won’t hold anything back.

He won’t paint a rosy picture if their isn’t one.

He knows that Timothy would speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help him God.

Paul has seen Timothy grow up into a faithful servant not only to him, but to the Lord and in a way, by sending Timothy, Paul is sending his very heart to the Philippians.

Keep in mind, Paul is in prison and while he seems to be able to have visitors at this point, he is largely alone except for the Roman guards.

For Paul to send Timothy is to increase his own isolation but Paul desires to send Timothy to the church.

Why?

Because he loves the Philippian church more than he desires his own personal comforts.

When you become a parent, you sacrifice a lot for your children.

You sacrifice comforts, you sacrifice resources, you sacrifice many times your own personal benefits.

Why?

Because the life, health, and happiness of the child matters more to you than your own.

That is how Paul felt about the church.

But enough about Paul for now, let’s talk about Timothy.

Timothy’s Example

In a lot of ways, Timothy is like a miniature Paul.

The same thoughts and concerns that Paul had, Timothy had.

Timothy is an example of a Christian that loved other Christians.

How do we know this.

Let’s look again at Philippians 2:20, Paul writes,

Paul is sending his very best.

For Paul to say that he has no one like Timothy, it translates how to basically, “I have no one else who has the same thought process and mindset that I have.”

Paul and Timothy share the exact same thoughts concerning the Philippians and as we can see, both men are genuinely concerned for the welfare of the church.

Paul desires that the Philippians would grow in their sanctification and this is the same desire that Timothy has.

Based off of verse 21, it would seem that not everyone around Paul shares that same desire.

They may to an extent but not to the same extent of Paul and Timothy.

For Paul and Timothy to share the same mindset means that Timothy desires to see the Philippians thrive.

Not just physically, thought I am sure that is implied, but spiritually.

Timothy loves these people.

He wants to see them hold fast to the truth and the doctrine that had been delivered to them.

David Strain writes,

“Timothy wanted the central objective of Christ to be fulfilled in their lives.

He wanted their sanctification.

He wanted their worship to be pleasing to God.

He wanted their values to be shaped by the Gospel.

He wanted Christ and His priorities to be reflected in the fellowship of the Philippian Christians.”

There’s no greater love that a man could have for someone than the earnest desire to see that person grow in their faith.

There is no greater love than putting your life on the line so that others may know the treasure of possessing Jesus.

The Apostle John says in 3 John 4,

Timothy is about to embark on the 800 mile journey from Rome to Philippi because he loves the Philippians and wants to see them grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord.

Keep in mind, Timothy can’t jump in a plane and end up in Philippi in a couple hours.

Work is going to have to be done but despite the hard work behind this love, he has a joy in doing it because he knows those that he is doing it for.

That is true love.

True love always requires sacrifice and we will see this especially in the example of Epaphroditus.

This is true Christ-centered humility and it is needed today.

Applying Timothy’s Example

How can we apply Timothy’s example into our own lives?

When Timothy first joined Paul, he was fairly young, not too much older than some of you.

Many say that when Timothy first joined Paul that he was in his early 20’s, perhaps even late teens.

Christian love isn’t only for the seasoned veteran.

Christian service isn’t solely for those that have been to seminary or advanced Christian education.

All of us can serve others in love regardless of how old we are.

Timothy also shows us that it is important so surround yourself with someone who shepherds you, someone who desires to see you grow to a greater degree of Christlikeness.

It’s important to be discipled.

I think of my own life and the impact that my youth pastor had on me and some of my professors had on me and I am profoundly grateful for what they did for me.

Find yourself someone to lead you in the truth.

Ladies, find yourself an older lady that can disciple you.

Men, find yourself an older man to disciple you.

Don’t neglect the importance of these formative years.

We are to love and be concerned about the needs of others.

Timothy had to know how the church was doing and Timothy knew that there was work to be done.

None of us will escape the need to labor if we want to live the Christian life faithfully.

Let’s turn now to Epaphroditus and read verses 25-30 again.

Epaphroditus: Servant and Sacrifice

Paul writes in Philippians 2:25-30

Epaphroditus was the one that carried the gifts from the Philippians to Paul while he was in prison so he is someone that the Philippians are very well acquianted with.

Epaphroditus is an example of a sacrificial servant.

He is an example of someone who is willing to be spent on behalf of the Gospel.

Paul refers to him as a brother, a fellow worker, a fellow soldier, a messenger and a minister.

This is a man that has put in the hours.

Paul writes that Epaphroditus was sick in 2 ways and you are likely familiar to some extent with both of them.

First, Epaphroditus appears to have been homesick.

Verse 26 says that he was longing for the church of Philippi.

Many of you know what it is like to miss home and to miss your family.

If anything, Christianity should only heighten the love that you have for your family and your neighbors because you begin to love them with the affections of Christ.