Good morning everyone It's so good to see all of you here this morning as we I'm here God's word. Now I've got to warn you a little bit before we start If you hear words like Timbo and Tumbeli and Duma and stuff like that please forgive me because I was at VBS this week. Those are the Swahili names for an elephant a monkey a Cheetah people and Austin is reminding me of another animal. I can't remember If you're able would you please stand with me as we honor the reading of God's word we're reading from Philippians chapter 2 verses 19 to 30 Here now the reading of God's word. I hope in the Lord Jesus to Sentimithy to you soon so that I may too be cheered by the news of you I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare But they all seek their own interests not those of Jesus Christ But you know Timothy is proven worth How is the son with the father he has served me with the God 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 I Have thought in yesterday to send to your paparaditis my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier and your messenger and minister to my knee Well, 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 also 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 But he nearly died for the work of Christ risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me You pray with me Dear father, we come before you this morning filled with joy and gladness for all the things that you do in our lives every day But father, we know that in our hearts sometimes we We feel like it's such a daunting task to trust in you and have faith in what you speak to us in your word And the way we apply that in our daily walk, you know journey with you So would you Lord as we open the pages of your word and Would you breathe life into it? We breathe life into our lives and we may hear you encourages And we can truly live lives that are worthy of what you're calling us to We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen. You may be seated. My father was And still is a pastor. He was Mentored by my grandfather as a young man of about 17 18 years old when he became a believer He looked up to my grandfather because my grandfather was was quite a hero My grandfather and three other men planted the very first Presbyterian church in Kenya And so my father my grandfather was held in high esteem At this time, of course my dad did not know my mother because my grandfather's mom's father That's how they met as my grandfather was mentoring my father. He saw this beautiful young lady and Passed the man who was mentoring him to man him He operated in the shadows of my grandfather for a long time It was an educated little to no theological training And so was my grandfather too, but he had done some great great things My dad is no longer the an educated young man anymore. He's He's older much wiser. I would think But when I was in Kenan March, I had a conversation with my grandfather and he told me how they planted the first Presbyterian church But he talked to me about my own father See I've been to so many churches where I heard my dad, you know people praising my dad and all the great things that he had done and say yeah, I know I know But the moment my grandfather began talking about my father I heard such respects and honor and praise That all the people I've ever heard talk about my father all of those praises meant nothing Because my grandfather described my dad as a son in faith a son and family But more important as someone who loved Jesus and Someone who loved Christ church There cannot be any other commendation that you would want to hear from anyone than that I'm sure you know people in your life or you've heard people that we are to to honor to to keep praise because of what they've done People who've served churches people have served their families people who've given so much For the sake of the gospel for the sake of their families
We get into a similar situation this morning as we're reading this passage and see this great relationship that existed between Paul And especially Timothy but also the young man at Papua Daita's It is a message that Paul wants to show us an example of what it means To really hear what God is telling us through his word To put Christ first and to advance the gospel but not just to hear but to walk in And these are two examples that Paul is giving us that this man Actually understand what it means to hear the gospel and walk in a manner that is worthy of that gospel But then he's he's giving us a way that we can honor them How can we treat them? How can you treat such sacrificial such dedicated servants of God and so he mentions them as examples for us this morning So we're going to start from then looking at this two men. We're going to look at Timothy as The servant we're going to look at a powerful diodes as the messenger So first Timothy Verses 19 and 24 Paul says I hope in the Lord Jesus to send you Timothy to you soon so that I too may be cheered by the news of you Well, I have no one like him who will be generally concerned for your welfare for they all seek their own interest Not those of Jesus Christ, but you know Timothy's proven worth how is 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 See some people have wondered we've read chapters one and now we get to chapter two verses 19 and we've seen Paul Describe this awesome great theological message of Christ humility It's it's an amazing message that Paul begins to talk about in chapters one all the way to this point and Then we wonder Paul what are you talking about telling us about this two young dudes? Telling us about this young man and then giving us your travel plans What does this really have to do in the scheme of things after giving us such a theological message? What is it that we need to hear about this two young men? But for us as a church we need to be reminded that Paul's mention of this two young men is not a casual mention That it's not just a passing the thing that Paul wants to know. Oh, yeah, I had these two guys. I know them and yes You know, I like them and they're I'm gonna send them to you and here's where I'm gonna be at this time and all of that But there is actually a very important message that we need to hear that if you go back to chapters one verses 27 to 29 That Paul is giving us a way to live in a pagan world. He's telling the Philippian church This is how you ought to live if you want to be united if you want to fight the forces of evil in your community This is how you ought to live by putting the gospel first And then he mentions this two men who we're gonna see our cameo portrait of who Paul is is at this time They are imitating Paul, but more importantly, they are imitating Christ himself, and then it gives us a try a struggle plans But he on top of that he tells us the reasons why he's not sending Timothy at this time that he's sending a puffer dieters And then he says if the Lord wills what is Paul's attitude as he's giving us his travel plans He's a man who trusts in the sovereign plans of God if the Lord permits me He's explaining himself explaining why he's gonna send Timothy and as we might speculate remember the church seems to be asking for Timothy But they sent a puffer dieters to minister to the needs of Paul while he's in house arrest in prison So they're probably imagining maybe we'll get a swap maybe we'll get an exchange maybe you send us Timothy because Paul is reminding them of his proven worth So they know him they know Timothy well So they're probably thinking well, we send you a puffer dieters to care for you How about you send us Timothy, but Paul says no, I'm not sending you Timothy. No now not quite yet And I think Paul doesn't want them to feel as if Timothy has in somehow failed so he has to give an explanation as to why he's not sending him He might have failed Paul or the church because of what he was sent to do I thought I'm sure he doesn't want Timothy to become a subject of criticism, you know from and misunderstanding from the church But Paul mentions something as well. He doesn't want to let Timothy go because he wants to know the outcome of his trial He doesn't know what's gonna happen But more importantly Despite all those things I said is the fact that Paul is pointing the church in Philippine to this young man Timothy and saying imitate him He's saying honor this man Why because he represents a man whose life has been transformed by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and guess what? He is living it. He's living as a man who's called by Christ Isn't that our call for everybody who follows Jesus to hear the gospel to be transformed, but not just here but walk in it We don't know about we don't know much about Timothy. Do we? Apart from what Paul tells us we know he was a born of a Greek father and a Jewish mother unis and Unis and his grandmother lawyers they they brought him up We know that he was present when Lydia became a believer We also know that he accompanied Paul to go to Corinth and Ephesus which is actually where he was left and and Macedonia as well We also know that this was a man who was devoted. He was a devoted disciple of Paul, but even more Their relationship was a father and a son friendship And we know he's of course staying with Paul as he's in house arrest In Rome and so Paul begins by saying of this man. I have no one like him. I Have no one Timothy may we we could all make inferences as as what this could possibly mean And it could possibly mean a whole lot of things But if you look at the context, yeah, I think he's basically saying this that there is no one right now Who is living like I am Paul is comparing himself with Timothy? He's saying there is no one who is embracing and having the mind of Christ As I am as I have done and of course false testimony speaks volumes as We look at all of his epistles And then he gives a contrast between how Paul is living with others. He doesn't tell us who these others are But he says that these people they're selfish. They're not looking to the needs of others What Paul is doing that we we know If you look at the historical perspective that Probably the church in Rome because that's probably where Paul is and he's he's describing this church in Rome that is self-centered That doesn't care for the needs of others. Of course, it wasn't the whole church, but I'm sure he's speaking of the majority of the people in that church But of Timothy he says this young man is generally concerned for the welfare of others He's a proper child of his spiritual father This is a man who puts Christ first because he understands that the only way to do life the only way to do everything everything else in life is by putting Christ first It's the only way to do everything else well are putting Christ first As one of the commentators says he says he puts the Lord first by seeking the spiritual good of others through a sacrificial Gospel ministry. This is a man who's learned the art of putting others ahead Of himself the needs of other people ahead of his own. He's a good shepherd Today at our young adult class, we were talking about Jesus being the chief shepherd being the shepherd that knows His sheep and cares for them If you were here and your father a mother a brother and older sister and older brother How do you care for your family? Are you a gentle? caring? good shepherd? And he says as a son serves a father so he served me notice how Paul doesn't say he served me he says they served together This is his spiritual child But even in this situation Paul is just displaying this great humility Referring to Timothy as a co-servant a co-slave in ministry and Paul obviously he's not saying anything He's accepting to play the second fiddle I mean, they are partnering together Paul and Timothy are parting together and following the model of Christ putting on the mind of Christ and Timothy as we know and we we see in in his epistles as Paul continues to tell him don't let people look Upon you look down upon you because of your of your youth Timothy is putting his timidity away. He's putting away his self Conceit his self-ambitions is grumbling and complaining And he's putting on Christ His counting others more significant than himself He's having a servants attitude of obedience to Jesus and to God This is a man who knew how to work with other people. This is a man Who knew that the gospel requires us to cooperate together? He's serving Paul because he knows why Paul is in prison that Paul His put in prison like we have said time and time again that Paul does not view his imprisonment as him being put in prison, but he Views as as as as the gospel itself being on trial So Timothy knows that he takes Corporation for us to work together to serve together in the gospel. Isn't it an irony? That the very gospel that we preach today sometimes can be the occasion for profound self-absorption And we're supposed to be working together But what a great message as well that we seem to have forgotten of a relationship that ought to exist between the older and the younger generation remember the book of Titus chapter two Timothy lays out how the older generation ought to be Training and helping the younger generation something that we seem to have lost in our churches and in our community But there is no respect for those who are older who have worked through life. I had of us and that the younger generation has forgotten What it really means to be disciples By those who have experienced life I think the example of Timothy and Paul here shows us how sometimes we can as well be so committed to a spread Spread of the gospel Spread of those noble things that we can do at eradicating world poverty and everything else that we can talk about And yet have no concern for one another Have no concern for other believers in omits. I think Paul is demonstrating for us this morning How we cared for this little church in Philippi by sending Timothy and the other young man that he saw them as Worthy all the best yet to give So he sends them Timothy Who stands in a class of his own But Paul is not just pointing them to Timothy. He's pointing them to another young man A man that we can barely pronounce his name sometimes a proper digest He says in verses 25 to 29 I have thought it necessary to send to you a proper digest my brother and fellow work and fellow soldier and your messenger and Minister to my needs 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 last I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him there for the two may rejoice at seeing him again And that I am maybe less anxious Again, we do not know much about this young man just like Timothy Well, we know less actually about him. He's only mentioned here and again in chapter 4 We know that Paul probably did not lead him to Christ We know that he probably did not have the same relationship as he had as Paul had with Timothy In fact, we could even argue that at the time that Paul is a Pharisee And puffer died us to him was just another Gentile dog as he would prefer Christians But now in this relationship Christ and the gospel has brought these two men together in such an amazing way People who would never have been together people who would never have related in any way The gospel Christ brings them together. We also know that he was a layman He did not serve like Timothy. He was in a shepherd of a flock He did not take the gospel to unreach people. He had no special revelation. This man wrote no books That was there's nothing much said about the puffer died us other than his reference right here What does that tell us but he is a man who faithfully discharged his duties delivering cash as we would imagine or whatever gifts They were that the church gave it to him to deliver to Paul a Man who served in such a small manner by putting on the mind of Christ Taking the humble life of an unsung servant. What a way to serve And then Paul describes him in such amazing ways. He first starts by calling him my brother Which is really resounding as the baby is helping us realize with great affection It is true brotherly love love for one another. I feel like we've lost that sometimes in our churches Where is the the the brotherly the brethren sisterly if you will love that exists between one another built around the gospel Built around Christ because we have one thing in common that Christ a Saviour that we are together We are one body united by Christ. Where where is that? I mean Paul was living in the in the polarized Greco-Roman world where they really do not have that oneness But the one group of people that got it were the Christians You remember the book of Acts and how these people were selling all their properties and everything they owned Why because there was one thing that united them as brothers and sisters in Christ That was Jesus himself Where has that gone in our churches today and then he calls him my fellow worker. He says He works with me He doesn't say that he's coming to serve me. He says he works with me What great humility again Paul is describing for us here has he's elevating this young man that we know nothing about To such a high place that he's the worker with me We're not always ready to acknowledge One another's fellow workers and soldiers are we Think we sometimes look upon one another especially in ministry with great suspicion We refuse to pray and fellowship with one another because sometimes we feel like when we praise Others who are doing great things for the kingdom of God that that somehow threatens or prestige threatens where we stand on the holy grail or reform theology or Baptist theology or Pentecostal theology or whatever it is that we serve If you like for being threatened to praise others And then he calls him a fellow soldier in the battle We know what the battle is don't we Paul tells us what the battle is in Ephesians 612 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against rulers against the authorities against the cosmic powers over the This present darkness against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. That's the battle Paul It's fighting See our unity as the church is needed if we are to fight against the forces That's around us, you know pagan world And puffeditis might have been wounded in combat as he got sick But he knew the battle well and he's now being sent home for a rest not as a weakened man But as a soldier that has proven himself with distinction And then Paul says but this man is not just a fellow brother a fellow soldier a fellow worker But he's also serving the church in two ways. He calls him a messenger. He calls him a minister And these two titles really belong to Paul because this is the great apostle the great messenger the great minister of the gospel And I don't think he's trying to confer to A puffeditis actually the the word that uses their Minister could literally mean in Greek and apostle itself I don't think that he's Conferring that Title to a puffeditis, but I think he's giving him dignity By calling him such names and we see how A puffeditis fulfills this this call of being a messenger in a minister in In partnering with with with Paul and with the church This is the man who's being given the collection that the church has taken together and making listen and 800 mile trek to Rome I mean there were no cars back then There were no cell phones back then when a puffeditis got sick that they would actually call the church Do you know what they did they sent someone because a puffeditis was definitely with a group of people traveling with him They sent someone back to go to philippi to tell them That this man got sick and he probably wasn't going to make it and so you can imagine the church is praying And getting weary not knowing if the puffeditis ever made it to see Paul 800 mile Trek To carry whatever it is that he was carrying for Paul What a man who wanted to serve and yet We don't nothing about him I think his sickness became a badge of honor Because this man was truly serving Christ and serving Paul and then Paul mentions something he mentions in verses 26 this man's home sickness. I mean this is not A man who's longing for his warm bed and some home cooked meal Because I think Paul had made the same comment speaking of his home sickness If you will in chapters one verses eight It was his eager desire to go back and see the people at philippi he wanted to go back Because he loved the church and so our proper reunion Paul says This is deserved for a man as a proper that as he says receive him in the Lord with all joy and honor Honor such men. I mean you can imagine Paul has been separated with the church for such a long time as he's in jail And so the church is not having a way to serve him. They don't know how to serve him The best way they can do is to the heroics of this young man who is gonna accept to travel and trek this 800 Mile to go serve him Now they owe him big time So a pufferriders a pufferriders just like Timothy is putting on Christ He's being honored because he's putting on the mind of Christ Isn't it funny? We just had the ESPN why Recognition thing the other week, right? Isn't it ashamed the kind of people that we choose to honor in our culture and in our world Isn't it sad that when we serve That when we do the things that Christ calls us to do that nobody recognizes what we have done And yet we honor those who amass wealth and money and the greatest athletes and and and people who Think that the wisest even though they deny God and people who do Sinful things out there and we honor them and elevate them in such a great place And yet the humble servants of Christ those who give their lives every day and die For the souls of man and women and for Christ every day remain Unnoticed so the question for you and I this morning is What do two young ancient dudes have to do with us Today, what do they have to do with us? Why would Paul put this here or ask what are these two young men have to say to us this morning? I think this is it Paul's theology was a theology of life Paul demonstrates through this letter and through this two men
That if we understand what the gospel is that if we if we understand what God wants us to know We hear it We have to live in it Both men are representing for us what Paul had said in chapter 1 verses 27 To live in a manner that is worthy of the gospel This is how you ought to live Living in this manner means allowing the gospel to soak deep in our souls At the very gospel that transforms your life and my life Is the means through which we ought to walk That God is not calling you and I to be professional theologians and Christians and children of God That God is calling you and I to have a connection with his church with this people Because sometimes we can know all the things that we can ever dare to know in terms of what theology and yet Not realize that we're living in a broken wall that needs Jesus in a sin-tainted world That sometimes we can confess the very creeds that we confess every day And force it on people's hearts and mouths And yet forget that Christ requires mercy and not sacrifice I think sometimes we are sent to a Christian doctrine and we separate that from the way we live That my commitment to the gospel to the word of God ought to minister to me in the way I live my life. I cannot separate my belief from my behavior And Paul is saying look at this young man. They understand what the Christian commitment is The Christian commitment is losing one's life In order to find it. It's forfitting everything that you have so that you may gain your soul It is having an undivided commitment to the gospel. We can do this brothers and sisters remaining faithful to the gospel despite the hardships that following Christ sometimes means even being sick to a point of death The notion of becoming a slave the notion of becoming a servant the notion of serving When nobody else recognizes or seeing or sees what you do we have lost that Because I don't want to serve. I want to be seen not to serve How do you define success? How do we define success today If what we define it Using a kind of Lordship where I sit on this honored seats And we build buildings and name them after me and we build more Monuments and we name them after me I go collecting honorary titles from colleges and universities so that people may declare my legacy and my glory and my honor By last the sense that scripture teaches me that defining Success can only be defined by one thing Service to Christ to others and to one another. It is the way of humility taking the lower road by the way of the cross Has the gospel affects my life Because you see in the end as Paul says that we need to honor such men It is not the honor of one another that I should be seeking It is the honor and the commendation of Christ himself When you stand before the Lord God himself and he says well done my faithful servant Because one day brothers and sisters God is gonna hold you accountable for everything that you do He will Trust me. Is it hard To live the way that I just described or you bet it is Because the more I read the gospel the more I read God's word I recognize just how holy How majestic and what God requires of me And then every single day I see how broken and how sinful my heart is And I wondered to myself just how How am I gonna get to a place that I'll be coming to like Apophaditis But church be encouraged because God provides supernatural ways through which we can Be obedient to his call to follow the gospel You're not doing it Christ will In you That does not be preoccupied with our own affairs church Paul was it Neither were Timothy and Apophaditis when they were serving and being faithful They were never asking to be honored
It's morning. I hope we don't think about it all just our own concerns But that you and I truly follow Christ That we look back to what Christ told us that this God who never counted equality with God A thing to be considered for our salvation But that's the mind of Christ That we ought to put on And that he provides The strength for us to do so do you want to be honored
Would you look up and gaze upon Jesus Christ Because it's his honor That we need to be seeking You pray with me Your Lord Jesus we thank you for your word this morning So you help us to understand your word more That you're calling us to To understand that or theology ought to be put in practice
as we Ask you to guide us and to help us to put on the mind of Christ to lay our side all of our interests All the one needs and consider others more significant than we are If you God continue to plant this word deep into our hearts We may live to honor you In all that we do to pray all this To Christ name Amen