Philippians 2:19-30
I’ve titled this mornings message, “Men Worth Sending”. Paul talks about two men in our passage today in a way that shows how highly he thinks of them. These are men that were sent on jobs because they were men worth sending.
I’ve thought this week about what it would be like to be a Christian around Paul at that time ….. Would I be the kind of man that Paul would want to send to the church that he loved the most and was the most attached to? Or, what if I were in the Philippian Church during their business meeting, and, they were trying to decide who is the man they will send to Paul with financial gifts and to take care of him? Am I the kind of man this church would want to send to Paul - the man they so dearly loved and cared for? Then I imagined what it would be like for us at EFC today to have Timothy and Epaphroditus come to us at our church.
These are men we would want in our church. These are highly commendable men in church history and if Paul were to send us these men, we would benefit greatly from their ministry.
The fact is, we can’t have Timothy and Epaphroditus today, but, we can have their character. We can be like them. We can have men like them here today at EFC and benefit from their ministry just as well as if Timothy and Epaphroditus were actually here serving with us today.
And that’s what I want to talk about today: being men worth sending. I’m not preaching today about sending someone away, like on a mission. I am talking about having the same qualities as these two men. Listen, Paul wanted to send the best men he could to the Philippians - these were the kind of men he wanted in their church. They were the kind of men we should want in our church and the kind of men we all should imitate in our walk with the Lord and with each other.
Context
So let’s review the situation. It is about 61 AD and the apostle Paul is in Rome under house arrest. He is chained to a guard at the wrist 24 hours a day 7 days a week. He is waiting for the outcome of his trial. He does not know for certain, but, he thinks he will be released and allowed to go free (1:25, 26 and 2:23, 24).
The Philippians really were a model church ……….. Paul loved them very much. It‘s safe to assume there were no real conduct issues because he does not rebuke them at all in his letter. He also does not correct any false teachings or heresies - which implies that they held firmly to the sound Biblical teachings that Paul and others gave them. They were always ready and quick to be generous in giving financially to Paul’s work - even when other churches were reluctant or refused.
As a matter of fact, one of the main reasons Paul writes this letter is to thank them for the money they sent to him through their messenger, Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus was sent by the Philippians and his job was to bring their financial gifts to Paul and to stay with him and serve him however necessary for the cause of the gospel. But, after almost dying from an illness, Paul is sending Epaphroditus back to the Philippians.
Paul also wants to send Timothy to them later on to see how they are doing. Notice in verse 19 he expects to hear good things: “…that I also may be cheered when I receive the news about you.” He was so confident in them that he expected to be glad when he heard about them. You know that’s real love. 1 Corinthians 13 says “Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes …“ Real love is always expecting the best; whether you’re a pastor, a friend, a spouse, or a parent, Spirit filled love expects and hopes for the best. Paul loved them and he hoped for the best in the report he heard about them. This would bring him great joy.
So, Paul is sending two men back to his beloved Philippian church. And the men he is sending back to them are men worth sending. They are the kind of men Paul wants in their church. They are the kind of men we should want in EFC today. They are the kind of men we should be imitating. Let’s look at what makes these men great to Paul.
The first thing is passion.
Timothy was passionate about the interests of Jesus Christ. Look at verses 20 and 21. “I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.”
What are Jesus Christ’s interests? The Church! Us! You and me! All of those who are believers! The interest of Jesus Christ is His Bride - the community of people who believe in Him for the forgiveness of their sins - the Church!
Jesus is interested in the Church in three ways. What He has done for us, what He is doing for us, and what He will do for us. He was interested in us, He is interested in us, and He will always be interested in us.
First of all, Jesus is interested in the Church because He died for her. (Need Verse). He died for us. His interest was to save us for Himself by dying on the cross in our place. He did that so that we would be washed from our sins and made holy according to Ephesians 5.
Jesus now prays for us. Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25 say that he is alive right now, at the right hand of God the Father in heaven, and He makes intercession for us. He is still interested in us because He is praying for us.
He is also interested in coming back for us. We believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ will one day return and catch us all away in what is called the Rapture. That is the next major event in God’s plan. All of us will be caught up in the air with the Lord.
Jesus Christ’s interest is His Church, and Timothy was genuinely interested in the welfare of Jesus Christ’s Church. He was passionate about the people who belonged to Jesus Christ.
So much so, that Paul said he had nobody like Timothy. When Paul says in verse 20, “I have no one else LIKE him”, he is using the word, “iso-psuches”. It means equal soul. Paul was saying that I have no one else of equal soul with me, no one else who is a kindred spirit.
What does that mean? It means that both Paul and Timothy were motivated by the interests of Jesus Christ and had a genuine concern for the welfare of the churches. The Greek word used for “concern” here is the same word for “anxious” in chapter 4 verse 6 when Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything…”. These men were anxiously burdened for the well-being of the of the churches that belonged to Jesus Christ that they ministered to.
Now, because of this similarity, Timothy was an excellent representative of Paul. The Philippians were to receive him and respect him and regard him as they would Paul. Timothy was Paul’s true and dearest son in the faith, an equal souled partner in the work of the gospel, and a faithful companion.
Also, Paul not only wanted to send Timothy because of how highly he thought of Timothy, but, because of how highly he thought of the Philippians. I don’t think Paul wanted to send anyone of lesser caliber to the them because this was a token of his utmost affection for them. He loved them so much that he wanted to send someone who would be as similar to himself as possible. This person had to have the same concern, the same affection, the same devotion, the same prayer list and calloused knees as Paul towards the Philippians. What better man than Timothy who had been Paul’s own son in the faith for more than 10 years? Every sermon, every prayer, every letter, every arrest, every beating, every insult, every attack, every meal, every tear, every convert for the last ten years Timothy was right by his side. Doing the same work, living the same life, living out the same mission, serving the same Lord for the same interests. To know Paul’s work was to know Timothy’s work. To know Paul’s heart was to know Timothy’s heart. They were equal souls - kindred spirits. They had the same interests - the interests of Jesus Christ. This is why Paul could trust Timothy to go for him. He was passionate about the Philippians as much as Paul.
Listen, in chapter 2 verse 4 we read that we are to not only look out for our own interests, but those of others in the faith as well. To do that we must be genuinely burdened for their well-being. We must truly be anxious for them and have the affection of Christ in our hearts towards them. They are the interest of Christ. We are the interest of Christ. Make the interests of Christ your own interests. Be passionate about Jesus Christ‘s interest.
The second thing is that we need to be proven.
Look at verse 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.”
Proven is the Greek word, “dok’-ee-mos” and it simply means to be tested and approved.
I used to work at a place that made brackets for flat panel tv’s. People wanted to know if their very expensive flat panels were going to be safe on these brackets we made. Were they going to hold up or drop the tv? Well, the company had done extensive testing with the brackets where they would put a lot of weight on them, and then move them all over to make sure they would hold the weight of a tv. They were tested under a lot of weight and proved to be trustworthy.
That’s the idea here that Paul is talking about. Timothy had proven himself because he had stood the test of time, and the weight of trials. John Mark abandoned the work with Paul in Acts 13, but Timothy never did. Dymus, Alexander and Hymaneus shipwrecked their faith and began teaching false doctrines, but, Timothy always fought the good fight and held to the sound teaching of the word of God. He pastored the church at Ephesus, he fixed problems in the church of Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 4 Paul says Timothy modeled the pattern of life that Paul gave him, which was the pattern of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 11:1) “Imitate me because I imitate Christ” Paul said. Timothy imitated Paul, and therefore he was imitating Christ. He was committed. He had the track record. He had the reputation. He had proved himself.
I want you to notice the word “serve” in verse 22. Paul says Timothy served with him. The Greek word for served is related to the Greek word, “doulas”. Doulas means slave. Paul used the word in 1:1 when he began his letter. He said, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.” That is, “doulas”, or, “slaves” of Christ Jesus.
Paul says we ARE slaves in the beginning of the letter and now he is saying we HAVE slaved together. Slaves slaving together for the Master, Jesus Christ. That is what Paul said he and Timothy were doing. That’s why Timothy was proven. After more than 10 years, he was still slaving with Paul in the work of the gospel. He had proven himself.
The Church needs men like this. We need to fill our ranks with men like Timothy. Men who live out the pattern of Jesus Christ, the pattern of the apostle Paul. We need men who will study, and teach, and hold firmly to sound doctrine and be able to refute error and heresy. We need men who will care for the sheep of God’s flock with the very same affection that Christ has for them. Men who pray day and night with earnestness and anxiety over the condition of the church. Men who’s interests are defined by the interests of Christ. Proven men who stand long in the faith, who commit themselves to the building up of others in the faith.
So, we need men who are passionate about Christ’s interests, and, have proven themselves in the faith.
Thirdly, is our priestly service.
The way Paul talks about the help that the Philippians have given him is in the context of priestly service. He says their partnership with him in the work of the gospel and the gifts they have brought to him are priestly acts of service.
Look at verse 25. “But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, who is also your messenger whom you sent to take care of my needs.“
Now Paul refers to Epaphroditus in a couple of ways. He calls him a brother, a soldier, a worker, and a messenger. But, where he says, “whom you sent to TAKE CARE OF,” he is using a Greek word that refers to the work of a priest.
It is the Greek word leitourgos and it means priestly work, or priestly service. Paul used the word in verse 17. He says, “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and SERVICE (leitourgos) coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” He uses it again in verse 30 where it is translated as “help” by the NIV. He says, Epaphroditus had “risked his life to make up for the HELP (same word again) you could not give me.” Paul refers 3 times in this passage to their service as a priestly service.
What we need to understand is that as believers we are priests. 1 Peter 2:5, 9 say, “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.“ Peter says it again a couple verses down in verse 9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood…“
Believers are priests - do you ever think about yourself as a priest? Probably not. We mostly think of ourselves as moms and dads and sons and daughters. Husbands and wives. Students and employees. We think of ourselves as Christians, but, we probably rarely think of ourselves as priests.
Now, this does not mean that we need to order white collars for all of us. A priest in the Bible is someone who comes near to God to offer sacrifices and service to God on behalf of other men. In the OT, only the Levites could be priests and serve before God and they offered animal and food sacrifices.
However, now, the Bible says that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ has become a priest to God and is supposed to offer spiritual sacrifices. We have been washed and cleansed of our sins, and have become a part of the royal priesthood of believers. All believers are priests to God. Man, woman, old, young. If you believe in Christ Jesus - who Himself is the High Priest - then you today are a priest.
So, what do we do as priests? We don’t sacrifice animals anymore because Jesus Christ was sacrificed. We don’t worship in a temple like they did in the OT because our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit.
As priests we:
-declare the praises of God (Heb. 13:15),
-do good and share with others (Heb. 13:16),
-offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1)
-and to offer financial gifts (Phil. 4:18).
Charles Spurgeon sums it up nicely when he says:
We hear of certain persons being “ordained” first deacons and then priests, but all who are truly in Christ, whether they are men, or women, or children, are priests. We are “a holy priesthood” if we are in Christ.
See what Jesus Christ has made of you who believe in him; by the incorruptible blood and the incorruptible seed, he has brought you into a heavenly priesthood, and you are to-day to stand at the spiritual altar, and “to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Will you not pray, will you not praise, will you not love? These are sacrifices with which God is well pleased...
Paul spoke very well of the priestly sacrifice and offerings that the Philippians had done. The help they gave him by sending Epaphroditus was sufficient to meet his needs according to verse 30. The financial gifts they sent him made him have more than enough. Paul called their giving a “fragrant offering, an acceptable SACRIFICE, pleasing to God” in chapter 4:18. He says that God found their sacrificial giving for Paul an acceptable sacrifice to Him - to God - and that it was a pleasing and fragrant offering. What assurance that what they were doing was not only helpful to Paul but pleasing to God.
Does our service and sacrifice as a priests of God smell good?
Fourth, paying a price.
Epaphrodites was a man who risked his life for the Gospel. He put himself in danger to travel 800 miles to be with Paul, who remember, was under house arrest and not a popular figure. While carrying money from the Philippians that made even his journey more dangerous! While with Paul in Rome, he almost died of an illness. All while doing his work for Christ.
Christianity, at some point, is going to cost you. Some day you may have to pay a price for being a believer. Someday you may be faced with a moral situation at work, with your kids, spouse, or family. You will have to take a stand for what you know is right according to the Bible and what they world is trying to say or do. You may have to start doing some thing. You may have to stop doing something. This may bring persecution, or it may cost you a promotion or job. Family members may not speak to because of this or tease you openly.
Someone once said that if Jesus Christ isn‘t costing a man, that man may be compromising. We live in a world that is anti-Christ, against Christ. And living faithfully to Christ will mean living unfaithfully to the world.
Conclusion
….becoming people like Timothy and Epaphroditus here at EFC today
…..Be passionate about the interests of Christ …………Be proven in our faith ……Be priests in our service ……….and be Paying a Price for serving Christ
I’ve titled this mornings message, “Men Worth Sending”. Paul talks about two men in our passage today in a way that shows how highly he thinks of them. These are men that were sent on jobs because they were men worth sending.
I’ve thought this week about what it would be like to be a Christian around Paul at that time ….. Would I be the kind of man that Paul would want to send to the church that he loved the most and was the most attached to? Or, what if I were in the Philippian Church during their business meeting, and, they were trying to decide who is the man they will send to Paul with financial gifts and to take care of him? Am I the kind of man this church would want to send to Paul - the man they so dearly loved and cared for? Then I imagined what it would be like for us at EFC today to have Timothy and Epaphroditus come to us at our church.
These are men we would want in our church. These are highly commendable men in church history and if Paul were to send us these men, we would benefit greatly from their ministry.
The fact is, we can’t have Timothy and Epaphroditus today, but, we can have their character. We can be like them. We can have men like them here today at EFC and benefit from their ministry just as well as if Timothy and Epaphroditus were actually here serving with us today.
And that’s what I want to talk about today: being men worth sending. I’m not preaching today about sending someone away, like on a mission. I am talking about having the same qualities as these two men. Listen, Paul wanted to send the best men he could to the Philippians - these were the kind of men he wanted in their church. They were the kind of men we should want in our church and the kind of men we all should imitate in our walk with the Lord and with each other.
Context
So let’s review the situation. It is about 61 AD and the apostle Paul is in Rome under house arrest. He is chained to a guard at the wrist 24 hours a day 7 days a week. He is waiting for the outcome of his trial. He does not know for certain, but, he thinks he will be released and allowed to go free (1:25, 26 and 2:23, 24).
The Philippians really were a model church ……….. Paul loved them very much. It‘s safe to assume there were no real conduct issues because he does not rebuke them at all in his letter. He also does not correct any false teachings or heresies - which implies that they held firmly to the sound Biblical teachings that Paul and others gave them. They were always ready and quick to be generous in giving financially to Paul’s work - even when other churches were reluctant or refused.
As a matter of fact, one of the main reasons Paul writes this letter is to thank them for the money they sent to him through their messenger, Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus was sent by the Philippians and his job was to bring their financial gifts to Paul and to stay with him and serve him however necessary for the cause of the gospel. But, after almost dying from an illness, Paul is sending Epaphroditus back to the Philippians.
Paul also wants to send Timothy to them later on to see how they are doing. Notice in verse 19 he expects to hear good things: “…that I also may be cheered when I receive the news about you.” He was so confident in them that he expected to be glad when he heard about them. You know that’s real love. 1 Corinthians 13 says “Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes …“ Real love is always expecting the best; whether you’re a pastor, a friend, a spouse, or a parent, Spirit filled love expects and hopes for the best. Paul loved them and he hoped for the best in the report he heard about them. This would bring him great joy.
So, Paul is sending two men back to his beloved Philippian church. And the men he is sending back to them are men worth sending. They are the kind of men Paul wants in their church. They are the kind of men we should want in EFC today. They are the kind of men we should be imitating. Let’s look at what makes these men great to Paul.
The first thing is passion.
Timothy was passionate about the interests of Jesus Christ. Look at verses 20 and 21. “I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.”
What are Jesus Christ’s interests? The Church! Us! You and me! All of those who are believers! The interest of Jesus Christ is His Bride - the community of people who believe in Him for the forgiveness of their sins - the Church!
Jesus is interested in the Church in three ways. What He has done for us, what He is doing for us, and what He will do for us. He was interested in us, He is interested in us, and He will always be interested in us.
First of all, Jesus is interested in the Church because He died for her. (Need Verse). He died for us. His interest was to save us for Himself by dying on the cross in our place. He did that so that we would be washed from our sins and made holy according to Ephesians 5.
Jesus now prays for us. Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25 say that he is alive right now, at the right hand of God the Father in heaven, and He makes intercession for us. He is still interested in us because He is praying for us.
He is also interested in coming back for us. We believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ will one day return and catch us all away in what is called the Rapture. That is the next major event in God’s plan. All of us will be caught up in the air with the Lord.
Jesus Christ’s interest is His Church, and Timothy was genuinely interested in the welfare of Jesus Christ’s Church. He was passionate about the people who belonged to Jesus Christ.
So much so, that Paul said he had nobody like Timothy. When Paul says in verse 20, “I have no one else LIKE him”, he is using the word, “iso-psuches”. It means equal soul. Paul was saying that I have no one else of equal soul with me, no one else who is a kindred spirit.
What does that mean? It means that both Paul and Timothy were motivated by the interests of Jesus Christ and had a genuine concern for the welfare of the churches. The Greek word used for “concern” here is the same word for “anxious” in chapter 4 verse 6 when Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything…”. These men were anxiously burdened for the well-being of the of the churches that belonged to Jesus Christ that they ministered to.
Now, because of this similarity, Timothy was an excellent representative of Paul. The Philippians were to receive him and respect him and regard him as they would Paul. Timothy was Paul’s true and dearest son in the faith, an equal souled partner in the work of the gospel, and a faithful companion.
Also, Paul not only wanted to send Timothy because of how highly he thought of Timothy, but, because of how highly he thought of the Philippians. I don’t think Paul wanted to send anyone of lesser caliber to the them because this was a token of his utmost affection for them. He loved them so much that he wanted to send someone who would be as similar to himself as possible. This person had to have the same concern, the same affection, the same devotion, the same prayer list and calloused knees as Paul towards the Philippians. What better man than Timothy who had been Paul’s own son in the faith for more than 10 years? Every sermon, every prayer, every letter, every arrest, every beating, every insult, every attack, every meal, every tear, every convert for the last ten years Timothy was right by his side. Doing the same work, living the same life, living out the same mission, serving the same Lord for the same interests. To know Paul’s work was to know Timothy’s work. To know Paul’s heart was to know Timothy’s heart. They were equal souls - kindred spirits. They had the same interests - the interests of Jesus Christ. This is why Paul could trust Timothy to go for him. He was passionate about the Philippians as much as Paul.
Listen, in chapter 2 verse 4 we read that we are to not only look out for our own interests, but those of others in the faith as well. To do that we must be genuinely burdened for their well-being. We must truly be anxious for them and have the affection of Christ in our hearts towards them. They are the interest of Christ. We are the interest of Christ. Make the interests of Christ your own interests. Be passionate about Jesus Christ‘s interest.
The second thing is that we need to be proven.
Look at verse 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.”
Proven is the Greek word, “dok’-ee-mos” and it simply means to be tested and approved.
I used to work at a place that made brackets for flat panel tv’s. People wanted to know if their very expensive flat panels were going to be safe on these brackets we made. Were they going to hold up or drop the tv? Well, the company had done extensive testing with the brackets where they would put a lot of weight on them, and then move them all over to make sure they would hold the weight of a tv. They were tested under a lot of weight and proved to be trustworthy.
That’s the idea here that Paul is talking about. Timothy had proven himself because he had stood the test of time, and the weight of trials. John Mark abandoned the work with Paul in Acts 13, but Timothy never did. Dymus, Alexander and Hymaneus shipwrecked their faith and began teaching false doctrines, but, Timothy always fought the good fight and held to the sound teaching of the word of God. He pastored the church at Ephesus, he fixed problems in the church of Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 4 Paul says Timothy modeled the pattern of life that Paul gave him, which was the pattern of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 11:1) “Imitate me because I imitate Christ” Paul said. Timothy imitated Paul, and therefore he was imitating Christ. He was committed. He had the track record. He had the reputation. He had proved himself.
I want you to notice the word “serve” in verse 22. Paul says Timothy served with him. The Greek word for served is related to the Greek word, “doulas”. Doulas means slave. Paul used the word in 1:1 when he began his letter. He said, “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus.” That is, “doulas”, or, “slaves” of Christ Jesus.
Paul says we ARE slaves in the beginning of the letter and now he is saying we HAVE slaved together. Slaves slaving together for the Master, Jesus Christ. That is what Paul said he and Timothy were doing. That’s why Timothy was proven. After more than 10 years, he was still slaving with Paul in the work of the gospel. He had proven himself.
The Church needs men like this. We need to fill our ranks with men like Timothy. Men who live out the pattern of Jesus Christ, the pattern of the apostle Paul. We need men who will study, and teach, and hold firmly to sound doctrine and be able to refute error and heresy. We need men who will care for the sheep of God’s flock with the very same affection that Christ has for them. Men who pray day and night with earnestness and anxiety over the condition of the church. Men who’s interests are defined by the interests of Christ. Proven men who stand long in the faith, who commit themselves to the building up of others in the faith.
So, we need men who are passionate about Christ’s interests, and, have proven themselves in the faith.
Thirdly, is our priestly service.
The way Paul talks about the help that the Philippians have given him is in the context of priestly service. He says their partnership with him in the work of the gospel and the gifts they have brought to him are priestly acts of service.
Look at verse 25. “But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, who is also your messenger whom you sent to take care of my needs.“
Now Paul refers to Epaphroditus in a couple of ways. He calls him a brother, a soldier, a worker, and a messenger. But, where he says, “whom you sent to TAKE CARE OF,” he is using a Greek word that refers to the work of a priest.
It is the Greek word leitourgos and it means priestly work, or priestly service. Paul used the word in verse 17. He says, “But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and SERVICE (leitourgos) coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.” He uses it again in verse 30 where it is translated as “help” by the NIV. He says, Epaphroditus had “risked his life to make up for the HELP (same word again) you could not give me.” Paul refers 3 times in this passage to their service as a priestly service.
What we need to understand is that as believers we are priests. 1 Peter 2:5, 9 say, “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.“ Peter says it again a couple verses down in verse 9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood…“
Believers are priests - do you ever think about yourself as a priest? Probably not. We mostly think of ourselves as moms and dads and sons and daughters. Husbands and wives. Students and employees. We think of ourselves as Christians, but, we probably rarely think of ourselves as priests.
Now, this does not mean that we need to order white collars for all of us. A priest in the Bible is someone who comes near to God to offer sacrifices and service to God on behalf of other men. In the OT, only the Levites could be priests and serve before God and they offered animal and food sacrifices.
However, now, the Bible says that anyone who believes in Jesus Christ has become a priest to God and is supposed to offer spiritual sacrifices. We have been washed and cleansed of our sins, and have become a part of the royal priesthood of believers. All believers are priests to God. Man, woman, old, young. If you believe in Christ Jesus - who Himself is the High Priest - then you today are a priest.
So, what do we do as priests? We don’t sacrifice animals anymore because Jesus Christ was sacrificed. We don’t worship in a temple like they did in the OT because our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit.
As priests we:
-declare the praises of God (Heb. 13:15),
-do good and share with others (Heb. 13:16),
-offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1)
-and to offer financial gifts (Phil. 4:18).
Charles Spurgeon sums it up nicely when he says:
We hear of certain persons being “ordained” first deacons and then priests, but all who are truly in Christ, whether they are men, or women, or children, are priests. We are “a holy priesthood” if we are in Christ.
See what Jesus Christ has made of you who believe in him; by the incorruptible blood and the incorruptible seed, he has brought you into a heavenly priesthood, and you are to-day to stand at the spiritual altar, and “to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Will you not pray, will you not praise, will you not love? These are sacrifices with which God is well pleased...
Paul spoke very well of the priestly sacrifice and offerings that the Philippians had done. The help they gave him by sending Epaphroditus was sufficient to meet his needs according to verse 30. The financial gifts they sent him made him have more than enough. Paul called their giving a “fragrant offering, an acceptable SACRIFICE, pleasing to God” in chapter 4:18. He says that God found their sacrificial giving for Paul an acceptable sacrifice to Him - to God - and that it was a pleasing and fragrant offering. What assurance that what they were doing was not only helpful to Paul but pleasing to God.
Does our service and sacrifice as a priests of God smell good?
Fourth, paying a price.
Epaphrodites was a man who risked his life for the Gospel. He put himself in danger to travel 800 miles to be with Paul, who remember, was under house arrest and not a popular figure. While carrying money from the Philippians that made even his journey more dangerous! While with Paul in Rome, he almost died of an illness. All while doing his work for Christ.
Christianity, at some point, is going to cost you. Some day you may have to pay a price for being a believer. Someday you may be faced with a moral situation at work, with your kids, spouse, or family. You will have to take a stand for what you know is right according to the Bible and what they world is trying to say or do. You may have to start doing some thing. You may have to stop doing something. This may bring persecution, or it may cost you a promotion or job. Family members may not speak to because of this or tease you openly.
Someone once said that if Jesus Christ isn‘t costing a man, that man may be compromising. We live in a world that is anti-Christ, against Christ. And living faithfully to Christ will mean living unfaithfully to the world.
Conclusion
….becoming people like Timothy and Epaphroditus here at EFC today
…..Be passionate about the interests of Christ …………Be proven in our faith ……Be priests in our service ……….and be Paying a Price for serving Christ
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