Concern for Others: 10-13-24

Overview

Three Friends Bound by Concern for Others

In Philippians 2:19-30, we meet three friends in Christ—Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus—and discover what knit them together. Paul, once Saul the persecutor, was transformed by the risen Lord on the Damascus road and went on to write much of the New Testament. Timothy was Paul's beloved protégé, called "my loyal child in the faith" 1 Timothy 1:2 and "my beloved and faithful child in the Lord" 1 Corinthians 4:17. Epaphroditus had carried the Philippians' gift to Paul and stayed to serve him, nearly dying in the process.

What was their bond? Concern for the other. Paul wrote to encourage and strengthen the saints at Philippi Philippians 1:1-2. Of Timothy, Paul says, "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" Philippians 2:20-21. That is a sobering verdict—even among Paul's companions, only one truly got it. Epaphroditus, meanwhile, "came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me" Philippians 2:30. Strikingly, his name means "favorite of Aphrodite"—a name once invoked by gamblers seeking luck. Yet here is Epaphroditus gambling his very life not for himself but for others.

The temptation we all face runs the opposite direction: me, myself, and I. When God's priorities collide with ours, we are quick to cast the deciding vote in our own favor. But God's great concern was for us. Knowing the predicament our sin had created, He sent His Son. On the cross, Jesus bore our sin, winning forgiveness and restoring what sin had broken. He keeps coming to us through the gospel—reminding us in the waters of Baptism who we are, and why we draw breath: to serve Him by serving others, to His glory.

A simple practice can help reorient the heart: pray through your fingers. The thumb, closest, for those nearest and dearest. The pointer for teachers. The tallest finger for leaders. The weakest finger for the suffering and sick. The pinky, last, for yourself. It is not a law—but it is a help, a daily reminder that we are not the center. By God's grace, Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus got it. May the Lord Jesus empower us to say the same: count me on that list.

Transcript

You open your Bible's please with me to the second chapter of the Book of Philippians. 3s

If you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, Philippians is in the New Testament page 9s

174 for our time and God's Word today. 15s

Philippians II chapter. 18s

Jonathan and David, friends, and we learned about advocacy. 24s

Philip and Nathaniel, friends, and we learned about witnessing. 33s

Elijah and Elijah, friends, and we learned about mentoring. 41s

Mark and Paul, friends, and we learned about what to do amidst times when perhaps friends 53s

disagree, James, and the churches, and we learned not to make friends with the world. 65s

Well, as we continue our series today, we come across three friends in Christ, three of them. 81s

And what I want to pose to you today is this question. 90s

What was their bond? 93s

What was it that they shared together? 95s

What was a bond of their friendship? 99s

What was a commonality that they had? 102s

Friend number one. 110s

Look when they please, at verse 19, we get a clue of who friend number one is from the very 112s

first word of verse 19, where it says, I. 119s

Well, we know that the Apostle Paul wrote this little letter to the church at Philippi. 126s

So the I here is the Apostle Paul. 132s

We know from Scripture that before we know him is Paul, we knew him as Saul. 135s

Saul had dedicated his life to the eradication of Christianity. 143s

He had all of his quote unquote ducks in the row that if he came across a Christian, 146s

he would be able to toss them into prison. 151s

Saul was feared, feared among the early church. 155s

But the risen Lord met him on the road to Damascus transformed his heart. 160s

I think he became a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. 166s

And God used Paul, Paul, to write the majority of books in the New Testament. 170s

In the book, 150 years after the birth of Christ, not scriptural book, there's a description of Paul. 185s

It said, Paul was short and stature, bold, headed, will built his eyebrows met together. 195s

He was long of nose. 205s

He was bold-legged, and he was full of grace. 209s

It goes on to say that sometimes he would appear like a man and other times his appearance was like an angel. 219s

Well, we take that with a grain of salt, right, because it's not Scripture here. 229s

But we do know how Paul was used by God Almighty. 238s

And one of the ways he was used was to write this little letter to the church. 243s

It's Philippi. It was really a thank you note. 247s

It was a thank you note to the church for providing money to his ministry. 251s

So there's friend number one, right? 257s

Friend number one of the three. 260s

It's Paul. 263s

Friend number two. 266s

Let's go on to the rest of the verse 19. 268s

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. 272s

So there's friend number two, Timothy. 285s

Timothy was the protégé of Paul. 289s

Paul writes in first Timothy, the first chapter. 294s

He says to Timothy my loyal child in the faith. 299s

In first Corinthians four, he says, 306s

of Timothy my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. 308s

Roman 16, my fellow worker, second Corinthians one, our brother, 314s

Philippians the first chapter, servant of Christ Jesus. 320s

Timothy. 325s

Timothy was with Paul when he was in Corinth. 327s

He was sent into Mesopotamia. 331s

He was with Paul in the return trip due to Jerusalem. 334s

He did trouble shooting for Paul in Thessalonica, 339s

Colorent, Ephesus, and Philippi. 343s

Timothy was beloved by Paul. 348s

And look what Paul writes in verse 20 of our text. 354s

He says, I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 360s

All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 369s

We'll reflect on that a bit. 380s

We'll reflect on what Paul just said. 383s

I don't have it. 387s

Anybody like him. 388s

The rest, the rest focus on their own interests, 391s

not the interests of Christ. 398s

We'll reflect on that a moment. 400s

Paul poured his life into people. 405s

There were other people that followed the Lord Jesus Christ in Rome. 409s

That's who he was referring to at this time. 415s

Yet, poured his life into people. 418s

And he says, only one of them get it. 424s

The rest, they're all caught up in their own interests. 431s

That's an amazing thing. 435s

And it's also reminder, is it not? 436s

That as we witness to the Lord Jesus Christ, our call is to plant the seed. 440s

We cannot bring the seed into maturity and growth. 444s

We can plant the seed. 449s

Here is the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Paul, the evangelist Paul, 450s

who God used to bring people to faith as he reflects on it. 456s

At this point of all the people in Rome, 459s

Paul says there's one person that gets it. 463s

And everybody else, everybody else, 467s

is just caught up in their interests. 471s

It's an amazing statement, isn't it? 476s

It's an amazing statement. 480s

The problem, verse 21, all of them are seeking their own interests, 484s

not those of Jesus Christ. 489s

But then he goes on and he says, 491s

but Timothy's worth, you know. 493s

I like a son with a father he's served with me 496s

in the work of the gospel. 500s

I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 504s

And I trust in the Lord that I will also come soon. 509s

So, friend number one, Paul, friend number two, 515s

Timothy, now friend number three, 522s

and friend number three, almost died. 528s

Look when they please, verse 25. 533s

Paul says, still I think it necessary to send to you 538s

Ephaphroditis, then jump over, please, 545s

to verse 27. 547s

He was indeed so ill that he nearly died, 550s

but God had mercy on him and only not only on him, 554s

but on me also. 557s

So, I would not have one sorrow after another. 559s

I'm the more eager to send him, therefore, in order 564s

that you may rejoice at seeing him again, 567s

and that I may be less anxious, welcome him then, 571s

in the Lord with all joy and honors such people, 576s

because he came close to death for the work of Christ. 579s

Ephaphroditis, interesting name, by the way. 586s

It means the favorite of Aphrodite, 592s

who was Aphrodite, Aphrodite was a Greek goddess of beauty and luck. 596s

So, in ancient day, for those that were inclined to gamble, 603s

when they would have the dice in their hands, 607s

and they would throw it, they would call out the name, 609s

Aphrodite. 613s

Trying to call down luck upon themselves. 614s

Interesting name, notice the description. 621s

Look with me, please, second part of verse 25. 626s

With regard to Aphrodite's pulse as my brother and co-worker 632s

and fellow soldier, your messenger and minister to my need. 636s

Aphrodite's was the one that brought the gift to Paul to help support 645s

his ministry, and then, Aphrodite stayed with Paul to assist. 653s

So, there they are now. 662s

The three friends. Paul, Timothy, 665s

Aphrodite's friends in the Lord, 673s

what was a bond they had? 679s

What did they have in commonality? 684s

These three friends. 694s

Reminded of the story of a nurse who was reflecting on a patient 702s

that she was caring for. 709s

She described the patient as dull, disgruntled, and despirited. 714s

It was a tough patient. 724s

What she did is she decided to see that gentleman as an opportunity for witness. 727s

And so, she witnessed about how she praised. 735s

So, she says, you know, one of the things that I do when I pray, I use my hand 741s

to help me in terms of forming my prayers. 746s

I've caught the guy's interest. 750s

She said, my thumb, my thumb, that's the closest to me. 752s

And that reminds me to pray for those nearest and dearest to me. 760s

A spouse, a child, a grandchild, a family member, 768s

that you pray for those closest to you. 774s

Secondly, she said, my index finger will use that to point. 779s

And so, like a teacher pointing to a student in terms of soliciting an answer to a question, 785s

she said, second thing I point towards or I pray for, I pray for teachers. 793s

She said, my third finger is my tallest of all the fingers. 802s

She goes, that reminds me to pray for the VIPs in the world, the leaders in the world. 807s

She said, my fourth finger, well, that's the weakest for everybody, your fourth finger. 817s

That reminds me, she said, to pray for those who are weak, who are suffering, 824s

who are in pain, who are in need of healing, has some type of 830s

type of weakness. Then she said, my pinky, well, that's the last one. 837s

She said, that reminds me that I'm last. 847s

I'm last. 855s

And certainly that's not a law. It's not a law to have to pray that way. 860s

Because there's sometimes when we have extended prayers with regard to our self, right? 868s

And is that fine, certainly? 873s

But how is it helpful? How is it helpful for the man? It was helpful 876s

because it reminded him that there are others in the world outside of him, self, others. 882s

What bonded those three friends? What they share in commonality? 899s

What bonded them? Was there concern for the other? For the other? 909s

Paul was concerned for the church. In chapter one, verse one, he says, to all the saints in Christ 924s

Jesus who are in Philippi with the bishops and deacons, grace to you in peace from God, 932s

our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul's concern was for the other. He was concerned 938s

for those in the church. Timothy's concern was for the other. 945s

Look when they please it, chapter two, verse 20, Paul's description. 953s

I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 959s

Effort for Didas. Effort for Didas was concerned for the other. 969s

Look at verse 26. He has been longing for all of you and has been distressed because you heard 975s

that he was ill, then going down into verse 30, halfway through. 985s

It speaks of Effort Didas and Paul says he was risking his life to make up for those 994s

services that you could not give me. You see the image here that word they're risking, 1000s

it's root form of the verb is a root form of gambling. Now put this together here. 1009s

You see the people there in the casinos of the day rolling their dice and calling the name 1016s

Effort for Didas because they think it will give them luck and there is the Effort for Didas 1023s

whose gambling his own life in order to serve the other. What bound them together? What they shared 1031s

in commonality was the concern for the other, for the other. 1045s

The temptation for all of us is to be concerned with the exact opposite. The exact opposite. 1065s

The concern for us is to say, me, myself and I. 1080s

Our temptation is to say, I wonder what somebody's going to do for me today. 1092s

Our temptation is to say, I wonder who could make life easier for me. Our temptation. 1102s

When faced with God's ways and our ways, face was what is important for God and what is 1118s

important for us. Our temptation is to proclaim ourselves the tiebreaker in that dialogue and we know 1126s

how that vote's going to go. Don't we? God's great concern was for us. He was concerned for us. 1136s

Because he knew full well of the predicament that we had gotten ourselves into because of our sin. 1157s

He was concerned for us and so he sends his son to us. 1164s

A midst our pensioned for self-centeredness. God focuses on us. 1172s

A midst our temptation to absolutely ignore God. God focuses on us. 1181s

And Jesus bears all of our sin on the cross winning for us forgiveness. 1192s

Reconciling us, restoring the relationship broken by sin. God focusing on us. God's concern for us. 1202s

And God keeps coming to us. He keeps coming to us with that gospel message. 1220s

So that we get it. So that we get it. So that we get who we are through the waters of baptism and the 1230s

Lord Jesus Christ. So we get what it is we're here for which is to serve him by serving others to bring 1240s

him glory. Why God gives us breath. He keeps coming with the gospel telling us who we are. 1249s

And he keeps coming with the gospel so that we will get it. 1257s

That it's not our interests. It's what interests Christ. He keeps coming to us with the gospel so that we get it. 1264s

That it's not our schedule. It's about his priorities. 1280s

That it's not about our priorities. It's about his plan. 1289s

That it's not about us. It's not about us. It's not about us. 1297s

Mm-hmm. Paul and Timothy and effort for a dietis. 1320s

By the grace of God, they got it. They got it. 1338s

May the Lord Jesus Christ empower us each and every day to say. 1350s

And, quote me on that list. Sign me up. 1358s