Sermon Tone Analysis

*“Faithful Partners”*

*Philippians 2.19-30*

 

            We’re in Philippians 2.19-30 this morning.

Please turn there in your Bibles.

While you’re finding your way, let’s quickly review where we are in the letter.

We are coming off the heels of a passage that challenged the Philippian church to shine as lights in the midst of a dark world.

We saw that this likely was looking back to the exhortation in chapter 1 verse 27 which included living in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.

This pursuit involved working out their salvation, recognizing that God was active in their spiritual growth.

For God is the One who provides the desire and the ability to grow.

Next this involved doing all things without grumbling and questioning.

We noted that the world is often characterized by grumbling and questioning and disputing.

And we as Christians will stick out as we are recognized by our abstaining from these things and hold fast to the word of life.

Paul encourages the readers that he wants to stand before Jesus when he returns and boast in their faith and spiritual growth.

And because he understands that his life is all for Christ, he considers it his sacrificial offering.

Because it is not in vain, he can rejoice with those who follow Christ with him.

*READ.

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            Launching into this section, it seems as though Paul moves clearly to a different thought here.

What we will see is Paul recommending visits from two different people.

We know that Paul had desired and envisioned that he would once again pay the Philippians a visit.

And yet his circumstances prohibited from carrying this out.

But he knows that his readers need a visit and encouragement.

And Paul needs the encouragement as well.

I hope to show you how important these men were to Paul and his ministry.

And I hope also that we will be challenged to have these sorts of relationships as well.

The first point is *Discipleship for the Gospel.

*Paul opens the section by indicating that it is his hope to send Timothy to the Philippians in the near future.

And Paul includes his purpose for doing so.

It seems as though it is for mutual encouragement.

I am certain that the Philippians would be encouraged by word from Paul and Timothy.

And Paul would be encouraged as well.

Think about what it must be like for Paul.

He’s in prison.

He’s preached the gospel in Philippi and people are converted to Jesus Christ and begin to meet as Christ’s church.

Now he finds himself in a situation that keeps him from them.

He wants to know.

He needs to know how they are faring in their faith.

Paul realizes that his plans and his hope are in his Lord Jesus.

And he hopes to send Timothy.

I am beginning to understand more about this Timothy.

Timothy is the guy that Paul trusts to send in his place.

This is saying a lot!

In 1 Corinthians 4:16–17, “16 I urge you, then, be imitators of me.

17 */That is why I sent you Timothy/*, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church. 1 Thessalonians 3:1–2, “1 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and */we sent Timothy/*, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, */to establish and exhort you in your faith,” /* 

            Paul says in verse 20 that he has no one like Timothy.

What does he mean by this? Paul describes several ways.

First, Paul says that Timothy will have genuine concern for the church at Philippi.

Verse 22 indicates that Timothy has proven his worth.

Third, he is like a son to Paul.

Fourth, he has served alongside Paul in the gospel.

Verse 21 indicates that “they” all seek their own interests and not those of Jesus Christ.

Though Paul does not specify who the “they” are, it is possible that it is those who we considered in chapter 1. Do you remember when Paul said that his imprisonment had served to advance the gospel?

And then he included that there were some who preached Christ from envy and rivalry.

Though he rejoiced that Christ was being proclaimed, these were not men that he could count on to consider the welfare of the Philippian church.

They were likely fueling their pride and not Jesus Christ.

And they would not serve the church well.

God desires that those who minister to the church be those who are ultimately concerned with Jesus Christ.

We know and grieve that this is not always the case.

Particularly in the West, there is a propensity to building up of the kingdoms of men in the guise of “church.”

Though this is troubling, we are reassured that in the end, Jesus will have the last word.

Timothy, however, knew what it meant to be about Jesus Christ.

He emulated Paul’s words in verses 3 and 4 when he exhorted his readers in humility to “count others more significant than yourselves and to let each of you not only look to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

And then Paul says that the Philippians know his proven worth.

And as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.

I think that these two thoughts are synonymous.

The test of time in ministry with Paul was an indicator of this.

Timothy served loyally with Paul in the work of proclaiming the gospel to bring people to faith in Christ and in the work of guiding the church to live out the implications of the gospel in the community of believers.

This was an intentional relationship.

In Acts 16 we learn a bit about Timothy.

It is noted that Timothy was born to a Jewish mom and a father who was a Greek.

It would appear as well that he inherited his biblical teaching from his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois.

No mention is made of “dad” in 2 Timothy 1.

The conclusion would be that Timothy did not have the spiritual fathering that is intended by God – until Paul entered his life.

Men, I’m not sure if we all understand this or not.

But it is our God-given responsibility to instruct our children in the ways of God.

We see this from the beginning of the Bible.

In Genesis 18:19 19 For I have chosen him [Abraham], */that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice/*, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

Deuteronomy 6 speaks of teaching God’s word to the children while you sit in the house, when you walk, lie down, and when you rise.

And then specifically to the men, Paul says in Ephesians 6, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, */but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

/*This is our mandate and our responsibility.

How are we doing in this?

There is always room for improvement.

Believe me.

I know.

But I also find encouragement in the life of Timothy.

And so should those of you who do not have a godly man in the home.

Despite the failings of men, God is still active.

And in the case of Timothy, he had him cross paths with Paul.

And Paul invested heavily into Timothy.

He wasn’t his biological father, but became his spiritual father.

And I think that this provides more application for the men in the church.

One of the things I love about the church is that it provides the opportunity for other people to invest in the lives of my own children.

The primary responsibility to teach them is mine.

But I also cherish the investment that they get from many of you – specifically the men.

This is because I want them to emulate biblical manhood.

And this happens as you teach and show them what true manhood looks like.

There should be great consistency in their models when we all value the truth of God’s Word.

This should be clarifying, and not confusing for them.

Equally important for the men in the church is the investment into the lives of the children who don’t have the spiritual fathering that others do.

I’ve seen many of you already doing this.

And I hope that you will be intentional and active to search out those who don’t have the benefit of a believing father.