Philippians chapter 2. We covered
this, not as extensively as we will this morning, Wednesday. So, if you were here Wednesday, bear with me. This basically
goes, it goes hand in hand with what Bruce was talking about
this morning in Romans. It goes extremely well with Romans
13 where we were, the passages where we were at. And there's
a phrase in here, the last verse of chapter 2 that got my attention
Wednesday and I said, well I may preach on it, I'm not sure. Well,
it just got a hold of me and I couldn't back off, I just had
to look at it. And then in the process of looking
at it, the Lord revealed something completely. I just was like a
little kid. I was just totally excited. I
pray that the Lord will make you excited as well. What we're
going to look at is the last phrase, but I'm going to restart
reading in verse 25, but we're going to look at the last phrase,
because for the work of Christ, because for the work of Christ.
And I thought to myself, what is the work of Christ? that this
person Epaphroditus which was the fellow messenger or preacher
or elder to the Philippians that he was so well He was for the
work of Christ. He was nigh unto death. Why?
What is the work of Christ? It is basically what I see in
the context. It's just two things. So this
phrase really impressed upon me to ask the question, what
is this work that Epaphroditus was so engaged in? I have two
answers. They are included within the
context of our verses this morning. Let's look at verse 25 through
30. Paul's writing under house arrest
in jail in Rome. He's writing to the Philippians.
Yet I suppose it necessary to send to you, Epaphroditus, my
brother, companion, and laborer, fellow soldier. But your messenger,
see he was an elder there at the church and they gave him
gifts and he was delivering the gifts to Rome, the distance from
Philippians to Rome. And then he got sick, we don't
know why, for what reason, almost dying to death, but he was doing
it for the work of Christ. Okay, so that's what we're gonna
look at. And he that ministered to my wants, for he, longed after
you all and was full of heaviness because that you had heard that
he had been sick for indeed he was sick nigh unto death but
God had mercy on him and not only on him only but on me also
lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I sent him therefore
the more carefully that when you'll see him again you may
rejoice and that I may be the less sorrowful. Receive him therefore
in the Lord with all gladness and hold such in reputation because
for the work of Christ He was nigh unto death, not regarding
his life, to supply your lack of service towards me." Now,
the lack of service, it looks negative. They just didn't have,
they just couldn't call and ship stuff, mail, whatever. Their
lack of service was because Paul was, he wasn't there. If he'd
have been there, they would have made a collection. And look at
the last verse, well not the last verse, verse 18 in chapter
4. uh... verse eighteen of uh... philippians chapter four but
i have all and i'm about and and about i am full having received
of epaphroditus the things which were sent from you an odor of
sweet smell sacrifice acceptable to god uh... well-pleasing unto
god this is this is the history of epaphroditus this is all we
know about him this right there i trust that we who name the
name of Christ here this morning would be allowed, no, would be
caused to imitate our fellow laborer. Paul said, imitate me
as much as I imitate Christ. So that's my point. We don't
look to any man. We don't trust in any man. But
when people are living by example, it's good to note that. What
was, what is this work of Christ? that this God-serving Epaphroditus
and us are sent to do. People, you know, I don't know
what I'm sent to do. Well, this is what we are if
we're members of the church, united in the faith of Christ
and united in the faith of God's elect. There's just two things.
The first thing is found in verses 28 and 30. I sent him therefore
the more carefully that when ye see him again you may rejoice
that I may be of the less sorrowful. And verse 30, for the work of
Christ, he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life to supply
for you the service towards me. The first work of Christ. We're
all, like Bruce said it so well, we are sent by God for the service
of Christ and his church, not regarding our own life. Be doers of the word and not
hearers only. This work of our Lord is one
of service, self-sacrifice, and self-surrender. Condensing this
In one thought, Paphroditus acted upon and did what he said he
believed. He did what he said he believed. He believed God was sovereign.
He was sick unto death. He didn't say, well, it's because
I didn't take this, and I didn't this, and I didn't, and I didn't.
No, none of that. He didn't blame secondary causes,
which we do. Go get a pill, or go get this,
or go get this remedy. I'm not saying don't take care
of your bodies, but I'm saying God is the author of the first
cause. OK? And you notice he didn't
even do this for his self. He did it for Paul. and he did
it to meet the needs of the brethren there at Philippi. James would
say this, James chapter 1 verse 22 through
25, Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves. For if any man be a hearer of
the word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural
face in a glass, For he beholds himself, and goes his way, and
straightway forgets what manner of man he was, or woman, or boy,
or girl. But whosoever looketh into the
perfect law of liberty, and we saw that that is the gospel,
the Lord Jesus Christ, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful
here, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in
his deed. Or as Paul, we've been looking
at in Philippians, Paul said, Let nothing be done through strife
or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others
better than themselves. Look not every man on his own
things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." That's what
he is stating. Let me read something. I've never
really used this man, never really looked at this guy. He's in the
1800s or so. But boy, this is really good.
Regarding Epaphroditus and his service as a servant, as a slave
to the Lord Jesus Christ, serving one another. Epaphroditus, who
was he? Was he a great preacher? Was
he a very eloquent speaker? A preeminently gifted brother,
we are not told, but this we are told, and told powerfully
and touchingly. He was one who exhibited a lovely
spirit of self-surrender. This is better than all the gifts
and eloquence, power, and learning that could possibly be concentrated
in any single individual. Epaphroditus was one of that
illustrious class who seek to make nothing of themselves. And
as a consequence, the inspired apostle spares no pains to exalt
him. See how he writes in detail about
the actings of this singularly attractive person. Yet I suppose
it necessary to send unto you Paphroditus, my brother, companion
in labor, fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered
to my wants." What a cluster of dignities. What a brilliant
array of titles. How little did this dear and
unpretentious servant of Christ imagine that he was to have such
a monument erected to his memory. But the Lord will never permit
the fruits of self-sacrifice to wither, nor the name of the
self-emptied to sink into oblivion. Hence, it is that the name of
one who otherwise might never have been heard of shines on
the page of inspiration as the brother, companion, fellow soldier
of the great apostle of the Gentiles." Epaphroditus. What did this remarkable
man do? Did he spend his princely fortune
in the cause of Christ? We are not told, but we are told
what is far better. He spent himself. This is the
grand point for us to seize and to ponder. It was not the surrender
of his fortune merely, but the surrender of himself. Let us
listen to the record concerning one of the true David's mighty
men. He longed after you all and was
full of heaviness. Why? Was it because he was sick? because of his pains and aches
and privations, nothing of the sort. Epaphroditus did not belong
to the generation of whiners and complainers. He was thinking
of others. He was full of heaviness because
you had heard that he had been sick. How lovely. He was occupied
with the Philippians and their sorrow about him. The only thing
that affected him in his illness was the thought of how it affected
them. Perfectly exquisite. This honored
servant of Christ had brought himself to death's door to serve
others. And when there, instead of being
occupied about himself and his ailments, he was thinking of
the sorrows of others. He was sick and nigh unto death,
but God had mercy on him and not only on him, but on me also,
lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Can anything be more
morally beautiful than this? It is one of the rarest pictures
ever presented to the human eye. There is Epaphroditus, near to
death for the sake of others, but he is full of sorrow about
the Philippians, and the Philippians are full of sorrow about him,
and Paul is full of sorrow about both, and God comes and mingles
himself with the seen and in mercy to all, raises up the loved
one from the bed of death. That's good writing. That's good
writing. That's the work, a work, work
of Christ. Our Lord says to other, when
people were speaking and go, when did we, when did we help
you? When did we do this? When you gave that glass of water
to somebody who was thirsty, when you visited, You did it
to me. That's what I'm saying. That
is a work of Christ for us to, and that was found in Matthew
25, 37 through 40. We are to be as wise as serpent
and yet harmless as doves. We are to hold ourselves as those
who have been shown the undeserved mercy of grace of God in Christ. To truly not mind the body as
much as the soul. To seek those things which are
above and not to set our sights on things below. That's what
Epaphroditus was doing. To walk worthy as the truth as
our Lord enlightens our path. To flee evil and pursue the Son
of God in all manner of conduct and attitude. To be as our Redeemer
who went about doing, talking, and acting good. Which leads
me to the second thing. What is the primary work of Christ? Well, we are to be, all of us,
companions in the labor of the gospel, fellow soldiers in the
cause of Christ, and messengers to speak, share, evangelize the
one and only good news for sinners. That's what the Sepaphroditus
did. Paul says, he's my brother, he's my companion in labor, a
fellow soldier, and your messenger. Now, as we heard this morning,
all gifts, the Lord gives everybody in his church gifts. The gospel
of the grace of God we are to share, speak, talk about, invite
people to hear the good news. We, if we have tasted the goodness
and forgiveness of Emmanuel, are to spread his truth, his
work, about his sovereign and free grace abroad to any and
to all. So he, Epaphroditus, and we are
to live what we believe and to sow the glorious seed, trusting,
as Isaiah 55 says, that his word will not come back void. That's
what we're to do. We, as all believers before us
and after us, rely upon the Spirit of God to illuminate and reveal
Christ to the heart. He convicts men and women, boys
and girls, of sin most loathsome, We can't escape it on our own.
We have no free will. We have no ability to save ourselves. We speak of Christ. He's the
most essential and most lovely. And he must have the preeminence.
We speak of God, most holy and pure, sitting upon his throne.
So I tell you and I tell me, brethren, let us go out in the
strength and might of our kinsman redeemer, simply telling people
who we know and what we know, all to the praise of the glory
of his grace. Now, the last point in closing,
I really wanted to just jump, like I said, I was like a little
kid in a candy store, excuse me, for spiritualizing. I'm like Tim James. I don't think
we can over-spiritualize, especially if we see Christ. Look back at
our text, the last verse, and you tell me if the gospel has
not come out and grabbed hold of you right there. Does not
our Lord tell us that all scriptures are regarding and relate to him,
John 5? And we could go on, Christ must
have the preeminence, Christ is the center, spoke the whole
wheel, the gospel. Look with me at these words and
tell me who is this speaking about in totality? Because for
the work of Christ, this is the work of Christ. He was nigh unto
death, not regarding his life, to supply our lack of service
towards God. I looked at this, and I looked
at commentators right and left, nobody said anything. But I thought,
well, this is to me, this is the gospel. This is the gospel. This is the work of Christ. You
know, when that man came, what's the work of God? Well, this is
the work of God that you believe, and he's gonna go try to believe.
No, it's God's work in us that causes us to believe. This is
the work of Christ, is that he, the Christ, did not regard his
life. He did not regard his life. He
was the most selfless individual ever. Epaphroditus is a great
example, but Christ is the example. And he did this and suffered
and bled and died to supply our lack of service towards God.
We had no service. We were created to serve him,
but we had no service. Our service was self. Our service
was trying to work to get salvation. The stone which the builder set,
they rejected. And Christ is like, no, I'm the
stone. I'm the stone. Christ Jesus thought
little, thought his life not dear unto himself, for to suffer,
bleed, and hang upon Calvary's tree for those whose lack of
service towards him. Why? Because of Adam's fall,
God's holy law, and his perfections, we couldn't render the complete
service honorable to him. He must He must supply our lack. That's it right there. Service
that we could not render properly unto our God. Yes indeed, amazing
grace our Savior supplied for us all we could not do for ourselves. All God required of us, we could
never supply to Him in return. That's what works. That's the
main thing of works. We feel an obligation. And boy,
when people feel an obligation, they're going to step up. The
only thing is, our step is down. It's never up. It's the Tower
of Babel. We're trying to build and do
this and honor God in our way. No. No. Christ, the work of Christ,
nigh to death, and he did die. He didn't regard his life. He's
the most selfless individual ever to read about and live for,
and he supplied our lack of service completely, totally. Therefore,
not even regarding Christ's own life, he bear upon his own body
our sins upon the cursory in service, to his heavenly father. Brethren, I believe truly God's
gospel is everywhere in this book. We just have eyes to see. He has to open our eyes and open
our hearts to see him. And I pray that we would see
three things. We would see the work of Christ
is serving him, speaking, telling the truth of who he is, how God
can be just and justify the ungodly, but see Christ dying for those
to supply our lack of service. And that's what works is, works
is service. It's Cain and Abel. It's Cain
and Abel. We come in the name of another. We come
under the blood. And he doesn't see our sins.
He doesn't see our sins because Christ did render the proper
service that God required, that we could not. May we have eyes
to see and ears to hear. May we bless the Son. May we bless his truth. And may
we, all the elect, be blessed in him. And God be the glory. Bruce, would you close us? It's crazy. We can truly get
over this.