Let us turn to the Word of God
in that epistle to the Philippians from which we read. We read there
in chapter 4 but I want to direct you to chapter 2 and to the end
of that chapter. Philippians chapter 2 and I read
from verse 25 Yet I supposed it necessary to
send to you Apathroditus, my brother and companion in labour
and fellow-soldier, but your messenger and he that ministered
to my wants. For he longed after you all,
and was full of heaviness, because he had heard that he had been
sick. For indeed he was sick, nigh unto death. But God had
mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, lest I
should have sorrow upon sorrow. I sent him therefore the more
carefully, that when ye see him again ye may rejoice, and that
I may be the less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the
Lord with all gladness, and all such in reputation, because for
the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his
life, to supply your lack of service toward me. Want us to consider then this
man and something of the ministry of Epaphroditus. And we described it here at verse
25. Yet I supposed it necessary to
send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labor,
and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered
to my wants. What a ministry! And here again
we see something of Paul's loving concern for this church at Philippi. Remember how he writes to them
in the opening chapter there at verse 7, he
says, Even as it is made for me to think this of you all,
because I have you in my heart. I have you in my heart, he says. Verse 8, God is my record, how
greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. And such was his great love and
concern, what does he say later there? Verse 23, I am in a strait
betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ,
which is far better. Nevertheless, to abide in the
flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I
know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance
and joy of faith. Paul is not concerned about himself
and his own interests. His prime concern, of course,
is the glory of God's great love, is that that he bears towards
the Lord Jesus Christ, but how he has this great concern for
the body of Christ. for these various churches that
he had been used of God in the establishment of. And so he says
here in verse 24 of the second chapter, I trust in the Lord
that I also myself shall come shortly. He hopes to see them
again. It's one of the prison epistles.
He's in Rome. He's confined in some way. He's not a free man. But he hopes
that he might see them again. In the meantime, we see his great
love for them, his concern for them, in the characters of the
two people that he is sending to them. Now last week, we were
considering what he says concerning Timothy. Verse 19, remember. He says, I trust in the Lord
Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be
of good comfort when I know your state. For I have no man like-minded
who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own,
not the things which are Jesus Christ's. but you know the proof
of him that as a son with the father he hath served with me
in the gospel. Him therefore I hope to send
presently as soon as I shall see how it shall go or how it
will go with me. Oh how he speaks of Timothy like-minded
he says there in verse 20 and remarking on the particular word
that is used there as I said last time Dr. Gill says, literally,
has the idea of a soul mate. I mean, Gil says, doesn't he,
that Paul and Timothy were like two souls in one body, such was
the union between these two men as they labored together in the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so in sending Timothy, Paul
is really sending his second self, we might say. and how he
speaks of the suitability of this man to come and to minister
to them. Well he was one so gifted and
equipped, I have no man like minded who will naturally, you
see, naturally care for your state. And the word that we have
here, it's an interesting word, It's rendered naturally here
in the text. It has the idea of a man who
is honorable and sincere. That's the sort of man that Timothy
is. He's a man worthy of this trust. And he's so different to others. As he says in verse 21, all seek
their own. Not the things which are Jesus
Christ, but that's not Timothy. Well, Timothy is in no way like
those characters. And he's one who has been proved.
You know the proof of him, he says? There in verse 22. How has he been proved? Well, again, the idea here is
that of testing a metal in the crucible, proving the metal.
Ensuring that it is separated from all impurities. He is a man then worthy of such
a charge as he's been given. Why hadn't Paul told him himself? He'd given those instructions,
of course, in those two epistles that addressed to him, those
pastoral epistles, 1st and 2nd Timothy, and he says, make full
proof of thy ministry. Oh, he's constantly having to
prove himself in this work. And now he's being sent to the
Philippians. He's one with Paul, and so what
Paul says of himself could also be said of Timothy. Now those
who are the Lord's servants, as we read there in 2 Corinthians
3.6, God also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament,
he says, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. Or their great
concern is the Gospel. And that's what it means there.
Not of the letter, but of the Spirit. The letter referring
to the Lord of God. The Spirit referring to the Gospel.
Of course they did on occasions preach the Lord, as we were saying
this morning. There's law and Gospel in the
New Testament, but always the Gospel must have the priority,
and the law serves the Gospel. The Lord is there to show the
man his sin. Though there are blessed consolations,
there is salvation only in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And these men are able ministers
of that New Testament. Paul and Timothy. Well, we considered, as I say,
something of Timothy's character last time, but now I want us
to turn to the ministry of Epaphroditus. and say something with regards
to Apatroditus who is spoken of here at verse 25 right through
to the end of the chapter so he says in verse 25 yet I suppose
it necessary to send to you Apatroditus my brother and companion in labor,
and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered
to my wants." And I want to deal with some three matters, three
headings concerning this man's ministry. And first of all to
say something of the relationship that he also had with the Apostle
Paul. He calls him here, your messenger. your messenger. Now the word
that we have, the trended messenger, is literally the word apostle.
It's the word apostle. Now, in what sense is a patrodysus
an apostle, if that's the word that's being used? Well we have
to remember that this word is used many times in the in the
New Testament and it's not always used to describe
a person's official position for example it's used in reference
to the Lord Jesus Christ himself in the Gospel when we're told
how he came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give
himself a ransom for many. And the verb there, to minister,
is derived from the noun apostle. He came to be an apostle. And so we have to remember that
the word is not always used in that technical sense of those
who are the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, Paul
was a man very much an apostle by his office. When he writes
to the churches he makes that so clear time and again. Paul,
an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and
God the Father, who raised him from the dead, and all the brethren
which are with me unto the churches of Galatia. We read there at
the beginning of that epistle. He's an apostle then, not of
men, but by Jesus Christ. And again when he writes to the
Corinthians he makes the same sort of point both in the first
epistle and also in the second. He says he's an apostle through
the will of God or he's an apostle by the will of God. His was an
official position. And how he reminds the Corinthians,
there were those at Corinth of course who very much opposed
him, there were those false teachers who came in and turned many against
Paul and he writes there in 1 Corinthians 9, am I not an apostle? Am I
not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ
our Lord? Are not ye my work in the Lord?
If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am an apostle
to you. For the seal of mine apostleship
are ye in the Lord. Oh, he was an apostle. He had
seen the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's one of the marks of
an apostle as we see there in Acts chapter 1 with the appointment
of Matthias. replaces Judas who had fallen
from his apostleship. And the apostles were those who
were to bear testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ. So, Paul himself, and we should
recognize this, is very much an official apostle in that that
is the office that he occupies. and he proves it by the works
that he's able to do. Again, there, writing to the
Corinthians, he says, "...truly the signs of an apostle were
wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty
deeds." that was authenticating the apostolic ministry. And remember Paul speaks of that
when he writes in Hebrews chapter 2. How shall we escape if we
neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken
by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?
God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders and
with diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to
his own will. These apostolic signs truly the signs of an apostle
were wrought among you says Paul Well that's the official word
and he chose a certain group of men those that the Lord himself
chose, the twelve apostles and then Matthias replacing Judas
who had fallen but then also the apostle the great apostle
to the Gentiles but the word If we don't just transliterate
it, it's a Greek word, it's the word Apostle as he comes over
into our English language, if we don't transliterate it, but
translate it, the best rendering is a messenger. Your messenger. That's what he says here, that's
how it's rendered in the text. I suppose it necessary to send
to you Apathroditus, my brother and companion in labour and fellow-soldier,
but your messenger. your messenger. And what does
it suggest? Well, it's one who is sent on
a mission and sent with a message or with a work to perform. Now,
that was Epaphroditus, wasn't it? We read it there in chapter
4. Verse 18, I have warned the band I am full having received
of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of
a sweet smell, a sign, a sacrifice acceptable while pleasing to
God." They had sent him as their messenger and they'd sent him
with some gift to minister to the Apostle. He's a messenger
there. And there were several who served
in this sense in the word Apostle is used in reference to them,
but we are not to think of them as official apostles, but they
are simply messengers. There were Titus and others that
are spoken of there in 2 Corinthians. In chapter 8, The verse 23, Where there any
to inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellow helper concerning
you, or our brethren be inquired of. They are the messengers of
the churches and the glory of Christ. The messengers, although
the word is the word Apostle. They are the messengers of the
churches and the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so those
who are connected with Paul in his ministry are often given
this particular name. But they're not apostles in the
same way that Paul was an apostle. In Acts 14, for example, we read
of the apostles Barnabas and Paul. Barnabas was not one who
was called to that particular office, but he's assisting Paul.
And here we have it then. Your minister. your minister. He was one who was a pastor of
them, a preacher to them, a minister among them. And here we see something
of his relationship with the Apostle Paul, see how Paul speaks
of him. And what he says here in this
25th verse Epaphroditus, he says, my brother,
my brother. Now they were not physical brethren,
but they certainly had something in common. The common faith of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Each of them were believers in
the Lord Jesus Christ. Each of them knew that salvation
which is only in the Lord Jesus Christ. And so Paul calls him
his brother, in a spiritual sense. Why, all the Philippians are
his brethren, aren't they? As we read there in chapter 4,
therefore my brethren. So he addresses them. Those in
the church at Philippi, those Christians. Therefore my brethren,
dearly beloved, and long for my joy and crown, so stand fast
in the Lord, my dearly beloved. We see the great deep affection
that the apostle himself has towards these people. But how
this is so personal, this relationship. This man, Epaphroditus, he's
my brother, says Paul. And also he's my companion. My companion in labor. All they labor together. and
how they laboured, how they worked in the gospel day and night how
they like Timothy and Paul were also of that one mind look at
what he says later verse 30 because for the work of Christ he was
nigh unto death for he gave himself wholeheartedly to this work of
assisting the apostle in his ministry for the work of Christ. He was nigh unto death, not regarding
his life, to supply your lack of service toward me." He was
there from the church at Philippi seeking to minister to the Apostle
in his confinement there at Rome. He's my brother, he's my companion
in labour and the word labour here has an idea of the day labour,
toiling in the field, This is how these men worked in the Gospel
of Christ. And then he says also he's a
fellow soldier. He's a fellow soldier with the
Apostle. All these are not soldiers of course in the military sense
which understand this spiritually, you know that. What does Paul say concerning
the warfare? The weapons of our warfare are
not carnal. but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strongholds. Oh, what a spiritual conflict
these men were engaged in. Going to the Corinthians, he
says, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the
left. How they needed to be fortified, to be armed for all this great
conflict, fighting against all the powers of darkness, seeking
to preach faithfulness. in heathen Rome all the great
truths of the everlasting gospel. Why, remember how he speaks to
the Ephesians there at the end of chapter 6 concerning that
wonderful provision that God has made, the whole armour of
God. And he says, we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole
armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil
day. And having done all to stand,
and then he goes on to speak of the various parts of that
armour, that spiritual armour. that is so necessary. Well, here
is one, you see, who has this relationship with Paul. They're
fellow soldiers. They're fighting. And what are
they fighting? It's the good fight of faith.
As Paul says there in 2nd Timothy, you know that was what he reckoned
to be the last of all his epistles. It was near his end. And he says
to Timothy, fight the good fight of faith. they hold an eternal
life. Here then we see something of
the relationship between Paul and the Bathroditis and it's
not dissimilar to what we were considering last time when we
looked at the character of Timothy. But then thinking about this
ministry that this man is exercising let me say something with regards
to the reasons why he was returning why he was being sent back to
Philippi and we see that verse 26 following he says he longed
after you all and was full of heaviness because he had heard
that he had been sick For indeed he was sick nigh unto death,
but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also,
lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I sent him therefore
the more carefully, that when ye see him again ye may rejoice,
and that I may be the less sorrowful." Now there are three reasons here,
aren't there? There's Epaphroditus himself, there's the Philippians
themselves, and we might say there's Paul myself. And let's
just look at those three reasons why he is sending this man. It was because of Epaphroditus
himself. He says here that verse 26, He
longed after you all and was full of heaviness. He's longing
after them. He has such a love towards them.
But it's this expression, he was full of heaviness. And I
say this expression because the word that we have here is used
on just one other occasion, well two other occasions, in the New
Testament. Now the two other occasions are
referring to exactly the same event, and the word is used in
reference to the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and something of Christ's
experience there in the Garden of Gethsemane, in Matthew chapter
26 and verse 37, and again in Mark chapter 14 and verse 33. Now I mention those two texts
again, so you make a note if you're taking notes, Matthew
26-37 and Mark 14-33. And then the only other occasion
is here in reference to Apasroditus. He was full of heaviness. Now what does it say in those
verses concerning the Lord Jesus Christ? In the garden, contemplating
the cross, pleading with God, his sweat
like drops of blood falling to the ground agonizing being in
an agony it says he prayed more earnestly the angel is dispatched
from heaven oh dear John Duncan remember you to say that was
his favorite angel oh that angel dispatched from heaven to the
Lord Jesus Christ there in all the restlings of his soul How
is it rendered there? It says, he was sorrowful and
very heavy. He was sorrowful and very heavy. Very heavy. Here we have the
same expression, full of heaviness. Full of heaviness. Well you see
the significance then, Epaphroditus had a heart like the Great Shepherd.
He had a heart like the great shepherd of the sheep, the Lord
Jesus Christ. He knew what it was to feel heaven. Why? Because of that great love
wherewith he loved his people. Having loved his own which were
in the world, he loves them to the end. And as the weight of
all their sins is laid upon him, he's going to make the great
sin-atoning sacrifice. Oh, but the love that he bears
towards his people. Well, this man, you see, he is
in heaviness, full of heaviness. He longed after you all. He has
something of the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul says, indeed he was
sick. Indeed he was sick, nigh unto death. Now, we might say,
if Paul was an apostle, and could
perform those signs of an apostle, those mighty works and miracles,
why was there no miraculous cure? Why was there no miraculous cure
given to Apatroditus? Well, all I can say is those
gifts were temporary, you know, and maybe they were beginning
to cease. They'd served their purpose.
We referred to what Paul says there at the beginning of Hebrews
chapter 2, the signs of an apostle, confirming the Word. But you
see, the Scripture is being completed. These various epistles are being
written. and other books of Holy Scripture
they're all being written at this time and as the Scripture
is being completed so there is less need and less need also
for the mighty works and the miracles and the healings must always
be subject to the sovereign will of God that is so obvious He indeed was sick, nigh unto
death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me
also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Doubtless there
was much prayer for Epaphroditus. And the Lord was pleased to hear
the prayer, and it was God's will that the man should be preserved. His life should be preserved,
his days lengthened. But the healing is very much
subject to the will of God, isn't it? There's a time to be born,
says the preacher. There's a time to die. We often sing the lines of John
Ryland. Plagues and deaths around me
fly till he bids I cannot die. Not a single shaft can hit till
the God of love sees fit. That's where we have to come
to. We have to bow to the sovereignty of God and we pray to God. if
he pleased God, if he be his will, that he might preserve
a life. And Paul, you see, was very much
aware, he had that desire himself to depart, to be with Christ. And he knew not what to choose.
He was in a strait betwixt two. But he sees, he begins to discern
God's will, it was best that he was preserved for a while. but Apothroditus you see Paul
is sending him because of Apothroditus himself he so longs after these
people he so longs, he so loves them he's been in such heaviness
because he knows how they were so grieved at the prospect of
his life being taken so Paul is sending him that they might
have the joy of seeing him again and in ministering in some way
to them. But the reason he's not only
at Apothroditus, what about the Philippians also? What does he
say here in verse 28? I sent him therefore the more
carefully that when ye see him again when ye see him again ye
may rejoice for they will be so pleased to see why he's their
minister he's their minister isn't that how Paul has described
him back in verse 25 your minister
there was such a union such a bond between Epaphroditus and the
Philippians. It's not only going to be a great
joy on the part of Epaphroditus to see them again, but how they
will rejoice to see him. But then there's also Paul himself,
isn't there? As he says at the end of verse
28, and that I may be the less sorrowful Oh, how this man must have been
such an encouragement to Paul. And Paul couldn't bear the prospect
of losing these men, men like Timothy, or Titus, or Epaphroditus,
and so many others. He was prepared to see them depart
for a little while, but he didn't want that they should be taken
away forever. Paul must have been greatly eased
in his own mind when this man was raised up again, that I may
be less sorrowful, he says. Why, Paul has so much, you see. He speaks to the Corinthians
of that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. And this man is such a help in
the care of all the churches. And so Paul is so joyful that
the man has been spared and then finally to say something of the
way in which he was received or should be received his reception
at Philippi Paul says to them in verse 29 receive him therefore receive him therefore in the Lord's, with all gladness,
and of such in reputation, because for the work of Christ he was
nigh unto death, not regarding his life to supply your lack
of service toward me." Receive him. Again, Dr. Gill, he says, he that receives
a minister of Christ, receives Christ himself. He that receives
a minister of Christ, receives Christ himself. And Paul, when
he writes to the Galatians and he has to address them sharply
because they'd been influenced by false teachers, legalists
who'd come in who were trying to bring them under the law,
and they'd known all the great liberties of the gospel, and
he writes to them and he has to remind them how they had once
received him, There in Galatians 4.13, he says,
You know how through infirmity of the flesh I preached the gospel
unto you at the first, and my temptation which was in my flesh
ye despised not, nor rejected, but received me as an angel of
God, even as Christ Jesus. They received him. Like Gil says,
you see, receiving a minister of Christ is like receiving Christ
himself, and Gil has good grounds for saying that because that's
just the thing that Paul is saying there in Galatians 4 verse 14
and we have the words of the Lord Jesus himself He that heareth
you heareth me he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that
despiseth me despiseth him that sent me and so Paul tells them to receive
him. Hold such in reputation, he says. There at verse 29. Hold such
in reputation. This is God's ordinance, you
see. The work of the ministry. When Paul writes again those
lovely epistles that he addresses to the church of the Thessalonians.
Remember what he says there at the end of the last chapter of
the first letter. 1 Thessalonians 5.12 We beseech
you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over
you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very
highly in love for their works, and be at peace among yourselves. Be at peace. among yourselves. Here is Paul in this great loving
concern that he has for the well-being of these believers in these various
churches how he is ever ready to minister to them, he writes
these various epistles seeking to give them instruction not
only seeking to build them up in their most holy faith setting
before them the great doctrines of the gospel but also going
on to give exhortation to them. You know, these epistles are
constructed time and again. The first part often is the doctrinal
section principally. But then once he's spout out
the great doctrines, he draws out of that the implications,
the practical implications, how believers are to live their lives
in the light of these great truths. And then at times he weaves in
something of his own experience. He's not just a theorist, he's
speaking of those things that he has known and handled of the
very Word of Life. And as he so loves these churches,
in spite of so much that seemed to be wrong at times. These false teachers were coming
and making inroads in the churches, but he still as a great loving
concern for them and he'll send these various men who were so
near and so dear to him and in that I say again we see something
of the great love of the Apostle himself yet I suppose it necessary
to send to you Apatroditus my brother and companion in labor
and fellow soldier but your messenger and he that ministered to my
ones. 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 toward me." May the Lord be pleased
to grant that we might know something of the spirit of Epaphroditus,
that the Lord would remind us that these men, their lives,
their ministries recorded for our instruction, are they not
set before us then as a pattern of true godliness? Well, the
Lord bless his word tonight. Let us conclude our worship now
as we sing the hymn 1082. The tune is University 253. How sweet, how heavenly is the
sight when those that love the Lord in one another's peace delight,
and so fulfil His word. 1082, tune 253.