Philippians 2:19-30 January 24, 1999 Three friends die in a car crash, and they find themselves at the gates of heaven. Before entering, they are each asked a question by St. Peter. "When you are in your casket and friends and family are mourning you, what would you like to hear them say about you?" asks St. Peter. The first guy says, "I would like to hear them say that I was a great doctor and a great family man." The second guy says, "I would like to hear that I was a wonderful husband and school teacher who made a huge difference in our children of tomorrow." The last guy replies, "I would like to hear them say...... LOOK!!! HE'S MOVING!!!!!" Aside from the quick wit of the third man, what would you want on your tombstone? What would you want said of you? The answer comes down to: how do you define success? Is success measured by titles or degrees, by bank accounts or the address of your home? What you think makes a person successful largely determines your satisfaction and fulfillment in life. To the extent that your criteria of success lines up with God’s you will experience peace and joy in life. To the extent your criteria does not line up with God’s definition of success you will experience frustration and disillusionment. What are God’s criteria for success? What does God consider components of success? In light of that how can we be successful people? Far too often we define success with status, achievement with attainment. The wise sage Erma Bombeck once warned: "Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one, and Helen Keller is the other." The key in defining success is to be sure that our greatness is not determined by the value of our wealth but by the wealth of our values. What God values is seen in our passage this morning. In Philippians 2:19-30 Paul describes two successful men. Their success is measured by the quality of their character, by how they lived out their faith. Let’s take a look at these two men and see five traits which make us successful.
Success puts people before profits. The world called J. Paul Getty a success. In his life he was the wealthiest man in the world. For many he epitomized success, not only by the money he made, but by what he donated, such as $7,000,000 for an art museum. But with his family he was a tyrant. He changed his will 21 times to punish family members who crossed him. When his 12 year old son suddenly died he wrote in his journal, on the day of his burial, “Today was the day we buried darling Timothy, sad day.” But then he went on to outline various stocks he traded. But Scripture is clear that over the long haul relationships are more valuable than things. You can be a success in everything else but if you have no compassion you're a failure. Paul describes Timothy as a man with compassion. It was Paul’s intention to send Timothy to Philippi to encourage the church there as well as on his return, encourage Paul with his report. Yet Paul is hesitant to send him off - he is so important to Paul. Why? Verse 20 paraphrases the original when it says that Paul has no one else like him. Literally the word there is isopsychos, "equal-soul." This means Paul and Timothy were on the same page; they had one mind. On what were they agreed? The Philippians' well-being. Timothy was genuinely interested. The term Paul uses for “genuine” is a reference to a child born to a married couple: he is legitimate. His concern for them comes from an honest desire to seem them succeed. Compassion is protecting the needs and rights of other people.
The man who is all wrapped up in himself is not a daddy, he's a mummy. Eric Butterworth tells about a sociology professor who sent his students into the slums of Baltimore years ago. Their assignment was to get case histories on 200 boys and to evaluate the potential of each one. What did the future hold for these children of poverty? The students made a pessimistic prediction about every single one. They just didn't seem to have a chance. Years later another researcher came across this study and decided to try to follow up on these boys, now men in their thirties. Surprisingly, he was able to locate 180 of the original subjects, but the most amazing thing was that all but four of these men had been very successful in life. Some were doctors, lawyers, or businessmen, but all had done very well. When the researcher interviewed each one and asked what had contributed to his success, all of the men mentioned a particular teacher. He tracked down the teacher, now an elderly lady but still quite alert. He asked her what she had done to help these boys become so successful. With sparkling eyes, she smiled and said, "It's very simple really. I loved those boys." CONSISTENCY - Verse 22 Success from God’s vantage point is putting character before conformity Timothy’s compassion was evident to Paul. His compassion for others was evidenced in his life’s agenda as he put other’s interests and needs ahead of his own. Timothy proved himself. To “prove” refers to a testing of one’s character. Timothy’s name in Greek means “he honors God” and Timothy is living up to his name. He did not cave into pressure, for to be proved is to be tested over time and under pressure. It has been said that people are like teabags... you never know how strong they are until you drop them in hot water. Timothy’s consistency is evidenced over time as he has worked like a son with his father, serving together to see the good news of Christ go out. The
trouble with consistency is its demanding repetition, its day after day after day
monotony. But that is the test of character; we are proven, we are tested not in the
extraordinary challenges in life, but in the ordinary chores. Consistency becomes
extraordinary in the ordinary, being faithful in those areas which normally escape notice. A nice personality will make a good first impression but success over the long haul is built on character, not on image. The person of integrity will not be afraid of what is going to be found out. Is your private life consistent with your public image? A man in Southern California went to a KFC in order to get some chicken for himself and the young lady with him. She waited in the car while he placed the order. In a careless error the store manager handed the man the box which contained the financial proceeds of the day instead of the box of chicken. The manager made a regular habit of camouflaging the store's money by hiding it in a fried chicken box. The man returned to his car and drove to a nearby park with the lady to enjoy a picnic lunch. When they opened the box, they discovered they had a box full of money. The man realized the mistake, and in a rare demonstration of integrity and honesty, went back to the store to return the money. The manager was overjoyed, and in his jubilance insisted that the young man stay in order to be photographed and interviewed by the local newspaper. "Oh, no, don't do that!" said the man. "Why not?" asked the manager. "Well," he said, "you see, I'm married. and the woman I'm with is not my wife!” Integrity is not selective. The call of Christ upon a person's life is a call to consistency as we model outwardly what He is doing inwardly COOPERATION - Verse 25a Success means putting cooperation before competition. Paul writes this section in his letter in order to explain what is happening. Some time before, the church in Philippi sent money to Paul by way of a messenger named, Epaphroditus. They wanted Epaphroditus to stay with Paul so that Timothy would then be freed to come see them. You can imagine the church’s surprise when they see Epaphroditus coming down the road instead of Timothy. They may have wondered if Epaphroditus failed in his job, if Paul didn’t want him around or if Paul and Timothy didn’t care about the church in Philippi. So Paul writes this letter of explanation. Timothy will come, but Paul believed it was important for Epaphroditus to come given recent events. First, Paul wants to make it clear that Epaphroditus did not fail in his task. He should be welcomed back with open arms. So Paul writes a glowing report about Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus,
whose name means charming, amiable, was cooperative in Paul’s work. Notice how he
describes Epaphroditus: my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier. By mentioning these
three traits, Paul identifies three qualities of cooperation that is a mark of success,
for here we see three important aspects of the Christian life. 133 times in the New Testament Paul uses the word "brother" to describe the relationship between Christians. The term becomes meaningless through overuse, but in the ancient world this close-knit connection was unheard of. The culture of that time was polarized between Greeks and Romans, slaves and free, Jews and Gentiles, aristocrats and plebeians, citizens and slaves. Into this world came the Gospel and with it the idea of brotherhood. This change in relationship with God as Father meant a new relationship with one another. Our ability to work together, to cooperate is predicated on the understanding that we are related to one another because of the work of Christ. The Christian life is a fellowship. We have the same task, assignment. Paul did not see his work as an apostle as inherently superior to this letter carrier. There is no sense of competition here, but working toward the same goal of establishing the church, seeing people come to faith in Christ, to honoring God with their lives. The Christian life is a fight. Again, Paul pictures the necessity of cooperation. On the battle field cooperation is a matter of life or death. Epaphroditus was one whom Paul knew would stand shoulder to shoulder with him. In the ancient world where hand to hand combat with the norm, the battle would be lost if the warriors did not hold their positions, protect one another from attack. Who would you describe with these terms in your life? Who would you call a brother, a fellow worker, a fellow soldier? Can other Christians use these terms about you? We build walls far too easily, refuse to cooperate not by antagonism, but by refusing involvement. Two men were riding a bicycle built for two and they came to a big steep hill. It took a great deal of struggle for the men to complete what proved to be a very stiff climb. When they got to the top the man in front turned to the other and said, "Boy, that sure was a hard climb." The fellow in back replied, "Yes, and if I hadn't kept the brakes on all the way we would certainly have rolled down backwards." So often we hold the brakes on others, we slow them down by refusing to participate, by constant negativity. I've heard that geese can fly 72% further when they are flying in formation as opposed to when they are by themselves. It is a principle of organization that when we cooperate together we can accomplish so much more. COMMITMENT - Verses 25b-28 The one who is a success puts the cause of Christ before comfort. Paul says of Epaphroditus, "He is your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs." The people of Philippi heard Paul was in jail. In an effort to help, they took an offering to support him while he was under arrest. Epaphroditus was chosen to take the money (4:18). Epaphroditus’ journey was not an easy one. He covered a rough 800 mile journey which would take some six weeks. Either on the journey or once in Rome, Epaphroditus became ill and nearly died. When news reached Philippi that Epaphroditus was ill, he became more distressed. In verse 26 the term used is of severe emotional anguish. His physical ailment only intensified his mental torment. But despite all this, Paul highlights his commitment to him. He came as one to take care of Paul’s needs (verse 25b). Paul uses a technical term here which can be translated: “you sent him to minister to my needs.” The word minister was used not in a religious sense, but of the citizen who would serve his city or state in public office, at his own expense. The ancient Greek ideal of the such sacrifice may be lost to us today, but those who served often suffered in spite of their willingness to give. We may pat ourselves on the back that we always give 100% at work, but we understand that to really mean we give 12% on Monday, 23% on Tuesday, 40% on Wednesday; 20% on Thursday and 5% on Friday. But commitment demands much more than that. We may be great starters, but how well do we finish? We come out of the blocks strong but have a hard time getting to the finish line. Commitment means following through. Far too often people quit serving, leave behind opportunities to help because such actions are inconvenient or expensive, uncomfortable or require effort. Ministry always costs. God is looking for people who are willing to pay the price. COURAGE - Verses 29-30 To be a success means to put service before security. Today's value systems says do everything you can to build a nest egg to provide security for yourself. Your whole goal in life is to become secure and financially independent. Security becomes the goal of life rather than service. God is looking for people with courage, who are willing to risk for the kingdom of God, who are willing to serve God with reckless abandonment. Courage is not limited to the battlefield or the Indianapolis 500 or bravely catching a thief in your house. The real tests of courage are much deeper and much quieter. They are the inner tests, like remaining faithful when nobody’s looking, like enduring pain when the room is empty, like standing alone when you’re misunderstood. Epaphroditus was such a man, a man of courage that Paul insists we should honor. Epaphroditus put his life on the line; he risked his life to be sure Paul would have enough money and so the Philippian church would be able to help Paul. The word “risking” is a gambling term meaning to stake everything on just one roll of the dice. Epaphroditus put his life on the line; he gambled with life itself so that the Gospel would not suffer. In the days of the early church there was an association of men and women called "the gamblers." It was their aim to visit the prisoners and the sick, especially those who were ill with dangerous diseases. In AD 252 plague broke out in Carthage. The non-Christians threw out the bodies of their dead and fled in terror. Cyprian, the Christian bishop, gathered his congregation together and set them to burying the dead and nursing the sick in the plague-ravaged city. In doing this, they saved those who were left. Christians should have the courage to gamble with their lives to serve Christ and people. Are you playing life safe, maintaining a protective strategy to keep yourself from failure? Are you willing to set safety aside and see what God wants in your life? There is no such thing as a risk free faith. What we don’t understand is that while the risk may appear to be ours, when we throw ourselves into serving God, seeking to glorify Him, honor Him, all the perceived risks shrink when we compare them to all that God can and will do through you and I when we are willing to risk our lives for the Gospel. Charles Hood, a Southern Baptist missionary to Colombia, was shot and killed April 21, 1998 in front of his home in Bogota. Mr. Hood, 44, left his home in the afternoon to go to the bank. His wife, Becky, said she heard gunfire and a shout. When she ran from the house, she saw her husband on the ground and a man speeding away on a motorcycle. Jerry Rankin, president of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, said, "There's no place in the world where the safety of a missionary can be guaranteed. But missionaries follow the call of God wherever it leads, even into dangerous places, because they value making Christ known and bringing the lost to salvation... Charley, however, did not die when he was gunned down in Bogota, Colombia, but years ago when he died to self and committed his life to follow Christ." As we look at these five qualities for success and then look at our lives to see how little compassion we have, how consistency waivers, cooperation is minimal, commitment is fleeting and courage is lacking, we must realize how we can live that successful life God has called us to. Paul’s description of these men serves as living illustrations of what he’s tried to communicate in Philippians 2. Thomas Brooks said, "Example is the most powerful rhetoric." These men illustrate, exemplify the attitude which should be in us which was in Christ. We find our true success in Christ. When we have not met God’s criteria, when we fall short of the list, there is good news: Christ has lived up to God’s criteria - He lived a life of perfect success. Our success comes by grace through faith in Christ. Paul uses the life of these two men to illustrate what Christ does perfectly. Not only was Christ successful for me, now He can be successful through me. What these men did is both beyond our grasp, but possible within our lives. Lives of compassion, consistency, cooperation, commitment and courage come by the power of the resurrected Christ at work in our lives. Through the humiliation of Christ, through His compassion on us, His consistency in obedience to God’s Law, His commitment to us, He suffered in our place. When you compare 2:6-11 to what these men did, we see where they got the power to live. These qualities are ours by God’s declaration, by imputation. Just we have died with Christ, we are now also raised with Him in new life. What do you want to hear people say as they stare in your casket? “Look, he’s moving!” The resurrected life means that indeed we are moving. The eulogy pronounced for you and me is one which we have been graciously given by God. The good news of the Gospel means you are not dead, that you are alive and called to obedience. If you are in Christ, you have not only died to sin, but are now also raised to new life. In Christ we have God’s definition of success given to us and we are empowered to live out that life. So now we, like Timothy and Epaphroditus before us can live a life of compassion, consistency, cooperation, commitment and courage. |