WE NEED GOOD EXAMPLES

[1]WELCOME: Good morning everyone! Glad to see that you all survived the great snowmaggedon this past week. Whether you’re with us on campus or your joining us online, I’m glad to be worshipping with you today. If you’re new with us, my name is Nic Cook and I’m one of the pastors here at Cornerstone Church. As we get ready to jump into our teaching this morning, I wanted to start by asking a question. Who have been some…

[2]ROLE MODELS AND HEROES: in your life? Who are the people that you’ve had a relationship with that made a huge impact on you? I’m not talking about people you look up to that you’ve never met like famous baseball players, or musicians, or movie stars. I’m talking about ordinary, everyday people that because of their relationship with you, they had a huge influence on you. I want you to picture some faces and start thinking of names. For me one of those people is a man named Josh Howard. I respect him a ton and looked up to him for two main reasons. The first is the way he treated me, and the second is the way he treated others. When I was in college, he became the worship pastor at the church I had been in through high school. He had a full-time career in the military but was an outstanding musician, so the church asked him to take on that role. At the time I was leading the music for our High School ministry. I remember many times I would be up at the church at night playing my keyboard or working on the sound and getting things ready for service. He would also be pulling late nights since that was his second job. He routinely walked back into the youth area and spent time with me. He’d ask me questions about school. We’d talk about music. He’d give me tips on how to lead. He asked me about my hopes and dreams. He genuinely cared about me. Then he asked me if I’d be willing to be the adult worship intern and got them to pay me a salary, my very first job in a church. He had me start playing keys on Sunday, and I wasn’t good enough to really do that. I’m not sure my keyboard was actually up very loud in the sound system, but I appreciated that he saw something in me and invested in me. Secondly, I saw how much he loved and cared for other people. You know those people that when you talk to them, they make you feel like you’re the only person that matters to him? That was Josh. He smiled when he listened, he asked questions. I watched as he patiently loved the older generation while still transitioning our church into a more contemporary style of worship. He introduced drums without anyone having a heart attack or starting a revolution. The reason he was able to do it was he was incredibly strategic, but mostly he was so loving that people were willing to follow him even if they didn’t like his music. Why do I tell you this story? Because the church is filled with people like this, people who make an impact. And because it’s God’s desire to fill the church with more people like this. [3]We need role models and heroes in the church. People to look up to. God is calling us to be those kind of people. Paul knew this and that’s why he wrote what we’re going to be studying. So, if you’ll turn in your bibles to [4][Phil. 2:19-30] we’ll look at what it takes to become those kind of people. Let’s pray and we’ll dig in.

(TEACH/APP) COMPASSION & COMPANIONSHIP (God)

[5]WEIRD TRANSITION PAUL: This part of the letter to the church in Philippians feels a little weird. Paul has been talking about having joy in spite of being in jail, about how God uses even difficult circumstances as part of his plan. He tells them to stand firm even when the world is hostile towards them. He tells them to stand together in unity. Then he paints this incredible picture of Jesus and his humility and attitude of looking to the interests of others and serving them. Then he says, imitate Jesus. Get along. Don’t murmur and debate so you can show the world that Jesus is real. Beautiful powerful stuff. Then he launches into a travel plan? What? Why is he talking about wanting to travel, that Timothy is coming, but not yet, and Epaphroditus is coming soon even though he wasn’t supposed to be. Paul normally puts that stuff at the end of his letters. That’s a weird transition Paul, what are you up to? Truthfully, we might be tempted to just skip over this part. No one memorizes verses from this section of scripture. No one says my favorite verse is the one about Epaphroditus. Unless maybe you’re Epaphroditus, or someone who knew him. Then you’d sit up and take notice. Why? Because Paul is saying…

·  [6]YOU NEED EVERYDAY EXAMPLES TO IMITATE: Paul is saying, look at these two men. Everything that I have been telling you to do, they do in their own lives. Imitate them. Learn from them. Respect them. Follow their leadership and their examples. The he goes on to talk about the things that are worth imitating in both Timothy and Epaphroditus. For example, he says…

o [7]IMITATE THEIR COMPASSION: In verse [2:20] it says that Timothy “genuinely cares for your welfare.” The original Greek word is very similar to the word that Paul used earlier in [2:2] to talk about how believers should have one mind. They should share the same desires and purposes. Paul is saying, Timothy feels the same way about you that I do. We share the same way of thinking and longing for your welfare. Have you ever met someone who can fake like they care about what you’re going through and say all the right things? Well Timothy isn’t faking it. He’s genuinely concerned about the Christians in Philippi. He genuinely loves them. He too longs to be able to see them deal with their disagreements and to spend time with them doing God’s work together. Later Paul says that Epaphroditus is “greatly distressed” because he knows his church family back home is really worried about him while he’s sick. What an example. Here is a guy who is so sick he almost dies and instead of thinking about himself and his situation, he’s worrying about how others are worrying about him. The word “distressed” is only used one other place in scripture in [Mk 14:33] and it’s when it says that Jesus was greatly distressed as he went into gethsemane. As Epaphroditus is potentially facing death, he is thinking about others. These men had hearts that felt deeply for their brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul says imitate their compassion for others. Then he also says…

o [8]IMITATE THEIR COMPANIONSHIP: Paul says that Timothy has “served with me”. He calls Timothy his son. He says that Epaphroditus is a brother and a fellow worker, a fellow soldier. He says that Epaphroditus is a brother. All of this language is the language of people who are “in it together through thick and thin.” We often look at Paul as a super apostle who could stand up no matter what the circumstances. However, Paul is showing us that even the most impressive Christians need those who will stand next to them and encourage them, pray for them, and do spiritual battle with them. It reminds me of the story in the Old Testament in Exodus 17 where Moses is standing on a mountain overlooking a battle that God’s people are in against another army. Moses holds out his arms in front of him holding his staff. This is the staff that God had used as an image that he would protect them, he would deliver them, and that God was for them. As they were fighting, they could look up and see Moses holding the staff and have courage that God was with them and they would not lose. [9]But at a certain point he got tired of holding that position all day long and when his hands drooped, God’s people began to lose. So, at a certain point two men named Aaron and Hur came alongside Moses and held his arms up for him. Even Moses got tired doing the work God had given him and needed help to keep going. [10]He needed companions to come alongside him and share their strength in his weakness. Paul is saying these guys are the real deal. These are people you can imitate if you want to live out the things I’ve been telling you about in this letter. He says you know them. You know that what I’m saying is true about them. He’s telling the Church to…[11]

(JC) FOLLOW THEIR EXAMPLE AS THEY FOLLOW JESUS (JC)

Here is why we can’t skip over this passage of scripture. Too often when we read about the example of Jesus, or the Disciples who left everything and did miracles, or even Paul who travelled the world and planted hundreds of churches and preached the gospel so powerfully, we think to ourselves…I COULD NEVER LIVE A LIFE LIKE THAT. I’m not Jesus, I’m not Peter, I’m not Paul. Paul says, who cares…be like Epaphroditus. He’s an ordinary guy that has been changed by Jesus. This book of the bible is the only place we ever hear his name. He’s mentioned twice and then we know nothing else about him. Yet Paul says, this guy looks like Jesus. He considered others needs before his own. He risked death to serve God. He may have been a leader at the church back home, or he may have simply been a trustworthy brother in Christ who made himself available. Yet Paul says he’s a messenger. That word is the same word for Apostle. We’re used to saying the Apostle Paul. It sounds impressive. Yet Paul is saying welcome back Apostle Epaphroditus. God is using him just like he’s using me. We’re on on the same team and working to make Jesus famous, not ourselves. So, if you’re here this morning feeling like God could never use you or want you, there’s great news…

·  [12]YOU CAN BE A TIMOTHY OR AN EPAPHRODITUS TO SOMEONE IN NEED OF COMPASSION AND COMPANIONSHIP: You don’t have to write books of the bible to be used by God. You don’t have to plant and start new churches. You don’t have to stand up and preach a sermon. Can you show someone that you care deeply about them? Can you stick with people through thick and thin? Then you can show people what Jesus looks like. I heard an illustration that made this even more powerful. [13]It said that most people think that living and extraordinary life for God would be like having a million dollars and laying down on the table and saying God, I give it all to you. Take everything I have. It’s all yours. It’s the mentality that what God really wants from me is a major sacrifice. However, our lives are more like being given a million dollars in quarters. [14]Our job is to give away those quarters one at a time until we have given away the whole million dollars. We give tiny unnoticeable sacrifices every day. Visit someone in the hospital. Watch your neighbor’s kids who do foster care. Mow the yard of the elderly man next door. Sit with the smelly kid or new kid at lunch. Take a meal over to the family that just had a funeral. Over and over again. That’s the kind of life that people notice. That’s the kind of life that shows that Jesus is real. That’s a life worthy of the gospel of Christ. That’s shining like stars in a dark world. Here’s how I’d like to end this morning. In [2:29] Paul tells us to…[15][]

(NXT/INSP) HONOR PEOPLE LIKE THEM

I can’t imagine how it would have felt to be Timothy or Epaphroditus to have Paul give them such high praise. I can’t help but think that for Epaphroditus, he might have felt a little bit like a failure. His job was to bring money to Paul while he was in Prison in Rome and to stay there with him and help him in his ministry since he couldn’t go about as he pleased. I imagine Epaphroditus might have wanted to be of more help to Paul. Instead he gets so sick that he’s unable to really help at all. Then he’s being sent home. Yet Paul praises him, and says he is an example to be followed and someone who deserves respect. I think there are many people who are being faithful in the little unnoticed ways. I think Paul is giving us an example to follow of showing them honor. Paul provides specific encouragement to him in the form of writing. He talks about the impact that this person has had on him. So, we’re going to end this service by giving you some chances to do the same thing. We’re going to give about 5 minutes to respond in a couple of ways: [16]

·      turn and tell the person next to you about someone who showed you Christ and made an impact on you.

·      Or you can pull out your phone and either send a text message to someone who has been a source of compassion or companionship to you and has shown you the love of Jesus.

So I’m going to pray, and then we’re going to spend time honoring the Timothy’s and Epaphroditus’ in our lives. Let’s pray.