In his sermon, Jason Dohm focuses on Epaphroditus, a key figure in Philippians 2:25-30, who risked his life for the Gospel. Dohm highlights Epaphroditus as a brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier to Paul, and as a messenger and minister to the Philippians. The sermon underscores the transformative power of the Gospel to unite diverse backgrounds, as seen in the relationship between Paul and Epaphroditus. It explores the distress Epaphroditus experienced due to his illness and the Philippians' concern, and how God’s mercy spared him. Dohm emphasizes that God orchestrates life and death for His glory, urging believers to see God as all-worthy of living and dying for. Paul’s instruction to honor Epaphroditus upon his return to Philippi serves as a call for believers to honor those who sacrifice for the Gospel. The sermon concludes by challenging the congregation to recognize and esteem those who risk their lives for their faith.

This morning I'll be reading Philippians chapter 2. I'm going to read verses 12 through 30. Just for context the sermon will be on verses 25 through 30. Philippians chapter 2 verse 12, Therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and the service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason, you also be glad and rejoice with me. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state.

For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. But you know His proven character, that as a son with His Father, He served me in the gospel. Therefore, I hope to send him at once as soon as I see how it goes with me, but I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly. Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker, fellow soldier, but your messenger, and the one who ministered to my need. Since he was longing for you all and was distressed because you heard that he was sick, for indeed he was sick, almost unto death.

But God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord, with all gladness and hold such men in esteem, because for the work of Christ He came close to death, not regarding His life to supply what was lacking in your service towards Me." Amen. You may be seated. The title of the sermon this morning is Epaphroditus and his risk for the gospel.

We get a front row seat to look at the life of a risk taker this week in studying Epaphroditus. We were in a long section about conduct worthy of the Gospel, and the centerpiece of that was the conduct of Jesus. Who else could it be? Jesus is the ultimate example of one who laid aside his own interests in order to attend to the interests of others. If you want to know what that looks like, you consider the life and the death of Jesus Christ.

We're called to follow Jesus, to have the mind of Christ in that sense. That produces that mind, that way of thinking, that perspective produces conduct that's worthy of the gospel and that looks many different ways and Paul develops some of those in that section. Last week we began a completely new section and its insight into the lives of two brothers. Last week was Timothy. Paul says I don't have anyone like-minded with me like Timothy is.

He set aside his own interests to look to the interests of others as well, so I'm sending him. And then this week we have Epaphroditus, this risk taker for the Gospel. And there are two parallel things that are happening here as we study Timothy and now Epaphroditus. Two things that are happening side by side. The first is that there are important relevant updates for the Philippians that have to do with the lives and the actions of these two men.

There are things that the Philippians need to know that are related to Timothy and Epaphroditus and the things that they're doing. The second though is that at the same time these brothers are examples of the things that Paul has just been teaching about having the mind of Christ and setting aside your own interests in order to attend to the interests of others. Timothy is an example of that, so is Epaphroditus. He's really killing two birds with one stone, so to speak. And speaking of these things, he gives us concrete examples that we can look at and say, this is what it looks like, the things that Paul has been teaching.

When it's fleshed out, it looks something like the life of Timothy. Or When it's fleshed out, it looks something like the life of Epaphroditus. As we go to the text, let's go to the text in prayer. God, I thank you for all those who have gone before us, that you've sent before us, that lived their lives long, long ago, and They lived those lives faithfully in many ways. You raised them up and caused them to live their lives faithfully in many ways.

To see that it is possible to live boldly, faithfully before you. And it gives us footsteps to follow in. I do thank you for these concrete examples, both in Scripture and in our own experience of those that you have been so faithful to that we can see all the doctrines of Scripture fleshed out and know what it looks like to live faithfully before you. So I pray that it would be true as we look at our brother Epaphroditus' life, that we would see these areas in which he's been faithful, and see the faithful God behind that, and that we would be emboldened to live for you. I pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

Well, I am going to subdivide the text this week and I'd like to begin by just looking at verse 25 in isolation. And I'll do that by reading it and then talking about it. So hopefully your fingers in Philippians chapter 2. Let's read together, follow along as I read verse 25. Paul writes, Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, My brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and the one who ministered to my need." In this verse we have Epaphroditus described.

So if you're taking notes on the handout and you're filling in blanks, it's described. Epaphroditus described. We are actually told a lot about this brother in verse 25. Epaphroditus is mentioned only once in the Bible, here in Philippians. He appears here in chapter 2, and then he'll appear again briefly in chapter 4.

But it's only in Philippians. You don't see him in any of the other books of the Bible. He has a name of pagan origin. This word in Greek originally meant favorite of Aphrodite. Aphrodite being the Greek goddess of love.

Even his name is rooted in paganism, in pagan worship. This tells you a little something about the man. He comes out of these waters. He's a Gentile pagan in a Gentile pagan land with lots of idol worship. He is a man coming out of this culture, but he has been redeemed.

Paul says he is three things to him, Epaphroditus is three things to the Apostle Paul, and that he is two things to the Philippians. So I'm going to go through those, walk through those. First, the three things that he is to Paul. Paul says first that he's my brother. Paul was Saul.

He was a Hebrew of Hebrews and a Pharisee. He was a Jew of Jews. This is actually just drawing from the language that's next week's text. So Paul was a consummate Jew. He was a Pharisee.

He was a strict law keeper, but he was lost as the day is long. God reached into his self-righteous church persecuting heart and laid hold of him and said, You're mine and cleansed him by the blood of Jesus Christ. Epaphroditus grew up a Gentile with a pagan name. His name originally meant favorite of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. He was a Gentile pagan, but God said enough of that, and he reached into that life, and he cleansed him by the blood of Jesus Christ.

So on the surface you would look at these two men in their backgrounds and say, wow, this is the odd couple. What a dynamic duo these two are. The Hebrew of Hebrews and the Gentile Pagan. The beauty of the Gospel can be summed up in these two words from Ephesians 2. But God, who is rich in mercy.

But God. The story of Saul doesn't stop with Saul in his self-righteousness. God can reach into that, break through, change his mind, turn him around, and cleanse him by the blood of his son. And this pagan, Gentile boy, pagan, Gentile man, God does the story, it doesn't have to end in there. God can break right through that and all that's entailed in that history and change his mind and turn him around and cleanse him by the blood of his son and make him what he never was, what he never would have been, and make him a brother of a Hebrew of Hebrews and a Pharisee.

Yes, it's true. This is what the Gospel does. It makes people who have no business knowing each other and liking each other, know and like each other. It's happened a hundred times over in this room. We have such a diversity of backgrounds, even nationalities.

God wasn't pleased to leave things as they were. He reached into a bunch of different lives, and he cleansed us by the blood of the Son and he has made us brethren." So Paul begins by acknowledging that Epaphroditus, this strangely different, radically different man from him and background in every other way, is now his brother. Secondly, Paul says, my fellow worker, or co-workers. John, the Apostle John uses this same phrase, fellow worker, in 3 John verse 8. It's a single chapter book.

So you don't say the chapter numbers, just verse 8, because there's no other chapter to quote. So 3 John verse 8, The Apostle John says, We therefore ought to receive such, now he's talking about people who are out and about advancing the Gospel. So John looks at these people who are out and about advancing the Gospel and says we should receive them. That's what he's talking about here. We therefore ought to receive such that we may become fellow workers for the truth.

So I think what John says there expands on and explains what Paul means when he calls Epaphroditus a fellow worker. They are fellow workers for the truth. Epaphroditus has entered into the Apostle Paul's labors and become a fellow worker because they're working together to advance the truth and they're serving the one who is the truth, the Lord Jesus Christ. It makes them fellow workers. It makes them co-workers.

They are fellow workers for the truth. Paul is amazing. You don't read his letters and contemplate them for long before you say, this man is out of my league. I'm not like the Apostle Paul. I don't have a top-shelf brain like the Apostle Paul.

I don't have the godliness and the self-sacrifice that is to be found in the life of the Apostle Paul. And yet, when Paul labors with people, it's not the almighty Apostle Paul and the other people. Like I need some people to do some menial labor, and you'll do. Epaphroditus, you'll do to run my errands for me. This is clearly, when you read the Apostle Paul, this is not how the Apostle Paul thinks about the other people who are fellow workers for the truth, who are also laboring to advance the gospel in the world.

They are fellow workers. Look at chapter 4. Hopefully you're in Philippians 2. Now just look to chapter 4, verses 2 and 3. This is, we'll come there in detail, but let's read it this morning.

Philippians 4, 2 and 3. I implore Iodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the Gospel." So now he's calling out in chapter 4, Paul is calling out two women also in the Philippian Church and He's saying that they labored with him in the Gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the Book of Life. So this isn't a slip of the pen. This is how Paul thinks morning, noon, and night.

People who are advancing the truth as it is in Jesus in the world are his fellow workers. Not the people to run his errands, but his fellow workers. This includes these two women that he calls out. They're laboring with him in the Gospel. Then he calls out another name and he says, In the rest of my fellow workers.

Paul is happy to have co-laborers and to think highly of them. And to speak in a way that confers honor on them, that they probably don't even think themselves worthy of. So first he calls Epaphroditus my brother. Secondly, he calls Epaphroditus my fellow worker. Finally, number three, he calls Epaphroditus my fellow soldier.

A man at men's Bible study said this, a brother in arms is closer than a co-worker. Amen to that. A brother in arms, a fellow soldier, some of you fight alongside, is a lot closer than a co-worker. It's true that Epaphroditus is a brother, and it's true that he's a fellow laborer, but it's something further down the track to say that he is a fellow soldier. The New Testament uses military language practically everywhere.

The language of war practically everywhere. And it's legendary how deep and transparent the relationships are that develop between fighting men. Isn't that true? From everything that you know, from reading historical accounts and speaking with men who had been in warfare, isn't it legendary how deep and transparent those relationships are that develop in foxholes? So Paul is communicating, I have that with him.

I have a foxhole relationship with this brother and fellow worker. And we can't lose sight of this just because we're Americans. In other words, I don't think of you very often as fellow soldier. Why is that? I got no struggles with brother or sister.

Easy, piece of cake, I got it. Fellow worker, no problem, I got it. Like We're working together frequently in this fellowship. We're working together in a number of different ways. So that's easy.

Now, fellow soldier. I think we get pretty American here. I think we get pretty American here. I think we get pretty American here. Where we don't very often have a sense of being in the foxhole together.

So we just don't think of each other in that way. And I'm just saying, something's lost. That's not good. We should find ways to cultivate that. I'll come to that in a minute.

Paul and Epaphroditus served the same general. It's the Lord of hosts, Jesus Christ. He's going to come on a white horse with the angels behind him. He's coming. And we're part of that army.

And Paul is acknowledging that Epaphroditus is part of that army. They serve the same general. They have the same enemy. There's an enemy of both of their souls. There's an enemy of the work of the Gospel who's fighting every minute of every day.

There are hosts of darkness who are against them and actively opposing them. They are in warfare, spiritual warfare, and most importantly, they are actively engaged in the fight. So if you get nothing else from the communication from Paul that Epaphroditus is his fellow soldier, get this, that man and me are in the fight. We are in the fight. We are in the foxhole together.

I would say this to us, to me and to us. The more that we are actively engaged in the fight, the more we are going to think of each other as fellow soldiers in a way that we don't now, and the more we are going to have the deep and transparent relationships that develop in foxholes. I want that. I know you want that. We should want that.

We should want the deep and abiding and transparent and unshakable relationships that develop in the foxhole. I'm saying here's one way we can go for that. Here is one way we can get it. It is to get in the fight. The more actively we are engaged in the Gospel advancing fight we are, the better and deeper and sweeter our relationships are going to be together.

So Epaphroditus is these three things to the Apostle Paul. He's his brother, he's his fellow worker, and he's his fellow soldier. Paul also says that he's two things to the Philippians. So this continues the description of Epaphroditus. First, he's the Philippians' messenger.

He's your messenger. The Greek word behind that is rendered here, messenger, is apostolos. Apostle. He is the Philippians' apostle. It is the same word that is used when you see Apostle Paul.

It's the exact same Greek word. That word is used in two different ways in the New Testament. It's used in an authoritative, technical way of the eleven disciples, twelve minus Judas, authoritative. And it's a technical term. Same with Paul.

Authoritative. Author of Scripture. He's an apostle in a different way than a church planter is who sent out to plant a church. So there are many, It's used in these two different ways. In an authoritative technical way, Apostle Paul, Apostle John, Apostle Peter, but it's also used in a broader way, a non-technical way, a way that doesn't carry the authority of Christ with it, as a delegate, one who is sent, a messenger.

Here's what you find in the lexicon. A delegate, a messenger, one sent forth with orders. This is Epaphroditus. I'm sure he's happy about the work that he's been given to do. He may have even nominated himself for the work.

We don't know. But he's not just doing his own will. I'm sure he's happy in the work, but he didn't commission himself for this. He was commissioned by the Philippians. He is their delegate, he's their messenger.

He's the one sent forth with orders by them, by the Philippian Church. So he is a sent man. He's a sent man, not a self-sending man. Sent by the Philippian Church. This is the likely context.

Acts 28, verse 30. Acts 28 is the last chapter of Acts. It's the last of early church history that we get of that historical account. Acts chapter 28 verse 30. It ends with Paul in prison at Rome.

Listen to Acts 28 verse 30. Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house and received all who came to him. So he's not free. He can't come and go as he please. In fact, the commentators and the experts say that most likely he's physically chained between two Romans.

Between two Romans. He's a long ways from free, but this is also a long ways from the harshest prison environment you've ever heard of, isn't it? He's in his own rented house, and he's at liberty to receive all who come to him. So, most likely, this prison epistle, the letter from Paul to the Philippians, was written while Paul was in prison at Rome. He's in his own rented house, chained between two Roman soldiers, and at liberty to receive anyone who comes to him like Epaphroditus from Philippi.

So first, the first thing he is to the Philippians is their messenger, their delegate, the one sent forth with their orders to carry out. Secondly, he's the one who ministered to my need. Aphroditus is the one who ministered to the Apostle Paul's need, doing this on behalf of the Philippians. So he is a sent one ministering to the needs of the Apostle Paul sent to encourage and provide for Paul by the Philippian Church. I want to look again in chapter 4, verses 14 through 18.

There will be a comprehensive or more comprehensive exposition of it a few weeks later, a couple of months down the road. But for now, I want to read it to establish what we see in the life and activities of Epaphroditus is simply a continuation of a pattern that started 12 years ago. Chapter 4, verses 14-18, follow along as I read. Nevertheless, you have done well that you shared in my distress." So Philippians, you've done well, you're sharing in my distress. Verse 15, now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving, but only you.

So when Paul got chased out of Macedonia in Acts chapter 16. We studied that when we were in Thessalonians. No one was helping to provide for him except for the Philippians. Verse 16, for even in Thessalonica. Ok, so now he is backing up further to say, even before I got chased out of Macedonia, okay, because this happened, he was in Thessalonica first, for even in Thessalonica You sent aid once and again for my necessities." Multiple times while he was still in Macedonia, the Philippians provided for him financially, and then when he left Macedonia they continued in it.

Verse 17, not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God." So they have sent a man with encouragement and provision for him. But it's at the end of a long list. That's what we should get from chapter 4.

When he was still in Macedonia, they were providing for him. When he got chased out of Macedonia, they were providing for him. Now he's in prison, probably in Rome. They're sending encouragement and provision for him. This is the continuation of a pattern.

So this is Epaphroditus. These three things to Paul, these two things to the Philippians. And Paul deemed it necessary to send him back to Philippi. And the other verses, the verses that we're coming to, will help us understand more about why the Apostle Paul felt it to be necessary. So back to chapter 2 and to verses 26 and 27.

Follow along as I read. Since he, Epaphroditus, was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick, almost unto death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow." In these two verses We have distressing circumstances, if you're taking notes on the handout and filling in blanks. Circumstances. Distressing circumstances.

Something distressing has happened, and Something distressing is happening. Epaphroditus has been sent by the Philippians to encourage Paul and to supply his needs while he is in prison. Remember back to chapter 1 verse 13, He speaks of the palace guard and he speaks of my chains. They are probably literal chains. It's figurative in his imprisonment, but there are probably literal chains involved.

It is a prison Epistle. So assuming that Paul is in prison in Rome, the best case is that Epaphroditus would have traveled six weeks if he didn't have a horse. So I'm assuming he doesn't have a horse and he's traveling the quickest way from Philippi to Rome which would have been the Via Ignatia, the Ignatian way across Macedonia to the Adriatic Sea taking a boat 80 miles across the Adriatic Sea to Italy and then the Via Apia or the Apian Way from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. That's the fastest path from Thessalonica to Rome. And If you don't have a horse, best case it's six weeks.

Worst case it's probably double that, it's three months. This is not around the corner. This is something like an 800 mile trip. It would have been fraught with dangers and one of the dangers in that world in the ancient world was always sickness. Somewhere along the line Epaphroditus fell deathly ill, he almost died And that's distressing.

So that's part of the distress that we see in the circumstances here. He almost died. He got sick and almost died. At some point, word was sent to Philippi. Probably he doesn't make this trip by himself, so it's possible that he was sick on the way, and that some of his traveling companions, one or more, were sent back with news that he was sick, or he made it to Rome and he fell ill and someone was sent back to let them know.

But in any case, the Philippians, his brothers and sisters, his dear friends, know of the sickness, but they don't know of the recovery. That's the central distressing point in these verses. That's really what Paul is referring to. Epaphroditus is distressed because he knows they know he was very very sick, but they don't know that he's recovered. He's well now.

He's out of danger. But they don't know it. And this is distressing to Epaphroditus because he knows how they feel about each other in that church. And he's longing for them all. Don't you know when something life-changing, earth-shattering happens, How you can't wait to get with your closest loved ones, to get your hands on them.

So like the earth shattering thing happened, and now you want to be with them, be together, and embrace them. This is what's happening. This is behind the longing. This is not run-of-the-mill homesickness. You might be a little homesick, but this is not run-of-the-mill homesickness.

This is the kind of longing that comes out of earth-shattering, life-changing things happening, and then wanting to get your hands on the people who are closest to you. That's the kind of belonging that's in our text. Now that's the view from earth. People are here and there. There's a really bad sickness, almost leading to death, but then a recovery, and they've heard the news of the sickness, but they haven't heard the news of the recovery.

That's the view from planet Earth. What is the view from heaven? What is the God-centered view? Here it is. God almost killed Epaphroditus, but instead healed him for his own glory and for his own reasons.

This is the God-centered view about what's happening in our text. God almost killed this man, But because it advanced his own glory and the good of his people, he healed him instead. What is happening is not that Epaphroditus was on a long journey, working long hours, his immune system was down, he caught a bad bug, and then God just in the nick of time notices that this useful man is about to die and I'll spare him. God does not notice things. God does things.

If you're on the verge of death, God doesn't notice that. God did that. Listen to what God says of Himself in Deuteronomy 32. This is the song of Moses. God says this of Himself in Deuteronomy 32 verse 39.

Now see that I, even I am He, and there is no God besides Me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. Nor is there any who can deliver from my hand." That's a different view of God. This is very important.

If you want the God of the Bible, this is God. People who die are killed by God. People who live are preserved by God. People who are wounded are wounded by God. People who are healed are healed by God and no one can rescue you from his purposes.

No one can hold back his hand. This man in California was killed by God. Now if his widow were here, this is not the truth we would lead with. We would say, we are so sorry for all that you've lost in the death of your husband. We are praying for you.

But In the end, when all is known, everyone, including his wife, will look back and say, God, what you did was good and what you did was wise. When you left our ten children without a father. If you can't come to grips with that, you can't have the God of the Bible. Our two friends that died this week did not die of old age. They didn't.

God was actively sustaining them through a long life and then he killed them. This is the God of the Bible. He kills and he makes alive. He wounds and he heals and no one can deliver you from his hand. All his purposes will be fulfilled.

And it's a good thing. This should actually make us rejoice because a good God and a wise God is ruling from heaven. Not you who sees nothing. You who sees nothing. So Paul says God had mercy on him and not only on him but also on me, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow." This begs the question.

Chapter 1 verse 23, Paul is knowing that his own life hangs in the balance. In other words, if he's convicted of sedition, rebelling against Caesar, he's going to die. So his own life hangs in the balance in his imprisonment. And He's contemplating whether he'll live or die. And he actually says in chapter 1 verse 23 that it's better to depart and to be with Christ.

So how is it mercy that this man who almost died was saved from it. In view of what Paul has said. Calvin takes up this question in his commentary and I think his Comments are very helpful. Listen to what Calvin says. Where then is there any token of the mercy of God when it does nothing but lengthen out our miseries?

In other words, look around the sin-sick world and the corruption in your own heart. Who wants that prolonged? And there's heaven right there on the other side of the line, to be face to face with Him and to be parted forever from your corruptions. How is it merciful that you would almost die and not die when you are so close to freedom from your corruptions and from this sin-sick world and all that goes with it. This is what Calvin is speaking of.

Let's listen to his answer. I answer that all these things do not prevent this life from being nevertheless, considered in itself an excellent gift of God. It is no small honor that is conferred upon us when God glorifies himself in us. Now think about that. Here's what Calvin is saying.

It is no small honor which is conferred upon us, an honor given to you when God glorifies himself in us. For it becomes us to look not so much to life itself as to the end for which we live. We live for the glory of God. And when that is accomplished even in a small way in your life, God has conferred an honor on you and that's a blessing. Even in the middle of a sin-sick world where you have to fight it out all day every day with your corruptions, God is glorifying Himself in us.

A little bit at a time. And it's an honor. Paul says that had Epaphroditus died he would have been filled with sorrow. Sorrow upon sorrow. Remember 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, when Paul and Silvanus and Timothy were writing to the Thessalonians about those who had died.

He tells them, don't sorrow as those who have no hope. We actually came here to this text when we were there, to say It doesn't mean that Christians don't sorrow. It means that Christians don't sorrow in the same way. Their sorrow has a different taste and character. This is not to say that when your friends die, it's not right.

It's unchristian to grieve about it. No, it's very Christian to grieve about it. But you can't sorrow as those who don't have any hope. The great hope of the Christian is, the one who died if they're in Christ are face to face and free from the corruptions and have begun to partake of everlasting joy. So our sorrowing is different.

Paul says, if this brother dies, if this fellow worker dies, If this fellow soldier dies, it's going to be sorrow upon sorrow for me. A hopeful sorrow, but a sorrow nonetheless. Verses 28-30. The last three verses, follow along as I read. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, receive Epaphroditus therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem.

Because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me." In these three verses we have a deserving honor upon his return. So if you're filling in blanks on the handout, it's honor, return. Deserving honor upon his return. Epaphroditus is coming back to the Philippian church now, and he deserves to be honored. Because of all that has happened, all the distressing things that have happened, he was sick, he almost died, they heard that he was sick, but they hadn't heard of the recovery, Paul was eager to send Epaphroditus home.

Even though I'm sure he was very encouraged to Paul, he was very encouraged by Epaphroditus, Paul was, And Epaphroditus was undoubtedly useful to Paul in Rome. But Paul, as we've seen in the life of these men, sets aside his own interests. And he's eager to get Epaphroditus reunited with his brethren. And Paul knows that he knows that he knows that when Epaphroditus Shows up in that first meeting there is going to be such rejoicing and it will relieve some of Paul's own sorrow over these circumstances. Paul exhorts the Philippians to receive Epaphroditus in the Lord with all gladness.

So that's how they're supposed to receive him, in the Lord, with all gladness. By the way, I think this only makes sense if Epaphroditus is carrying the letter. There's a number of things I think are hard to explain if it's anything other than Epaphroditus is carrying Paul's letter to the Philippians back with him and delivering the letter when he arrives. I think Paul is communicating to the Philippian brethren that there was no deficiency in the mission as a result of these things. In other words, they sent a messenger, a delegate, in order to encourage and supply the needs of Paul.

And Paul's saying, I'm encouraged, and my needs have been supplied. Receive him back with gladness in the Lord. He went in the Lord. He went in service to the Lord. And His mission was accomplished.

The things that you sent him to do, he did. So now receive him back in the Lord. He was sent in the Lord, receive him back in the Lord. Paul exhorts the Philippians to hold such men in esteem." So the translators have added in the word men, because it makes it smooth out the language. The King James doesn't even add that word, and the King James says hold such in reputation, or in esteem.

Meaning there's nothing gender specific about what's being communicated here at all. Anyone, men, women, children, like Epaphroditus who fit the profile of Epaphroditus are worthy of honor And so Epaphroditus should be honored when he gets back home. He is worthy of honor, and he should be honored. Why? Because inherent in his gospel assignment, built into the assignment that they gave him to encourage and supply the needs of Paul was laying it all on the line, built into his mission was risking life and limb.

We can't view this through 2016, the 2016 American filter complete with airplanes and antibiotics. It won't do. It loses its meanings if we look at it through the American filter. You know, where you could get from Philippi to Rome in two hours. And if you got sick there, you would just take Amoxicillin.

It's not that world. It's not how it was. Epaphroditus risked his life for gospel work. It's called the work of Christ in our text. And he risked his life to do for Paul what the Philippians could not do, not because they didn't want to do it, but because they weren't present.

So they fixed that problem by sending Epaphroditus. So when it says, the service that you lacked, this is not a condemnation. As we learn in chapter 4, when We see the repeated provision of Paul from this. This is no condemnation on the Philippians. They just happen to not be present with him because he is in jail.

That's the lack. And they fix that presence by sending Epaphroditus. Listen to Jesus in John chapter 12. John 12, 25 and 26. Jesus says, he who loves his life will lose it.

And he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, let him follow me. And where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, him my father will honor." So, Epaphroditus had this mindset, and so did the Philippians. And so did the Philippians.

You didn't travel from Philippi to Rome in the year 61 or 62 AD Without taking a lot of risk, without accepting a lot of risk, without embracing a lot of risk, Epaphroditus embraced it, he accepted it. The Philippians embraced it, They accepted it. Jesus says if you love your life, you're going to lose it. If you hate your life in this world, keep it for eternal life. There's a way to live that preserves it for eternity.

It's to live for Him. When you live for Him, you get to go be with Him, and you'll be honored by his father. Listen to Jim Elliott. Jim Elliott was martyred in my lifetime, just barely, but in my lifetime, early 70's. And it makes this quote so powerful because he actually died for the Gospel.

He was actually martyred at the hands of the people he was trying to reach with the gospel. Jim Elliott said, He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. You're not a fool to give what you cannot keep. You cannot keep your life. The mortality rate on planet earth, 100%.

You can't keep it. You are just entrusted with it for a little while. And the Bible says, it is like a vapor, it is like a puff of steam. It is just gone. So you can't keep it you're just a steward of it for a very little while.

So to give it is nothing. In the grand scheme of things in the light of eternity. It's nothing to give away this life in order to gain what you cannot lose. What a trade. This is what Jim Elliott is saying.

What a trade. To give freely away the thing you can't keep anyway in order to gain something that is eternal that you can never lose for an eternity of eternities. A million ages, whatever that is, just gets you started and you gain it by giving away this vapor. Now, I want to talk about the preacher's trap. Preachers face this trap most weeks.

The preacher's trap is this. The text sets forth someone compelling. They're great. You want to be like them, and you should be more like them. In freely risking for the Gospel, we should be like Epaphroditus.

We should desire it. There's nothing wrong. There's everything right with desiring it. So the preacher's trap is to get hung up on that compelling person and then to say, be like Epaphroditus. The point of the text is you should be like Epaphroditus.

You should be. But the preacher's trap is to stop there. The Bible is not about Epaphroditus. Philippians 2 is not even about Epaphroditus. The Bible in Every chapter of the Bible, every verse of the Bible, every word of the Bible is about God.

It's about God. My voice isn't changing, sorry. The Bible is about God. The central point that Paul is beginning to develop is that there is a God in heaven who is all worthy of living and dying for. That's the point.

So should you be more like Epaphroditus? Sure. Me too. Is that the point of the text? No!

The point of the text is there is a God in heaven who is all worthy of living for and dying for. Paul is headed there. We start chapter 3 next week in verse 8. He says, I count everything lost that I may gain Christ. I count everything as lost, as rubbish, as dung, so that I can gain Christ.

The value of Christ, the worth of Christ makes this a no brainer to Paul. The beauty and the worth of Jesus Christ makes it an easy decision to just lay down his life, to live for him and to die for him. Applications. There are two. First is what I was just speaking of.

Do you see Him? Do you see Him? Do you see the God in heaven, the God of the Bible, who is all worthy of living for and dying for? Friends, this is the heart of everything. If you don't have at least a glimpse of that, then serving Him becomes really tricky.

How so? Well, he calls us unashamedly, unapologetically, Jesus Christ calls us to lay down everything and follow Him. And If you don't have a glimpse of that, it doesn't seem worth it. So you find yourself in these quandaries of giving up things that don't matter to you very much in order to look like you're following him and clinging to things that he abhors secretly because you don't think relinquishing it is worth it. It can only be worth it if you see Him as He is.

If you see the God in heaven who is all worthy of living for and dying for, then the thing that you love that you know you shouldn't love, when you see Him, you can relinquish it. If you don't see Him you won't because you don't think it's worth it. This is for everyone in the room. In the weeks to come we need to pray that God will reveal himself as himself to us. So that we see the God in heaven who is all worthy of living for and dying for.

So those things we've been clinging on to secretly, it will become so apparent to us that it's so worth handing over this transient thing that God doesn't even like in order to follow him fully, wholeheartedly. I hope many, including myself, will be released from game playing in the coming weeks and hiding and clinging onto things that nobody else in the room knows you're clinging to. You know it and you've not been able to part with it because it didn't seem worth it. We need to be crying out to God that He'll reveal Himself and His worth and beauty to us. You can, Paul sees it in technicolor.

As we work through chapter three you can tell, Paul sees it in technicolor. We need to see it too. Number two, who needs more honor from you? Who are the ones who have laid it on the line? Life and limb for the Gospel, who really haven't received the honor that is due to them from you and me.

It's a good question. We should try to encourage them. When that became application number two in the early hours of this morning, the name that came to my mind was Frank Maxson. This is very superficial. I need to think through it.

There's more names that need to go on that. But here's a man who left the comforts of America to go labor in Africa for 15 years, and it cost him and his family a lot. It was hard to be there, and it's been hard to come home. That's what you learn about missionaries when they come back after a decade or so, is that it's hard to come home. The adjustment is very difficult.

We should hold him in esteem, Men like him in esteem. Think about that. Who needs more honor from me? Because they have laid life and limb on the line for the Gospel. Encourage them.

Think of someone and encourage them this week. God, I thank you for your word. Thank you for your kindness to not leave us thinking our own thoughts, living in our own ways, but to give us your thoughts in your ways that are so much higher than our own. Pray that you would transform us by the renewing of our minds. Pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.