Philippians 2:26-30

Hello Everyone!

We are talking about sacrificial love in Philippians, Chapter 2.

Our 4 examples are Jesus, Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus.

The last 5 verses of Philippians, Chapter 2, discusses Epaphroditus or as I stated

last Monday, in all due respect, we will call him "Ep".

Speaking of sacrificial love, I searched "sacrifice" on God Tube and found this

video. This is to honor all of the many adoptive families in our nation and world.

This honor has been interwoven in the fabric of our family tapestry. (And

somehow, I have the feeling that more "beautiful threads" are going to be taken on

the "loom of our life" and intertwined with our heart strings.) This is to honor you,

the doers of "pure religion and undefiled before God our Father" (James 1:27)

Now, I know that adoption is not everyone's calling in life, but to those that it is,

may I present to you the "Ep Award"!!!!!!!

Since Ep would be the one most like us common people out of the Fab 4 listed

above, Ep would also be proud of you!! Ep would approve!!

Verses 26-30:

(26) "For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.
(27) Indeed he was ill and almost died. But God had mercy on him and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.
(28) Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety.
(29) Welcome him in the Lord with great joy and honor men like him,
(30) because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me."


In verse 25 we learned that Paul was sending him BACK to Philippi.

Why would he send him back to his home after the 5 glowing attributes

that Paul used for him in verse 25?

DID HE:

∆ Have a moral failure?...NO

∆ Get into tax trouble with the U.S. Senate or the IRS?...NO

∆ Ask his "followers" for money and lived a lavish lifestyle?...NO

∆ Get homesick for good 'ole Philippian cooking?...NO

∆ Missed his wife and children?(if married)...probably, but not the reason...

The Philippian church would see him coming through the "lobby" of their

church and say..."WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING BACK HERE???

WE SENT YOU THERE TO STAY AND TO SEE PAUL THROUGH TO THE END,

EITHER HIS RELEASE OR THIS DEATH."

So, we must ask the question...WHY

Verse 26 ~ "For he longs for all of you..." There it is...homesick...nice try!

No, you did not read far enough. "and is distressed..." You say...There it is

again...so homesick, pining away that he became distressed!

The word "distressed" describes the confused restless half-distracted state

produced by physical derangement or mental distress. So he says that Ep

is restless and he is in turmoil and he is distressed.

By the way, this is the same word used in Matthew 26:38, where Jesus in the

Garden of Gethsemane says that His soul is deeply grieved to the point of death.

Full of heaviness. He is really upset.

It is the distress that follows a great traumatic shock.

This, I believe, is what we use the term for Post Traumatic Shock Disorder

or PTSD in today's world.

But the rest of verse 26 and part of 27 says: "because you heard he was ill. Indeed

he was ill and almost died."

We may think: "What planet did that kind of guy get off of?

I have never heard of such a thing."

When is the last time you got completely disoriented and restless

and totally distressed because you knew somebody was feeling bad

about your situation? And your distress was directly related to the fact

that they were having a difficult time with your situation?

Now...that will show you the depth of love.

Now...that will show you the bond.

Unfortunately, in our society, we are more concerned with things than people.

More concerned with possessions

than relationships.

"Our" Ep was some kind of guy.

He loved his Philippian church family so deeply that he does not want them to be

distressed. Paul says that he has to send him back because he is so distressed

that you have heard about the fact that he almost died and he wants to eliminate

your distress. And what a compassionate man Paul was! Paul could have said,

"Look, Ep...get your act together, for mercy sake, we have got to advance the

kingdom. Don't you know that I am THE Apostle, and you have to stay here for

me? You can't be worried about how they feel about how you feel!"

Nope.

The problem is that Paul feels bad because Ep feels bad that the Philippians

feel bad. Everybody feels bad. So, Paul says..."You've got to go because they

feel bad, you feel bad, I feel bad. If you just go, they'll feel good, you'll feel

good, I'll feel good."

Isn't it wonderful to know that some people in the ministry are compelled

by relationships rather than programs?

Paul is saying that he is more concerned about Ep's and the Philippian church's

JOY than his...

That's humility...that is absence of complaining.

In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul writes:

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Paul was walking the talk.

Which brings me to some life application questions:

1.) Have you tried to out-love your spouse, children, parents, inlaws?

2.) Have you sacrificed in ministry to others?

3.) What allurements have you turned from in order to wholly focus on Christ?

4.) What have given yourself away for a cause other than your own fulfillment?

Let's pray...

Dear Heavenly Father,

Lord, help us to be like Ep. He had a humble concern for the needs of others.

He was so loving. We see him risking his life to meet the needs of Paul. Help

us to put relationships above things and not to find ourselves trying to insulate

ourselves into comfort zones. Put us out there on the cutting edge where we

risk, where we can see Your mighty hand of deliverance in our behalf. Some

of us don't even know what it is to be rescued because we have never been

where there is any danger. We've never opened our mouth to speak of Christ.

We've never taken a stand. Help us, Lord, to know how to listen for Your direction

and Your calling. We want our lives to be a pleasing fragrance rising to Your

throne. We want our sacrifice of our lives to be acceptable for Your glory in

Jesus name. Amen.

In sobering repentance,

Debbie G.

(Resource: www.preceptaustin.org - Look under "Links" on the sidebar of thisblog and click on "Online Commentary". Commentary by John MacArthur for Philippians 2:25-30)