What marks a faithful leader within Christ's church? How should we honor such people? Join me in this video sermon as we study Philippians 2:19-30.
Honoring Faithful Men from Mark Pierce on Vimeo.
I have made the following resources available for this sermon:
- Download Weekend Program without Answers (PDF - 909KB)
- Download Weekend Program with Answers (PDF - 922KB)
- Download my personal teaching notes for the sermon (PDF - 193KB)
- Download my teaching notes in Kindle format (AZW - 20KB)
- Download my teaching notes with slides, used by our tech team (PDF - 3.1MB)
- Download our internal Service Planning Sheet (PDF - 37KB)
All of the Church Requel sermons are available either in the CR Video Library or the CR Audio Library or you can listen on the Church Requel Audio Blog. Would you like to subscribe to the weekly audio podcast and receive the sermon each week? Subscribe here for iTunes or here for all other mp3 devices. You can also subscribe to the weekly video podcast! Would you like to read my notes for this sermon? Just click on the "Continue reading" link below.
PHILIPPIANS Part 9: Honoring Faithful Men 08.01.10
Nancy Reads Philippians 2:19-30
Video: “Philippians Intro” [1:30]
Intro: With email and texting, letter writing is somewhat of a lost art. We can learn so much about a person from their letters. Here’s a letter from a 15-year-old girl to her mom, left on her bed:
Dear Mom, it is with great regret and sorrow that I'm telling you that I have eloped with my new boyfriend who just turned 35 years old. I found real passion and he is so nice, with all his piercings and tattoos and his big motorcycle. But it's not only that, Mom, I'm pregnant and Charlie said that we will be very happy in his trailer in the woods. He wants to have many MORE children with me and that's one of my dreams. I've learned that marijuana doesn't hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and his friends, who are providing us with all the cocaine we may want. In the meantime, we'll pray for science to find the AIDS cure so Charlie can get better; he deserves it. Since he currently doesn't have a job, he spends all of his time with me. Don't worry, Mom, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Some day I'll visit so you can get to know your grandchildren. Your daughter P.S. Mom, it's not true. I'm at the neighbor's house. I just wanted to show you that there are worse things in life than the report card that's in my desk drawer.
(Note: I ended up cutting the above on the fly - I knew we were pressed for time.)
We forget sometimes that Philippians was originally a letter. It’s written from Paul. It’s written to the church at Philippi. Prison letters are a unique genre all their own.
A prisoner in jail receives a letter from his wife: "Dear Husband, I have decided to plant some lettuce in the back garden. When is the best time to plant them?" The prisoner, knowing that the prison guards read all mail, replied in a letter: "Dear Wife, whatever you do, do not touch the back garden. That is where I hid all the money." A week or so later, he received another letter from his wife: "Dear Husband, You wouldn't believe what happened, some men came with shovels to the house, and dug up all the back garden." The prisoner wrote another letter back: "Dear wife, now is the best time to plant the lettuce."
There’s something special about letters. They usually are newsy. We can learn about what’s going on in a person’s life by reading their letters. Today we arrive at the newsy part of Paul’s letter to the Philippians where we learn 2 Examples of Faithful Servants. We will learn of attributes that we should all seek to emulate. These are especially necessary for anyone that would desire to be a leader within the church.
First, we learn about Timothy:
Read v. 19-21. a servant’s ___ATTITUDE___.
Here we see an example of what Paul has been talking about so far in his letter... and example of a servant. The first thing you’ll notice about someone with a servant’s attitude is that they a genuinely concerned for others’ welfare. Phil 2:4 is the written instruction. Phil 2:7 is the Christ model. Phil 2:20 is the Christian example. Phil 2:21 is the natural example.
Read v. 22. a servant’s ___TRAINING___.
A servant is proven. Many times a new person will come into the church with wonderful talents and abilities. Sometimes they will desire instant leadership status within church. They should take their time. Dangerous for them. Dangerous for the church.
Read. v. 23-24. a servant’s ___REWARD___.
Want to know how you can tell a real servant? By what turns him on. What excites him. In Timothy’s case, it was to be trusted and used by Paul. When agitators from Thessalonica forced paul to leave Berea, Timothy and Silas remained behind to carry on the ministry (Acts 17:14). After Paul had passed through Macedonia, he sent in Timothy and Erastus (Acts. 19:21-22). Later Timothy accompanied Paul into Philippi (Acts 20:3-4). What is it that turns you on? Is it the service of the Lord to “be sent” to do a task? Or do you have your own agenda?
Secondly, we learn about Epaphroditus:
Read v. 25 - We learn from this verse that E. was the pastor to the church at Philippi. The church decided that his value would be better used to send him to minister to Paul’s need. We also learn E. was
a ___BALANCED___ Christian.
“fellow brother” - “fellowship of the gospel” (1:5)
“fellow worker” - “furtherance of the gospel” (1:12)
“fellow soldier” - “faith of the gospel (1:27)
How often do we find that someone is a one-sided Christian. They may focus on being wonderful in fellowship, but never share their faith. Or someone who loves to talk about the Lord to everyone they know, but never ever do any of the work in the church. We find here that E. was balanced. He did all three! Are you well rounded?
Read v. 26-27 - a ___BURDENED___ Christian.
E. was concerned about others. Concerned about Paul. E. volunteered to take the trip and risk being associated with Paul. Paul took the love gift (money) from the P. church... but he didn’t just drop it off - he became the love gift! Concerned for home church. Became ill. Almost died. Not burdened over himself, but over church’s worry about him. Lived in Phil 1:21, (to live is Christ, to die is gain) not in 2:21 (all seek their own interests, not Christ’s).
Read v. 28-30 - a ___BLESSED___ Christian.
E. was a blessing to Paul and to his church. Again, at great risk. (risking - only used here in NT, a gambler’s term - he’s all in - boldly risking his whole life.) What a tragedy it would be to go through life and not be a blessing to someone. We know that it’s impossible to bless others without being blessed yourself. Look how often “rejoice” is used - v. 28, 29, 3:1. There is great joy in being blessed!
Transition: I’d like to come back and focus in on verse 29, “Honor such men.” Some folks may think that since Jesus made himself of no reputation (2:7) that we should hesitate to hold church leaders in high reputation. But there is no contradiction. In fact, the verse says to receive E. “in the Lord.” This is consistent with how the Bible teaches we should treat pastors and teachers in other places in the Bible.
“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor,
especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” 1 Timothy 5:17 ESV
“We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.”
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 ESV
5 Ways to Honor Faithful Servants
#1 - ___PRAY___ for them.
You may think that this is simply a throw-away instruction. Of course we are going to ask for prayer. But any pastor who has done this knows how very much we yearn for prayer. Notice the words Paul uses when asking the Christians in Rome for prayer:
“Now I implore you, brothers, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit,
to agonize together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.” Romans 15:30 HCSB
The longer I’m in the ministry, the more I recognize just how important your prayers for me really are. We fight a spiritual battle. Discouragement, disappointment, even depression is a very real fact of life for anyone who takes on the ministry. Our spiritual foe, Satan, knows that if he can get me down, he can impact the whole church. Like Paul - I BEG you for your ongoing, daily prayers!
#2 - ___PROVIDE___ for them.
Secondly, as best as we can, we should provide for them. Yes, it’s true that Paul was a tentmaker and did his best not to be a burden to the churches he led. But the over all message of Scripture is that we should provide materially an adequate wage for our pastors.
Scripture tells us, “Don’t muzzle a working ox” and “A worker deserves his pay.”
1 Timothy 5:18 MSG (1 Cor. 9:9, Deut. 25:4; Matt. 10:10; Luke 10:7)
The OT command was given because oxen would eat some of the grain that they were threshing. Owners could muzzle the oxen and get a higher yield. The OT said that wasn’t right - not only for the oxen but for everyone else. Jesus and Paul applied this same principle to their teachers...
“Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers,
sharing all good things with them.” Galatians 6:6 NLT
I recognize that some leaders in the church have taken advantage of this and have enriched themselves at the expense of the church. Clearly that is wrong too. However, we do right in honoring our teaching pastors by providing for them and their families.
#3 - ___PROTECT___ them.
“Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought
by two or three witnesses.” 1 Timothy 5:19 NIV
παραδέχομαι (para / déchomai): come along side and to receive
NLT, NCV: “do not listen”; ESV: “do not admit a charge”
HCSB, NET, NRSV: “do not accept”; We must be diligent about protecting the good word and reputation of our pastors. The danger here is very real. Without thinking, we can help to destroy the good work of a preacher by allowing a false accusation to spread. There should be a firewall in your brain that won’t allow such character murder without 3 witnesses.
#4 - ___PAY PROPER RESPECT___ to them.
“We beg you, our brothers and sisters, to pay proper respect to those who work among you,
who guide and instruct you in the Christian life.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12 GNT
This is the actionable opposite of #3. You don’t want to be in neutral. Easy to drift into hurtful thought or words. You want to be “paying proper respect.” Your attitude. Your words. Your thinking. Your address. When I first became a pastor, coming out of the business world, I was asked how people should address me. I used to say, “Call me anything, just call me for dinner.” I’ve since changed my thinking because proper respect is something that should be shown... If someone asks, I’ll say “Pastor Mark.” Not because I deserve it. But because it helps both you and me in recognizing my spiritual role in your life:
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over
your souls and will give an account. “ Hebrews 13:17a NRSV
I am accountable for teaching you well. You are accountable for how you carry out what I teach. If thinking about me as “Pastor Mark” helps you recognize the spiritual authority I have in your life, then by all means use it.
#5 - ___PRACTICE___ your faith before them and others.
By far the way you can show your spiritual leaders the highest and greatest honor is by growing in your faith. I love it when you write to me and tell me that not only did something I say in a sermon impact you... but that you also did something about it.
We never want to put someone up onto a pedestal, for no one - especially yours truly - is perfect in the way they live out their faith. But those who teach should also be those who live out their faith, who put words into action. And further, challenge you to do the same. The first century teachers and leaders sought imitators:
“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you.
Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”
Hebrews 13:7 NIV
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV
(Also 1 Corinthians 4:16, Philippians 3:17)
To imitate someone, your life needs to be an open book. I need to be willing to show you “how” I do what I do. This is why I am as open as I am on the blog and the twitter and the facebook. Because I want to be able and willing to say, like Paul, be imitators of me. It’s audacious. It’s dangerous. It’s leadership.
Conclusion - This past week I had the opportunity to show great honor to my own 79-year-old father. He knows how to do something that I’m not very good at. He knows how to ballroom dance. In two weeks, my youngest daughter, Jillian, is getting married to Tim. Afterward, there will be the traditional father-daughter dance. Jillian is a dancer. I am not. So I called Dad and asked him for his help. He came right over... and he showed me how. He didn’t write a book on it. He didn’t mail me a letter. He didn’t email me. He danced in front of me and then watched as I tried to imitate him. Those who would be your spiritual mentors should be willing to dance the dance of Christianity before you. Let’s pray.
