By Rev. Dr. Brent Russett @ Asbury Free Methodist
February 6th, 2022
Philippians 2:19-30
We have been working our way through Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Today we come to the logistical part of the letter. It is the kind of letter I might receive from my sister when she comes to visit from New Zealand. I am planning to arrive on such and such day in July, and then we are planning to do this and the other thing. We will be leaving on this date.
This part of Philippians is that kind of letter. But even in this part of the letter, there are spiritual lessons for you and me to learn. In fact, the lessons that come out of this passage of scripture are immensely practical if you are facing an uncertain future.
But before we get to those lessons, let me give you the big picture so that you will understand what is going on here.
Paul and Silas had started the Philippian church 10 years before this letter. Timothy had recently joined Paul and Silas on their missionary journey, so he was in on the start of the church. He saw Paul and Silas get arrested and thrown into prison, and he saw the people in Philippi, like the jailer, give their hearts to the Lord.
Now fast forward 10 years. Paul is under house arrest in Rome. He is waiting for his trial to happen, at which time he may be released, or he may be killed. Timothy attends to Paul’s needs as Paul waits for his trial to commence.
Now the Philippian Church, having heard of Paul’s house arrest, sent a guy by the name of Epaphroditus from their church to help Paul in Rome. This is not an easy or straightforward trip. Depending on which route you took, it was between 1100 and1900 kilometres. You could go overland, which was slower or by water which was weather-dependent. Either way, the trip will probably take you a couple of months and a lot of effort.
So, the church in Philippi sent Epaphroditus to Paul in order to deliver some money to help him through his house arrest and to serve Paul while he was under arrest. But Epaphroditus got really sick on the trip or just after he got to Rome. So ill, in fact, that he almost died.
What is worse, at the height of his illness, there must have been somebody who was in Rome who had headed back to Philippi that would have delivered the news that Epaphroditus was severely ill – and they weren’t sure if he was going to make it enough. Can you imagine being Epaphroditus’ mother and getting that news? Can you imagine being the church that sent him? You would be worried about him.
In fact, it was this dynamic that inspired the writing of Philippians. Epaphroditus had recovered. He wanted to get back to Philippi so that the church wouldn’t worry about him. So, Paul writes the letter that we are studying to send back with Epaphroditus to the church at Philippi.
Now Timothy is still with Paul. Paul says that Timothy will come to you as soon as I know what is going on with me. I can trust him to bring Jesus to you. He will come back and tell me how you are doing. Paul says I hope that I can come to you if things with my trial go in the way I trust they will go.
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One of the things that strikes me about this passage is the uncertainty of Paul. I don’t know what is going to happen to me – I am confident in the Lord that it will work out, but I don’t know. He says
Philippians 2:19 (NIV)
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.
Notice he says, “I hope in the Lord.” That is another ways, this is my plan if the Lord wills it, but that plan could go out the window, depending on other factors.
Philippians 2:23–24 (NIV)
23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
I don’t know how things are going to go with me. I am confident that God is going to deliver me, but now confident enough to tell Epaphroditus that everything is good.
Paul is living with a lot of uncertainty. When Epaphroditus was sick, Paul says,
Philippians 2:27 (NIV)
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.
Paul obviously prayed for his recovery, but you can tell it was not a given that he would recover.
Paul was living with a lot of uncertainty. Have you ever been there? Maybe you are there right now. In some ways, all of us are there.
Covid has made making plans hard. I wanted to book some holidays, but I wasn’t sure if we could travel when the time came. That kind of thing is trivial to other uncertainties in life. Some of you can relate to Epaphroditus; you are not sure what your illness is going to bring. Will you get better or not? Some of you can relate to Paul. You look ahead, and you know that death is a real possibility – or maybe you will be around for a while longer. Or you look at your friend who is really sick and wonder if they will make it.
Some of you know what it means to face financial insecurity or relational insecurity. There are some in our town for whom food insecurity is real. There are others who don’t know where they are going to live.
Now, if you are in one of those uncertain places in life – how do you respond?
I have spent a lot of my life in uncertain times. I kind of felt that if I was a good Christians, I wouldn’t feel the insecurity that uncertainty brings. If I had enough faith, that would compensate for the uncertainty in such a way as to make it irrelevant. I know what Paul says a little later on in this letter,
Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
But I also know that uncertainty is very real. If Epaphroditus had died – well, look at what Paul says
Philippians 2:27 (NIV)
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.
If what could happen happens, that would be sorrow upon sorrow. I can just hear Paul say, I don’t need that on top of everything that is going on with me.
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So, how do you deal with the uncertainties of life?
The first thing is this; if you can in some way alleviate your uncertainty or the uncertainties of others – do it.
Remember what was driving the writing of this letter. Epaphroditus had been sick and near death. He knew the people at home were worried about him. That is why he is Paul is sending Epaphroditus back home.
Philippians 2:26–28 (NIV)
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.
Epaphroditus is stressed because there are people worrying about him, and Paul has anxiety about both Epaphroditus’ distress and the Philippian’s anxiety. Please notice that Paul has anxiety too. Anxiety is real. What does Paul do about his anxiety? He doesn’t just stew in it; he does something about it. He sends Epaphroditus home.
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If there is a way that you can alleviate your uncertainty or anxiety for others or for yourself – do it. That is the first principle coming out of this passage.
I know that this seems obvious, but it is amazing how often we avoid doing exactly that. We avoid the difficult conversation. We avoid making that call to get the ball rolling towards getting the answers we need because we are afraid of the answer.
Listen, I know that this advice doesn’t seem really spiritual, but it is practical. Spiritual advice and practical advice are not opposed to one another – they go hand in hand.
I don’t know who needs to hear this but if you can do something about some of the uncertainty in your life – just go do it. You may not be able to fix everything, but maybe you can do something about a portion of it
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The second thing to understand is that even when life seems certain, it is not.
James 4:13–15 (NIV)
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
That is exactly what Paul is saying in
Philippians 2:19 (NIV)
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.
He talks about Timothy and then says,
Philippians 2:23 (NIV)
23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.
I hope in the Lord, If the Lord wills, here are my plans. When you live in the middle of uncertainty, it is a good thing to make plans. Things will not always be as uncertain as they are now. Paul’s trial will happen. When it does, I am going to send Timothy to you.
But all my plans are contingent on the fact that the Lord wills. I hope in the Lord that this will happen.
Even when life seems certain it isn’t. So, we should submit our plans for tomorrow to the will of God. The great thing about doing that is that it prepares you for those times when life is less certain. You make plans in the same way. “I hope in the Lord to do this.” My trust for tomorrow is dependent on the Lord. So, I might as well trust him in the uncertainty and make plans as well.
You will notice that the plans are tentative. There is no assuming that it is for sure going to happen. But Paul does not stop looking forward just because life is uncertain.
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I see so many people who are in difficult times, uncertain times, and all they can see is the storm. I, as an outsider, look at the storm, and I know it will pass. They see the storm from the inside, and it feels that the storm will be forever. People, make plans subject to the will of God, for when the storm passes.
You will notice what Paul hopes to get out of his plans. He hopes that when he hears back from the church at Philippi that he will be cheered. Make plans for something that will do good for your soul.
There is something very healthy about looking forward to something good. That is one of the things that Covid has muted in our lives. It has caused us to have little to look forward to. Make tentative plans, if the Lord wills, to do something good for your soul. It is helpful.
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The next thing to note is that Paul has a like-minded person to walk through the storm with him: a spiritual friend- Timothy.
Philippians 2:20–22 (NIV)
20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.
If you read the New Testament closely, you will see that Timothy was often used as a troubleshooter by Paul. When Paul was run out of Berea, Timothy was left behind to help stabilize the church. Paul sent Timothy to the church in Corinth to help deal with some of the issues going on in that church and to encourage the church. Timothy was sent to Thessalonica to encourage the church there. After each one of these ministry assignments, Timothy would rejoin Paul.
These two had quite the history of ministering together and apart. They had seen God do miracles, plant churches, and solve problems. Timothy was around when Paul was rescued from prison and also when he remained in prison. These guys, although there was a significant age difference, had a deep friendship with each other.
Now Paul is under house arrest in Rome and Timothy is with him. Timothy is not under arrest, which makes it possible for him to serve Paul. There is something about walking with a spiritual friend through uncertain times that is both godly and right.
I have seen a way to many people isolate themselves when they are confronted with the trials and troubles of life. For some it is about not wanting to be a burden. For others, it is about this virus of ungodly individualism that thinks we should need anyone else. But it is during uncertain times when you need your spiritual friends the most.
Now there are certain things that spiritual friends cannot do. They cannot take the burden away or make things more certain. They cannot fix the problem. Timothy could not get Paul out of prison.
But there are things that they can do. They can listen without judgement. They can remind you of the things you know but tend to forget in the darkness. They can pray for you, and they can pray with you. If you have a wise spiritual friend, they can offer perspective because we often tend to lose perspective in challenging times. They can bring comfort with their presence. They may be able to serve you when you are unable to do what you need, just like Timothy was doing with Paul.
I know that there are some of you who are quite comfortable serving others when they are in need, but you have difficulty letting others serve you when you are in need. I say this with all kindness – get over it.
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As a pastor, I am sometimes required to go to a hospital room of a person I don’t know to try to bring comfort to that person. It is really challenging to do that because you don’t know them, and they don’t know you. So, I read some scripture, and I pray for them. But unless I get a specific word from the Lord for them – it often feels unsatisfying.
I have walked with some of my spiritual friends through difficulty, and that makes all the difference in the world. When you have a history with someone, it makes it easier to speak into their lives.
Do you have a spiritual friend that you know would pray for you and be with you in difficulty? If you don’t, you need to invest in some relationships with those in your spiritual community. Start making that history now so that when the time arises, you have some people in your life that can matter. Spiritual friends are also wonderful people to walk with when life is good. They are essential when life is hard.
We live in uncertain times. There are times in life when things become difficult and challenging, and the future feels more insecure than ever. Paul lived in one of those times when he wrote the book of Philippians. He did three things.
He minimized the stress he could, both for others and for himself. He sent Epaphroditus back home. Is there something you can do to minimize the stress in your life? Is there a difficult conversation you need to have, or a telephone call you need to make? Don’t let it fester.
The next thing that Paul did was he made plans, but he subjected them to the will of the Lord. These plans were for the good of his soul. It is what we are to do in good times, but it is something that we can do in uncertain times. If the Lord wills, or I hope in the Lord to be able to do such and such. There is something about being able to look ahead that is good for our souls.
The last thing that Paul did, or more accurately stated, something that Paul had, was a spiritual friend. He had Timothy. They had a long history together. There was no one quite like him to Paul.
Make sure you have some spiritual friends in your life. People who know you and you know them.
Uncertain times are a reality. But there are ways to move through them well. I would encourage you today to put into practice what you know.
Sermon Questions – For February 6, 2022
The Uncertain Future – Philippians 2:19-30
Introduction
1. What are you celebrating this week?
2. What are you praying about this week?
Digging in.
3. Read Philippians 2:19-30
4. On a scale of 1-10, how uncertain is your future? (1 is uncertain – 10 is certain) (We are not talking about heaven here) Where would you put the apostle Paul on that scale?
5. Have you ever felt that as a Christian that when the future feels uncertain, that it shouldn’t affect you? Is that true? How do you square Philippians 4:6-7 with Philippians 2:26-28?
6. What did Paul do to alleviate some of the uncertainty? (Philippians 2:26-28) What is the principle here for our lives?
7. Read James 4:13-15. What does this tell you about the certainty of life at the best of times?
8. Read Philippians 2:19,23. Although Paul is facing possible execution, he is making plans. How do the plans Paul makes square with James 4:13-15? What are Paul’s plans designed to do? What does this tell us about how to live in uncertain times?
9. Read Philippians 2:20-22 – Paul was in prison, but he had Timothy near to him. How did this help him? What does this tell us about what we need to face uncertain times?
Application
10. If you were to prepare for uncertain times now, what would that preparation look like for you?