Philippians 2:17-23 - The Way of the Submissive Servant
chapter 1:27 - 2:16.
INPUT - what's one important truth from these verses we need to keep
in mind in order to have a good understanding of the "flow
of thought?"
1) strive together for unity - 1:27.
2) unity is based on "who we are in Christ", the joys and
benefits of being saved, and how that helps us strive for
unity because our hearts have been impacted and changed -
2:1-2.
3) Do not operate out of selfishness or vanity - 2:3.
4) In humility, consider others better than yourself - 2:3.
5) Don't look out for your interests exclusively, but look out
for the interests of others - 2:4.
6) Think about yourselves in a Christ-like way - 2:5.
7) Be willing to empty yourself (to relinquish rights,
privileges) - 2:7.
8) Be humble and obedient - 2:8.
9) (To the Philippians) - Use these principles to work out a
solution to the problem of disunity in your church family -
2:12.
- you could summarize these verses with the phrase "submissive servants."
- that’s what Jesus Christ, our Savior and model was
- that’s the kind of people the Philippians were going to need to be to
get these problems worked out.
- in the verses we're going to study today, Paul is going to return to
the way he is viewing his imprisonment and possible execution (which
is a great example of the principles he's been teaching)...
- and then he's going to talk about someone he's going to send to
the Philippians, and how he stands out from the other Christian
workers in Rome (which is also a great example of the principles
he's been teaching.)
- READ 2:17-23
- we're going to divide these verses into:
I. The Ways Submissive Servants Think
II. The Ways Submissive Servants Avoid
III. The Ways Submissive Servants Minister
- let's begin with:
I. The Way Submissive Servants Think
- in verses 17-18, Paul is talking about how he is viewing his
upcoming trial and possible execution.
- in verse 17, he tells them that:
A. He was rejoicing
- as you read the verses, you see words that don't even seem to
naturally go together.
- you've got words like "sacrifice" and "service" right next to
words like "joy" and "rejoicing."
- INPUT - what words do you normally hear next to "sacrifice" and
"service?"
- so the point is -- Paul was able to rejoice, even as he was
imprisoned and as he thought about the upcoming trial.
- cf. James 1:5
(could also talk about the relationship between this verse
and 1:1 -- the fact that Paul considered himself a
SERVANT)
- not only that, Paul:
B. He expected them to rejoice
- Paul did not want the dear folks in this church fretting, and
worrying about his situation.
- he wanted them to get to the place that they would view his
trial, and their trials---just like he was.
- of course, the question is, how could Paul think this way?
- the terminology he uses in verse 17 is a great help to answering
that question.
C. Because of the offerings
- its very important to follow carefully what Paul is saying in
verse 17.
INPUT - how many offerings/sacrifices is Paul talking about in this
verse? (two)
INPUT - whose? (his, and the Philippians)
- the picture behind what he's probably referring to is the OT
sacrificial system
- and the burnt offering accompanied by a drink offering.
- if you'd like to read more about that, it's described in great
detail in Numbers 15:1-10.
(if time, read Numbers 15:3-5)
- the picture was that when certain burnt offerings were made as part
of worship, a liquid offering would be poured out next to the
burnt offering
- I realize that that’s completely foreign to our thinking, but
it wouldn't have been to the Philippians because those from a
Jewish background would know about Numbers 15, and even the
pagans had a similar practice.
- the idea is that the main offering was what was burnt on the altar, the
liquid (drink) offering was "on the side", (secondary, extra) as an
especially sweet savor to God.
- when you put that back into this passage, beautiful picture emerges.
- the key question is -- To what was Paul likening the burnt offering,
and to what was Paul likening the drink offering?
- the answer is -- the burnt offering was what the Philippians would
be doing as they obeyed these principles of solving the problems
of disunity in the congregation (using the principles in the
previous verses)
- Paul viewed that as the main issue -- and as they sought to
sacrifice and serve God in that way---it would be a great act
of worship.
- the fact that he might be executed was viewed as the drink
offering,
- the offering on the side
- the extra, special offering
- he saw what might happen to him as simply adding to, or
accentuating what the Philippians were in the process of
doing as they obeyed the principles of this letter.
- Kenneth Wuest said it this way - "Paul, the humble cross-bearer, humble
even to the point of rejoicing at the thought that some day he would
be the lesser part of sacrifice poured out upon the major part, the
Philippians testimony and service to God."
- the major point is -- Paul expected that the Philippians would take
these biblical principles and change.
- that thought brought him great joy.
- he saw it as an act of worship (showing how important and
worthy Jesus Christ was to them)
- if the way he handled his trial helped them do what God
wanted them to do, then all the cause for additional
rejoicing-he was a drink offering "on the side."
INPUT - how is the way Paul was THINKING about this situation a good
example of the principles in the previous verses we reviewed
earlier?
- INPUT - while I don't think we're going to go around talking about
ourselves as "drink offerings," how can this principle affect
the way we handle difficulties? (Elevate the importance of God
receiving worship and honor from us in the midst of trials, and
from others because they watched us in trials).
- so, that’s the ways submissive servants think:
- now, let's look at:
II. The Ways Submissive Servants Avoid
- in verses 19-23, Paul talks about his plan to send Timothy to them.
- in this discussion, he contrasts Timothy to some of the other
servants in Rome.
- we could look at this in either order---I've decided to look at it
from the negative side first (from verse 21) then the positive side
from verses 19-20, and 22-23.
- READ the verses again.
- Paul says of the other Christian servants in Rome (where he is
imprisoned) - "For all seek their own, not the things which are
Jesus Christ's."
- those are very strong words.
- we need to balance them by saying that there's no reason to
assume that Paul was talking about some of his close companions
like Luke, or Aristarchus.
- it's possible that these men were unavailable to go because
they had been dispatched somewhere else---which explains why
they weren't mentioned at the beginning of the letter.
- when you think back over what we studied in chapter 1, the kind
of people Paul is referring to here becomes obvious:
- INPUT - any ideas on who Paul may have been speaking of that
he's already mentioned in chapter 1?
(the people from verse 1:16)
- there were some people supposedly serving Christ in Rome,
but they were doing it selfishly.
- and Paul is saying in verse 2:21 -- of the people who are
available to be sent---Timothy stands out among them,
because the others "seek their own, not the things which
are Christ's."
- of course that is especially bad, in light of all Paul has been
teaching.
- the bottom line is -- these people he's talking about in verse 2:21 are
exactly the opposite of what he's been teaching in this chapter.
- they don't possess the characteristics we reviewed at the
beginning of class.
- Of course, undoubtedly Paul wanted the Philippians to look at that
verse and ask--- "Am I that way?"
- Do I "seek my own, and not the things that are Jesus Christ's?"
- Isn't it easy to adopt a selfish agenda, and get all caught up with
selfish things----and neglect the "things that are Christ's?"
1) Cf. Purdue -- can get all caught up in the football, basketball
prospects, etc.
- nothing wrong with enjoying that---but it's wrong if thats
all Purdue means to us.
- instead of:
- praying for and participating in Purdue Outreach
- planning to have students in our homes
- looking for ways to minister and reach others as God
gives us opportunity to do so.
- "all seek their own, and not the things which are Jesus Christ's"
- we could develop that a dozen different ways, but let me just ask you,
- Could you give examples this week of how you "sought the things
that were Jesus Christ's?"
- Warren Wiersbe made an important observation when he tied these verses
back to the matter of unity in the church:
"Timothy had a natural concern for the welfare of others; he had a
servant's mind. It is too bad that the believers in Rome were so
engrossed in themselves and their own internal wranglings that they
had no time for the important work of the Lord. This is one of the
tragedies of church problems; (insert - if they're not handled
biblically) they divert time, energy, and concern away from the
things that matter most. Timothy was not interested in promoting
any party or supporting any divisive cause. He was interested only
in the spiritual condition of God's people, and this concern was
natural to him."
- develop if time -- how "people seeking their own" can sap time and
energy away from spiritual ministry.
- this quote from Warren Wiersbe is a natural bridge to our third point:
III. The Ways Submissive Servants Minister
- let's turn our attention to Timothy
- Paul holds him up as an example of a faithful Christian servant,
and a man who was a good illustration of the principles he had
taught earlier in the chapter.
- Timothy was verses 3-16 "in the flesh," (not perfectly, but he
was making good progress in that direction)
- there's a lot of biographical information about Timothy we're going
to have to bypass because of time
- if you'd like to do some study on him this week, I've got a
couple of handouts to help you with that. (Wiersbe, p. 81,
Hendricksen, p. 134)
- let's take the time we have remaining to look at what Paul
mentions in this text.
A. Ministry that is natural because it is from the heart.
- INPUT - what would be some opposites of what Paul is discussing
here?
- this phrase "likeminded who will naturally care for their
state" is one that we should all strive for in the way we
minister.
- INPUT - what are some ways we can do this?
(develop -- ways you see this happening around the church)
B. Ministry that takes direction from others
- verse 22
- instead of "seeking his own" (v. 21), Timothy had worked under
Paul like a son would to his own father.
- INPUT - what was Paul emphasizing here?
- INPUT - how was Timothy exemplifying the principles from verse
3-16?