Recognizing Faithfulness

Would God’s people please take
their copies of God’s Word and turn to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2. This morning, being a very special
morning for us as a church, I want to consider a passage that delivers
some thoughts regarding a very particular theme. Faithfulness. Faithfulness might well be described
as practical integrity, being or doing what you say you are
going to do or be. And that is why I think we all
probably squirm a bit when we hear a message about faithfulness
Just at the utterance of that word, faithfulness is difficult
to achieve. We know that as believers. And it’s only best evaluated
by God and others. We can’t even identify ourselves
as faithful. Faithfulness is certainly a glorious
attribute of God Himself. God is everywhere in Scripture
referred to as faithful. Deuteronomy 7, 9, God, the faithful
God, who keeps his covenant and his loving kindness to a thousandth
generation. Deuteronomy 32, 4, an exceptional
verse that says, the rock, his work is perfect for all his ways
are just. A God of faithfulness and without
injustice, righteous and upright is he. Psalm 89, eight, O Lord,
God of hosts, who is like you, O mighty Lord? Your faithfulness
surrounds you. Isaiah 25, one, O Lord, you are
my God. I will exalt you. I will give
thanks to your name for you have worked wonders, plans formed
long ago with perfect faithfulness. Faithfulness is who God is. He
is truth in himself. He cannot lie. And if he says
he is going to do a thing, we know that he will be faithful
to his word. That’s God. Paul especially recognizes
God as faithful at least 10 times in his various epistles. Listen
to just a short overview of these testimonies by Paul of God’s
faithfulness. At the outset of Paul’s epistle
to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 1 9, God is faithful. Through
whom you were called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our
Lord. God was faithful to his promise,
a promise made to Adam and Eve in the garden. That there would
come a day when Satan would be vanquished. Regarding the difficulties
that believers face in this life, 1 Corinthians 10 13, no temptation
has overtaken you, but such as is common to man. But God is
faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what
you are able, which verse we just considered a few weeks ago. Paul claimed a measure of faithfulness
that was really modeled after God’s own. Second Corinthians
1 18, As God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. Paul’s integrity was built upon
the foundation of God’s integrity. Speaking of the glorious promise
of complete sanctification. We have that to look forward
to as believers. That one day we will be perfect. One of the
most assuring statements in the Bible, 1st Thessalonians 5 24,
faithful is he who calls you, and he will bring it to pass. God will see to it that you are
perfectly sanctified in time. And also to the Thessalonians,
who like us, quite evidently needed much in the way of assurance. Second Thessalonians 3.3 says,
the Lord is faithful. He will strengthen and protect
you from the evil one. What a great promise that is.
And perhaps the most surprising statements about God’s faithfulness
occurs in Second Timothy 2.13, because it’s independent of our
own faithfulness. God isn’t faithful to us because
we’re faithful to Him. Second Timothy 2.13 says, if
we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny
himself. The writer of Hebrews also acknowledges
God’s faithfulness as he urges in Hebrews 10.23, let us hold
fast the confession of our hope without wavering. for he who
promised is faithful. Likewise, the Apostle Peter,
as he encourages believers in trial, 1 Peter 4 19, he encourages
them to entrust their souls to a faithful creator in doing what
is right. God is faithful. He does what
He says He’s going to do. He never backs out of a promise.
He never fails to keep or to fulfill his word. He is absolutely
reliable. God will be faithful not only
to fulfill his promises, but also to carry out his threatenings. What a comfort this is to God’s
children. When all seems lost, when the
outlook is bleak, When we’re down and discouraged, we have
to remember that God is faithful, and we must place and keep our
trust in Him. But God, being God, is not alone
in His faithfulness, because He calls and equips His children
to faithfulness as well. Faithfulness, we might say, is
a communicable attribute. And the list of those in the
New Testament who were found to be faithful in their callings
is quite impressive. In relative order of appearance,
just listen to this short list. The sweet lead-off in this list
of those who were found faithful is none other than the God-fearing
initial convert of Philippi in Macedonia, a businesswoman named
Lydia. Acts 16, 15 records that she
appeals to Paul, if you have judged me to be faithful to the
Lord, come into my house and stay. Well, They obviously did
find her to be faithful because they consented to lodge in her
home. Both the Ephesian and Colossian
churches are identified by Paul as being particularly faithful. Ephesians 1.1, Colossians 1.2,
many of Paul’s fellow workers in the gospel were also identified
as being faithful by God’s grace. Tychicus in Ephesians 6.1, Epaphras
in Colossians 1.7, Onesimus in Colossians 1.9. And of course,
Paul himself was also among those who were found to be faithful,
not by his own assessment, but by that of God himself. 1 Timothy
1.12 says, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has strengthened
me because he considered me faithful, putting me into service. But
not surprisingly, pardon me, not surprisingly, there was no
one so faithful in Scripture as a young man named Timothy.
Timothy was a young man of mixed race and heritage. His mother
was Jewish, his father was Greek. He evidently had become a Christian
during one of Paul’s initial visits to his city. But in the
midst of Paul’s second missionary journey, Paul met him again.
And the believers in the town were already seeing Timothy’s
remarkable maturity in the Lord, faithfulness. Luke records in
Acts 16 too that he was well spoken of by the brethren who
were in Lystra in Iconium. And so Paul immediately drafted
him into service in the Christian ministry. The Lord directed this
group, now three, Paul and Silas and Timothy, across Asia and
ultimately into Macedonia. And there they began to see Paul’s
dream of preaching the gospel in Europe finally realized. It all began on the shore of
Philippi, remember? The season there at Philippi
would be short-lived. An even shorter stay awaited
them in Thessalonica, as we reviewed a few weeks ago. Three weeks
is all he stayed in Thessalonica. Then they were run out of town
by the Jews, chased all the way to Berea, and then ultimately
Paul was chased out of Berea. Amazingly, even in the face of
this hostile crowd, Paul leaves Silas and young Timothy behind
in Berea to do ministry. That’s just a remarkable trust.
But that was not a long-term assignment. Even as they parted
company, Paul urged them to come and to find him in Athens. And you know that in a short
period of time, Silas and Timothy finally did catch up to Paul
in Corinth. in the early stages of his 18-month-long
mission there in Corinth. Paul’s ability to commit to Corinth
was made possible by, in part, by the ability to dispatch these
two faithful companions to other ministry locations. But in an ironic twist, we never
hear another word in Scripture about Mr. Silas. Not another word. But when Paul
writes to the Thessalonians again, as we were reminded two weeks
ago, among the very first letters that Paul writes to his churches,
he tells us that Timothy had gone to Macedonia, specifically
to Thessalonica, and back to Corinth again, First Thessalonians
3.2 records it this way. We sent Timothy, our brother
and God’s fellow worker, in the gospel of Christ to strengthen
and encourage you as to your faith. How far this young man
had already come in his faithful service to his Savior. Some years
later, as Paul, is developing ministry in Ephesus, he dispatches
young Timothy again to the now troubled church of Corinth. How tremendously valuable Timothy
soon became to Paul and to the work of the gospel. He was called,
considered by Paul as his child in the faith. But as Paul’s liaison,
Timothy was fully capable of serving in Paul’s stead. Rather than a picture of a brusque,
headlong, headstrong fellow, Paul had to urge the Corinthians
to handle him with gentleness. Listen to this. Now, if Timothy
comes, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 16, 10, see that he is with you
without cause to be afraid. For he is doing the work of the
Lord as I also am. Don’t spook the poor lad, Paul
says. Timothy likely did go to Corinth. He’s very likely the one who
brought back a good report of what was going on there in the
church. His ministry faithfulness earns him yet another assignment,
a ministry trip again to Macedonia, where surely he was now as well
known or even more well known than even the Apostle Paul. The
final mention of Timothy in the Book of Acts occurs in the context
of Paul’s final journey back to Jerusalem to face arrest.
He once again is traveling with Paul, and then the next we hear
of Timothy comes in the letters that Paul writes to various churches
from his prison cell in Rome. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. It’s almost certain that Timothy
was also imprisoned, at least for a period of time, because
the writer of Hebrews speaks of young Timothy as having been
released. And then, of course, two of Paul’s
final three letters, 1st and 2nd Timothy, were written to
him just prior to Paul’s martyrdom, somewhere around AD 65. And so
we see just how highly Paul esteemed this servant in the Lord In the
opening chapter of his first letter, he reminds him that he
had entrusted him with something priceless, the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And in his closing chapter of
that same first epistle, he urges Timothy to faithfully guard what
had been entrusted to him. How could Timothy do otherwise?
So this morning, I want to take you to a short passage of scripture.
Philippians chapter 2 verses 19 through 24 to learn about
the character of this servant for our own sake. Again, this
letter was written from prison. Timothy is there with Paul as
he writes, but Paul wants to declare to the Philippians who
knew him well just how valuable this young
man was to him. Philippians chapter two, and
we’ll pick it up in verse 19. But I hope in the Lord, the Lord
Jesus, to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be
encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I have no one
else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your
welfare. for they all seek after their
own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know of his proven
worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel
like a child serving his father. Therefore, I hope to send him
immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me. And I
trust in the Lord that I myself also shall be coming shortly. Paul had a number of reasons
for writing to the Philippian church. He wanted to express
his gratitude for a sizable financial gift that they had sent. He needed
to assure them that even though he was imprisoned there in Rome,
the gospel was indeed going forth. And he desired to provide counsel
for the trials that they were experiencing. He very much hoped
to visit them, but in the meantime, one of his assistants would have
to suffice. Timothy was his first choice.
For reasons that Paul does not provide, he was unable to send
Timothy. As I said a moment ago, it’s
possible that Timothy is also under house arrest as Paul’s
accomplice, but we’re not told. Perhaps the ministry opportunities
in Rome were so great that to dispatch his right-hand man was
too much even for Paul. And so Paul resorts effectively
to sending second string, another helper. a lesser known coworker
named Epaphroditus. But Paul cannot even speak about
Timothy, can’t even mention without recognizing his great faithfulness
to him and to the Lord. And so what we want to consider
this morning is just this challenge that Paul models here, recognizing
faithfulness, what I would subtitle, The Marks of a Faithful Servant
of God. The marks of a faithful servant
of God, the first of which we see in verses 19 through 21. A faithful servant of God is
exceptional. He is exceptional. Look at verse
19. I hope in the Lord Jesus to send
Timothy to you shortly so that I may be encouraged when I learn
of your condition. Earlier in the chapter, Paul
had urged this church to be obedient even in his absence. And though
he desired to personally check on them, he’s unable. His hands
are, if we say, if you might allow, his hands are tied. And
so he expresses his desire to send his young counterpart. But even if he could not send
him immediately, he hoped to do so soon. For the record, when
Paul begins that sentence in verse 19, he does so with the
word but. And he’s establishing a contrast
with the joyful resolve that he utters in verse 17 and 18. Glance back at those verses if
you would. Where Paul says, but even if
I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and
service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.
You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your
joy with me But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to
you shortly. Paul is looking to glory, but
in verse 19 he comes back to earth with a very practical concern
for his church. And Paul is very upfront about
his purpose. Glance at verse 19 again, if
you would. I hope to send Timothy to you
shortly so that I may also be encouraged when I learn of your
condition. They were concerned about Paul.
He’s concerned about them. Timothy’s mission would ultimately
benefit Paul with news about his church, and Timothy no doubt
would bring a report about Paul and the ministry in Rome, but
he would return with news about the Philippians. That’s all well
and good, but why Timothy? Why was it so important to Paul
to send Timothy? Why him? The answer in verses
20 through 22 expand the focus of this passage. It’s not just
about Timothy. Rather, these few verses frame
the required characteristics of a fruitful Christian ministry. The required characteristics
of a fruitful Christian ministry. And by ministry, I mean a team
of people seeking to serve the Lord. These are the things so
necessary to see developed among them. As you will see, these
are elements that are extremely rare. They’re even elusive. They are elements that absolutely
must be cultivated if a ministry is to thrive and be effective
for the Lord. Paul begins his explanation of
why Timothy in verse 20. Glance at that verse if you would.
His explanation is simple, for I have no one else of kindred
spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. Well, that has to be one of the
saddest statements in scripture. No one? Here is arguably the greatest
evangelist, greatest pastor that the church has ever known, bringing
the greatest message that anyone could ever hope to hear in service
of the Savior himself, and yet he has no one else to send. It’s utterly heartbreaking. No wonder Jesus, during his earthly
ministry, admonished his disciples to pray for workers, because
the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Paul had
no one else to send, no one else of kindred spirit, no one else
who loved the saints, loved the churches like the humble apostle
Paul. And there was and always will
be a desperate need of cultivating that kindredness, that unity
of heart and purpose and direction in ministry. As Paul painfully
expresses in verse 21, they all seek after their own interests,
not those of Christ Jesus. We even know the names of some
of these people, Demas, Demas, Paul says, 2 Timothy 4.10, having
loved this present world has deserted me. I remember in seminary,
the seminary professor, I was taking a class in Dallas. It
was a night class and he walked us to the windows overlooking
downtown Dallas. And he just gestured and he said,
there, gentlemen, that is what takes more men out of ministry
than anything else. It’s the world. and the love
of the world. We know well the account of John
Mark, who abandoned the ministry in the midst of Paul’s first
missionary journey. How heartbreaking to hear Paul
speak at the end of his life of ministry. At my first defense,
which was likely before Caesar, no one supported me, but all
deserted me. just like they did of Christ.
So this is not an exaggeration on Paul’s part. In ministry,
people typically come with their own agendas, their pet doctrines,
their own quirky ideas. They come in self-promotion.
They come bringing strife. They come with a mixed bag of
priorities. It was no different for us than
it was for Paul. There was a sparsity of kindredness. He couldn’t find it. There was
a sparsity of those who really cared for others. Paul says that with regards to
Timothy, that is precisely what he had. He had a kindred servant,
literally one of equal soul with Paul. Timothy’s interest What
Paul calls here his concern for the Philippians was genuine.
It was natural. He loved these churches. Such workers are few. They are
exceptional. They are exceedingly rare. The
bottom line was that there was no one else like Timothy that
Paul could send. What will we be? Will we call
out for God’s grace to be found as one of those exceedingly rare
faithful saints? There’s a second mark. There’s
a second mark of a faithful servant of God. Not only is a faithful
servant exceptional, secondly, a faithful servant of God is
seasoned. We find that in verse 22, the
first statement, you know of his proven worth. Here in verse
22, Paul draws not on his personal testimony. He doesn’t call them
to mind and lavish young Timothy with a whole bunch of accolades
of his own. He calls upon the Philippians
knowledge of Timothy. You know of his proven worth. Paul will testify here shortly.
In a sense, he didn’t even need to do so. This church knew very
well what Timothy was like. The Philippians had seen Timothy
in action. Timothy hadn’t spent a lifetime
among the Philippians. At this juncture, it had only
been a few relatively short visits. And yet that was enough. It was
enough for this church to observe and verify this young servant’s
character. They knew. They knew that Timothy was battle
tested. They knew that he was tried and
true, proven. He was no novice. He was no new
convert. This same Paul, who would go
on to set forth the standard for perpetuating ministry, 2nd
Timothy 2.2, these things entrust to faithful men who will be able
to teach others also. This same Paul who set the standard
means that Paul recognized Timothy’s faithfulness as soon as he met
him. Immediately he drafted him into ministry. The word proved
here is a familiar word to us. Here in our passage this morning,
it’s in the noun form, but we might be more familiar with the
verb testing, right? We’ve seen it before, both in
James and in first Peter, and it’s used essentially the same
way. James chapter one, we read this last week. Consider it all
joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that
the testing of your faith produces endurance. God doesn’t issue
a test in order to prove us faulty. God issues a test in order to
burn off the dross. We see it as well in first Peter
chapter one used exactly the same way. In this you greatly
rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary,
you have been distressed by various trials so that the proof of your
faith, same word, being more precious than gold, which is
perishable, even though tested, tried, proven by fire, may be
found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation
of Jesus Christ. Both of those passages speak
of a kind of crucible in which the believer’s faith is placed
and tested. or even better, proven. While
both James and Peter speak of the process of testing, Paul
here in Philippians speaks of the fruit, one who is having
been proven. He’s already been through the
fire. Then almost as soon as he became part of Paul’s team,
Paul began entrusting significant assignments to young Timothy.
to stay behind amid the hostilities in Berea, to join him in Corinth,
to be dispatched at various junctures of Paul’s ministry to Thessalonica
and Ephesus in Corinth. The young man was proven. Paul recognized this young man’s
growth as a Christian. He had now seen Timothy in action. He had watched the necessary
humility as he enjoyed the successes of his ministry, something that’s
very tempting for many. He had observed how he handled
trial and persecution. He had seen his gentleness in
the communication of the gospel. If Paul went hungry, we know
he did. Rest assured that Timothy dealt
humbly with that trial as well. If Paul had an assignment for
Timothy, his greatest ability, as we might say, was his availability. Here I am, send me, was essentially
Timothy’s reply. Timothy, as we say, was the real
thing, the genuine article. There was no one who even came
close in Paul’s mind. For consideration of an assignment
such as Philippi, There was only one name. If you’re going to be a faithful
servant of God, you have to realize that you’re not going to be among
many. It’s an exceptional calling.
If you’re going to be a faithful servant of God, you’re going
to have to be seasoned. It doesn’t happen overnight.
It doesn’t start with the greatest assignment. It starts with something
small, as we’ll see in a moment. But there’s a third feature,
a third mark of a faithful servant of God. We find that at the end
of verse 22. It’s a split sentence. A faithful servant of God is
devoted. He’s devoted. Verse 22 says,
you know of his proven worth that he served with me in the
furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father. So
Paul says kindred spirits are sparse, the genuine concern that
engenders that kindred feeling is rare. And Paul says lastly
here that there is another thing that is rarely seen on the landscape
of ministry. Devoted service. A sense of honorable
duty. Whatever anyone else was, Timothy
was different. He was not only exceptional and
seasoned, he was devoted. Paul says that he served with
me, literally he slaved with me. And that’s an apt description
of the Christian ministry. We are enslaved to Christ for
arduous, challenging, but rewarding labor. After all, it involves
the careful proclamation of the gospel. the good news of salvation
by faith in Jesus Christ’s work on the cross. Timothy wasn’t
just a faithful employee in some kind of business or trade. Paul
says, he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel, the
greatest calling of all. Timothy was gifted and useful
for Christ’s kingdom in his own right. He himself was gifted. He himself
was useful. He wasn’t serving Paul. He was
serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul may have been indeed his
father in the faith, but when it came to ministry, he was alongside
of Paul, not beneath him. What service could be more glorious
and rewarding than that? even if arduous and challenging. And Paul presents one remarkable
image about Timothy’s service. He says that Timothy served like
a child serving his father. Now, I know what you’re thinking. And all I would ask parents is
let’s leave our cynicism aside here. Paul is in no way importing
the sometimes frustrating element of getting our kids to do a task
with excellence the first time that we ask. Paul is drawing an image here
from the ideal of a son or a daughter who lovingly seeks to honor his
or her parents with a noble, timely effort complete with careful
attention to detail. He’s speaking of the natural
affection that issues forth in a loving devotion to one’s parents
with faithful execution of duty, like a child serving his father. It’s a beautiful image. No one
would care for this little church like its birth father, the Apostle
Paul. Well, no one except Timothy. who was there laboring right
alongside of Paul, who in a very real way could be considered
the birth father of this little church. It’s a beautiful image. No wonder Paul considered young
Timothy to be his son in the faith. A characterization that
Paul would reference again and again and again. Not just that
he shared the gospel with him, but Timothy’s devotedness. His devotedness to the ministry
made him appear like a child serving his father. In both of
his letters to Timothy, it bears this mark. 1st Timothy 1.2, Timothy,
my true child in the faith. 1st Timothy 1.18, Timothy, my
beloved son. 2nd Timothy 1.2, Paul presented
him to the Corinthians. Timothy, my beloved and faithful
child in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 4.17. Paul occasionally used this image
when referring to other fellow workers, but about none so affectionately
as Timothy. He was so thankful to God for
his salvation that Timothy expressed his gratitude in service to his
Lord alongside his spiritual father in the faith. Just remarkable. So Paul concludes that given
the nature of this partner in ministry, his greatest hope was
to part with him as soon as he could. Immediately, he says. As soon as I see how things go
with me in verse 23, Paul even hopes to visit them himself.
I trust in the Lord that I too may be coming shortly. Paul is
almost certainly referring to his pending trial before a Roman
court. He was hopeful. He was even expectant
of being released. In 119 of this epistle, he says
that, I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance.
In 125, his confidence seems to swell and he says, I know
that I shall remain and continue with you all. But still, governments
occasionally can be unpredictable. And so Paul holds his confidence
in check and says, I hope, I hope to send Timothy soon. I hope
to come as well. And it’s also, it’s almost certain
that Paul eventually did enjoy a very brief release and final
journey before his arrest and his martyrdom. A faithful servant of God is
devoted, like Timothy was devoted. And so faithfulness, as we see,
is not only a divine attribute. It’s not something that is expected
of super-Christians, like those mentioned above. I would go so
far as to say that faithfulness, living out one’s profession of
faith, is something that is expected of every believer. Faithfulness
is expected of every believer. And I would add two things to
this thought. First of all, faithfulness can
only be achieved in relative measure. No one is ever completely
faithful. And second, any measure of faithfulness
to God can only be achieved by God’s grace, the very theme of
our worship service today. In the Gospels, Jesus provided
some very significant principles on the pursuit of faithfulness.
In his teaching of his disciples in Luke 12, 48, he said, from
everyone who has been given much, much is required. The very fact
that you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit, that you possess
the word of God in your own language, that you live in a society that
is free, at least at present, you’ve been given much. If you have eyes to see, You
have a mind that can interact with these things. If you have
a tongue that can communicate these things, you have been given
much. Much is required. God has given every believer
gifts and he expects a return on his investment. In Luke chapter
16 verse 10, he reminds us that he who is faithful in a very
little thing is faithful also in much. Opportunities for service are
proving grounds for greater opportunities. Paul certainly had that kind
of stewardship in mind when he told the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians
4, 1 and 2, let a man regard us in this manner as servants
of Christ and stewards of the mystery of God. Then he adds,
in this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one
be found trustworthy, faithful, Whatever gifts you’ve been given,
and every believer has been given a package of gifts, God expects
a return on investment. Paul likely seized on that principle
from Christ’s words in the parable of the talents. You know that
parable, Matthew 25, 21, where the one that returned a wealth
of talents The master said, well done, good
and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few
things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the
joy of your master. Listen to Paul’s final words,
his final written words anyway. Second Timothy four, seven and
eight, they’re a near echo of that promise. I have fought the
good fight. I have finished the course. I
have kept the faith. In the future, there is laid
up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, will award to me on that day. And not only to me, but
to all who have loved his appearing. We’re called to faithfulness. May God grant us the grace and
the passion of heart to serve our Savior and his people with
faithfulness. Let’s pray.