Mount Isa Baptist Church

A Servant's Heart

Philippians 2:19-30

1. A Servant’s Heart is centred on the things of Jesus

The Apostle Paul was a man whose focus was on the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything he did had the Lord Jesus in mind. In vs.19, he says, “But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly.” In vs.24, he says, “I trust in the Lord that I myself also shall be coming shortly.” It is Paul's way of saying, “If it be the Lord's will.” It shows that he did not make decisions based simply on common sense or on what he thought was best, but he submitted everything that he did to the Lord and His will. When he mentions how Epaphroditus got well from his illness, Paul doesn't say, “Thank goodness he got better!” or Wow, he took medicine and now he is better but rather, “God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me.” When he instructs the church to welcome Epaphroditus, he tells them to “receive him in the Lord with all joy.” Epaphroditus was also a faithful servant whose focus was on the things of Christ. He had pushed himself almost to the point of death to bring the gift to Paul from the Philippian church. He longed for and was concerned for the church back in Philippi, which also reveals his servant's heart for the things of Christ. Paul calls Epaphroditus a “minister to my need” and states that he had completed, by his presence, what the Philippians could not do in their absence in service to Paul. This has the flavour of sacrificial service and worship, as Epaphroditus could have made up many excuses why he couldn’t travel six weeks to go to Paul. But the message for us here is that every servant of Jesus Christ does what he does, whether giving or helping or speaking, as an offering to the Lord Jesus. A servant’s heart is centred on the Lord Jesus Christ and His work. The focus on Christ and His work should not just be true of those who earn their living from the gospel. Every Christian, however, should live every day in fellowship with the Lord, in submission to His will, in obedience to His Word, available to do His work. Can we say that of ourselves today? Can we say that we live every single day in submission to God’s will for our lives, in obedience to His Word, available to do His work?

This morning, I want to look at three attitudes that mark servants who are focused on the Lord Jesus Christ:

1. They are willing to be sent anywhere: It hadn't been easy for Epaphroditus to leave the comforts of home and journey to Rome, but he had done it.

Now, it would also be difficult for him to leave Paul and return home, but he was willing to go where the Lord wanted him.

Have you told the Lord, “I'm willing to go anywhere You want me to go?”

2. They are willing to serve anyone: Epaphroditus served the Philippian church, but he was willing to go and serve Paul. A servant of Christ isn't out to make a name for himself by speaking to large crowds only. He's available to his Lord to serve anyone and anywhere the Lord directs him to serve.

3. They are willing to sacrifice anything: Epaphroditus almost lost his life in his service for the Lord. Have you told the Lord, “I’ll give up everything -- my desires, my ambitions, my comforts, my time, my money—my whatever you want to put in there – to serve You?” A servant's heart is centred on the things of Jesus Christ. A servant's heart must be constantly captivated with Christ.

This morning, there are at least three ways you can tell if you're putting others ahead of yourself:

1. You will have heartfelt love: These verses are oozing with Paul's heartfelt love for Timothy, for Epaphroditus, and for the Philippians. Also notice how Epaphroditus longed for the Philippians, and the church in Philippi were distressed because they had heard that he was sick. Paul wasn't afraid to be human and to express his deep feelings for others.

2. You will show genuine concern: This spills over with heartfelt love, but here I am especially focusing on Timothy's genuine concern for these people, that he was not seeking his own interests, but the welfare of the church.

3. You can work cooperatively with others. Timothy served with Paul like a child with his father. Paul and Epaphroditus worked together harmoniously in the gospel cause.

To do that, you've got to die to self and put others ahead of yourself for the sake of the work of the gospel of Christ. Even though Paul was clearly the leader among these men, he didn't lord it over them. He humbly calls Epaphroditus his brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier. He deflects any glory from himself and lifts up these two faithful servants.

2. We must endure a servant's hardships

Serving the Lord Jesus Christ is not easy. The term fellow soldier implies warfare. It brings us under the attacks of the enemy, who wants to hinder the cause of Christ.

Testing or hardship in Christian service can come from many sources:

1. The hardship of persecution both from without and within: Paul was in prison due to persecution from without. But he was also under attack from those who preached the gospel from envy and selfish ambition, and we looked at that in chapter 1:15, 17. Paul knew the disappointment of professing Christians who were not faithful because they were living for themselves. It’s often more difficult to bear the attacks from those within the church than from those outside, because you expect the world to be against you, but you don’t always expect fellow Christians to be against you.

2. The hardship of the work itself: Why go through such hardship? If we cultivate a servant's heart and endure a servant's hardship, ... we will receive a servant's honour. Jesus had a servant's heart: He endured a servant's hardships; He received a servant's honour. That's the pattern for all who serve Him.

As you go out into this week, I pray that we would be like the Lord Jesus Christ, that we would have a servant’s heart that is centred on things of the Lord Jesus.