Who do you think of when you think of a godly man? Godly men are hard to find; this is no secret. We live in a world that idolizes immature men who like to pretend to be men. I like to call these pretend men little boys with mustaches who play games and use women and their friends to medicate their insecurities and their pain.

According to the world around us a real man is whatever you want him to be; gentle and feminine, rough and burly, athletic and funny, successful and wealthy, etc., etc.

The church hasn’t always done a good job at producing godly men either. Over the ages the church has done its best to emasculate men and turn them into nothing more than yes men who never say a harsh word, never pick fights and only sing songs that are soft, emotional and higher pitched than most men can even sing.

Yet, throughout the Scriptures we find stories of men who are really godly men despite their shortcomings.

David kills a giant with his own sword and also writes over half the praise and worship songs in the Bible (many of which were far heavier [might I say nearly heavy metal] than the average songs we sing in a Sunday gathering.

Noah spent forty years building a boat to save the human race instead of wasting his life playing video games. Daniel prayed in public though it was technically illegal and then spent the night in a lion’s den for his so-called crime.

Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego refused to go along with the culture’s idea of idol worship and wound up getting tossed into a fiery furnace. The disciples planted churches and died horrible deaths for the sake of the gospel.

The apostle Paul was beheaded for preaching the gospel. The apostle John was boiled in oil and banished to an island alone to the end of his life.

Let’s not forget Jesus who wasn’t the fair skinned, blue eyed, soft frilly Jesus that the American church often paints him to be; he was a rugged carpenter who oftentimes said harsh things and carried his cross to his execution.

The scriptures are full of examples of what really godly men look like. And that’s exactly what the passage we have in front of us describes; Paul describes a really godly man named Epaphroditus.

PHILIPPIANS 2:25 – 30…

25 I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, 26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

1: THE PHILIPPIAN CHURCH AND PAUL’S LETTER

The apostle Paul planted the Philippian church twelve years earlier with a wealthy Asian woman, an ex-demon possessed slave girl and a Roman prison guard as its first believers who made up the core team (Acts 16:11 – 40). And now, twelve years later, the apostle Paul is writing this letter to them to address three major issues in the church and give them three anecdotes.

In this letter, he confronts self-centeredness and pride (Phil. 2:3 – 4), he confronts complaining and arguing (Phil. 2:14 – 15), and he confronts disagreements and division (Phil. 4:2 – 3). And to remedy these three major issues, Paul instructs the Philippians to put on the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5 – 8), to work out their salvation in Christ (Phil. 2:12 – 13), and to stand firm in the joy of Christ (Phil. 4:1; 4 – 7).

And at the core of these instructions is the central command to the Philippians to the live their lives in a manner that is worthy of the gospel as citizens of Heaven (Phil. 1:27). And Paul is essentially saying that Epaphroditus is this kind of man. Epaphroditus is a real godly man who lives his life in a manner that is worthy of the gospel as a citizen of Heaven.

2: THE KIND OF MAN THAT PAUL SAYS EPAPHRODITUS IS

One of my favorite sayings is that “Your reputation is the story of your character.” Now it’s true that we live in a world that values the art of character assassination whereby we share false narratives about how someone hurt us or how bad someone is because we got butthurt when that person disagreed with us or called us out for doing something wrong; people in our culture love to play the victim card as they assassinate someone else’s character unjustly.

But the saying still stands, “Your reputation is the story of your character” and I would add that the character of the finger pointer better be in tip top shape when trying to correct someone else’s behavior. Regardless, in regard to character, I am constantly asking myself and others around me to evaluate one another’s character by the examples we see in the Bible. And Epaphroditus is definitely one of those examples. Look at the 10 things Paul says about Epaphroditus:

  1. A BROTHER (V. 25): This is a term of endearment. Paul is saying that Epaphroditus is someone who can be trusted like a dearly beloved member of the family; not an extended member that you never see or hear from but a close member of the family who has been found to be faithful. Epaphroditus was a brother.
  2. A HARD-WORKING PARTNER (V. 25): Epaphroditus wasn’t a slacker; you wouldn’t find him standing around yacking his lips with someone when there was work to be done. He didn’t shirk his responsibilities and he took his responsibility to shoulder the load of ministry seriously. Epaphroditus was a hard-working partner.
  3. A TRUSTED FIGHTER (V. 25): Paul literally calls him a “fellow soldier” meaning that these two men had charged the gates of hell together and Paul knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Epaphroditus would never back down from a fight. Epaphroditus was the man you would want with you in a dark alley or charging up the mountain; he didn’t tap out and he didn’t wimp out. Epaphroditus was trusted fighter.
  4. A FAITHFUL MESSENGER (V. 25): Epaphroditus had passed the message from the Philippians to the apostle Paul faithfully and he had sold his life out for the sake of being a messenger of the gospel. He didn’t wimp out when his enemies came after him and his message didn’t change to appease the crowd. Epaphroditus was a faithful messenger.
  5. A SELFLESS SERVANT (V. 25): Paul calls Epaphroditus the Philippian’s “minister to my need” which means that he came and served the apostle Paul in prison; he likely brought him food, personal effects, medical supplies, clothing and most importantly companionship. The trip alone would have taken weeks to get there and the living arrangements, once he was there, were definitely less than ideal. Epaphroditus was a selfless servant.
  6. A THOUGHTFUL, CONCERNED FRIEND (V. 26): Paul says that Epaphroditus longed to see the Philippians and that he was “distressed” or concerned because they had heard that he was ill and most likely had not received a report of his good health yet. In short, Epaphroditus was less concerned about his own health and more concerned that the Philippians would be worried about him. Epaphroditus was a thoughtful, concerned friend.
  7. A MERCY-MARKED BELEIVER (V. 27): Paul says that though Epaphroditus nearly died, God showered him with mercy and healed him miraculously; he was marked by God’s mercy. And not only was Epaphroditus marked by God’s mercy but that very same mercy affected Paul deeply too. Can you imagine having a friend show up in your greatest time of need to then face the fear of possible losing that friend to some illness and then in a stroke of mercy your friend gets better? Paul was a recipient of the same mercy that Epaphroditus had received; they were both mercy-marked believers.
  8. A JOY BRINGER (V. 28): Paul says that he is eager, excited, to send Epaphroditus home to the Philippians because he knows that his return will fill everyone with joy. Epaphroditus’ return will be like a family reunion with someone that you thought had died. The realization of this joy-filled family reunion causes the apostle Paul to feel less worried about the Philippians because he knows that Epaphroditus will be a joy-bringer in the midst of the grief that the church is likely feeling. Epaphroditus is a joy-bringer.
  9. AN HONORABLE MAN (V. 29): Paul instructs the Philippians to receive Epaphroditus as a real godly man and to honor him as such with joy; he’s literally saying that the Philippians should regard Epaphroditus as an honorable man of God.
  10. A DEATH-DEFYING LABORER (V. 30): In the final verse of our text the apostle Paul gives the Philippians one last massive character description when he says that Epaphroditus “nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in [their] service to [Paul].” In other words, Epaphroditus laid his life on the line for the sake of the gospel; he didn’t merely give lip-service to suffering and dying for the King, he actually lived it out in his daily life and there was no question that Epaphroditus was a death-defying laborer in the gospel.

SUMMARY…

So Epaphroditus was a brother, a hard-working partner, a trusted fighter, a faithful messenger, a selfless servant, a thoughtful, concerned friend, a mercy-marked believer, a joy-bringer, an honorable man of God and a death-defying laborer in the ministry of the gospel.

No one would ever dare to accuse Epaphroditus of being a self-centered, prideful, complaining, arguing, disagreeing or divisive man. I don’t think there was anyone alive at the time who would dare to play the victim with some kind character assassination attempt with Epaphroditus. He certainly was a man who exemplified what it means to put on the mind of Christ, to work out your own salvation in Christ, and to stand firm in the joy of Christ. Epaphroditus was a man who lived his life in a manner that was worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ as a citizen of Heaven.

APPLICATION…

How do we apply this message? As I think about applying this message to our modern context in America in 2020, I have to admit my own despair and fear with the realization that there aren’t many people in the western church who can stomach a preacher who stands up and preaches against the massive tides of nationalized religion.

In other words, there are many in the American church today who would rather have a preacher who tones it down a little; who doesn’t engage in the culture war around us (unless we agree on some portion of the culture war and share the same proof texts to underscore our arguments), and it certainly doesn’t earn any brownie points if a preacher makes people uncomfortable.

Nevertheless, I must apply this passage to us if I am to be a faithful minister of the gospel.

So, the question before us today is: can the same thing be said of us that was said of Epaphroditus? Would the apostle Paul be comfortable using Christians in the American church as examples of people who live lives that are worthy of the gospel as citizens of heaven? Are we known for our devotion to putting on the mind of Christ, working out our own salvation in Christ and standing firm in the joy of Christ?

Are there any slivers of self-centeredness, pride, complaining, arguing, disagreeing or division among us? Do we behave like blood-bought brothers and sisters in Christ? Are we hard-working partners in the gospel or are we more like spectators in. a stadium or a cruise ship?

Would people affirm that we are trusted fighters, faithful messengers, selfless servants, thoughtful, concerned friends, mercy-marked believers, joy-bringers, honorable men and women of God? Would we risk our lives for the sake of the gospel?

When I evaluate myself with this list of questions I am rightly humiliated by my own shortcomings. By my own conversations one would easily believe that I am far more versed and concerned about a plethora of issues ranging from politics to government overreach to my so-called God-given national freedoms.

Not to mention my utter distaste for anything that has to do with wearing face masks or a brand of Christianity that seems to speak better patriotic language than gospel language.

These shortcomings of mine are not a surprise since we are living in an unprecedented year where the culture is steeped with self-centeredness, pride, complaining, arguing, disagreements and division; not to mention the fact that just because I am a preacher doesn’t mean that I don’t still battle my own sin on a daily basis.

Again, these are deeply humiliating things to confess for most people. Maybe I’m not alone in this confession. Maybe the Spirit is showing you where you have failed the perfect commands of Scripture.

CONCLUSION…

What are we to do in light of these shortcomings? My only answer is that we must look to Christ not only as our example for the holy living that the Scriptures call us to as believers but to also look to Christ as our substitute when we sin in these areas; Christ is our model for holy living and our substitute when we get it wrong. At the end of the day, Jesus is a better Epaphroditus.

Jesus is the brother who will never leave you or forsake you. Jesus, by the power of his Spirit will work hard to produce his character in and through you. Who else would we want fighting for us than the Lion of the Tribe of Judah? Jesus was and is the most trustworthy messenger of the good news who ever lived. As far as a faithful servant is concerned, Jesus washed the feet of even those who would abandon and forsake him.

Read Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John’s gospel and you’ll find the most thoughtful and concerned friend you’ve ever had. If you are in need of mercy, then Jesus is the most merciful person who ever lived.

Didn’t Jesus live with more joy even in the hours leading up to his death then most of us wealthy American Christians live with on an average day? If you are constantly living under the guilt and the shame of your shortcomings, then it’s really good news to know that when the Father looks upon you in Christ Jesus, he says that are perfect and loveable and desirable.

As far as being a death-defying laborer in the ministry of the gospel, who else could we look to other than Jesus as he gave his life horrifically and willingly at the cross for his enemies?

In all of this, it is as I always say, when you find yourself falling short of the perfect commands of the Scriptures then look to Jesus and find rest and hope at the foot of the bloody cross, in the doorway of the empty tomb as you hang on to the hope of Heaven.

For there in the shadow of that cross, in the doorway of that empty tomb, clinging to the promise of heaven, you’ll find a better Epaphroditus in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Amen?!