Models of Sacrificial Service | Philippians 2:19–30 | Dwell in the Word

Watch This Episode:

In today’s reading, Paul highlights the lives of Timothy and Epaphroditus—not with deep doctrinal insight, but as living examples of sacrificial love and faithful service to Christ and his church. These men show us what it means to put others first and serve with humility.

Their example reminds us that Christian service often looks like everyday faithfulness and quiet sacrifice. May we, like them, seek not our own interests, but the interests of Christ, and serve others with the love we’ve been shown in Jesus.

📖 Click to Show the Transcript of the Teaching from This Episode

This is an interesting passage, as I was dividing up the Book of Philippians, I actually considered putting these verses with what we looked at on Monday, but I decided to look at this separately. Even though there's no real deep theological truth here or nothing really doctrinal in this, it shows us something important about the Christian life. It shows us something very important about Christian service. Notice how Paul talks about Timothy and Epaphroditus here, how they serve Christ church. Notice he's willing to send Timothy in his place. Paul has been detained. He's been imprisoned, and he's willing to send Timothy. Why? Because Timothy looks out for the welfare of other people. He says that others seek their own interests. They're looking out for themselves. But what does Timothy do? He seeks what is of Christ. He looks out for the interests of the church, and he has shown his worth. And so, Paul is willing to send him in his stead. And then he also talks about Epaphroditus. He talks about how Epaphroditus was ill. And what did Paul do? He was distressed over his illness. He loved his fellow brother in Christ so deeply that he feels as though his being healed also was of benefit to him that God had mercy not only on Epaphroditus, but on Paul himself, because he would have been grieved, he cared so deeply about his fellow brothers.

So, we see in Timothy how we are to care for Christ Church. We see how Paul cares for Epaphroditus, how we are to care for each other. But we also see how Epaphroditus served. Look at this. He nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. He was caring for Paul. He was working hard to do what God had called him to do. And so that's what we really see in this passage, how we are to serve Christ, how we are to care for one another and how we are to serve one another. And what does it all come back to, really? It comes back to that sacrificial love. And we see that sacrificial love modeled for us in the Lord Jesus Christ, do we not? That is what we base our faith upon. That is what we center our hope upon, is that -sacrificial love that Jesus Christ had for us. So, may we look to serve, sacrificially, as we go out into the world, as we come to church, as we go, well, anywhere. May we look to be sacrificial in our love, just as Christ sacrificed himself for us.

So, we can look to the examples of these three men, Paul, Timothy and Epaphroditus to see how we can truly care and love one another.

Hungry for more from God's Word?

Check out our God Spoke series on the Ten Commandments and see how God's law reveals His heart and leads us to the grace of Christ.
➡️ Discover God's Commands

➡️ Discover more episodes of Dwell in the Word

➡️ Continue watching Dwell in the Word: Philippians

➡️ Learn a quick and simple way to learn the 10 Commandments with Know the 10