A Profile Of The Christian; Epaphroditus Pt. 1

[Music] the people of God said amen turn with me in your Bibles to the book of Philippians again as we go through the book of Philippians we are at chapter number 2 and I want to read verses 25 through verse number 30 Philippians at chapter 2 verses 25 through verse 30 and I want to talk about a profile of a Christian a man by the name of epaphroditus yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother fellow worker and fellow soldier but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need since he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick for indeed he was sick unto death but God had mercy on him and not only on him but on me also lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow therefore I sent him the more eagerly that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less sorrowful receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness and holds such men in esteem because for the work of Christ he came close to death not regarding his life to supply what was lacking in your service toward me thank you you may be seated the grass withers and the flower fades but the word of our God shall stand forever a profile of a Christian you perfer die tous French philosopher by the name of Blaise Pascal put it perfectly Blaise Pascal says there is a God shaped in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the creator made known through Jesus Christ this is not again that or is a god-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the creator made known through Jesus Christ you try to fill that vacuum with money you can try to fill that vacuum with relationships you can try to fill that vacuum within a costly thing you can imagine but it's shaped in the form of God and nothing in your heart will satisfy no creative thing will ever satisfy you but a relationship with God made known through Jesus Christ as one reads the epistles of Paul the Apostle it is apparent that he crossed paths with many different individuals some like hymenaeus and Alexander the coppersmith it was seen were a great hindrance to the work of Paul however most of the people that Paul met were a great blessing to his ministry Paul closes nearly every one of his letters with a personal note to some very special people that he had worked with not only as a tentmaker but as a follower of Jesus Christ we read the last chapter of the book of Romans Paul mentioned some 35 names of people who had ministered with him and he would not close his letters without sending them greetings this morning Paul speaks about a man named Epaphroditus from his name it would appear that epaphroditus was a Greek and a Gentile his name means belonging to or being favored by Aphrodite Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and the patron saint of gamblers that's gonna make sense to you in just a minute the name epaphroditus naturally or eventually came to mean lovely are charming that's what Christians are to be lovely and charming whole lot of Christians are not lovely and charming hard-hearted is a good word for some of us mean is a good word for some of us ugly acting is might be another appellation for many of us but if you're gonna be the Christian God wants you to be you ought to be lovely and charming in these few precious verses we are given a glimpse of a man who possess certain characteristics that should be in every born-again believer I want you to see in the text that a puffer Titus is first of all called by Paul a son which makes him balanced that's what a Sonny is that's what a member of the family of God is balanced it is easy listen to me it is easy for Christians to get out of balance that is we are prone to focus on one area of our Christian walk to the exclusion of other areas that are just as important some of us are only concerned about fellowship all you want to do is meat eat and you want to be in your Deacon family ministry or you want to be in your particular circle of friends or you want to be in your particular ministry that has your name on it and your brand on it and all you think about is what you do to the exclusion of all else and then there are some persons who are just concerned about evangelism all they want to do is win the loss to the exclusion of spiritual growth and godly development there's more to church than evangelizing because after you catch the fish you gotta clean him after you go and get the laws that's wonderful that's what you ought to do but then you ought not bring them in here if you don't have anything for them to do then some folks are just concerned about legalism all they do is inspect other people's fruit trying to find out what you're doing and where you've been and who you going with and what's up in your life and what are you doing in you what do you worry about your business sweep around your own front door I wish I had two or three witnesses here but when a Christian or a church gets out of balance it brings reproach on the body of Christ it's like a car that has a flat and you take the tire off and put that little tied as in the trunk on the car it still runs but it's out of balance it's not the right fit it's not the right tire it'll run for a while but but it's not the best design of the automobile and when you are not balanced as a believer when you are all this to the exclusion of all else you're doing pretty good but you're out of balance are y'all listening to me Paul calls him my brother that word brother in the text my son and because of their age difference a Pafford itis is not Paul's fellow worker he's not just a brother Paul looks at him affectionately as a son both these terms refer to being members of the same family brothers and sisters lily grove we are in this work together and we should love one another and stand together as brothers and sisters in Christ there is no place in the Christian family for one brother to be attacking another brother there's no place in the church for division and strife John chapter 13 and verse number 35 says by this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another it's not about competing it's about cooperation it's not about rivalry it's about reinforcement whatever affects one brother or to affect all brothers because we have a common enemy who is Satan and sin whenever I think about this this matter of being a family and being brothers and sisters in Christ I always my mind always runs back to my mother and father I'll tell you about that when when the school was first integrated in 1969 and and on my daddy took a nap every Saturday after work and every Sunday after church and Sunday after he ate and went to church ate came home and got ready to take his nap when it's time for school to get started around September my father would give us his September getting ready to go to school with white children's speech he said listen if children hit you you go tell the principal you go tell the teacher I don't want y'all fight and I don't want y'all getting in no trouble you go to school to learn your lesson and somebody push you down or somebody fights with you you go tell the principal you go to tell the teacher and I don't want to hear that you're in no trouble fighting at school and my momma was sitting at the table like there and she tell my daddy you go to bed and sit down somewhere she says you let me hear one of y'all got in a fight and all the y'all didn't get in the fight you don't have to come home and fight with me and I would rather be sewn in a bag with a wild animal and thrown in the Mississippi River then the fight with her she said one for all and all for one that's the way we were raised to love one of my mother and father never let us argue and fight with one another because we were brothers and sisters and if that's the way we got along at our house that's the way we ought to get along at the church house we are brothers and sisters in Christ one for all and all for one you are your brother's keeper there ought not be division and strife among the fellowship because we are all brothers and sisters that brings balance not only in your life but balance in the church when it's not about you when you can get your ego out of the way it brings balance to your life Psalm number one helps us right here blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners nor sits in the seat of the scornful but his delight is in the law of the Lord come on you can help me said and in that law Duffey meditate both day and night and he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth fruit in his season his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper that's balance that that keeps your level that keeps your life balance you never get out of balance if you become a son of the Lord Jesus Christ brothers and sisters Epaphroditus is a son who is balanced and their tails are something about his walk but in the second place he Patra Titus is a servant who is burdened and that tells us something about his work he is a son who is balanced which tells us something about his walk he is a servant who is burdened which tells us something about how he worked paul also calls him a companion in labor in other words he shouldered his portion of the load can I say that again he shouldered his portion of the load he didn't do like some of you did last Sunday when I called for a special stewardship gift and you stayed home sick cold and didn't come to church because you didn't want to shoulder your share of the Lord see I quieted God right there now the folk who were banned the Lord you can come on help me shout but but those who did not take any responsibility in sharing the load I need to say to you that the church does not need money because it's God's ship and he knows how to keep it afloat but the church needs people who will shoulder that rule I wish I had my 7:30 crime in breast number 25 he was a messenger and a minister it's a shame brothers and sisters it is a shame that 80% of the work at the church is done by 20% of the membership 80% of the work at the church is done by 20% of the membership and the ones who are in the 80% are always complaining I don't ever get a chance to lead a song they use the same people over and over it's some old people around here to church well we got to use who show up if you don't show up shut up if you're not around when when it's time for somebody to be used we can't use you at your house we can't use you at the Black Friday sale we can't use you in New Orleans we can't use you in Las Vegas we can't use you when you're not around if you want to be used sure yeah I figured I figured it'd fall kind of flat right there brothers and sisters there is plenty to do but a shortage of people willing to do it the harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers are so few so we ought to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send more laborers in the vineyard I want to look with me at the focus of the burden of epaphroditus the focus of epaphroditus burden was not himself but his brothers and sisters at the church at philippi what a lesson for lily Grove this morning we are so caught up in what is happening with us that we are unable to see the needs of those around us there is nothing or immature than a believer who thinks his a hurt all needs comfort there's nothing more immature than a believer who has to have his or her own way Paul said when I was a child I wish I had a Bible reader I spoke like a child I thought like a child I understood like a child but when I became a man when I grew up in my face when I matured I put away childish things in mature believers got to have it that way are they gonna turn up and if they don't get their way they pick up their marbles and go join another church but the problem with you joining another church is you join in another Church I wish I had time to unpack that right there that church just got messed up when you join because you take your disgruntled personality to another church and you cannot build a strong Church with disgruntled members hear me brothers and sisters the word full of heaviness in verse number 25 he was full of heaviness that word needs investigation he was burdened for his brothers and sisters full of heaviness that's the same word used for Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane he was heavy he began to be very heavy burdened because of the sins of the world and and we need to get this morning a burden for brothers and sisters you need to be burdened for lost people in your family burden over your lost co-workers burden over lost people in your neighborhood we could fill up this church three times over if we got burdened for people who were lost your Dupree this morning and God put a burden on your heart that you are not rest tonight until you tell somebody about Jesus you are not feel good going to sleep tonight unless you know you have released your burden to share the good news of Jesus great when they want to hear it and when they don't want to hear it because they need to hear the WoW is hungry for the living brain we need to lift the Savior up for men to see I will share with someone yesterday that a preacher but I greatly admire and respect has kind of gotten off the rails because he was on some podcast or another and and and and the discussion was about the book of Jude verse number three that talks about our common salvation and they were discussing whether Jesus and the church and salvation is exclusive inclusive is Jesus the only way and he's a strong preacher he's a he's a great preacher I admired him I preached at his church he's preached in this church but he said I don't know he said Jesus is my experience but he may not be everybody else's experience and I tried to call him nine times yesterday to say Reverend are you losing your mind Jesus is not one of the ways he's the only way Jesus is not a part of the truth he is the truth Jesus is not somebody you add to your life Jesus is life itself stop letting the world make you be imbalanced to proclaim without apology on Christ the solid rock I stand all our ground I wish I had somebody to help me this morning I am I shamed of the gospel it is the power of God unto salvation the late dr. Eva Hill dr. Eva Hill had an attorney brother Abner had an attorney in his church who represented him in all of his legal matters of represented Mount Zion in Los Angeles and all of our legal matters and he was a longtime member of Mount Zion past the hill was his pastor and then he left the church and when join the Muslim movement he became a Muslim and dr. hill called him in there he said I knew I was gonna get a call from you and he said Reverend I know you're gonna fire me because I left the church and I became a Muslim and evie Hill in his inimitable fashion said no I'm not firing you because you're Muslim you can believe whatever you want to believe I'm not firing you because you left the church you're gonna be all the Muslim you want to be he said you're not my attorney any longer because you don't know the difference between stepping up and stepping down and anybody who ain't got sense enough to know the difference between stepping up and stepping down if you don't know that leaving Christ to go to be a Muslim is Stefan Brown you can't represent me in traffic court as Eva Hill talkin brothers and sisters you need to know the difference between stepping up and stepping down don't let the Jehovah's Witnesses intimidate you best stepping down don't let the seventh-day adventists intimidate you that's stepping down be ready always to give a reason for the hope that is in you I don't argue the Bible that's cuz you don't know about it [Applause] study to show yourself approved a workman that need not be ashamed rightly divided I wish ahead a witness here when you know the Bible you can stand your ground when you know the difference between stepping up and stepping down my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness I dare not trust the sweetest frame but wholly lean on Jesus made on Christ I wish I had some noise here on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking saying I'm gonna try to call that bog in the day and say Reverend I think much learning has made you mad you got a whole lot of knowledge but you need some wisdom that's that's what priscilla and aquila toward Apollo's they say you smart you you bright you you got the letter but you need the spirit you got a whole lot of learning but you need some burning you got a whole lot of reasons but you need some revelation you got a whole lot of information but you need some inspiration I don't care what they academics and the intellectual says on twice sorry to rock I stand brothers you can call me ignorant you can call me old-fashioned you can call me traditional but the bibl II [Music] that's the book for me I wish I had time to bear down on it right there I'm gonna stay with Jesus I believe that he was born in Bethlehem I believe that he was baptized in the Jordan I believe he healed a sick I believe he raised the dead I believe he turned water into wine I believe he fed the multitude with two fish and five loaves of bread I believe he raised Lazarus from the dead I believe he touched that casket and that bar was raised from the dead whose mother was going to bury him I believe he walked on water I believe he calmed the storm and see I believe he died one Friday I believe he rose one Sunday I believe he's coming back again the bibl II that's the book me that's that's the focus of his burden but I want you to see the fruit of his burden you're gonna read a shout now here is the fruit of his burden look look look with me in verse 28 and verse 29 therefore I sent him the more eagerly that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less sorrowful receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness and hold such men in esteem if you got a pen or highlighter I want you to highlight that word rejoice and the word gladness when you see him therefore I sent him the more eagerly that when you see him again you may rejoice underline that I'll highlight that word and I may be less sorrowful receive him therefore in the Lord with all underline or highlight gladness when you see him receive him with joy and gladness when he comes to the church when he comes to your house will you see him on the street receive him with joy and gladness how do people react when they see you coming do they cringe because they know you come in with a criticism do they dread seeing you because they know when they see you they go hear an organ recital not not not the one over there an organ recital I'm having heart palpitations my bad lord I don't I sure hope my kidney ain't acting up my shoulder giving me the blues Oh Lord my knee hurt me so swole I don't know my sugar all up I'm kind of dizzy let me sit down my pressure all up every organ in their body and when you see him you try to go to the other way and act like you didn't see them but they catch you and you think you getting out that door and they come and face you and say I was trying to call you to tell you about my arthritis girl I didn't sleep last night don't you just dread seeing them people coming you hate to ask them how they're doing because I mean and sometimes you don't want to say how you're doing you just say hello and they say you don't understand what I've been going through I didn't actually all that I just said hello do you dread those kinds of people oh do people avoid you because you are so negative you don't have a good word to say about anything nothing pleases you nothing's satisfied you're something going on at the church you said that was good but they could have done it this way that was nice but I wish I would say to ask somebody else an opinion you are so negative that people don't want to be around you do they receive you with joy and gladness or do they say oh lord I wish I had somebody to help me if you are a lovely charming Christian when people see you their faces light up because they know that you come in with a word of encouragement and a word of blessing it's a pleasure to be around people who are always encouraging people who are always blessing instead of cursing people who are always cheerful people who are always lovely people who are always charming it's wonderful to be around a lovely Christian what kind of Christian are you do people cringe when you come because you're so spiritual you so straight-laced that nobody can't cuss around you and they they got to turn the TV off and nobody can listen to no music ridin with you because that's the devil's music Negro please you ain't that spiritual because given the right set of circumstances given the right drink being in the right place with no Lily Grohl around somebody ought to help me preach it the only reason I don't go to BB King concert and and the jay-z and Beyonce's concert is because y'all gonna be there I would go but I don't want to dance with none of y'all [Applause] yes I listen to the blues yes I listen to the blue I said yes here it is three o'clock in the morning and I can't even close my black night is falling oh how I hate to be all alone I keep crying for my baby and my baby is gone I bought you a brand new Ford you said I want a Cadillac I bought you a ten dollar dinner you said it was just a snap I let you live in my penthouse you said it was just a Shack I gave you seven children yeah y'all know that and now you want to give them back I've been dying hearted woman stop acting like you so spiritual and you can't be around sinners and you can't be Jesus ate with publicans and sinners and prostitutes and drunkards and the common people heard him gladly [Applause] how do people act when you come around he said receive epaphroditus with joy and gladness as I hurried this morning brothers and sisters he was a brother who was balanced and that spoke of his work he was a servant who was burdened and that spoke his walk was spoken of as a son his burden speaks of him as his work but now he pastored itis is a soldier who is bold and his boldness speaks of warfare paul also calls him not only a brother and a fellow servant he calls him a fellow soldier which means he fought alongside paul and not against paul he fought alongside Paul and not against Paul they were partners in a common struggle they were shoulder-to-shoulder fighting the world the flesh and the differ I don't listening to me they were on they were as one in the dangers they faced the enemies they encountered and the goals that they shared then the growth we need believers who are not afraid to put on the whole armor of God and to go with God into battle we don't sing any battle songs anymore at the church we don't sing anymore battle songs when I was a boy we used to sing onward Christian soldiers marching as to war with the cross of Jesus going on before we don't sing those kind of songs anymore because we are not marching anyway we're not fighting anything especially this young crowd these young people they are not far anything and they're not against anything that there is this universalism and pragmatism that has taken hold of the church that now we will do whatever works we will do whatever pleases the largest number of people I could feel this church to the rafters if I started some foolishness on Sunday morning but if you show up here you gonna hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and if any man will come after me he must deny himself take up a cross and follow me we are so busy trying to please thousands when we ought to really be concerned about pleasing just one I wish I had some help to close him we're trying to please the masses we are trying to please thousands when I calling is just to please one cuz when it's all over God is not gonna ask me how many people that are preached to on Sunday morning God will ask me well why are you faithful to the gospel that you preached did you live the life that you were preaching about hear me this morning verse 30 indicates that epaphroditus was sick unto death as a result of his labor in the work of the Lord ancient church tradition tells us that epaphroditus was known for his work among the sick in Rome he put everything on the line for Jesus Christ sadly for many of us here at Lillie Grove we serve God when it's convenient our service he's is unconvenient if our favorite show is not on or if some company don't show up if we don't have something to do and we will make all kind of excuses of why we can't be a church and and and these sports teams or put all of these activities cheerleader in and basketball and football and all of that tournaments and all that is on Sunday and and we will take our children out of youth ministry to involve them in all of that kind of stuff and make excuses for it by saying well that's what do you want to do that's what I want to do too but my daddy said if the Lord gets you up Sunday morning you going to church I wish I had one or two more witnesses in trust in the Lord with all your heart lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him he shall direct seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you what are you teaching your children by putting everything before God well the better question is who run in your house brothers and sisters I didn't like it growing up but I praise God I came up in the time when parents were not afraid of their children I can still hear my mama now saying I'm the Shaq bully in this house and I used to hate that word Shaq bully and I say to myself I said to myself Shaq bully that's so ignorant I'd never tell my children doesn't crazy like that I'm a she ought to go sit on sand with a pop in our mouth that's what I said to myself and I find myself telling Victoria I'm the Shaq bullet in this house parents were not afraid of their children they told you right from wrong now you could go wrong but they told you're right never got a witness here and we ought to tell our children the blessings you enjoy right now it hasn't always been that way God's been good to us and as for me and my house we gonna serve the Lord [Applause] listen to me beloved this word when the Bible says in verse number 30 not regarding his life it was literally that he gambled his life that's what that word literally means he gambled his life I told you earlier talking some more about this word gambling because Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and the Greek goddess our patron saint in the Greek world of gambling as a matter of fact in ancient times when people gambled threw dice on the floor they would shout the name either Aphrodite or Aphrodite us throwing their dice on the floor what they were saying was I'm laying it all out there I'm throwing it all out there that's what epaphroditus me it speaks of voluntarily disregarding your own welfare and exposing yourself even to death it means I'm taking a chance on Jesus and I'm rolling the dice and if Jesus don't come true I'm true [Music] Epaphroditus was willing to gamble his life for the cause of Christ do you want to know what lyndie Grove Missionary Baptist Church really needs I told you a moment ago we don't need money so you could have came to church last Sunday we don't need money because this is the Lord ship and he knows how to keep it afloat we don't need prestige because I don't care what you do for poor folk in the community they're gonna talk about the church no matter what we don't need political influence because when battle or Rock was running they called and want to come here to the church and then they found out it wasn't gonna be no talking and all of a sudden he had an emergency in Austin and Sheila Jackson Lee and John Lewis and and Al Green they ran all over town to every Church around in the grove but they didn't come here because we don't need political influence this is a word church this is the church that preaching and the gospel built this church was not built on political influence and we don't do our best work in the political Arina because in politics there is no inherent ability to cleanse itself and so anybody who gets caught up in it gets tainted by it and so they drive by here and go onto every Church they can get a hearing in because I've said to them more than one time until you let me preach in Congress you're not gonna speak at lily Grove I'm firm I'm convicted that the gospel of Jesus Christ and listen no politician ought to be able to have more influence hitting me cuz I get voted in every Sunday by your attendance in worship and who we serve is not up for re-election our God is an awesome God and we don't need many influence all political persuasion on Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand brothers and sisters what nearly Grove Church needs is people who will commit themselves to be like Epaphroditus who will put everything on the line for Jesus Christ who threw it all out there on the floor who who will gamble it all throw it all out there and call that me don't call the name Aphrodite when you throw it out there don't call the name Epaphroditus but when you throw it out there call the name Jesus and brothers and sisters listen to me when you gamble on the slots you may or may not win when you gamble at the roulette table you may or may not get red or black if you gamble at the crap table your car may not turn out right if you gamble like Texas Poker you may win or may not win but I dare you to throw your chips in with Jesus Christ and when you throw it all in with God when you make up your mind you are gonna throw it all out there God will let you win every time I'm through now but I want to talk to some winners in here this morning I need to talk to somebody here who's more than a conqueror through him that loved you you're gonna help me close this won't you I need to talk to somebody here who didn't know how your stuff was gonna turn out but you just gambled it all on Jesus and you turned the battle in your favor I need somebody here who's all alone you'd only one left in your family but you're still throwing it all on the table for Jesus Christ and the Lord still waking you up every morning still putting you to bed every night still making a way out of no way I need somebody who's retired and the Lord still taking care of you you can help me testify I've been young but now I'm old and I've never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging for bread I need somebody here who's been down to your last dime and your back was almost against the wall but God provided enough space between your back and the wall that you can testify it ain't nobody do me like Jesus I need somebody here who's throwing all your chips in for the Lord Jesus Christ Lord if you don't come through I don't know how I'm gonna make it so I'm gonna follow Jesus no matter what the world says no matter what the academics and the intellectuals are talking about no matter what my friend is talking about saying Jesus may not be the only way to God i'ma stand on the solid promises of the Lord Jesus Christ he said lo I will be with you always even to the end of the world I wish I had one or two more witnesses here I'm glad this morning that I let nothing separate me from the love of God type not depth angels nor principalities things present nor things to come nothing can separate me from the love of God let people laugh at you because you shout on Sunday let people talk about you because you come to church too much let people ridicule you because you throw it all in for Jesus Christ somebody here ought to help me testify there's nothing so precious as Jesus to me let earth with its treasures be gold I'm rich as can be with my Savior I see I'm happy with Jesus alone is there anybody here happy with Jesus alone I said is there anybody here not ashamed to call on and me if the Lord open doors for you you ought to throw it all in this moment if the Lord made a way for you you ought to throw it all away in this morning if the Lord pick you up turn you around place your feet on solid ground throw it all in this morning don't keep nothing back don't keep any of your praise but don't keep any of your shout back shop like the Lord's been good to you praising my keys open doors for you give him glory like he made a way for you holla like the Lord's been good to you why don't you grab somebody shake somebody's head tell them I don't know what you come to do but I've come to play than me cuz he brought me from a mighty long way he died give me he died [Applause] [Music] right early Sunday morning he got up [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] he's alright this coming Tuesday I've been preaching 41 years and I wouldn't take nothing for my training now you can't make me doubt him I'm not too much about him has he been good to you has he made a way for you then come on help me lift him up come on help me magnify his name he's rabbit he's worthy he's worthy he's worthy he's aware of it he's waving be the rabbit he's robbing aah no he's all right [Music] [Music] I understand understand what job meant when job said though he slay me yet will I trust him all the days of my party time I'm wait until my change come my grandmother used to say he may not come when you want somebody ought to help me testify he's always [Music] eyes have not seen ears have not heard nor has it even entered the hearts of men the good things that God has in store for them that love him I'm persuaded that he's able to keep that which I've committed unto him until that day [Applause] [Music]

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Length: 54min 8sec (3248 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 13 2019