Paul's Love Letter from Prison - 1
A Study of Philippians - 1 Foundations
For this study we are going to concentrate on Philippians chapter 2 verses 19 to 24. In the previous studies in this series, which I have called "Paul's love letter from prison", you will remember that we have considered the Lord Jesus Christ as our one supreme example of the humble mind. Paul has given his readers a wonderful description of the Son of God who humbled Himself and became a man so that He might die on the cross for our sins. He has exhorted these believers to have the same mind as Christ by putting others before themselves and he has shown them that they must live together in oneness of purpose.
The Lord Jesus is the first of four examples that Paul brings before his readers and us in Philippians chapter 2. They are examples of how we should live and work together for the faith of the gospel. We saw last time that Paul himself was an example of one who was willing to dedicate his whole life to Christ's service, and even willing to lose his life, if that were God's will for him.
In the verses we are considering today, Paul reminds his dear friends at Philippi of yet another example of the mind of Christ seen another fine Christian believer. He writes about Timothy, "His caring son in the faith":
"I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no-one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare."
Clearly, he must have been a rather special young man for Paul to make such a comment, and so he was. His name, by the way, means "honouring God", and as we discover something about him, we will see that he always sought to honour God in his life and service.
Timothy is introduced to us in the Scriptures in Acts chapter 16 verse 1 where he is described as "a disciple of Jesus Christ". One could have no better title than that. In a previous series of "Discovery" programmes on the subject of being Christ's disciples, we said that a disciple is a follower, a learner and an imitator of the Lord Jesus Christ. To live and work as a disciple calls for great discipline and devotion.
Timothy was brought up by his mother, Lois, who was a Jewess and a believer in the Lord Jesus, and by his grandmother Eunice. We know that from a very early age these godly women taught young Timothy the Scriptures. Paul mentions this in his second letter to Timothy, chapter 3 where he says:
"From a child you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation, through faith in Christ Jesus".
I want to stress here the great importance of Christian parents teaching their children the Word of God from a very early age. We are living in a world in which our children are exposed to much evil and godlessness. In His Word, the Bible, God has set out His standard for living for communities and for each of us as individuals. We find this standard set out for us in the Ten Commandments given to the Children of Israel through Moses. The Lord Jesus Christ summed up these commandments in this way: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength and mind and your neighbour as yourself."
Loving God with all our being; not stealing, lying, coveting or committing adultery, but truly loving our neighbour, these are things that are blatantly disregarded by the majority and is why we see such unhappiness and evil around us. How will our children know what God's Word says unless we teach them? All Christians who have the responsibility for bring up and guiding children and young people, whether parents or grandparents or guardians, need constantly to show by the example of godly lives and the teaching of God's Word, the way in which our children ought to grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, may I say by way of encouragement to those listening who are also seeking in their churches or schools to teach children the importance of heeding the Word of God: You are involved in a very important work which can result in bringing children and young people to faith in our Saviour and Lord. Do not give up, but continue to teach faithfully the Scriptures which are able to make wise for salvation those who will believe.
From this early teaching, Timothy progressed to such an extent that he became, as we have observed, a follower of Christ and Paul invited him to join with him, along with Silas and Luke, that fine Christian doctor, in the work of spreading the gospel. Because of this, Timothy was in Philippi when the good news was first preached there. We can be certain that part of his ministry would have been to help and encourage those who became Christians through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Through his own knowledge of the Scriptures, and from what he had learned from Paul, Timothy could teach these new "babes" in Christ.
Clearly, he came to love those Philippian Christians, and they in turn came to respect and love this faithful servant of the Lord Jesus. So, when Paul says in verse 20, "Timothy takes a genuine interest in your welfare", we can understand why. But note what he says in verse 21:
"Everyone else looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."
We have already discovered, in the earlier part of this chapter, that Paul has had to rebuke some of the believers for a lack of humility and genuine concern for others. He has set before them the Son of God Himself as the supreme example of the lowly, humble mind that brought him from heaven as a man to die on the cross for their sins. So here, I believe, Timothy is being presented as one who sought to pattern his mind - his attitude to others - on the mind of Christ his Lord. Can it be said of you, or of me, listening friend, that our attitude towards our fellow Christians, and indeed towards all people, is patterned on that of our Saviour Who loved us and gave Himself for us?
Come now to verse 22 where Paul continues:
"But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel."
There was more to Timothy's example than the things he said, important though this was. It is not just what we say that people notice, but what we are. The Lord Jesus said: "By their fruit you will know them". The good work and life of Timothy were recognised by those who knew him, and says Paul, he has "proved himself as a son with his father". There had built up between the apostle and this young Christian a lovely "father-son" relationship. As we know very little about Timothy's own father, we can assume that the apostle Paul loved him as an adopted son, and had taken a great interest in his personal development. Timothy was in every sense Paul's "son in the faith".
I love Paul's mention of Timothy's fellowship in the work of the gospel. He helped to found not only the church at Philippi, but also the one in Thessalonica. He did some work at Berea with the believers there, and he gave spiritual help to God's people at Ephesus and Corinth. He is mentioned in Romans chapter 16 as Paul's fellow worker in the church at Rome. What a dedicated worker he was! Here was a man totally committed to the work of his Lord and Master, who travelled far and wide to serve Him.
As we come to verse 23, Paul says:
"I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me."
Paul was waiting to see how his appeal to Caesar for release from prison would turn out, and it was his intention to go to Philippi if he was set free. Paul longed to have his liberty, not for his own sake, but rather that he might be of further help to his beloved Philippians. He was confident "in the Lord" that he would soon come to them, but underlying this is his submission to the will of God for him at all times.
So, we have discovered three vital things today in the example of Timothy Paul's son in the faith:
First: The importance of teaching the Scriptures to others.
Second: That the true worker for God will be concerned for others, and serve them with a humble mind.
Third: That the Lord Jesus is looking for dedication in those who would serve Him.