After telling the Philippians they should do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, Paul gives them three flesh and blood examples of what this looks like: Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus. In this message we see Paul pouring out his life on behalf of Christ’s church. May we go and do likewise!
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Paul: A Poured Out Life
Philippians 2:17-18
The apostle Paul has been exhorting the Philippians to humility and selflessness so that they can dwell together in unity and peace. After exhorting them to this in Philippians 2:3-5, he brings out the big guns and shows us the divine example of a humble and selfless servant in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, in verses 6-11. After continuing to exhort them to work out their salvation in fear and trembling and to do nothing from complaining or arguing, he again gives them some examples of humble, selfless servants. But this time, he does not choose a divine example. Instead, he chooses three human examples. He points to himself, Timothy, and Epaphroditus.
I’m going to take three sermons to show you all three human examples.
I’m going to call this sermon, Paul: A Poured Out Life. Then I will show you Timothy: A Christ Centered Life. Finally, I will show you Epaphroditus: A Fully Devoted Life.
All three of these men are models of humble selfless servants. And they serve to give us flesh and blood examples of what God desires all of us to be.
So, let’s begin with Paul: A Poured Out Life.
What I’m going to do in this message is ask and answer three questions:
- What is the essence of a poured out life?
- What is the goal of a poured out life?
- What is the result of a poured out life?
1. What Is The Essence Of A Poured Out Life?
Well, we need to look at the context. Take a look at the end of verse 16, “I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. But even if I am being poured out…” Did you see the connection between being poured out in verse 17, and running and toiling in verse 16? To be poured out for others is to run and toil for others. But what does Paul mean by “run” and “toil”?
Run. Let’s take “run” first. Paul uses it in Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” This is speaking about living out the life God has called us to. It is the “race set before us.” God has a purpose and a plan for each of us. To run the race, is to do what God has called us to do and to complete it, just as you would run a race until the finish line. Running has to do with straining every nerve, and exerting yourself to do God’s will.
Paul speaks of “running” in 1 Corinthians 9:24-26, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” In this passage, running refers to striving with every fiber of your being to live out the Christian life.
Toil. What does “toil” refer to. Well the Greek word for “toil” refers to “laboring to the point of exhaustion.” It refers to working hard and long to complete the task. Paul used it in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” Here “toil” refers to our work in the Lord. Therefore to run and toil is to live the Christian life and the will of God for your life with everything you have. It is to labor to the point of exhaustion, until you have no strength left.
It is interesting to me how often Paul referred to various people as “workers”. Paul refers to 6 people in Romans 16 as workers. He refers to Timothy as a worker in 1 Thessalonians 3:2. He says that Epaphroditus is a worker in Philippians 2:25. He says that Philemon was a worker in Philemon 1:1. He refers to Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke as his fellow workers in Philemon 1:24.
To be poured out for others, is to give your life to the work of God. It is to pour your life out until there is nothing left in the bucket. It is a life of diligent service to Christ and His people. And if you pour yourself out it will finally culminate in death. That’s what Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:6, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.” It does not refer only to death, because Paul said, “I am being poured out as a drink offering…” This was in the present tense, referring to ongoing activity. So a poured out life refers to lifelong sacrificial, humble service for Christ and others, which eventually culminates in a death which glorifies God.
The faithful Christian pours out his life, over and over and over, day after day after day until he reaches the end of his life, and then he pours out the final few drops in death. He gives his life to serving Christ and His people. It is a life of selfless service and humble sacrifice.
This is what we find Paul doing in Scripture. As soon as he is converted he begins to work for the Lord. In acts 9, the Lord sends Ananias to lay his hands on Paul so that he would regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately Paul was baptized, and verse 20 says, “and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” Verse 22 says, “But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”
Later in Acts 11, many people were coming to the Lord in Antioch, and Barnabas went up from Jerusalem to try to teach and shepherd them. However, he found that it was more work than he could handle, so he journeyed to Tarsus to find Saul. And there in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas labored side by side teaching the Word of God and laboring in the kingdom.
Later in Acts 13, the Lord called Paul and Barnabas to reach the Gentiles with the gospel, and thus began Paul’s missionary labors. He completed at least three of these journeys, and perhaps others after he was released from his first imprisonment in Rome.
But let’s allow Paul to tell us what it was like to work for the Lord in his own words in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29, “Are they servants of Christ? – I speak as if insane – I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?”
Brothers and sisters, are you a worker? Are you pouring out your life in humble sacrificial service for Christ and His people? Are you laboring to bring the gospel to the lost? These are serious questions that we need to ask ourselves, because this kind of life is of the essence of a saved life.
2. What Is The Goal Of A Poured Out Life?
A drink offering was just a small offering at the end of the main offering. When an animal was killed and its blood drained, it would often be consumed in fire. Often a drink offering would be poured out upon this sacrifice or on the ground next to it, as it was being roasted in fire. It topped off the main offering and completed it, but the animal sacrifice was the main thing. Paul is saying that he saw his own toil and sacrifices as just the topping off of their service and sacrifices.
Upon the sacrifice and service of your faith. I take that expression to mean “the sacrifice and service that your faith results in.” Paul’s goal was to build up their faith, so that sacrifice and service would be the direct results. When you think about it, that’s exactly what Paul’s own faith had resulted in. His faith led him to make great sacrifices, and offer untiring service on behalf of Christ’s church. Now Paul is pouring out his life for them, to build their faith to such an extent that they would go and do the same. A true and living faith should result in sacrifice and service!
Let’s take note of other places where Paul sums up his goal for those he was ministering to.
Philippians 1:25, “Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith.” Paul’s goal – Paul wanted their faith to make progress; that is to grow. And he wanted their faith to result in joy. Even though he was laboring to build their faith to the place that it would result in sacrifice and service, he did not want them to do this in a joyless, morbid spirit. He wanted them to experience great joy in their sacrifice and service, just as he did.
2 Corinthians 1:24, “Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.” Paul’s goal – to be a worker with them for their joy. And this joy stems from a faith that stands firm.
Colossians 1:28-29, “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” Paul’s goal – to present every man complete in Christ. In order for that to happen, their faith needed to make progress and grow.
A poured out life is one focused on others, not self. It wants others to grow, thrive, prosper, and glorify God. This is what Paul spent his life doing. When he wasn’t preaching the gospel to the lost, he was building up the church in their faith. Brothers and sisters, that should be a main concern of ourselves as well. Do you desire for God to use you to build up your brothers and sisters? Are you laboring to build up other’s faith? Do you work for other’s joy? Do you want them to have joy in faith? Do you want them to be complete in Christ? If you answered “Yes” to these questions, you are modeling a poured out life.
3. What Is The Result Of A Poured Out Life?
Personal Joy! “I rejoice.” Even though Paul was dedicated to a life of faith which resulted in sacrifice and service, he found joy in it. In fact, I would argue that he found joy because of it. Friends, there is a joy that the world knows nothing about. It is a joy in sacrificing for and serving Christ and others. You might think that a life of sacrifice and service would be a drab and dreary life; a life of gloom and doom; a life of depression and low spirits. But actually, the opposite is the truth.
Have you ever experienced the joy of sacrificing your time, money, and energy to spread the gospel, or demonstrate love to a brother or sister in Christ? Have you ever experienced joy in seeing another believer make spiritual advances because you have poured your life into them? I know that all of you who have been involved in discipling others have experienced this! Have you ever experienced joy in giving financially to a brother who was in great need? Brothers and sisters, we don’t experience joy in spite of sacrifice and service. We experience joy because of it!
Mutual Joy! “And share my joy with you all.” Paul’s joy was overflowing into the lives of others. There was too great a joy for him to enjoy it all by himself. He just had to share his joy with all of them. He must have felt like a fountain of water that sprang up and overflowed its basin until it was spilling all around. And, isn’t that half of the joy – being able to share it with others?!
C. S. Lewis once wrote, “I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation. It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed. It is frustrating to have discovered a new author and not to be able to tell anyone how good he is; to come suddenly, at the turn of the road, upon some mountain valley of unexpected grandeur and then to have to keep silent because the people with you care for it no more than for a tin can in the ditch; to hear a good joke and find no one to share it with.”
And, so it is with joy. Sharing our joy with others, completes the joy. A joy shared with a friend doubles the joy.
“You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.” I think that is why Paul urged the Philippians to share their joy with him. He wanted their joy to be completed and enhanced in the sharing. Not only did Paul want them to rejoice in their sacrifice and service, but to find even greater joy as they shared their joy with one another and with him.
Conclusion
Do you want your Christian life to be full of joy and purpose? This is the path! A poured out life. A life lived to lift others up. In unhealthy churches, the senior pastor or top leader uses the people under him to lift himself up. In a healthy church, the leader(s) stoop to serve the people and lift them up. This is how you can tell whether you can trust and submit to a spiritual leader. Just look at his life and decide whether he is more interested in serving and sacrificing for those in his church, or is he more interested in getting those in his church to serve and sacrifice for him? Ask yourself who benefits in the decisions he makes – himself or his people. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and give His life a ransom for many.
Follow in His footsteps. I exhort you, to pour your life out for Jesus and His people. Look for ways to sacrifice and serve. There is a joy available to you that is far greater than the joys this world can offer! Let’s pray.
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