Lords Supper: Imitating Christ

If you would turn with me to Philippians chapter 2. God's word, Paul writing to the church of Philippi. Chapter 2, we'll read the first 18 verses. So, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form.

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now not only as in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Amen. Well, we're going to take the Lord's Supper, so if the men could come and pass out the drink and the bread. If you're visiting, you're a Christian, you've obeyed the command to believe and be baptized, then we welcome you to partake with us as well.

What a need we have to be reminded about Christ. This is a glorious chapter. You find verse 8, the Lord humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, but he doesn't stop there.

He says even, even death on the cross. Christ didn't just die. The type of death he had was crucifixion.

Severe, severe form of death. Obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. And in this chapter, he just talked about having the mind of Christ.

Well, what stood out to me as I was reading the whole chapter was the end of the chapter, Paul goes to show us a man whose life had taken on the shape of Christ's life. In Epaphroditus, look at, look at verse 25. I've thought it, this is Paul, I've thought it necessary to send to you, Epaphroditus.

I was reading that, I thought, Paul thought it necessary to send Epaphroditus to the Philippians. What that made me think about? It made me think about God, the Father, sending his son. Well, there's a lot with Epaphroditus that kind of points to, Paul and Epaphroditus who kind of could point to God, the Father, and his son.

He sent, he's thought it necessary. And look, we had a great necessity for the Father to send his son. Without the son, we're all toast.

There's no way of salvation. There's no way to have sins forgiven. And God did send his son.

And God planned to send his son before the foundation of the world. And there was an appointed time and the son did come. And we read right there, he humbled himself.

He was found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death. Well, Epaphroditus too, almost died.

Right? He goes on and he says in verse 27, indeed he was ill near to death. Verse 30, Epaphroditus nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life. So Paul sent Epaphroditus to pour himself out for love for this church, and Epaphroditus almost died.

Well, God the Father, he sent his son and it was necessary to send the son. It was the only way. And Christ risked his life, but he did much more than risk his life.

He gave himself for us to redeem us from all sin. Christ didn't nearly die. That was what happened to Epaphroditus.

Christ did die. Look at verse 26. Epaphroditus has been longing for you all.

I mean, if Epaphroditus, just a Christian, has a longing for Christians of Philippi, how much more is Christ and God the Father's longing for you, Christian, for us? We're his bride. Epaphroditus can't say the Philippians are his bride. And if he's longing for them, how much more is God the Father longing for us? And these symbols we're about to partake of, it's just a reminder of God's longing love for us.

And acts of sacrifice like Epaphroditus risking his life to love the Christians, all of these things just point back to what Christ has done. We're just trying to imitate Christ. Risking your life to love a brother or sister or a church, that's just living out the mind of Christ.

That's just doing what he did. There's no greater love than this, than one lay down his life for his brethren. What else here from Epaphroditus? Look at, he was longing for you all and he was distressed.

Why did he get distressed? Because he got sick? What's it say? He got distressed because they found out he was sick. And Epaphroditus felt bad to get pity from them about him being sick. He was so self-forgetting.

And isn't that the same that's exemplified in the person of Jesus Christ? The disciples are denying him and Christ is so self-forgetting he's paying for praying for Peter that his faith not fell. And he is paying for Peter too. Paying for his sin debt on the cross through shedding his blood.

So Epaphroditus is self-forgetting. The church sees it's necessary to send him and he risked his life. That's just his life right there.

Epaphroditus is just a tiny picture of the mind of Christ and what Christ has done right here in the beginning of our chapter that Jonathan read. He humbled himself to the point of death. He wasn't just near death.

He did die and he's got the Lord Jesus is such a longing for you and I Christian. What's one of the letters in the Bible that points to the Lord's longing for us as Christians? It's a book that loves to preach out of. Yeah, Son of Solomon talks there that one look of you towards the Lord and his heart beats faster for you.

That's the imagery it uses. You look into Christ by faith and Christ's heart beats faster for you. If you take it allegorically in Son of Solomon, that's what it's teaching.

And if Epaphroditus is longing here for these Christians, how much more is Christ longing for you, Christian? I don't know what sin you've gone through this week. I don't know what struggles you've had. I don't know what lack of assurance or if your assurance has been stripped away from you this week.

This isn't going to give us assurance. Obviously, this isn't going to save us, but this is a reminder of the one who will give you assurance and the one who has saved you. All we're doing is taking these symbols and being reminded of this great Godman, Jesus Christ.

So let's eat this in remembrance of him. And he gave a cup points to his shed blood. Let's drink this in remembrance of him.

Father, it was necessary to send Epaphroditus or they didn't have to send Epaphroditus. That didn't have to happen for the Philippians, just for all this to happen, for him to be sent. Father, you didn't have to send your son, Lord, you would have been just to have let us get what we deserve.

The infinite wrath, your wrath. In the eternal hell for all of eternity. But father in love, Lord, you have determined to save a people for your own possession.

What word from Titus to a people for your own possession? Lord, you have possessed us. You have taken us as your own. You've gone into this disgusting world.

Your son humbled himself and took the form of a servant and you've saved us who were once your enemies and now we're seated at your table. What love is this? Lord, you in John 17, you desire that we go to be with you where you are or that's the lawning of Epaphroditus. That's what the lawning is like.

You desire for us to be out of this fallen world and in paradise with you. You want that. You're praying for us to come to be with you and we're all we're going to be there some sooner, some later.

But Lord, we thank you for your love for us. Lord, amazing love. How can it be that thou, my God, should die for me? Lord, what can we say? What have you done? Lord, you've done far more than we can even ask or think.

Lord, you've done far more than our little puny minds can even even get our minds around. And so, Lord, thank you for reminding us of your son. Lord, help us to take the form of a servant, to wash each other's feet, to risk our lives for the sake of the gospel.

In Christ's name. Amen.