Sermon for Trinity 20, October 11, 2026
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
Philippians 2:19-30 19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20To be sure, I have no one else like him, who will be genuinely concerned about your welfare. 21For, the others all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22But you know Timothy’s proven character, that as a child for his father, he served with me in the gospel. 23So he is the one I hope to send just as soon as I see how things go with me. 24But I have confidence in the Lord that I myself will be coming soon too. 25I also considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as the one you sent to serve me in my need. 26I sent him because he was longing for all of you and was distressed, because you had heard that he was sick. 27As a matter of fact, he was sick, nearly to death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28Now I am especially eager to send him, so that you may rejoice when you see him again, and I may be relieved. 29Therefore, receive him in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard, 30because he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life in order to fill in what was lacking in your service to me. (EHV)
Let your joy in Christ be evident in your life.
Dear fellow redeemed,
On old adage tells us that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach the man to fish, you feed him for life. That saying may well serve as an analogy of the Christian life. As Christians, if we tell others how to live and pass laws to direct good behavior, we might well influence life for the short time we are in the world. On the other hand, when we devote ourselves to teaching the full counsel of God including both law and Gospel then devote ourselves faithfully to serving others, we give them so much more, as we bring to them a life that never ends. We are not just feeding them for a day but giving them the bread of eternal life which is Christ Jesus.
Paul’s letter to the Philippians is sometimes called his “letter of joy,” for in it he repeatedly expresses his joy in Christ Jesus and his encouragement to rejoice in what Jesus has done for us. In other words, he would say, Let your joy in Christ be evident in your life.
This Church year, our sermons have been taking us through a review of the Small Catechism. Today’s sermon brings us into the midst of what Luther called our Table of Duties. It lists the service Christians provide in the home, church, and community with our focus this morning on congregational life. This portion of Paul’s letter demonstrates the concern Christians have for each other. The people of Philippi had shown their concern for Paul by sending Epaphroditus to aid Paul in his ministry. Paul was likewise concerned about the congregation he had started in Philippi. The concern and care was obvious in both directions when they Let their joy in Christ be evident.
Now, Paul was eager to learn about the conditions in that congregation, and the congregation at Philippi was eager for news about the servant they had sent to Paul after learning how close that man had come to death while helping Paul who was at that time under house arrest in Rome. So, what does this all mean for you and me?
This morning, we have an excellent example of parents caring for their children. Not under compulsion, but because of their love and care for their newborn sons, we have two boys brought into the Lord’s family through the washing and Word of Baptism. Therefore, with this baptism of two dearly loved children, God demonstrated His love, for we know that in Baptism, “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5-7)
Now, to all parents out here, I will say, being a parent gives you an awesome, essential, rewarding, and yes, sometimes thankless job. As in our analogy, you might assume that your job is to raise your children to be law abiding citizens, and that would be a good thing in a world that is so often troubled by lawlessness. Yet, that serves your children for just the present day.
For those parents who truly love their children, teaching law leaves a gap. No matter how well anyone ever obeys the law, death still comes calling in the end. Paul wrote to the Roman congregation, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) Yes, a person might live to a ripe old age, but the end is the same. However, Christ Jesus did not give up His life on the cross just so that we might look like good people. He suffered and died so that we would be holy, righteous, and acceptable to His Father in heaven, and thus, that we would live with Him forever in heaven. But how?
That is where the Christian community comes into play. Starting right here at home, we have the duty to teach the world about Jesus, who explained, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.” (John 14:6) Furthermore, our duty is not burdensome but a true joy to be able to do those things that lead other sinners to the cross of Jesus where they will find peace with God, forgiveness of sin, and life everlasting, because the Gospel declares that “the undeserved gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
How could anyone consider this joyous task a burden? Yet, as Paul pointed out, “the others all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.” Many around Paul thought first about themselves. Indeed, that is our human nature, our old sinful Adam, coming to the forefront. However, as the Holy Spirit works faith in us and motivates us to share the gift of salvation with those we love, that sharing no longer feels like work, but rather, a blessing that encourages both us and them.
In that new Christian Church all those centuries ago, there was a far different character than is evident in so much of the world, both then and now. In the world, the self always tries to rule. Yet, here in Paul’s letter, we see how the Christians demonstrated their care and concern for each other. The Philippians sent help to Paul, and when that help suffered grievously, they expressed their love and concern for him. Paul, likewise, showed his concern, both in regard to the conditions under which the Philippians had to endure much struggle in a pagan world, and in his care for his fellow minister. He said, “I also considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as the one you sent to serve me in my need. I sent him because he was longing for all of you and was distressed, because you had heard that he was sick.”
Do any of you ever wonder if anyone cares about you? That feeling is exceedingly common among the youth of our day, but it isn’t unusual in older generations. The truth is, the world and the devil who controls so many souls in it, not only doesn’t care about you, but Satan is actively seeking to destroy you. Thus, we battle every day to Let your joy in Christ be evident in your life.
In contrast to the world and the devil’s malicious hoard, the Lord our God has sworn, “I will never forget you. Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15-16) Therefore, being connected with the Lord Jesus by faith, your Christian friends are deeply concerned for your eternal welfare. That is why they give offerings so that the Gospel continues to be preached. It is why our prayer list grows longer seemingly every week. It is also why sometimes, we must go to a fellow believer and point out sin and neglect of faith, not because we are trying to lord it over anyone, but because our love for others in Christ Jesus compels us.
It is a great joy to us and to God above when we get to see the burden of guilt lifted from a fellow believer, because Jesus said, “I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7) Therefore, we say, come in, come in and receive the forgiveness of our Lord and the everlasting life He gives through faith.
Why do we want to show our concern for our friends and neighbors? For the Christian, it isn’t because the law commands it. Rather, we feel the grace of God at work within us. We rejoice at the opportunity to serve the Lord who brought us forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) We gladly offer prayers to our God on behalf of others, because He promises through His apostle, James, “The prayer of a righteous person is able to do much because it is effective.” (James 5:16) We rejoice that Jesus boldly stated, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14)
God calls us to pray, praise, and give thanks, because He loves rewarding faithful people. He tells us to go out into the highways and byways of life in order to invite more and more lost souls into the glorious wedding banquet of heaven, and as we saw pictured in the Gospel lesson this morning, our Savior provides the perfect wedding clothes by covering us with His righteousness given to those who believe in Him. Furthermore, when teaching against worry, Jesus declared, “Do not be afraid, little flock, because your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)
Dear friends, most of us would have to admit that there are many times we feel the burden of our guilt. Even worse, we know there is much more sin on our resume than we could ever know. Indeed, the psalmist pleaded with the Lord, “Who can recognize his own errors? Declare me innocent of hidden sins.” (Psalm 19:12) And again we read, “If you, Lord, kept a record of guilt, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is pardon, so you are feared.” (Psalm 130:3-4) I tell you, come and hear the glory of God for He gave His Son, Jesus, into life and death to rescue us from everlasting torment and darkness. Jesus lived to give you His perfect holiness, He died so that your sins would be washed away and forgotten. He has risen from the dead and now lives in glory in heaven with all things in heaven and earth under His authority, so that you may Let your joy in Christ be evident in your life. Amen.
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and in his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and establish you in every good work and word. Amen.