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Philip: Lessons On Faithful Service - Aaron Cozort - -- · Admonition Podcast

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  Good morning.
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  It's good to have all of you with us this morning, especially our visitors who are with us.
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  We're grateful for your presence and we hope that you will come back and be with us at every opportunity that you have.
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  this morning.
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  We're going to introduce a lesson that we're going to continue this afternoon, so encourage you if you can to plan to be back at 1.30 for the second part of this.
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  But we're going to look at a man who is described in scripture a number of times.
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  He shows up in the text by name a number of times.
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  And yet I think perhaps as we read through the occasions where he's mentioned where he's not referenced by name,
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  We don't give as much attention to understanding and applying what we learn from those texts, so we're gonna try and do that as we go through our lesson this morning and this
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  afternoon.
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  But we're going to discuss Philip and the lessons that he presents to us on faithful service, of course, in his scenario, faithful service as an apostle.
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  Philip is one who is introduced to us initially in John chapter 1.
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  Of course, he shows up by name in all of the gospel records, usually primarily where Jesus calls his apostles to him.
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  But in John chapter 1, we're introduced to him in John's record of the life of Jesus somewhat earlier in the record of the things and the events that are going on.
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  introduced to him in view of the teaching of John the Baptist and the individuals from the city of Beseada who were those who had heard John, who had been aware of what John was
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  teaching and of the coming of the Messiah.
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  So you'll take your Bibles, if you will, and open them to John chapter 1 and let us read about this man.
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  who we know of as Philip.
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  In John chapter one and in verse 40, one of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.
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  As we're in this text, we notice first and foremost that Andrew is mentioned by name.
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  This is one of the individuals, one of two who heard that day
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  John the Baptist say to that crowd, behold the Lamb of God.
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  And Andrew was one who having heard this went to go tell his brother concerning the things which he had heard.
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  Verse 41 says, he first found his own brother Simon, that individual who we later would know as Peter or Cephas.
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  He found his own brother and said to him, have found the Messiah, which is translated the Christ.
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  And he brought him, that is Simon, to Jesus.
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  Now when Jesus looked at him, he said, You are Simon the son of Jonah.
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  You shall be called Cephas, which is translated a stone.
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  The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and he found Philip and said to him, Follow me.
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  Now Philip was from Beseada, the city of Andrew and Peter.
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  You'll notice here that from this same city, from Beseada, you have these three young men, these three young Jewish men who were all listening to John.
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  They were aware of the teaching of John the Baptist.
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  They were aware of the one who was
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  crying out as he spoke concerning himself in the wilderness that the Lord was coming.
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  So when John pointed out Jesus, Andrew who was present on that occasion goes to his brother, goes to Simon and he says, we found them.
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  The one that John's been telling us about, you might remember John said of Jesus that there's one coming who's
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  sandal straps I'm not even worthy to loose.
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  There's one who is going to become greater and I am going to become lesser.
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  He said clearly to those who would question him, are you the Messiah?
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  He said, I'm not that Messiah.
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  But rather he came to declare his coming.
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  So Andrew and Peter and Philip were all looking for the Messiah to come.
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  And we read there in the text that Jesus comes to Philip and he says, follow me.
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  There are a number of things that we're going to see as we go through the text, but the very first one is this, that Philip is going to be an example of faithfulness in following
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  Jesus.
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  From the time that Jesus called him,
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  Until the very end of Jesus' life and into the time of the church, Philip will follow Jesus.
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  but then consider as well.
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  that when Philip is going to be called to follow Jesus, he's not going to follow by himself.
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  As you go down through the text, you read in verse 44, now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
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  Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, we have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
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  And Nathaniel said to him, can anything good come out of Nazareth?
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  Philip said to him, come and see.
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  As you think concerning Philip, as you examine the lessons from the life of this individual, you notice that first and foremost he was not only one who was faithful in
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  following Jesus, but he was unwilling to keep that responsibility to follow Jesus to himself.
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  knowing the desire of Nathaniel to see the Messiah, knowing the desire of Nathaniel to be obedient to God, he comes to Nathaniel and says, found him.
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  And it's Jesus of Nazareth.
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  Now the thing is,
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  When you said someone was from Nazareth, that was usually a dig.
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  That was usually saying this person is unlearned, uneducated, unruly, this person is of ill repute, this person is not worth anything.
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  He's from Nazareth.
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  So Nathaniel responds, can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
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  you know some places have a reputation and some places earn their reputation.
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  It is the city of Nazareth that when Jesus goes back to that city, goes back to that synagogue, and there in the tabernacle, or there in the synagogue on that Sabbath day
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  declares to them that the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy has come to pass and they have seen it with their own eyes, that the Messiah has arrived.
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  They will attempt to escort him to a high bluff and throw him off.
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  That's the city of Nazareth.
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  So, Nathaniel says, can any good thing come out of Nazareth faced with pushback?
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  Philip just simply says, come and see.
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  Philip is not bothered by the fact that Nathaniel is not as excited about the news as he is.
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  Rather, he desires Nathaniel to come and be convinced himself.
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  He is faithful in bringing his companions to Christ.
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  But then you consider he is also faithful in following the law and the prophets.
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  Notice again what he said to Nathaniel.
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  Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, we have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote.
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  Philip didn't come to Nathaniel and said, I feel like...
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  This is the Messiah.
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  I know in my heart this is, it's not what he said.
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  Philip came to Nathaniel and said, we have found the one of whom the Scriptures spoke.
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  As far as Philip and Nathaniel were concerned, if the Word of God had said it, that settled it.
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  If it was the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, then it was right, and it didn't matter who agreed with it.
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  Philip is one who teaches us a lesson about faithfulness to the very Word of God.
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  That when the Word of God declares something to be true, when it declares something to be right, when it identifies who the Messiah is, that is the end of the discussion.
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  Philip didn't care what the chief priests said.
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  Philip didn't care what the Pharisees said.
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  Philip didn't care what the Sadducees said.
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  Philip didn't care what those leaders in Jerusalem said.
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  Philip didn't care what those of his own synagogue said.
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  Philip cared what the Word of God said.
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  And his message to Nathaniel is, found the one of whom they spoke.
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  But then if you will, turn over to Matthew chapter 10.
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  On another occasion we are introduced in another of the Gospels to Philip.
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  And I can tell you right now we're not getting out of Matthew 10 for the rest of the lesson.
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  So if you want to be introduced to the rest of the record of Philip's life, you got to come back at 1.30.
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  Matthew chapter 10 we read as the verses open, and when he had called his twelve disciples to him, he gave them power over unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal all kinds of
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  sickness and all kinds of disease.
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  Now the names of the twelve apostles were these.
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  First, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother.
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  Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus and Lebius, whose surname was Thaddeus, Simon the Canite, and Judas Iscariot, who also
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  betrayed him.
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  As the list of the twelve is given, you find here that Jesus is going to give these twelve responsibility.
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  But first, he calls them to service.
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  As you go through the text, you find, for instance, there in John chapter 1, the record of Jesus saying to Philip, follow me.
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  If you go through other texts, you find the record of Jesus saying to Andrew and to Peter, follow me.
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  You find the record of Jesus going to James and to John as they're mending their father's nets from their fishing service that he says, follow me, and they drop their nets and they
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  go.
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  You find the record of Jesus saying to Matthew as he is sitting there at the tax collector's table, come and follow me.
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  And Matthew will actually even throw a dinner for Jesus and introduce those who were in his sphere of influence to Jesus and then go and follow him.
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  But Philip is faithful in his answer to Jesus' call.
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  There will be those who will come to Jesus at times and they will come to Jesus and say, let me be one of your disciples.
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  Let me follow you.
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  and to them Jesus would say,
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  There's no one who putting his hand to the plow and then turning back can be faithful in the service of God.
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  There would be those who would come to Jesus and say, allow me to be your disciple, let me first go bury my father.
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  And Jesus would say, let the dead bury the dead.
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  Come and follow me.
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  There would be those who through the period of Jesus' ministry would express the desire to do what Philip did.
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  The difference is that Philip did it and was faithful.
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  Then consider verses 5 through 7.
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  As Jesus is going to give these instructions to these twelve whom He has called, those who have just been named, Jesus is going to begin to give them instructions on what they were
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  to do, and considering that the picture of Philip all throughout the text is faithfulness in the things which he was doing, in the things that he was called to, we can assume that
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  what Jesus told him to do is what he did.
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  And so as we consider the remainder of Matthew chapter 10, we're going to learn some lessons about the life of Philip by the instructions that Jesus gave concerning what their
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  life would entail.
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  Beginning in verse 5, find that Jesus will instruct Philip to be faithful to preach to his own nation.
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  In chapter 10 and verse 5, these 12 Jesus sent out and commanded them saying,
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  Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
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  And as you go, preach, saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
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  As Jesus sends out these 12, he says to them specifically, don't go to the Gentiles.
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  The Jews would be of a mindset to say, we're the people of God.
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  We're the children of God.
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  We're the sons of Abraham.
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  And then there's everyone else who's lost.
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  And yet when Jesus sends Philip out together with the other 11, he doesn't send them to the Gentiles.
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  He doesn't send them to the pagans.
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  He doesn't send them to the farthest reaches of the world.
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  He sends them to their own nation.
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  He goes so far as to say, don't even go to the Samaritans.
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  Don't go to the city of the Samaritans.
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  Don't go there.
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  You go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
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  That group of people that were supposed to be the flock of God, that group of people that God had already sent John the Baptist to,
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  that the whole nation had come out to hear John and to be baptized of John, be baptized for the repentance for the remission of sins and anticipation of the kingdom, and yet
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  Jesus still calls them lost.
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  Jesus sends Philip to his own nation.
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  Now it's...
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  worthy of praise when individuals are willing to sacrifice to go to live amongst people who are not their own, who are not of their nation, who are not of their nationality, who
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  are not of their background, and not of their culture, and to reach them with the gospel.
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  That's to be applauded.
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  But sometimes we're of a mindset that the people who are lost are the people who are not like us.
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  that the people we're willing to talk to and the people we're willing to teach are the people who aren't the people who we grew up with.
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  Who aren't from the culture that we have.
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  And Jesus was not willing to have that be the mindset of the apostles.
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  For Jesus said, no, you go to your own people.
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  You go to your own villages.
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  You go to your own families.
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  You go to your own nation.
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  And you preach the gospel to them.
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  But then you consider as well that not only was Philip faithful to preach to his own nation, but he was faithful in blessing others.
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  who were willing to hear the gospel message.
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  As Jesus would send them out, Jesus would instruct them.
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  Verse 8, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons, freely you have received, freely give.
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  As Jesus sends out the disciples, as He sends out the apostles two by two into the cities and the villages where He would then follow,
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  Jesus tells them, go out into these cities and you don't charge them anything for the good that you're going to do them.
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  You didn't receive these gifts through the wages that you paid to earn them.
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  You didn't receive these gifts and these abilities through some great deed that you have done.
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  You received them free of charge.
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  You received them freely and as you have received, so you are to give.
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  But consider as well, he says, provide neither gold nor silver nor copper nor in your money belts.
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  nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staves, for a worker is worthy of his food." Jesus isn't going to say you accept nothing.
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  He says you're going to charge nothing.
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  And then He says, now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy and stay there till you go out.
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  And when you go into a household, greet it.
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  If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it.
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  But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you." Jesus instructs Philip and the other eleven to go forth into these cities, to go into a village, to find a house, and
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  there, if they are received, if they are welcomed, if they are sheltered, if that house is willing to, that household is willing to take them in and allow that to become the base of
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  their teaching, then they're to bless that house.
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  They are to greet.
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  That's what the idea of greeting means.
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  They are to bring a blessing to that house.
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  Philip was one who was faithful in blessing others who were willing to hear and support the message of the gospel.
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  For Philip carried out the very commands of Christ.
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  But then you consider verse 14.
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  Philip was also one who was watchful for betrayal from those who should have been his allies.
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  Philip is going to be warned as the other apostles will.
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  Not everyone is going to hear.
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  And there will be those who will simply refuse and then there will be those who though they claim to be the children of God, though they claim to be the sons of Abraham, though
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  they claim to be of the seed of David, they will turn against you.
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  Notice what we read beginning in verse 14.
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  Whoever will not receive you nor hear your words when you depart from that house or city shake off the dust from your feet.
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  Assuredly I say to you it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
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  Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.
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  Now remember, he's not sending them to the Gentiles.
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  He's not sending them to the city of Rome.
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  He's not sending them into the very den of the heart of the Roman Empire.
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  No, he's sending them to the villages and to the cities of the Jews.
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  And Jesus says, I'm sending you to work amongst the wolves.
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  Jesus wasn't confused about his own nation.
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  He wasn't confused about his own people.
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  He wasn't confused about their actions, their temperament, or their allegiances.
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  Jesus says, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.
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  Therefore be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves, but beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils
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  and scourge you in their synagogues.
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  Jesus warns them.
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  of those individuals who they encounter.
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  who seemingly at the first will be those who will be their allies.
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  Those who they would think, you know what, surely this person, this upstanding citizen of this great city of the Israelite nation, surely this group will hear our message.
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  And he says, you watch out for these people.
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  You be on your guard, for they will deliver you to their councils and they will scourge you in their synagogues.
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  The place where they're supposed to be teaching the Word of God.
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  The place where they're supposed to be receiving God's message and
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  praying for the benefit of their own nation, the place where they're supposed to be learning what God would have them to do.
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  He says they will turn that into a place to beat you and discourage you and to cause offense against you and threaten your very life.
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  But then consider also that Philip was one who was faithful in trusting God in the face of threats.
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  Jesus is going to tell his disciples to go out.
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  Jesus is going to send them out and Jesus is going to tell them, I'm going to send you into the midst of wolves.
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  And you're going to have to be watching.
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  You're going to have to be looking out for danger because there will be those who will hate you for your message.
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  But verse 18 says, you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
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  But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak, for it will be given you in that hour what you should speak.
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  For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
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  Now brother will deliver up brother to death.
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  and a father his child and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death and you will be hated by all for my name's sake but he who endures to the end
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  will be saved
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  when Philip and the other 11 hear this from Jesus.
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  They don't do what I think probably some of us in other circumstances, if we had heard the same thing, would have done.
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  As a matter of fact, Jesus, I was really thinking I have something else to do.
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  I have somewhere else that I need to be.
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  As it sounds like this is not going to be a very pleasant experience, I think it's important for me to relocate.
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  That's not what Philip says.
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  Philip doesn't say to Jesus, if this is what being your disciple involves, thanks, but no.
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  Philip doesn't say, um, Jesus, do you really mean?
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  that they're going to put us on trial?
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  That they're going to take us and they're going to put us and make us an example to the Gentiles?
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  Do you really mean that they're going to take those who we teach and they're going to kill them?
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  Now are we helping or are hurting our people?
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  Here we are trying to bring them the message and here are these people trying to kill them for it.
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  He doesn't say any of those things.
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  Philip, as an example of faithfulness in trusting God, receives not only the instruction to go out, not only the warning concerning what he's going to encounter, but the
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  willingness to allow God to be in control.
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  because Jesus is going to tell them when they do this to you, not if, by the way, not in the far reaches of possibility, in the small potential that it might happen, no, no, no,
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  no, no.
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  Jesus says, when this occurs.
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  Don't worry about what you're gonna say.
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  For it will be given to you in that very hour what you will say.
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  Jesus doesn't even leave the potential that it won't happen.
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  but he sends them out as he sends Philip and the others out with the trust that they'll never be alone when it happens because God will be with them.
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  But then consider as well, verses 23 through verse 32, that Philip is going to be faithful to the message.
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  Verse 23, when they persecute you in this city, flee to another one.
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  For assuredly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
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  Jesus says, I'm sending you out, and I'll be coming.
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  But if they start persecuting you here, leave.
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  Wait a minute, does that mean we don't teach the people who are there?
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  Does mean we don't care about the people who are there because we've found some resistance?
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  No.
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  but be prudent.
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  If they're attacking you there, go somewhere else.
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  And you won't run out of cities before I come.
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  He then says to them, a disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.
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  It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher and a servant that he be like his master.
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  If they had called the master of the house Beelzebub, or how much more will they call those of his household?
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  Not so far separated in the text, the Pharisees had started to accuse Jesus who,
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  had cast out demons as doing so by the power of Satan.
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  They have accused him of using the power of Satan to do these things.
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  And Jesus says, if they've called me Beelzebub, know what they're going to call you to.
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  He says, verse 26, therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.
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  Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light.
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  And what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.
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  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
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  but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
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  Jesus, as He sends these apostles out, as He sends out Philip and as Philip goes forth, He goes forth with the message being told, what I've told you in secret, you tell openly.
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  Now that's not usually how people do it.
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  They usually have two sets of messages.
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  Here's the one that we say in public, and here's the things that we don't tell people.
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  Many a mother has looked at a child and says, you don't have to say everything you know.
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  But Jesus tells His apostles, those things that I've told you privately?
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  You go tell them open.
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  Jesus is making it clear that He is not trying to secretly gain power.
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  He is trying to openly teach souls.
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  He says, the things which you heard in the ear, you go shout from the rooftop.
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  You don't selectively pick a few people to teach.
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  You declare the message to all who are willing to hear.
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  You set this in contrast to the actions of the Pharisees, to the actions of the Sadducees, to the actions of the chief priests who would collude in private, who would hold
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  themselves to one standard and the people to another.
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  Jesus says you don't be like them.
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  you be faithful to the message.
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  He says, rather do not fear them.
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  Do not fear him who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul, verse 28, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
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  Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin and not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will?
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  For the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
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  Do not fear, therefore, you are of more value than many sparrows.
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  Therefore, whoever confesses me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven.
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  Jesus sends them out with a message.
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  Jesus sends them out with a declaration and Jesus says, not be intimidated into silence.
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  and don't change the message for the sake of your life.
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  Rather fear Him who if you alter His message can bring about your condemnation.
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  and he reminds them that the one who confesses Him before man, he says, I'll confess before my Father who is in heaven.
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  And the one who denies me before man, I'll deny him before my Father who is in heaven.
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  Jesus is going to give Philip the responsibility of the message which he would bear and of not changing it and of not altering it and of being faithful to it and Philip will do
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  exactly that.
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  Then consider verse 33, Jesus will say, but whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my father who is in heaven.
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  Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth.
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  I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
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  For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
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  And a man's enemies will be those of his own household.
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  He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.
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  And he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me."
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  Philip will be faithful in dividing people with the truth.
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  You say, wait a minute, I thought truth was supposed to unite people.
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  it does.
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  If they'll hear it and accept it and obey it.
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  But if they reject it, it always divides people.
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  Well, wait a minute, I want my family to be unified.
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  I want the people who I know and love to get along.
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  Jesus says they're not going to.
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  if you tell them the truth.
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  and you're going to tell them the truth.
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  Jesus here will quote Malachi.
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  That very last Old Testament prophet, as we have them ordered in our Old Testaments, you find Malachi telling Israel that there's one who's coming who's going to divide the
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  nation.
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  that is going to separate the very families in the very fabric of their nation.
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  And Jesus says, I'm that one.
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  And so will you be.
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  There are those who want to proclaim the message so long as nobody's offended.
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  There are those that want to proclaim the message so long as nobody's offended by the message.
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  Nobody's bothered by the message.
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  So long as no one has to get their feathers ruffled by the message.
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  And Jesus said, that's not my message.
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  As a matter of fact, when you examine what Jesus said, Jesus said, that's not even why I came.
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  Jesus said, I didn't come him to bring peace, but a sword.
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  Now does that mean that Jesus is arming His disciples, making sure that they've got their sword, their spear, and all of their armaments so they can go out and threaten the lives
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  of people who will not be obedient to their teaching?
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  No.
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  Jesus told them, you don't take a sword.
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  You don't take any weapons of defense.
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  You take a message.
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  And that very sword of the Word of God that Paul will write about will divide people because it will cut to their heart.
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  and Philip will be faithful in dividing people.
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  as you think concerning Philip.
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  you think about this last statement that Jesus makes.
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  and the faithfulness of Philip to go out with the other apostles and do exactly what he was sent to do.
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  Verse 38, Jesus says, and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
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  Philip was faithful in service.
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  He was faithful because he answered the call.
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  He was faithful because he declared the message.
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  He declared it to his own people.
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  He declared it to his own nation.
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  He declared it to those who would threaten his life and those who would be blessed by it.
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  He declared it to those who would hate him for it.
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  and call him all manner of evil things because of it.
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  And yet, he was faithful.
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  When you examine the kind of people that God calls us to be, when you examine what it means to be a Christian, a disciple of Christ, look at Philip and look at what he was.
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  If you're here this morning and you're outside the body of Christ,
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  Jesus told Philip to declare a message, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
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  He also sent the disciples out to preach baptism for the remission of sins because the kingdom of heaven was at hand.
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  The difference is now we preach baptism for the remission of sins because the kingdom has come.
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  If you're here this morning and you're outside the body of Christ, if you desire to be a follower of Jesus,
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  know this from the life of Philip.
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  It's going to cost you something and it's going to require faithfulness.
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  If you have need of the invitation of Christ, why not come forward now as we stand and as we sing.