Christ is Enough

INTRODUCTION

The story is told about a pilot who always looked down intently on a certain valley in the Appalachians when the plane passed overhead. One day his co-pilot asked, “What’s so interesting about that spot?” The pilot replied, “See that stream? Well, when I was a kid I used to sit down there on a log and fish. Every time an airplane flew over, I would look up and wish I were flying... Now I look down and wish I were fishing.”

It is always tempting to think that others have it better than we do, and that if we just had “a little more” everything would be fine. But contentment cannot be achieved by increasing possessions. Nothing will ever be enough.

Over the last 14 weeks we have been studying the book of Philippians. Our theme has been, “Joy in all of life’s circumstances.”

Though Paul wrote this letter from prison, facing the possibility of death for preaching the gospel, he displayed perfect peace and joy through his trust and confidence in God.

Today, we finish this book, and Paul closes his letter by emphasizing how “Christ is Enough.”

He shows how the Philippians can have contentment no matter what they face in life, as they center their lives on Christ.

Open your Bibles with me to the book of Philippians, chapter 4.

We will be going through verses 10—23 this morning.

The first thing we will see Paul emphasize is…

1. Christ-Centered Contentment

Philippians 4:10–11 ESV

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

EXPLAIN

The Philippians had been supporting Paul, but for some reason they had ceased to do so for a time. Paul says they “had no opportunity.” Something prevented them from giving to him, but it wasn’t because they were no longer concerned for him.

Now at last they were able to support Paul financially again, and Paul rejoices in the Lord, recognizing that it was by His hand.

However, Paul then says he didn’t need it. He doesn’t want to the Philippians to think that his relationship with them is based on their giving.

He wasn’t asking for their help. He wasn’t counting on it. Their giving to him was not out of any sense of obligation to Paul, but freely given by them, and Paul is careful to not imply that he expects them to continue supporting him.

Paul didn’t need their money because he had learned to be content no matter what his circumstances were.

He goes on to say…

v. 12

Philippians 4:12 ESV

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

Paul says, I’ve learned how to be content no matter what situation I’m in.

Whether I have much or little, whether I’m well-fed or hungry, I am content.

I’ve learned the secret! WHAT IS IT???

Philippians 4:13 ESV

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul had a CHRIST-CENTERED CONTENTMENT.

He is saying, Christ helps me in every circumstance.

I depend on Him. I trust Him.

He has allowed whatever has come into my life, and because of that, I know that He will give me the strength to get through.

APPLY

I’m not saying anything new when I say, we struggle to be content.

We tend to get caught looking ahead to the future, where we think we will be content.

The problem is that it our definition of contentment is a moving target.

This is described well in a poem by Jason Lehman, called…

Poem “Present Tense” — Jason Lehman

It was spring, but it was summer I wanted, the warm days, and the great outdoors.

It was summer, but it was fall I wanted, the colorful leaves, and the cool, dry air.

It was fall, but it was winter I wanted, the beautiful snow, and the joy of the holiday season.

It was now winter, but it was spring I wanted, the warmth, and the blossoming of nature.

I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted, the freedom, and the respect.

I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted, to be mature, and sophisticated.

I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted, the youth, and the free spirit.

I was retired, but it was middle age that I wanted, the presence of mind, without limitations.

My life was over, but I never got what I wanted.

If we are looking for our contentment in the circumstances around us, then we will never reach it!

At the end of our lives we will realize that we were looking for contentment in all the wrong places.

We must strive for Christ-Centered Contentment!

How do we do this?

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is the answer to that question.

Let’s do a quick overview of some of the highlights of the book of Philippians!

One way to have a Christ-Centered Contentment is too…

a. Know Who You Are in Christ

Philippians 1:1 “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:”

We find our identity in Christ. We have received forgiveness for our sins and new life because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

We have been justified, saved from the penalty of sin.

We are being sanctified, saved from the power of sin.

We will be glorified, saved from the presence of sin.

Another way Paul encourages the Philippians to have a Christ-Centered Contentment is to…

b. Trust in God’s Sovereignty

Philippians 1:12 “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,”

Paul realizes that God has a reason for everything that God allows.

for us to have a Christ centred contentment, we must realize that…

God is in control of all circumstances which come in our lives. EVERYTHING GOOD OR BAD!

Job Illustration?????

Another way that we strive for Christ-Centered Contentment is to…

c. Seek to Honour Christ in All Circumstances

Philippians 1:20 “as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.”

No matter what was to come in Paul’s life, he desired to honour Christ.

Christ Himself is our example in being willing to give Himself up as a sacrifice for us.

Another way for us to strive for Christ-Centered Contentment is to…

d. Understand the Surpassing Worth of Christ

Philippians 3:8 “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”

Paul understood the value of Jesus. He was willing to give up everything!

One more way we strive for Christ-Centered Contentment is by…

e. Press On Toward the Goal

Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

Paul knew that there is something far greater for us in eternity, that the earthly things of this world do not even compare with.

When we truly understand all of the implications of the gospel, we realize that this world is not the IT we are looking for.

As believers we need to be reminded of these things often, because our memories are short. We are easily distracted by the things of this world.

This is why it is so important for us to be in the word of God every single day!

When our focus is on Christ, he strengthens us to be content no matter our circumstances here on earth.

The second thing Paul emphasizes in our text this morning is the importance of…

2. Christ-Centered Partnerships

Philippians 4:14–16 ESV

Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.

EXPLAIN

The Philippians were the first church to support him in the beginning of his ministry.

One of the reasons Paul is sending this letter to the Philippians is in response to them sending him a financial gift.

Their financial support to Paul was not because they were a wealthy church!

Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, uses the Philippians church as an example of how the Corinthians ought to give.

Let’s read…

2 Corinthians 8:1–2 ESV

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.

When we think of people being generous, affliction and poverty is not the combination we would expect.

We would expect Paul to say, in a season of blessing, a strong economy, and extreme wealth they gave generously.

However that is not the case. Even amidst suffering, their joy in Christ prevailed in a gesture of generosity that can only be described by Paul as the grace of God.

He continues…

2 Corinthians 8:3–5 (ESV)

For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Here we see a few principles for their giving.

2 Corinthians 8:3–5 (ESV)

For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

a. They gave according to their means.

GIving is relative to what each person has.

2 Corinthians 8:3–5 (ESV)

For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

b. They gave beyond their means.

Giving is sacrificial.

2 Corinthians 8:3–5 (ESV)

For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

c. They gave of their own accord.

Giving is voluntary.

2 Corinthians 8:3–5 (ESV)

For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

d. They were begging for the opportunity to help the poor saints in Jerusalem.

Giving has an earthly purpose.

2 Corinthians 8:3–5 (ESV)

For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

e. They gave themselves to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Giving is an act of worship first and foremost to God, and is motivated by our devotion to Him.

It is the Philippians’ Christ-Centered Partnership that Paul seeks to honour.

Paul recognizes that they are not merely giving from an earthly perspective, but that they are storing up treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy; where thieves do not break in and steal.

Their sacrificial giving has eternal value!

APPLY

As believers in Christ, we to need to strive for Christ-Centered Partnerships.

We as a church want to give glory to God for your generous support of the work of God through LEMC over the years.

Last year we celebrated 30 years since this church has been shining the light of Christ in this community.

The reason this church is still here is because of the many people, some who have come and gone, who have been sacrificially giving in partnership with the mission of this church.

I was talking with Annie Berg, our treasurer, and I mentioned to her that I had been thinking about how much money has been given to LEMC over the 30 years that it has been here.

I did not figure that out, but she did put together for me the giving reports over the last 6 years, and in the last 6 years alone, you have donated…

2017—2022 $2,165,412.70!

That is absolutely incredible!

That money has been used for…

We thank you for partnering with us as we seek to be faithful to fill the earth with the glory of the Lord!

It would be really easy for me at this point to stop here and not ask you to give more.

Because there’s many different opinions about money, and many misconceptions about the church and how it asks for and uses money.

And if we’re being honest, there have been churches and leaders who have misused money, so we are right to question the integrity of any church or organization that we would consider giving money to.

But we must talk about money! It is something Jesus talked a lot about in His life and ministry, and it is in our text this morning.

Paul is praising the Philippians for their Christ-Centred Partnership.

They could have used their money to give to anything they wanted,

Yet they chose to partner with Paul for the advancement of God’s kingdom.

That was a willing sacrifice on their part to make an eternal investment.

This willingness to give was because of their gratitude for the grace of God in their lives.

They had been saved by God’s grace when He gave Paul the vision to go bring the gospel to them.

This gratitude overflowed into their giving as they desired to help Paul bring the gospel to others.

They realized no investment of their money was greater than the eternal investment of souls spending eternity in heaven with God.

Who are we partnering with as far as our money is concerned?

Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Ford, Walmart, Amazon…

All of these partnerships, bring very short term satisfaction. sometimes as little as five or 10 minutes, or, however, long it takes you to drink your coffee.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:19-21…

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Philippians got that, and we need to as well.

This involves sacrifice on our part, because when we give money away, that means we will not be able to use it for things we want.

But it becomes a willing desire because we are looking forward to…

3. Christ-Centered Rewards

Philippians 4:17–18 ESV

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.

EXPLAIN

Paul is grateful to the Philippians for the gift that they have given him, but he again wants them to know that his biggest concern is not what he gets out of it. His greatest concern is what they get out of it.

Paul here recognizes that their gift to him is ultimately an offering/sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.

Then Paul goes on to say…

Philippians 4:19 ESV

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Since their financial gift to Paul was actually an offering to God, Paul expresses his confidence that God was going to provide for their needs.

Jesus said in…

Luke 6:38 (ESV)

give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

APPLY

This is not some prosperity gospel, where we are trying to coax you into giving with the promise that God will bless you.

There is no guarantee of material blessings in this life.

Giving to God is not to be compared to some sort of earthly investment, where you invest on the front end, but there is promising yields on the other end.

But Scripture talks over and over again about God’s faithfulness to take care of His people when they trust HIm.

When we talk about giving, we bring up the word: TITHE.

What is tithing?

1st tenth — paid for “government

2nd tenth — paid for festivals

3rd tenth (every 3 years) — distributed to poor.

Essentially 23 1/3 % every year.

It was essentially a tax in the the OT.

This is NOT freewill giving.

In the NT this idea is the same.

Matthew 22:21 (ESV)

They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Romans 13:6 ESV

For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.

Tithing is a fixed amount, which we would consider in our day a form of taxation.

It is the way that we pay taxes to our government today.

This is not freewill giving.

Freewill Giving to God has always been, and will always be voluntary.

You decide what amount you want to give to God.

But we must understand that the principal for giving.

Paul explains this principle in…

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 (ESV)

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

God blesses the giver based on the amount. He keeps very careful records.

You want a small return, then give a small amount.

You want a big return, then give a large amount.

Again, we are not talking about a prosperity gospel…

This is not a formula to get rich. Because the basic idea is, that God will bless a generous person with more money, because they will be more generous!

At the core of the issue, we have to understand that everything is God’s.

Everything you have is from God, and He has entrusted you to use it in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Jesus tells a parable to help us understand this concept.

THE PARABLE OF THE DISHONEST MANAGER

Luke 16:1–13 (ESV)

He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’

This manager had been taking advantage of his boss, and was now being fired for his dishonesty.

And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’

This manager realizes that he doesn’t have any skills to offer anyone else, so he hatches a plan, so that other people will help and support him. once he is fired

So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’

Before handing in his accounts to his boss, he gives each of these creditors a discount so they will feel a sense of obligation to help him later on.

The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

Even though his manager was dishonest, the rich man acknowledges “that was pretty clever.”

Jesus here, acknowledges that the people of this world are pretty clever in dealing with one another so that they are benefitted during this lifetime.

But Jesus calls on believers to use money, not for the fleeting pleasures of this life, becuase they will fail, but for the advancement of the gospel, so that those who come to know Christ because of your use of God’s money will joyfully welcome you into eternal dwellings!

We may never know who our money is impacting on this side of eternity.

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

Jesus is here saying that how we use the money that he gives us in this life, is a test for whether or not we can be entrusted with true riches.

If we cannot faithfully steward God’s money that he has given to us, why would he continue to bless us with our own riches?

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

We can either see the money that God has given us as a means to indulge every inclination and desire that I have, or we can see it as an opportunity to use for the glory of God, and the extending of his kingdom.

Are we faithful managers? Or are we wasting our master’s possessions?

We must strive to honour and please God with how we handle that which He has entrusted to us, not because of the hope of any sort of blessings in this life, but because we are looking forward to Christ-Centered Rewards!

SUMMARY

We must strive for Christ-Centered Contentment.

When we do, we can endure any, and every circumstance in this life, as we rest in the work that Christ has accomplished on our behalf, as well as the hope we have because of the promises we have in Him.

As Christ strengthens us to be content, we must learn to strive for Christ-Centered Partnerships.

We could use the money God has given us only for ourselves, but instead we choose to sacrifice it, through partnering with others, who are seeking to build God’s kingdom, because we are looking forward to Christ-Centered Rewards.

Paul, closing his letter, says…

Philippians 4:21–23 (ESV)

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

This reminds us of the personal relationship he had with the Philippians. He is not some distant, removed voice in their lives, but his loving instruction to them comes from the personal relationship they shared.

His desire for them is to live in the grace of their Lord, Jesus Christ.

Though Paul’s teaching to them is not always easy to follow and live by, CHRIST IS ENOUGH!

When we depend and live in the grace of Christ, we have the strength and confidence to press on ahead for the glory of His name!

Let’s pray.