The Trustworthy provider
Notes
Transcript
19 And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Through out scripture we see this characteristic of Yahweh, God. God provides.
In fact, if you were to do a study of on the names of God, one of the names you would find would be Jehovah, Jireh - God our provider.
The purpose of today’s message is for you to leave today with a renewed sense of confidence in the Lord’s provision.
Like any promise that we study it is important to look at the context of where it is found. So we back up a few verses to have a better understanding as to why the promise was made.
Background: To the book of Philippians.
False teachers were on the rise promoting sensuality and materialism. This sounds very reminisce of our culture. There is nothing new.
We have on one hand the prosperity gospel that glorifies material wealth. Then on the other hand we many denominations failing to teach a proper biblical sexual ethic. In fact there is a church in Mt. Pleasant called Parkside church that posted on their social media “The Kingdom is Queer”.
This type of capitulation to culture will eventually result in persecution of those who will not bow the knee to cultural demands.
It is in this cultural context that Paul encourages the church to remain faithful.
20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
1 So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.
So then what does this have to do with God, the provider?
I.Enduring Hardship
I.Enduring Hardship
Paul gives us this encouragement because he knows the temptation will be to compromise, instead of standing firm.
Church family, this standing on the Word of God is going to become increasingly difficult.
Look at these statistics from Life site News.
“The number of acts of hostility against churches appears to have increased over the five-year reporting period, with a slight but noticeable dip in 2020 (this was likely due to government restrictions and a general decrease in movement during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic),” FRC stated. “In 2018, there were 50 incidences of hostility against churches; in 2019, there were 83; in 2020, there were 54; in 2021, there were 96; and between January and September 2022, there were 137.”
“The first nine months of 2022 saw more than double the number of reported acts of hostility against churches that occurred in the entirety of 2018.”
According to the organization’s “supplemental report” released this month, “the first three months of 2023 saw approximately three times the number of acts of hostility perpetrated against churches in the same time frame last year.”
Now this does not mean we are at a point where we need to meet in clandestine locations.
We are far from where the rest of the world is when it comes to persecution, but it is important to note there is a growing hostility toward those who anchor themselves to the truth of God’s word.
I am not trying to scare you, but to prepare you. There is a demonic deception being perpetrated across our nation. It is real and it seems to be gaining ground even in our local churches.
1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them.
31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.
32 “And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.
So the question is when the time comes who will you bow too? Will you attempt to be accepted by the culture?
Will you spare yourself from hostility and choose to believe the convenient truth of the wolves?
II. If you stand firm God will meet your needs.
II. If you stand firm God will meet your needs.
19 And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Today the prosperity preachers, those who pervert the gospel, want to tie precious promises like these to the idea of avoiding suffering. Yet we see that this promise is given not in the absence of hardship but because of it.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.
III. The Promise of God’s provision is given within the confines of heavenly citizenship.
III. The Promise of God’s provision is given within the confines of heavenly citizenship.
In other words, this promise is not a blanket statement to the entire world. God is not promising to meet the needs of those outside of His Kingdom. This promise belongs to his people.
IV. The Nature of the Provision.
IV. The Nature of the Provision.
10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly because once again you renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it.
11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.
12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.
13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
In this passage we see something very important. Paul mentions being hungry. Paul mentions having little to live on.
God’s promise of provision is not the same as promising you won’t ever have needs that go unmet for a period of time.
One does cannot learn contentment with little if one never experiences a lack.
Ways that God meets our needs.
#1 Sometimes a spiritual need supersedes a physical need.
#1 Sometimes a spiritual need supersedes a physical need.
Our understanding of personal physical needs may not be the same as God’s perspective.
What if going without for a period of time teaches us patience, contentment, endurance, and faithfulness.
Is learning these qualities all something that we need?
So then in times of little it is possible that God is taking care of a bigger need in your life by not giving you exactly what you think you need but meeting a need that you do not know you even have.
This is where Paul can say...
12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.
13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
Notice, how a temporary lack can meet an eternal need. He learned to be content.
Sometimes a spiritual need outweighs an immediate physical need.
So then when this happens. When God forgoes meeting an immediate physical need what does he provide for us?
He provides for us Himself.
9 Do what you have learned and received and heard from me, and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
This promise of provision is always attached to a relationship with himself.
When you are going through a tough trial and I know in an audience of this size there are many who are going through things. Our desire is for the the trial to end. For God to sweep in and remove the difficulty from our lives.
In our mind the only solution that makes sense for us is the one that eliminates the need.
But when God does’t swoop in and save us, it is then that we must trust that whatever he has provided wether food or his presence is exactly what we need most.
In essence we must trust that God is good.
Lastly we must remember the ultimate provision.
