Let this Mind be in You! in HIs

Having the Mind of Christ in His Faithfulness!

Philippians 4:10–20 (NIV)

I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

“God is faithful”(1 Corinthians 10:13):

Moses said in Deuteronomy 7:9, “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”

Joshua said in Joshua 23:14: “Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”

Jeremiah said in Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

The Psalmist praises God saying, Psalm 36:5, “Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” and Psalm 89:8, “Who is like you, LORD God Almighty? You, LORD, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you.” and Psalm 91:4: “He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” And again in Psalm 119:90, “Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.”

Indeed God Himself wants us to know just how faithful He is and so he annouced to Moses as He passed by him in the cleft of a rock, in Exodus 34:6, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”

And in our passage before us today we discover, Paul, testifying to the faithfulness of God and assuring them that whatever they circumstances they may find theselves in: “my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus”(Phil 4:19).

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I. SERMON FOCUS!

Our sermon focus today is, “ To express the mind of Christ is to faithfully serve Christ in contentment. To learn to trust Him for the provision of all our needs, knowing that “my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Notice the words “your needs” NOT YOUR WANTS - but this takes acceptance and grace and when you can get to the point when you are happy that God provides all your needs, you have learned with Paul “to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Now this contentment does not arise from Stoicism by gritting his teeth and getting on with it.

Note (not in detail for sermon) Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, founded by Xeno of Citium around 300BC. The Stoics believed that the practice of virtue is enough to achieve eudaimonia: a good life. The 4 cardinal virtues to be practised were, wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation and they were acquired through the exercise of self-control as the only way to overcome destructive emotions. Self-control was needed because people have too much pathos, (categorised under 4 headings - distress(lupē), pleasure(hēdonē), fear(phobos): and lust(epithumia); which led us to be too emotional and passionate, leading to an affliction and to sufffering. Two of these passions (distress and pleasure) refer to emotions currently present, and two of these (fear and lust) refer to emotions directed at the future, which may or may not lead to fulfilment. These passions are thus temporary in nature and potentially deceiving in reality, so not to be trusted! The pathos was thought of as a disturbing and misleading force in the mind, as a result of the failure to reason correctly. Education and self-discipline was the solution for this, and the wise person (sophos) is someone who learns to be free from passion. He is apatheia when it comes to excessive emotions but he does enjoy eupatheia (lit: good-feelings) which come from a clear-headed mind rather than an overly emotional and sensual impulse. The Stoic has emotions(e.g. joy and goodwill) but keeps them under control (with caution!).

When Paul says in contrast, “I have LEARNED to be content” - he has not soley learned it by the exercise of the will in patient discipline, but learned it by faith in trusting in Jesus, beginning at his conversion on the Damascus Road. As he followed Jesus, he also learned from his example and imitated His example of bearing up under suffering as well as beleiving in a God of miracles; and also learned it by his experience of divine providence, demonstrated time and time again as he experienced the amazing and oft times miraculous provision that God sent!

To sum up the difference here, the Stoic beleives in a human ability to overcome saying: “Man conquers the world by conquering himself”(Zeno); whereas Paul beleives that we can overcome only as the grace of God enters our hearts and changes our will, saying, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Jesus then, is the source of Paul’s contentment! (see Phil 1:21).

The power of Jesus within him is the secret of his strength and endurance - I can do everything through him who gives me strength!

“He has learned the secret of deep peace based on detachment from his outward circumstances. In whatever conditions of life he finds himself, he discovers the will of God for his situation…This, in turn, arises from his concentration upon the really important things, the invisible and eternal (2 Cor. 4:16–18) and, above all, upon the closeness of his fellowship with Christ on whose strength he constantly draws.”(R.P. Martin)

Paul models this contentment for us!

Like Jesus, Paul “learned obedience from the things that He suffered”(Hebrews 6:10).

His humility was modeled on Jesus own humility as described in Philippians 2:8 (‘he humbled himself’, Grk: heauton etapeinōsen) and he demonstrated the same “lowliness of mind” or “humility” that he encourages the Philippians to show in consideration of one another as expressed in Philippians 2:3 and applied in healing the potential division described in Philippians 4:1.

Paul has voluntarily accepted his lowly status, even poverty, for Christ’s sake. He has given up his once cherished ambition to be a religious sombody in order to have “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus…and be found in Him”(Phil 3:8-12). (Remember my quote recently from C. T Studd: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose!”).

This does not mean that he was always poor and always in need of the support of others. He has known what it is be “in need” but he has also known times of “plenty” (Grk: perisseuein, lit. ‘to overflow’, suggesting prosperity).

However, the kind of life which he experienced as an apostle is described in the verbs “to be well fed and to be hungry” informing us that he had no continuing security, outside of Jesus Himself. His life had been tough(so 2 Corinthians 11:21ff) but it had not left his in despair! Jesus after all, was his hope!

II. SCRIPTURAL CONTEXT!

Now the CONTEXT for this is stated in verse 10 where Paul speaks of their “renewed…concern” (Note the Greek word for “renewed” is only used here in the NT. Anethalete, found in the LXX, is borrowed from the horticulture and describes the “blooming again” of plants and flowers so that they “flourish” (Ezek. 17:24).

Paul did not doubt their concern for him, but he also knew that due to an unavoidable delay, they now had opportune (Grk verb: ēkaireisthe - kairos) circumstances, ‘to show it” expressed practically, in the form of the “gifts” sent, via “Epaphroditus” which “amply supplied” his needs!

On the Philippians part they were “sharing”(Grk: synkoinōnēsantes - koinōnia) or fellowshipping in his sufferings, not literally of course but figuratively.

His lot become theirs. If he must struggle then they would struggle with him! To fellowship is to be all in the same boat together!

These Philippian believers had been exceptional in their giving - Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. “

(Note: The key words in Greek are commercial expressions. Karpos can be translated ‘fruit’ in the sense of ‘interest’ accruing to a financial account; whereas “credited” is pleonazonta; and “account” is logos, also used in Phil 4:15 and translated ‘in respect to giving and receiving”).

Their genrousity was not unnoticed by Paul or by God and it would not lose its reward, but be “credited to your account.”

This provided Paul with another reason to “rejoice in the Lord”(Phil 4:4). God had provided all his needs and their gifts amounted to a “fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” which will not leave them short in any way because this same “God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” which will lead them also to “rejoice in the Lord!”

Little wonder that he could say, “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

III. SPECIFIC APPLICATION!

1. The Secret of Contentment! - “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.”

Oliver Cromwell asserted that this verse saved his life. It was ‘one beam in a dark place’ of utter despondency and misery which followed the death of his son.

Cromwell learned this from Paul who is insisting that in every conceivable circumstance, ‘in any and every situation’, we can find the strength from our union with Christ, to supply every need we have, whether it be physical, spiritual or emotional.

Jesus is our more than adequate compensation for life’s troubles! His power (Grk: endynamounti, the participle of dynamis is used here) is made available to us, perfected in our weakness - 2 Cor. 12:9–10 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Let Jesus be your Contentment!

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; be all else but naught to me, save that Thou art; be Thou my best thought in the day and the night, both waking and sleeping, Thy presence my light.

(Mary E Byrne. 1880 – 1931)

To make Jesus our vision and our contentment in a world such as ours, where commerce feeds on human discontentment and where Social media outlets offer ways of being more content - via, better relationships; better and more interesting friendships; improved health and increased wealth, even less wrinkles; sleeker and healthier bodies and more desinger goods, then the GOOD LIFE is just around the corner but it comes with a hefty PRICE TAG!

Over 400 years ago, Jeremiah Burroughs referred to the “rare jewel of Christian contentment” but contentment is no more common in our day than it was in Burroughs’. And yet it’s such an important acquisition because, “a contented Christian is the one who best knows God’s sovereignty and rests in it. A contented Christian trusts God, is pure in heart, and is the one most willing to be used of God—however God sees fit.”(William Barclay).

Of course, it will not come easily to the sinful human heart and so we need God’s grace to strengthen us and to change our hearts and God’s Holy Spirit within, to energise us to work toward its acquisition. This is so evident in Paul, who to use the words of Jeremiah Burroughs was at once “the most contented man in the world, and yet the most unsatisfied man in the world!” How? because above everything else in his life, he wanted to know Jesus better and grow more in his knowledge and understanding of Him - “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”. (Phil. 3:12–14)

Is this our desire?

Our aim in life? We are content with the things of this world but knowing that ultimately all fails to satisfy, only Jesus can fill the aching void of discontent that Burroughs observes saying that, “a soul that is capable of God can be filled with nothing else but God.”

This, ultimately, is the “secret of contentment”: to know Christ but to press on to know Him more in all areas of life. To become like Him and to rest in His providence and provision, and follow His calling in our lives, not seeking our own agenda, but being content with His.

And the encouraging thing is that what is beyond our ability is attainable. Like Paul, we “can do all things through Christ who strenghtens me.”

2. The Sacrifice in Giving! - “They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”

In 2 Corinthians 11:9; Paul reminded the Church that in order not to be a “burden” to them, he did not accept any material gifts from them, even though he had Scriptural “rights”(1 Cor. 9:15–27) to them.

One reason he could do this was that the “brothers in Macedonia”(e.g. Philippi and others in Greece) had amply supplied his needs so that the work of preaching the gospel and planting churches could continue!(see 2 Corinthians 11:8; 12:13). (Note: when in Thessalonica, Paul exercised the same approach see on 1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:8).

Paul did not want believers to see giving as a “burden” to be endured but rather as an opportunity to please God by offering “an acceptable sacrifice” which would serve as “a fragrant offering”

this is an idea taken from the Old Testament of those animal sacrifices which provided the Lord with a “pleasing aroma” in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple as part of the worship of God (se Gen. 8:21; cf. Exod. 29:18; Lev. 1:9, 13; Ezek. 20:41).

This reminds us that in serving God with our money and our offerings as well as our material possessions shared through hospitality, etc, are offering a sacrificial and self-denying gift to promote the cause of Christ and strengthen the hand of God’s servants, and crucially offering an act of worship in which God takes pleasure.

Such sacrifical giving will never go unrewarded - Deuteronomy 15:10, “Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. “

Indeed Paul is holding on to this same promise sharing with his Philippian friends a reassurance of the faithfulness of God who, as He has supplied the material need of his servant, He is able to supply all their needs as well!

Sacrificial giving is an outcome of understanding the nature of the Kingdom of Heaven.

In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus describes the value of the kingdom of heaven. He says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”

Jesus has already given us the Kingdom of Heaven. And Jesus says to us in Acts 20:35 ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” so, when we give sacrificially we are acknowledging that having such a treasure at our disposal far surpasses anything we own in this world and according to Paul, when we give sacrificially we will not lose out because, “God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

So let us give to God’s work and serve Him in this way for as Selwyn Hughes once said: “Remember this–you can’t serve God and Money, but you can serve God with money.”

A. W. Tozer said: “As base a thing as money often is, yet it can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor. It can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.”

And let us sacrifice when giving,remembering again the words of C T Studd: “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”

3. The Certainty of Faith! - “my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus”(Phil 4:19).

God is no man’s debtor! “Whatever their deficiency may be, God will supply the remedy.”(R. P. Martin).

And that supply comes from an unexhaustible source of the most infinite riches immaginable - according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus!

The phrase reveals the extent to which God would supply the Philippians' needs, not from their riches but Christ’s and as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 1:3 we have been “blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” And Peter says, that God has "given us everything we need to live a life of godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3).

We are rich in Christ!

2 Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”

We may not have a great deal of this world’s riches but we have something more valuable than anything the world can offer and as Paul says in 1 Cortinthians 3:21-23: “All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.”

And let those riches in Christ encourage and strengthen your faith to cope with all of life’s setbacks. As Jim Cymbala says: “Faith deals with the invisible things of God. It refuses to be ruled by the physical senses. Faith is able to say, 'You can do what you like, because I know God is going to take care of me. He has promised to bless me wherever he leads me.' Remember that even when every demon in hell stands against us, the God of Abraham remains faithful to all his promises. Jesus Christ can do anything but fail his own people who trust him.”

“Jesus Christ can do anything but fail his own people who trust him.”

So let us have the Mind of Christ in His Faithfulness! - my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

“God is faithful”(1 Corinthians 10:13):

Closing Benediction: 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”