HIS GLORY AND MY GOOD

Good Morning Church

Open to Philippians 4:10-23.

Finishing up this series in Philippians today…

Lets look at where we have been…

The theme for this letter has been to live a life worthy of the gospel…

How do we do that???

Pauls direction in that is to REJOICE ALWAYS IN JESUS! AND DO EVERYTHING WITH HIM AND HIS GOSPEL IN MIND!!!

TODAY is no different…Pauls going to continue in this theme as he finishes out his letter to the Philippian church…

Pauls focus today…GIVING AND RECEIVING…

We often talk about giving in the church today…how it supports the ministry…

Your Financial giving does support the ministry…It does keep the lights on…and a roof over our heads as we worship…

BUT today Paul is going to show us…ITS SOO MUCH MORE THAN THAT…

That Gods movement in both how we give and how we receive is much greater than just meeting a need…

But an incredible testimony to how faithful and holy and mighty He is…

Paul is going to show us that today…

Yall ready to see that with me today???

READ V10-23

There are 4 key points we need to get from this text today on giving and receiving…

In both giving and receiving…Trust in the Lord to provide (v10,19)

Trust in the Lord is foundational….

Paul is rejoicing again…

Remember the Philippians have sent him a gift through Epaphroditus…

But notice who Paul is rejoicing in…

THE LORD

NOTICE: He doesn't thank the Philippians directly…And he doesn't puff them up…tell them how great of Christians they are…

Instead He places all the joy from receiving the gifts from the Philippians on the Lord…

WHY?

Because Paul trusts in the the Lord and not man to provide…

Any giving and receiving we experience is a work of the Lord…

Thats why Paul gives him the glory!

LOOK…We see the Lord work in 3 ways in this passage…

V10…Paul rejoicing GREATLY…he is obviously blessed with the provision (Paul has needs…2 Timothy needs a cloak and paper)

V10…The Philippians had “no opportunity” to help Paul, But God sent Epaphroditus (go deeper here!)(900 miles over oceans and mountains, Epaphroditus gets sick, almost dies!)

V 19…Paul says God WILL supply EVERY need the Philippians have (they are giving, GOD is supplying! (both them to give and to be sustained))

When we have a need…we must TRUST that the Lord will provide what we need…

In some cases we NEED TO RECEIVE… (money, food, water, physical help, guidance, council…we need someone to step in) (no one is above this)

In some cases we NEED TO GIVE… (We see the need, and know we are called to step in…But how? How can I get the provision out to those who need it? What about our needs (future needs)?)

IN BOTH CASES…WE MUST TRUST THAT THE LORD WILL PROVIDE…

Thats not all though…. the next point Paul makes…

In both giving and receiving…Know His provision will sustain and strengthen you (v. 11-13)

Paul not only calls us to trust in the Lord to provide…but trust that what he has provided is enough!!!

Paul speaks again about contentment…

LAST WEEK: v5, “let your reasonableness be known to everyone”…

Be content…

Be at rest with your provisional circumstances…

Paul says when I have little…I am content…

When I have much…I am content…

Can you imagine being content??? (we live in the most discontent generation ever!) (we want more, more, more)

SO HOW?!?! Whats the secret to be content!

Paul tells us…”I have learned the secret…I can do all things (have much or little, I can be content) through Jesus Christ who strengthens me”

Paul is not dependent on the provision…HE IS DEPENDENT ON THE LORD!!!

When we as a church our dependent solely on the Lord…we will move swiftly when he calls us to give and be content in any provision we receive…

BECAUSE we know it will sustain and strengthen us…

The Philippian church was excelling at this...

So much that Paul literally brags about them to the church in Corinth…

2 Corinthians 8:1–5 “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia (Philippi), 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. 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.”

They have overflowed in a wealth of generosity…they are experiencing extreme poverty and at the same time have a wealth of generosity about them!!!

They not only gave according to their means…BUT ALSO above their means…

Pauls says they are poor and afflicted and at the same time literally BEGGING HIM TO TAKE PART IN GIVING TOWARD THE RELIEF OF OTHER CHRISTIANS!!!

And LOOK… It doesn't matter how much you give or how much you receive…

Giving isnt based on the amount…its based on your faithfulness to the Lord…

Luke 21:1–4 “Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.””

The Philippians have set a great example for us church…we ask God every week to use us…to use us as tools for his kingdom advancement…

NEXT Paul shows us how our giving and receiving also affects kingdom growth…

In both giving and receiving…See the Gospel impact it can have (v. 14-16)

Pauls is directing the church to see how much gospel impact their giving has had…

Letting them know that as he left them in Macedonia, as they supplied him, he was able to fully concentrate on preaching the Gospel!

Both in Corinth and in Thessalonica…

Paul even tells the Corinthians…”took from another body of Christ so that I could come and serve you”

Look at the gospel impact both giving and receiving has had…

Again…because Paul doesn't have to work a job to feed himself…he can take all that time to preaching and teaching…

Doesn't have to tent build…Just preach the gospel!

For Paul the burden of survival is less because of the gospel partnership he has with the Philippians

AND NOW…the church gets to see that JUST through their generosity alone…they are helping grow the kingdom!!!

The impact our giving has as the local church has a bigger impact than we will ever know!

On a local, national, and global scale…(dive in here!) (Missionaries, Church planting, Gospel Partners SEND NETWORK, Indian church at Doxa)

God uses your giving to expand the Gospel…

However…it can sometimes be tempting to think on what the provision can do…

It can do great things…(help a need, grow a church, plant a church, support gospel teaching, ect) (ALL GREAT THINGS)

But Paul is getting ready to show us the final and most important point we must see…

In both giving and receiving…Know that it is worship to the Lord (v17-18,20)

Its not about what the provision does…its about WHO IT GLORIFIES!!!

Look at Pauls concern in v 17…He doesn't seek the gift…instead he seeks the fruit that increases on our credit

He says I seek to see you live out the calling to be the church…

To bear one another's burdens, to love one another as Jesus loves us, to be dedicated to the gospel advance…

ALL sacrifices the church is called to make…

Sacrifices that Paul says are acceptable and fragrant to the Lord!!!

AND ABOVE ALL…ITS PLEASING TO THE LORD!!!!

Because you are fulfilling a role that He desires you to fill!

1 Peter 2:4–5 “As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Giving is a spiritual sacrifice…You are placing what you highly value and placing it at the feet of the Lord…

This is worship of the Lord…placing Him above all…

We are ALL called to worship in this way!!!

Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

When we worship…GOD IS GLORIFIED!!!

Thats how Paul ends this passage!

When it comes to our giving and receiving…ALL GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST!

BIG IDEA: Giving and receiving is both for God’s glory and our good!

CHURCH LET US BE LIKE THE PHILIPPIANS…

THAT NO MATTER WHAT…NO MATTER HOW LITTLE OR HOW MUCH WE HAVE…

WE TRUST IN THE LORD AND WE SAY TO HIM “THIS IS ALL YOURS GOD…ALL THINGS BELONG TO YOU”

THAT EVEN IN THE WORST OF TIMES…WE KNOW HE WILL SUSTAIN US…

THAT OUR FAITH BE SO STRONG THAT EVENIN POVERTY…WE ARE BEGGING FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE!!!

Church I don’t care about how much money this place raises…

We dont care if we have more building and more seats and more lights…

Our only focus when it comes to our giving…is pleasing the LORD!!!

SEEKING HIM, DEPENDING ON HIM, SEEING HIM GLORIFIED…

THAT IS OUR FOCUS…

If you are a Christ follower…Rich or poor…God will be glorified in your giving…

SO GIVE FOR HIM…

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 “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.”

LET US SOW FOR GODS GLORY…

AS A SPIRITUAL SACRIFICE…

THAT PLEASES THE LORD…

THAT PROVIDES FOR US AND GIVES HIM GLORY…

FOR HIS GLORY AND OUR GOOD…

LETS PRAY…