Paul's Gospel Prosperity
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Introduction
Introduction
2 Corinthians 9:7
We’ve come to the end - this is our last sermon in our series on Philippians
It’s a bit bittersweet for me
We’ve come to recognize that Philippians is a book about the Gospel
Paul has repeatedly emphasized some of the greatest truths of the Gospel
The beauty of Christ’s obedience and exaltation
The futility of our misguided attempts to make ourselves righteous in light of the righteousness offered to us in Christ
The necessity of unity in the church
In fact that has really emerged as one of the core themes of the letter
The Gospel leads to joy which leads to humility which then promotes unity
And here we are at the end - yet Paul still has a few things to say to the Philippians and, by extension to us
Great Uncle Steve
Running laps around his house for a quarter
In the late 70’s that was a lot of money - today it would probably be a dollar or even two
He wasn’t a very generous person
We all love a generous person
The Lord loves a generous giver as well
Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Tonight we’re going to look at
Paul’s commendation to the Philippians for their continued generosity
At his promise of God’s provision for their needs (as opposed to prosperity)
And at his closing statements to this church
Read Philippians 4:14-23
Pray
Gospel Partnership
Gospel Partnership
Philippians 4:14-16, 2 Corinthians 8:1-2, Philippians 1:27-29, Philippians 4:10, Philippians 1:3-5
Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone;for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.
The Philippians probably feel a bit down
They were not an affluent church and were undergoing intense persecution
Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
Yet they had managed to send Paul a financial gift to help with his expenses
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.
Yet he has the audacity to write that he is content in both need and surplus
And that he can do everything through Christ who strengthens him
In addition to that they were expecting Timothy and got Epaphroditus
And Paul hasn’t even come out and given them a proper thank you for their gift
Instead he says - nevertheless
Even though I am content and can do all through Christ
You did a good thing in helping me
This is as close as Paul comes to giving an outright thanks to the Philippians
But underlying this statement is also a sense that this should be the last time they send him such a gift
Kid’s helping with projects around the house
I love that they want to help
Often makes the job last longer than it would have
Sometimes my thank you is really “thanks for helping this time but really I’d prefer to do it alone next time”
That is in essence what Paul is saying here
He reminds them of their previous efforts on his behalf
Previously he had written to them
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all,in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.
Now he comes again to say
And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone;for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.
Notice that in both passages Paul refers to the first preaching of the Gospel
Not only were the Philippians, as with most believers, excited about sharing the Gospel
They were excited about supporting the ministry of the Gospel
The fact that no other church had shared in Paul’s ministry speaks to the depth of the relationship that he had with the Philippians
Not even Ephesus - he was there 3 years - or Corinth - 18 months - shared the same relationship with Paul that this church did
It could be that those churches had been beset by Pauline opponents almost immediately whereas Philippi had remained relatively immune
Paul’s warnings in Philippians 3 are to watch out for the arrival of these false teachers not a warning against teachings already being taught in Philippi
Even this statement that highlights again their koinonia with him in the Gospel could be taken as a cold shoulder to their gifts
Paul uses the financial terminology of payments and receipts - almost what you would expect from a creditor
You sent your money, I kept stellar records and now here is your receipt in the form of this letter sent with Epaphroditus
Even though this may sound a cold thanks from a dear friend, Paul is about to become more affectionate
Gospel Prosperity
Gospel Prosperity
Philippians 4:17-19, Acts 2:43-47, Acts 4:32-37, Acts 5:1-11, John 15:8, Genesis 8:20-21, Romans 12:1, Hebrews 13:15-16, Philippians 1:3, Psalm 23:1, Matthew 6:25-33, 2 Corinthians 9:8
Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Paul starts off by saying that even though the gift was good - the evidence and increase in “profit” for the Philippians is far greater
the word for profit here is karpon which means fruit or outcome
While generosity is not mentioned as one of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5 it walks hand in hand with all of those attributes
From the very beginning new converts were generous with their earthly possessions - it was one of the attractions to the early church
And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common;and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
This was such an attraction that it became a false sense of status for the early church
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them.And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales,and lay them at the apostles’ feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need.
And Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means, Son of Encouragement),and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
All that is well and good but look what happens next
But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,and kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he laid it at the apostles’ feet.But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.”And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came upon all who heard of it.And the young men arose and covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.”Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they shall carry you out as well.”And she fell immediately at his feet, and breathed her last; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.And great fear came upon the whole church, and upon all who heard of these things.
See the false humility of generosity can often be played off as piety - seek the genuine fruit of the Spirit
But here we see that the Philippians, by their continued support of Paul, had genuine fruit
“By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
Paul gets even warmer when he borrows Old Testament terminology to describe their gifts - as a fragrant aroma
The concept of a soothing or fragrant aroma as a part of the sacrifice to God originates with Noah
Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.
When the priests would offer a sacrifice on the altar they would add incense to give it a pleasing aroma
Here Paul ties our obedience to the concept that this is our sacrifice to God
He does the same in Romans 12:1
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
The writer of Hebrews takes the concept even further writing
Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
And there is a promise attached to this sacrifice
And it’s not a vague promise from just anyone - Paul says “my God”
Twice in this letter he has referred to God as “my God”
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
Paul is affirming that we don’t serve a distant god who cares nothing for our daily needs
the deist watchmaker god
Our God cares for our daily needs and is involved in every facet of our lives - it is His imminence
The Philippians gave out of their great love for God and for Paul and sacrificed out of their poverty
Paul now makes them a promise that God will meet all their needs out of His riches
This is a theme throughout Scripture
A Psalm of David.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
Jesus teaches on God’s provision for our physical needs in the sermon on the mount
“For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?“Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?“And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span?“And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.“But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?“Do not be anxious then, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘With what shall we clothe ourselves?’“For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
So there is certainly the truth that God provides our daily needs
But there also needs to be a warning included with this passage - many have twisted this to mean that God is going to meet every desire
In his words on this passage Joel Osteen puts it this way “One touch of God’s favor can blast you out of barely enough and put you into more than enough.” He goes on to say that we should “let go of the past and choose to have an abundance mentality” - but that is not what Paul is saying here
Another more orthodox preacher - H.B. Charles - puts it this way
“God promises to meet your need, not your greed.”
God does have the means to meet all of our needs - He owns the cattle on a thousand hills - but that doesn’t mean we’re all going to live in 3500 square foot mansions in La Jolla. It is always for His purpose, His glory and our good.
A parallel passage to this is 2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
Here we have a clarification of what Paul is talking about in Philippians 4:19 - that we may have an abundance (our needs met) for every good deed.
God will meet our needs - in His time, with His provisions and for His glory…not for our prosperity
That is Gospel-centered prosperity
Farewells
Farewells
Philippians 4:20-23, Romans 11:33-36, Ephesians 3:20-21, 1 Corinthians 1:1-2, Philippians 1:27-29, Philippians 2:1-4
Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren 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.
Paul could never resist taking an opportunity to worship God
At the end of his doctrinal treatise in the book of Romans he launches into a beautiful doxology
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
Again in Ephesians as he transitions from doctrine to application he again praises God
Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Paul sets a great standard for us in that he takes time to praise God - its something we should do more
By now the Philippians are probably a bit beat down - we’ve taken six months to go through this letter bit by bit but they would have gotten all of it in one sitting
They would’ve been on a bit of a roller coaster ride emotionally
Paul thanks God for them and praises their efforts for the Gospel
He prays for their love, knowledge and discernment to grow
He gives them a report on how he is
He admonishes them to stand strong for the Gospel
Then he tells them that they are disappointing him by their lack of unity
They are going to be visited by Epaphroditus rather than Timothy
The discussion regarding Euodia and Syntyche
Now here we are with a thanks that isn’t really a thank you
And yet Paul closes the letter by warmly reminding them that they are still saints
This term has taken on a different sense with the Roman Catholic practice of elevating people to sainthood
In the New Testament every believer was referred to as a saint - even those in the troubled church of Corinth
Paul, called as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
This is a very important point for us to remember
Especially when we are beat down by our flesh or are struggling
We are saints - called out ones - sanctified in Christ Jesus
There are no special categories of Christians
Paul drives this home even more emphatically by saying simply the “brethren who are with me”
Some of Paul’s companions would have been Timothy his son in the faith and heir apparent to Paul’s ministry, Luke the writer of the Gospel of Luke and Acts, Mark the writer of the Gospel of Mark among others - they would have been luminaries
Almost like Pastor Chuck writing about himself, Mike Macintosh, Jon Courson and Dave Riley as just common brothers
And then saying all saints greet you - we are all saints in Christ
And Paul finishes the letter the way he opened it - with a succinct statement of the foundation for the whole letter
The Gospel
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is the Gospel distilled down into six words
It was grace that influenced Him to empty Himself of His divine rights
It was grace that caused Him to be obedient even to the point of death on a cross
And it is grace that draws each of us into a relationship with Him enabling us to know Him and to share in His resurrection
It is unique to Philippians that Paul refers to the grace of Christ being with their spirit
But this would be in keeping with much of what he has written in this letter
He consistently refers to the Philippians spirit:
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
And it is the grace of Christ that enables them to be united in one spirit
Conclusion
Conclusion
This entire book has been about the Gospel
The joy found in the Gospel
The humility that results from a true understanding of the Gospel
The unity that can happen between sinners as an affect of the Gospel in their lives
The church at Philippi would have profited much from applying the truths of this book to their church
But the question is how will we apply what we have learned from this book
I myself have been greatly impacted by this study and it is my desire to continue to build a Gospel-centered community with each of you, to humbly know and be known, to seek your interests and well being and to be able to say with Paul that to live is Christ and to die is gain.