Community Caring

40 “For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord God, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. 41 As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 42 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers. 43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. 44 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

Prayer

Introduction

This sermon is brought to you by the letter “C”. As we are approaching the end of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, we will notice that Paul is wrapping things up and getting kinda personal. Paul has corrected, encouraged and rebuked the Philippians, and now he has a few last things to say. He wants to show his appreciation to the Philippians. So, let’s turn to the Scripture.

Scripture

Our passage this morning is . If you are able, please stand for the reading of God’s Word. We do this to show appreciation to God for His Word and in realization that these are among the most important words we could hope to hear today. says,

Philippians 4:10–18 ESV

10 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. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 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. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 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. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 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.

“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. 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. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 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. 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.”

You may be seated.

Sermon

Paul begins by telling the Philippians how he rejoiced in the Lord for their concern for him. I want to take a second an explain a little bit about what is going on here so that we can better understand Paul’s statement. A little background on the relationship between Paul and the Philippians. First of all, Paul had brought the Gospel to the Philippians during his second missionary journey – you can read the story in – and visited again on his third missionary journey. While on his second missionary journey, the Philippians provided for Paul financially as Paul continued carrying the Gospel to other places like Thessalonica and Corinth. So, there is a history of the Philippians showing their appreciation to Paul for his Gospel ministry to them through supporting him and his ministry.

Now, as Paul has been incarcerated, the Philippians have had the opportunity to support him once again. This time, they sent their love and monetary support with one of their church leaders, Epaphroditus. You may remember that Epaphroditus became ill on the journey and nearly died, which caused a great deal of worry for the Philippians which Paul addressed earlier in the letter, reassuring them that Epaphroditus is well.

All that background information is important so that we can better grasp what is going on here. We have to read between the lines just a little bit, but it seems that something had happened such that the Philippians were unable to support Paul financially for a little while. It wasn’t that the Philippians stopped caring about Paul, simply that something in their or his circumstances prevented them from providing for him.

That’s what Paul is getting at when he says that they “now at length revived their concern.” He goes on to clarify that they always were concerned, they just didn’t have the opportunity to show it in the same ways as before, and even as now. There are two, quick points I want us to notice before we move on. First, Paul rejoices in the Lord. Paul rightly understands that the gift from the Philippians is ultimately a gift from God – more on that in a little bit. The second quick thing I want us to notice is that how deeply connected the Philippians were with Paul. They were basically co-laborers with him in the Gospel. Paul has a deep love and concern for the Philippians which has been expressed throughout the letter, and the Philippians have a deep love and concern for Paul which has been expressed through obeying his teaching and supporting his ministry. There is a deep, mutual concern for one another.

We see Paul’s concern for the Philippians in that he wants to make sure that they do not feel bad or guilty for not being able to support him for a season. That’s what is happening in verse 11. “I appreciate your gift, but even when you couldn’t send it, I was fine because I was content in Christ.” Paul has learned how to be content in every situation. He knows how to be brought low and how to abound. Listen to what Paul says, he has learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. Two questions come to mind when I read that. How do I learn the secret to contentedness? What is that secret? And, why does Paul need to be content in abundance?

Let’s deal with the last question first. Why does Paul need to be content in plenty? I get the need to be content in need and hunger and when brought low, but isn’t it natural to be content when you have everything you need? The short answer is no. Because of our fallen, sinful nature, we do not tend to be content when we have plenty. We always want more. Let’s look at a few verses that bear that out: says,

Ecclesiastes 5:10–12 ESV

10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 12 Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.”

Or let’s look to , which says,

1 Timothy 6:10 ESV

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

1 Timothy 6:17 ESV

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

1 Timothy 6:10 ESV

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”

Having plenty does not guarantee contentedness and lacking money does not make one more virtuous. The problem is our sinful hearts. Our sinful hearts are prone to misuse poverty and riches unless we learn the secret to being content.

So back to that question, What is the secret to being content in lack and abundance? Paul’s secret is that he knew what was truly valuable and focused on that thing. That thing is Christ who strengthens Paul.

I love this verse, but so often we rip it out of context and start talking about how we can win football games because Christ strengthens us. That is so far removed from Paul’s point that it is almost funny. In fact, I saw a meme not that long ago that poked fun at this very tendency we have. It says, I can do all things through a verse taken out of context. It’s almost funny, but it really is sad because we miss the importance of what Paul is saying here.

Paul’s big secret is that he has learned to focus on Christ. It is Christ who strengthens him in both lacking and abundance – not wealth! Listen, when we realize and embrace the infinite and awesome value of Jesus Christ – when we are enraptured by the beauty and majesty of Christ Jesus our Lord, everything else is just trinkets.

When I was a kid I used to love to go to the dollar store and buy toys because I could get so many toys with just a couple dollars. As I got a little older, I realized that those toys I got at the dollar store were not very high quality, they broke very quickly and didn’t last. In reality, they were just junk.

When we learn and recognize how valuable – how priceless – Jesus is, everything else just seems like dollar-store trinkets. They don’t last and they don’t give real strength. Contentedness comes through focusing on Christ and valuing Him above all else. Paul wasn’t in need because he already had everything he needed – he had Christ. So Paul was content.

This section of Paul’s letter really does go back and forth a lot. I rejoiced that you finally renewed your concern for me, but I know that you always had concern for me. I didn’t really need the gift, but it was kind of you to share my trouble. That’s where we are now, On your outline in the bulletin, we are to “Charity”. Paul while adamant that he is satisfied in Christ , wants the Philippians to know how much the gift means to him.

But we should notice how Paul frames it. Look at verse 17. . “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.”

What does that mean? Paul is less concerned with the gift itself and more concerned with the hearts that produce the giving. The Philippians had always been a people of charity – they were generous with Paul from day one. Look back again to when you get home. Lydia and the Philippian Jailer opened their homes and fed Paul and his companions. Paul acknowledges their constant generosity here in verses 15 and 16.

Here’s my point, one of the tell-tail signs of true conversion is an increase in generosity. We see that play out throughout the book of Acts, where as the Gospel spreads, people are open handed with their property. The fruit which increases to the Philippian’s credit is their generosity – their charity. Really if we step back and think about it, it makes sense. If Christ is valuable above all else – as we mentioned a moment ago, then I can freely give because what I give is far less valuable. Or another way to put that, our finances have value only when they are utilized in service to Christ. That’s a strong statement, but hear me out. I’m not saying to sell all your belongings and become a monk. I’m saying use the things God has given you – use your belongings to further the Kingdom of God. That might look like having people in your home to show them hospitality and share the Gospel. It might look like using your extra time you have because you are retired to disciple a person and come alongside them. It might look a million different ways, but it is all based in how much you value Christ.

Let me put just a little sharper point on this. Christians are generous. That is a hallmark of Christianity – that Christians are generous. The inverse of that is concerning. If you aren’t generous it is probably a sin issue in your heart. You’ve probably lost sight of how valuable Christ is and started over valuing the dollar-store toys of this world.

We are starting to get close to Christmas time, and I’m sure one of you will at some point say, “It’s the thought that counts”. But it really is the thought that counts here. Paul isn’t really concerned about the gift itself, but rather the heart that prompted the giving. That gift is a fruit that indicates the generosity at work in the Philippians. Paul values the giving, not the gift.

Alright, let’s get to our last point – Contribution. We have already well established that the Philippians gave generously, but I want to stop for just a second and recognize that it wasn’t to Paul that the Philippians gave. They gave to God. That is what we see in verse 18 when Paul calls it a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. When we contribute and give, we aren’t so much giving to the church, or to missions, or to whatever – I mean we are, but really we are giving to God. That is why Paul rejoiced in the Lord. Paul understood that the Philippians gave to God, and God had given to him. This is no small point. Christian giving is always Godward.

When you tithe, when you give to Lottie Moon, when you give towards this project or that project, you aren’t giving to those projects. You are Giving to God. That is one reason I have never understood why people would withhold their giving to make a point. It is as if they have forgotten who they are giving to. They aren’t withholding it from the church or ministry or whatever, they are withholding it from God. It is God who should be pleased with your giving in the first place, not man. Your contributions should be a pleasing sacrifice to God.

Just a couple points to wrap up. We can learn a few things about Christian giving from this passage. Christian giving is free and therefore joyous – no one made the Philippians give. Christian giving is generous – and I think you can make the argument from this passage, but you can definitely make the point from other passages that it is also sacrificial. Christian giving is God to God. Christian giving is based on the value of Christ. Let me sum that up again for you. Christian giving is joyful, free, generous, sacrificial, and to God – based on the infinite worth of Christ Jesus. If our giving is missing even one of those points, then it isn’t Christian giving. It might still be philanthropic giving, but it ceases being a pleasing aroma to God.

And again, it is all based on our focus on and value of Christ. We are content because we have Christ – which gives us strength. We give generously because we have Christ and all else is worthless. We rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is all about Christ.

Conclusion

If you are here this morning and you are not a believer, I want you to know that Christ is valuable above everything. Whether you recognize it or not, Christ is the most valuable thing you could ever possess. Without Christ, not only do you not have riches, but you are spiritually poor and frankly dead in your trespasses and sins. When you reject the infinite worth of Christ, you incur the infinite wrath of God. The only way to remedy that is to repent of that sin and to trust Christ alone. Then you too will see how truly valuable Christ is.

Brothers and sisters, do not miss what we saw from Scripture this morning. Christ is infinitely valuable, and that fact has far reaching ramifications. We saw that it affects how we deal with our wealth and our poverty. It affects how we deal with sin. If Christ is valuable above all, then my sinful desires are not. A clear view of Christ is what we need so that we can live rightly, contentedly, and generously. Believer, your response to God’s Word might need to be repentance for losing focus on Christ’s value and worshipping something else, or your response might be rejoicing greatly in the Lord for what He has done.

Regardless, we are about to transition into a time of worship through response. We believe that any time a person hears the Word of God, they respond either in worship or rebellion. Let us respond by worshipping Christ - by focusing and refocusing on Him.

I will be on the front row worshipping with you, so if you’d like to talk or pray with someone, I’d be delighted to do that, just come up and talk to me. If you’d like to talk after, I’ll stick around as long as necessary to talk with you. Also, the front is always opened if you’d like to pray up here.