Misinterpreted Week 5

“Big Idea” When you rely on God, you will find satisfaction in whatever situation (Good or Bad) that life hands you.

*Obedience doesnt always lead to financial blessings*

Philippians 4:10-13

10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me.

11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.

12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

INTRODUCTION

This is the final week of this teaching series Misinterpreted over the coarse of the previous weeks we have discussed how “God doesnt help those who only help themselves” but he helps everyone.

We talked about the false notion that “God wouldnt put more on you then you can handle” we learned that him putting this weight on us isnt for nothing more than to help with our development.

In week three we learned that bible does say “Do not Judge” but this wasnt in the context of the many types of judgements, when Jesus spoke this he was talking about condeming one another.

Week four was interesting he dove into how “Suffering isnt just from sin” modern-day culture has painted this picture that if we experience suffering it instantly is categorized with sin. But we learned that, too was misinterpreted. there are different reasons on why suffering happens to us, but the most important reason is for us to learn how to respond to situations.

This week we are going to tackle the idea “that Obedience always leads to financial blessing”

You know when people read Philippians chapter 4, they have a tendacy to start around 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

People see this begin to make the assumption that God is only one trick pony. Him “supplying all your needs from his riches in glory”

Understand, That the church in Philippi was supporting and donating to Paul’s ministry as he went to multiple revivals, city to city, the church was doing what it could to take of their Apostle.

Ten years past and Paul stopped receiving donations from the church there is no true reason on why they stop sending gifts to Paul. Their financial vanishing could had been due to hard times the city was facing, or it could had been for a lack of knowing where he was, or if he was in need. The cause is unclear.

His contentment

Paul begins in 4:11, by reaffirming that he was not in need at the time. But he tells them he “learned how to be content with whatever he has” the phrase “I learned how” stands out to me, because this implies that he had to learn this from exprience.

He had to learn to be content with and without food

He had to learn to be content with and without resources (or living conditions)

If obedience contributed to financial blessings Paul would never seen the dark days of being without, he would had to learn how to be content in these areas of lack.

God kept him and his life fruitful in and out of season.

This has been a pattern of most Apostles, learning to be content with begin without.

In Acts Peter and John encounters this lame begger on the way to the temple, who was expecting money from the Apostles, but Peter said “I don’t have any silver or gold for you”

The Apostles seemed to lack often when it came to monitary blessings.

This was a moment that the Apostle went without, but Peter said what I do have I give to you, In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!”

Miricals vs. Monitary Blessings

When Peter done this the bible says that man got up, stood on his feet and began to walk. Then walking and leaping he began to praise God.

Modern-Day Culture and its perspective that following Jesus will result in an instant financial blessings is false.

There are two means of provision, that God works in this earth one is blessings.

The definition of Blessing is to be empowered to prosper.

example

this can come from a natural means:

If someone is wealthy and gives you money to payoff all your debt it is a blessing.

The second means of provision is a Miracle.

example

this will only come from a supernatural means.

If you woke up tomorrow morning and 2.5 million dollars was in your account with no trace of human contact. That will be a miracle.

Miracles

God wants you to strip yourself down to humiity so he can work miricals in this earth through you to bring more people into his kingdom.

It was once God worked a mirical through Peter to this man he began to praise God.

What my time in the streets taught me was that this man was receiving money from people and yet never praised God.

We can tell this man recieved money from people before because if he didnt he wouldnt always been at this location.

We all been put on to the game that, once someone finds well to tap they usually stay in that one place.

But God had another plan through Peter, he wanted to bring forth something in world and work a miricle through them to draw in people from this mans story.

Through out the bible God has opertated miracles through people and as direct result many of people believed in Jesus or praised God.

In Matthew 9 (Jesus heals this paralyzed man) the man jumped up and began walking home and they (bystanders) praised God for giving humans such authority.

In John 11:45 (story of Lazarus) Many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.

God’s desire is to move in this earth through you and perform miracles that reveals him.

Blessings

But God can operate in the realm of blessings as well

empower you to prosper, this is what we gather from Paul and his story.

Following and believing God, and still spending time in jail.

Most of this man’s time we find him in Jail, and yet believing in God for a blessing.

Why in most of your time we can find you in a dead relationship?

but you are not believing on God to empower you to prosper?

Most of get in all types of relationships, and when things get bad instead of believing in God for blessings we sit in the middle of this and say this is as good as it will get.

Paul was beaten rather it was with rods, stones, or the thirty-nine lashes, yet he was believing in God for a blessing.

Why when most of you get abused, you give up?

I am being abused at work. why dont you believe in God to empower you to prosper?

You dont know my co-workers they be taking my kindness for weakness.

Paul was a well educated man, he knew the word of God. In fact he used to be apart of the Jewish leaders counsel.

Those who beaten him with the thirty-nine lashes, was once upon a time his co-workers. Yet he believed in a blessing.

We find in our text Paul knew the struggle, he knew it really well. Yet he believed in God for a blessing.

Because when we struggle, or things happen one right after the other. We cant believe in anything. if it aint one thing its another.

This ice storm took your electricity, believe in God for a blessing.

COVID took your job, believe in God for a blessing.

is it easy? No. Absolutely not, but what I am saying is that it worked for Paul and I quite confident that the same God who provided blessings to Paul is capable of doing it for you.

All Things in Christ

When Paul says in verse 13 “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

No matter how difficult his struggles may have been, Paul had a spiritual undergirding, an invisible means of support of strength. Which came through Jesus.

Colossians 1:11 | Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

There might be some that think, when he said this it was for the spiritual. No, he was intending this in the physical meaning.

Paul was aware that all he went through had to be replaced with joyfulness which he recieved from the lord.

Modern-Day culture, will have you believing that “obediance will put you in line for a finanical breakthrough” God’s intent is show much bigger than that.

These places where the Holy Spirit lead Paul wasn’t for his finanical freedom.

It was for God’s advancement of the Kingdom.

The spirit lead him to these places where he was beaten, abused, and left for dead.

But Paul knew, as long as I have Christ. I can go through anything.

I could be have a little or i can have enough.

I could be abused and mistreated, or I can be treated with care

But I only can survive, if Christ is the head of my life.