Philippians: The Key to Joy 15
All right, friends, Philippians chapter 4:10 to 20 today we have two more messages in Philippians today and next Sunday. And then I have a message on the last Sunday of the month where I'm going to talk about my perspective on what God has done for us in this last year. And I understand many of you will be gone because it's the final recreational rapture of the summer because it's Labor Day. But please do watch it on the video if you are not personally here.
Philippians 4:10 Paul says to us. More importantly, God the Holy Spirit says to us. “But I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means and also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
“Nevertheless, Philippians, you have done well to share with me in my afflictions. You yourselves know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel. After I left Macedonia. No church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, but you alone. For even in Thessalonica you send a gift more than once for my needs, not that I seek the gift itself. But I seek for the
Prophet which increases your account. But I have received everything in full. I have an abundance. I'm amply supplied, having received from Aphroditus what you have sent. A fragrant aroma and acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
Father, please teach us as we think together about these 11 verses. Thank you for writing them, Thank you for writing them and giving them to us in a language we can read. And so now we open our hearts on the God Word side.
To see what you say, to see what you're up to, to see what you expect. To see how we can pursue you better. We're grateful for their time and we give it to you and we need your help and we pray in Jesus name, Amen.
In the original version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, there is
an elevator called the Wonka Vader that stops at every floor in the factory.
But it also shoots through the roof. And becomes a flying machine. That's
not right. That's upside down. There's also a soda you can drink called Fizzy
Lifting Water that will raise you up in the air. That shouldn't work like that.
There's also a proprietor named Willy Wonka who has half a desk.
Half a pair of eyeglasses, half a magnifying glass, half a picture on the wall.
That's upside down. There's something wrong with that.
A lot of things in life are upside down. They shouldn't work that way. Kathy and I lived in Idaho Falls for 12 years. We went many times to a performance called the Bar Jay Wranglers. Has anybody been to the Bar Jay Wranglers? Cowboy comedy show? Chuck Wagon Dinner? Crazy fun. And when you went up there, left the parking lot, there was a huge walkway. When you got to the venue on the left, there was a closed window that said tickets on it. And on the right there was a closed window that said nothing on it. And so I would go there just before 5:00 when the windows opened and the line for tickets was like 200 people deep. But there was #1 at the closed window with no sign on it. I would go stand at that window. I did that every time I went because I was a local. I had insider information.
What I knew was you had to get a seat assignment from this window before you could go over here and get a ticket from this window. And so at 5:00, both windows would go up. I would get my seat assignment. These people would be informed they need a seat assignment. We'd switch places. I was the first guy in the venue every night. In the whole time I did that, nobody ever came up and stood behind me. Nobody ever said to me, why are you standing here? They're all thinking what an idiot. That is pretty accurate, but I knew the system. I knew the system. It was an upside down system. Why don't they come right there? Start here.
Now, I never suggested that because I didn't want to lose my place with insider information, but it was broken. It was upside down. It's not the way it should work. We're looking at a passage today, friends, that is full of upside down principles of God's economy. Stuff that works in a way that it really you wouldn't think it should work.
And if you're a first time reader of the Bible, it'd probably be pretty crazy to you to say, OK, the first shall be last. That shouldn't be that way. You shouldn't be more blessed to give than to receive. The least shouldn't be the greatest. Those who lose their lives shouldn't keep it. This shouldn't work this way.
Here are 6 upside down principles from the Word of God that we need to think
about and say I need to adjust my life to this because God's economy is upside down. Jesus said, “I could call 6-7 legions of angels to save me.” No, that's not what he says. 12 legions, Matthew 26. I could call 72,000 angels to save me.
But he didn't. He let himself be crucified. It wasn't suicidal, it was sacrificial, but it's upside down. If you can save yourself, well, save yourself. He said no, I'm not going to do that.
Six Principles of the Upside-Down Economy of God”
● Principle # 1: Believers are privileged to give out of concern for both the advancement of the Gospel and the good of the Gospel workers.
Believers are privileged to give out of concern for both the advancement of the gospel and the good of gospel workers. We give because we want to see the gospel advanced, and we give because we care about the people who are advancing the gospel. So here's the key verses, verse 10. I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you've revived your concern for me. Indeed, you're concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.
Verse 14. “You have done well to share with me and my affliction.” Verse 15. “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the Gospel. Until I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, but you alone.” Verse 16. “For even in Thessalonica you send a gift more than once for my needs.” Verse 18. “But I received everything in full. I have an abundance. I am amply supplied. I have received what you sent through Epaphroditus.”
Paul says verse 10. “......Basically what he is saying to them is receiving this gift renews in my heart the belief that you care about me. I'm glad for the gift, it helped me, but I'm really glad for the fact that your gift says to me that you care about me. He sees this as sort of the first sign of spring, the long winter is over because he sees this as a harbinger. And he says in chapter 1:5 and here 4:15 you participated with me in the gospel. It's the famous Greek word pronounced Koinonia. You don't have to be very old in the faith before you see a Koinonia Goth, a Koinonia coffee shop. The Fellowship coffee shop.
And Paul says you have fellowship with me by giving financially to me. I am really grateful for the gift. God loves a cheerful giver, and God loves also a cheerful receiver. And Paul was that. Gordon Fee, his Bible scholar, said, “Paul's
point is that his joy lies not in the gifts per se. But in the greater reality that the gifts represent the tangible evidence, now renewed, of his and their long term fellowship. He's encouraged that they helped him, and so he makes it clear. " Listen, I'm in continual affliction.”
If you read 2nd Corinthians 11, he has a laundry list of his afflictions. I won't rehearse them with you, but when he says I'm in distress, he doesn't mean I'm out of money. Now he was at times out of money. He made tents to support himself and of course, when you're in prison, it's hard to make tents. He was out of money at times, but he was also beaten and he was also shipwrecked and he was also imprisoned and he was also stoned and left for dead. He was in a lot. And remarkably, he says to them, your gift amounts to sharing in my suffering. Your gift amounts to sharing in my suffering, and I'm so grateful that you brought this gift to me.
In Acts 9, when Paul came to faith, Ananias said. Paul, God wants to show you how much you're going to suffer for my cause. How would you like to be called into a ministry with that?
Hey? Hey,Travis. ..”Come be our pastor, let's show you how much you're going to suffer for Christ's sake. That was Paul called the ministry and he knew it and he accepted it and he was very, very happy for it. The Philippians participated with Paul in the gospel.
They took the Great Commission personally. I have a question. It's actually not my question, it's Jesus' question. Do you take the Great Commission personally? Is it something that you're responsible for, or is it all of our responsibility? Because if it's my responsibility, then something will get done,
but if it's all of our responsibility, nothing will get done.
Do you
take it personally?
The last thing Jesus said to his disciples before he left, Matthew 28:18-20”
“Great Commission make disciples.” The last thing a person says before they leave is critically important. Your father is dying. You're in the hospital. He's just barely got any breath left. And he grabs your shirt and he pulls you down and he says there's $1,000,000. Hidden under the dog house. And he's dead.
Pretty important thing. Where are you going to go after he's passed away?
You're going to Home Depot and get a shovel, then you're going to go move his doghouse. It's critically important what he said.
Ryan, my friend. That's a great illustration, isn't it, buddy? Thank you. There's one man awakening here and I am just stinking, stinking happy.
The question is, do I take the Great Commission personally? I have a friend in
Houston whose name is Trisha. She and I lead missions trips to the island of old cars in Ecuador once every year. Trish is a full time worker. This is what she does for her job. On top of that, Trisha has a backyard club in her backyard where she shares Christ with kids. On top of that, she goes into female prisons to share Christ in those prisons. On top of that, she goes door to door where ethnic groups have congregated in Houston to share Christ door to door with them.
I have said 40 times, if everybody was as serious about the Great Commission as Trisha, we would be done. Do you take the Great Commission personally? Paul took it personally, the Philippians took it personally and he is saying to us, I want you Dave, I want you. FCBC, I want every one of us to take it personally. Look out for the interests of others and not our own interests only.
● Principle #2: Contentment is a choice that Jesus enables every one of us to make.
Contentment is not based on abundance. It's based on the condition of my heart.
Verse 11, “Not that I speak from one, for I've learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” I know how to get along with humble means. I also know how to live in prosperity in any and every circumstance. I've learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both having abundance and suffering. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Paul says, “I'm not content because I have no need. He was often in pure poverty. He was content because of the condition of his heart, whatever circumstance humble means or prosperity, any and every circumstance filled and going hungry, having abundance or suffering need. He repeats 5 different times. I'm content with all of this. It's not about how much he had was about what was going on in his heart. He had a relationship with Christ and therefore something was different for him.
Paul's financial fortunes took a nosedive when he trusted Christ. A nosedive. He was a Jew. No doubt his family disinherited him when he became a Christian. He had to give up his income as a scribe and a Pharisee. He traveled a lot. He paid for his own travels with tent money. He was imprisoned a lot. He paid for his coworkers' needs. Paul's financial fortunes took a nosedive when he trusted Christ.
But not his contentment. His contentment rose when he became a follower of Jesus Christ. So contentment isn't just for Uber mature Christians like Paul.
It's for us. It's for any dependent believer. I don't have to be an apostle to be content. This is available to me. It's available to you. It's available because we depend on God. We develop a level of personal maturity. We understand that God cares for us. He's committed to our needs. He's going to act. He knows that's what's going on in our hearts. And we say, OK, this is a choice every
Christian can make.
In fact, Paul says in verse 13, the famous verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” That verse was focused on. I can be content in any circumstance now. It's a true principle. It can be applied to anything.
We can do whatever God wants and needs us to do because of the strength in Christ. But it was first given to say. You have the ability to be content.
Doesn't matter how much you have, doesn't matter how little you have. Christ enables you to do that. He empowers you to do that. So basically friends' contentment is just a decision that says I'm good. No matter my net worth, I'm good. I decided I'm good.
Socrates said. And I don't normally quote Socrates, partly because I don't read them and partly because he doesn't have a lot to say that's out of the Bible. But he said contentment is natural wealth. Luxury is artificial poverty. Contentment is natural wealth. Luxury is artificial poverty. It's kind of the upside down principle that comes out of the word of God.
Now, friends, Paul said, He learned contentment. If you can drive a car, it's because you learned to. If you can read, it's because you learn to. If you can speak Spanish, it's because you learn to. You can learn contentment. We're not born with it. God knows we're not born with it. We're wanting machines. But we can learn contentment in our lives.
I can learn to be content in any situation.
First Timothy 6:8, Paul talks about this idea. He says, “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”
That's all I need. I need Jesus. Something to eat. And clothing shelter to
keep me from freezing. If I have those things, Paul says, I could be
a content person. CS Lewis has an amazing quote, he says. “Pursuing prosperity knits a man to the world. He may feel that he is finding his place in the world, while really the world is finding its place in him.”
If I'm pursuing prosperity, it's finding its place in me prosperity has done more
damage to believers than has adversity. Warren, Wheresby. “Contentment is something that I am able to learn. What do I need? I need Christ, something to eat and covering.”
If I have those things, I can be a content person.
● Principle #3: Our giving advances the work of God, and it profits our own eternal account. (v.17)
Verse 17. He said, “Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek the prophet, which increases your account.”
God and Paul are very big on wise investments. One of the reasons God is big
on wise investments is because it's His stuff. He's the owner, I'm the steward.
I don't own a house. I live in God's house. I don't own a car. I live in God. I drive God's car. I don't have a banking account. I use God's money. I don't have a retirement account. He's letting me use his. So I'm not an owner, I'm a manager and therefore wise investment of his stuff is a big deal. And why does investment of his stuff depend on understanding his values and his commands for this stuff?
That he has loaned to me. He's big, big, big on wise investments. The wisest investments are eternal. They're going to last forever. And so he lets me use this bank account so that I can give to the Lord's work to provide for my family. Pay my taxes, help the poor enjoy his good gifts. God has nothing against enjoyment. God is a big fan of enjoyment. But he gives me this stuff, so I'll be a steward of the things that he has, and he wants me to be a person who is giving to God's work and helping God's workers.I was a full time supported missionary for about 19 years. And it was. It was a terrific struggle, but a terrific blessing. People supported me and my wife and our kids to do the work of God for 19 years. And in that time, we didn't get rich, but we had everything we needed. Because people said the advancement of the gospel matters to me and the well-being of David Cathy matters to me.
And when we give to others, we're saying those two very same things. When I give, I get rewarded. That's upside down, isn't it? Well, it's God's economy, it's the way God works things. When I give, I get rewarded and, and Paul says 3 different places your gifts gain rewards for you. You can't take it with you, but you can send it ahead. It's upside down.
● Principle #4, “What we give to God's work is an "offering/worship sacrifice” (v. 18b)
“But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; an offering in a worship sacrifice sense, what you gave me was a fragrant aroma. An acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. So in the Old Testament they would bring in the lamb or the calf or whatever, and they would burn it on the altar, and the smell of the burning meat was delicious. And it would rise up to God.
And Paul says the money you sent me. When I was in jail there was a sweet smelling aroma. It was an act of sacrifice and then he said it was an acceptable sacrifice. It's like Cain brings his sacrifice and God accepts it. And then he says it was well pleasing to God. It's like every sacrifice that's given out of a right heart. It was well pleasing to God. Like all the Old Testament stuff offered, and like Jesus offering himself in our place, it was pleasing to God. And so we give God gifts as an act of sacrifice today still. Now we don't go to a temple with a goat or a lamb or oil or grain or whatever they would bring.
But we do bring God gifts of worship, sacrificial offerings. Here's the New Testament list of five sacrifices we can bring. Number one, financial and material possessions. We're talking about right here in verse 18
#2 our bodies. Romans 12/1 and two converts to Christ. Romans
1516, our verbal praise to him. Hebrews 1315 when we stand up and saying worship. We're bringing an offering. Our good Works Hebrews 13:16 is an act of worship. It doesn't help me with salvation. It doesn't help me at all with that. I need to trust Christ for that. But it does help me to give glory to God because I can bring these things to him and give him a gift.
Friends, there's two different ways to go to a friend's house. You haven't seen them for five years. They live in Cincinnati. You're going to stay overnight with them. You can walk up to the front porch with your suitcases in hand and
kind of say, hey, where's my room? Or you can come with all your suitcases still in the car and a bouquet of flowers and say great to see you again. You can bring a gift. A house warming gift. You can say I appreciate what you're doing for me. Don't ever show up on the doorstep of a friend whom you're staying overnight with without some flowers or some fruit or something. Bring
a gift. And don't ever come into the presence of the King, capital K, without a gift.
In the Old Testament, you wouldn't come into the presence of a king without a gift. And so we come into the presence of our King with a gift. We bring him something. Don't come in here empty handed is God's message.
● Principle #5: Our God will supply all our needs according to his riches in glory. (v. 19)
In Christ Jesus verse 19. Who's going to supply it? It's our God. In fact, Paul says it's my God. It was his personal God. He had a personal relationship with him. He claimed him as his own personal God. The God of the universe eternally existed, all powerful, all knowing, absolutely sovereign, able to do everything, completely compassionate. That being, Paul said, is my personal God. And if I trust Christ, he is also my personal God.
You understand in India Today, there are 1.1 billion Hindus. And Hinduism has
33 main gods. And depending on how you read their scriptures, they have up to 330 million gods. How would you like to be 1? It doesn't feel that personal to me.
Paul says this is my God. He's your God. He's the Father who knows about you, loves you, cares about you, created you in the womb, knew that you were going to exist when He decided to create you from eternity past. He knows your birthday, knows your wants, your needs, your fears. He knows everything you've been through. He knows what you're struggling with at the moment.
It's our personal God. And Paul said, “My God, your God, your personal God, he's going to help you. He's going to provide for you.
What's the channel? It's through Jesus Christ, the one who intercedes for us, who receives it. It's us because we're dependent people. We can't make life work without him. Is it enough? Yeah, it's more than enough. It's more than just our need or a necessity. It's everything we need, the Scripture says. It's everything we need for life and for godliness.
Friends, I have a huge aversion to prosperity theology. Huge aversion to saying OK God wants you to be rich and happy and healthy. No, the Bible says God
wants me to be holy. He wants me to be connected with him. He wants to
take the Great Commission personally, he wants me to be sacrificial. Has no commitment to being wealthy, healthy, handsome or famous. He has no commitment to that.
Romans 8:29, He wants me to look like his son. That's God's commitment.
And because that is his commitment, I need to be a person who is using all of this that he supplies to me in ways that are honoring to him and blessing to other people around me. My needs will be met to the same degree that Jesus is glorious. Verse 19. My needs will be met first. Peter 1:3. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness.
Psalm 145:16, “God, you open your hand, and you satisfy the desire of every living thing.” I'm responsible for the stewardship of the money. He's responsible for meeting my needs. It's a division of Labor. He understands that I need stuff.
● Principle #6: God is worthy of eternal glory because….Well, I'm sorry, we don't the “because” (v. 20)
Why is God worthy of personal glory? That is a 90,000 hour sermon. It's more than we have time for today. I'll talk a little bit about it next week as we close out this book. But God is worthy of glory for many, many, many reasons.
Paul ends this verse 20 with a doxology. Doxa, Glory, Logos Word, a word of glory that he gives to God. Here's a core idea that comes out of Acts 20:35
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus that He himself said. “It's more blessed to give than to receive.”
That's upside down, isn't it? It's more blessed to give than to receive. The
word blessed is a New Testament word pronounced macarios. And it can be, it can be translated, blessed, but at the core it means happy.
It means happiness.
If you read the Sermon on the Mount, you know it's more blessed.
It's more blessed, it's more blessed. You're going to be happier, it says.
If you're mourning your sin then if you're not. You're going to be happier if
you're giving than if you're getting. It's the upside down economy of God.
There's greater happiness in giving than in receiving. It's upside down.
And it's true. So Jesus is challenging you and me. To test this. To test and see if it's not more happiness to give than to receive Jesus is challenging all of us.
And I'm triple dog daring you. Triple dog dare.
Core Idea: “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, “Ir is more blessed to give that to receive.” Acts 20:35
Went straight to the top. It's more blessed to give than to receive. Let's pray.
Father, thank you that you care about us. I pray that as we trust Christ and grow more and more in maturity. We would be more conversant with and more comfortable with. Your upside down economy. Thank you that Jesus found
it is more blessed to give. To give his life than to keep his life. Thank you.
Let us be people who find it more blessed to give. Than to receive we need
your grace in Christ's name.
Amen.