Philippians 4
Thanks for Their Gifts
15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
As we close out our study of Philippians, I was wondering and praying about where we need to go next. This passage, and particularly verses 18b-19 and the ideas they present have been coming up over and over this week. This passage talks about the worship of giving and the blessing of receiving from God. This is a subject that the Bible talks about from cover to cover. So for the next few weeks I've decided to do a short series on what the Bible says about offerings and sacrifices and how God supplies all our needs.
Is that comforting to you? I mean the idea that God supplies all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus? Is that comforting to you? Is God rich?
How rich is God? The New Testament says of Jesus, (2 Corinthians 8:9)
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
The Old Testament prophet Haggai in chapter 2 writes:
6 “This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. 8 ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. 9 ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
Psalms 50 says: 9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
God doesn't need our gifts and offerings. But we need His riches and He actually wants us to share in them with Him! So, where do we start? How do we begin to share in the wealth of the one who created the universe and who rules over it all?
Interestingly enough it involves letting go of what we can not keep in order to have what we can not lose!
Jesus said in Luke 6: 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
The Old Testament prophet Malachi (3) said, 8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
Paul told the Corinthians (2 Cor. 9): 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:
“He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Did you hear that last verse? Let me read it again: 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Is this true? Will God actually make you rich with His own riches? Absolutely! But are there not exceptions to this rule? What about the people who have served God and who serve God today but remain in poverty? What about them?
Luke records more stories that Jesus told about the rich and the poor than any of the gospels.
There's a famous one in Luke 16. Let's go there. There are two stories in this chapter about handling wealth here. Let's go to the one in verses 19-31.
Who would you say ultimately became rich in this story?
Luke 12 records another story of Jesus about riches: verses 13-21. Then listen to Jesus own words about how to apply this parable to ourselves: verses 22-34.
Now remember something... Luke is a doctor. Physicians have generally done well financially throughout history. I dare say, Luke was probably no exception. Yet Luke understood something about wealth that he learned from Jesus. Listen to Jesus instructions again in Luke 16:10-15.
God wants us to hold on to worldly things with open hands, looking up and giving thanks and asking for direction in how to use them for God's glory. When we do this, we not only enjoy what we have, but we glorify God with it and bless others through it.
If God is not our master, something else or someone else will be.
If we look at God's way of handling His own wealth, we see this: God is a giver. A cheerful giver. He has a lot to give, and his well never runs dry. He wants us to be like Him so that we can share in his eternal treasures.
In order for us to see the glory of God's riches in Christ, we have to let go of the lust of worldly wealth and temporal things. God wants to make you rich! Will you let Him?
