Philippians 4:14-23 - A Heart of Giving
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Introduction:
The Pilgrims (who were a group of British separatists who struggled for religious freedom) had fled Britain to Holland in 1608 in search of religious freedom. Being in poverty and treated poorly in Holland, they set out across the Atlantic in 1620. During the 9-week journey, due to suffering on the journey as well as a cruel New England winter, about half of them died.
These Pilgrims had set out for religious freedom. They sought to be able to worship God freely and without the government’s interference.
With their hearts struggling to find what God was doing in the midst of their suffering, they were greatly blessed when a Native American named Squanto taught them how to grow corn, use fertilizer, stalk deer, and catch fish. His giving of his time and energy was lifesaving to these Pilgrims. And what is oftentimes missed is the giving of Squanto by God to this struggling group of people.
You see, Squanto was no average Native American. He spoke English! He had been kidnapped by an English explorer named Thomas Hunt who had sold him into slavery in Spain. Squanto escaped slavery and ended up back in England where, as God’s providence would have it, eventually allowed him to take a ship to the New World in no other year than 1619 (the very year before the Pilgrims landed)!
God was sovereignly working even when it seemed like all hope was lost for the Pilgrims.
William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth, called Squanto, “a special instrument sent of God for good beyond our expectations.”
Because of the bountiful harvest of 1621, Bradford declared a new holiday. This term was meant in the truest of terms - it was a new Holy Day. A day of remembrance of what the Lord had done.
Today we are going to be talking about giving. As God’s sovereignty would have it, we are entering the final stretch of Philippians and it deals with none other than Thanksgiving. What a wonderful blessing for us as we start to read the Scripture for today:
Join me as we read Philippians 4:14-23
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.
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.
22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Prayer
Today we are going to discuss three Biblical reasons that you should give generously. The first is:
I. You Should Give Generously…Because God is Working (14-16)
I. You Should Give Generously…Because God is Working (14-16)
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.
Paul could have ended this letter in Philippians 4:13. He had just said that he had learned the secret of contentment and that he could do all things through Christ who strengthens him. This was a very true and real statement. It was a lesson that he had learned in his life. Yet, it may have left the Philippians wondering if their support had made any difference or if they were faithful in their giving.
Paul, wanting to be clear of his appreciation of the church in Philippi one last time, lets them know that they were kind to share in his trouble.
He starts off verse 14 with the transition word ‘yet’ with some translations using the word ‘nevertheless.’ He wants to transition from the truth that Jesus is always enough to the fact that we still appreciate what Jesus is doing through others.
The ESV translates the Greek word kalōs (ka-lose) as ‘kind.’ This word is more commonly translated as ‘well’ or ‘good.’ He is saying the Philippian church has done very well in aiding his ministry. The word here translated ‘trouble’ can also mean affliction. Paul referred to his ministry as his trouble or affliction because trouble had seemed to find him wherever he went! Although he counted Christ more than worthy, he understood the sacrifice of being a missionary and Apostle of the Lord.
In verse 15 we see Paul look back to the planting of this wonderful church. Ten years ago he had first preached the Gospel in Philippi. Upon leaving Philippi, he was blessed to have their financial support to go and preach the Gospel in Thessalonica. He praises them for entering into partnership. This partnership is one that is not formal but intimate and close. The word ‘partnership’ here actually stems from the word koinonia - meaning fellowship. It is the term that is used for the church family.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
This is the kind of partnership they had with Paul. They were fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and wanted to support the Gospel.
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.
How did they partner or fellowship? The end of verse 15 states through giving and receiving. All of the churches recieved the gift that Paul brought which was the ministry of the Gospel. But not all churches gave back to him. Paul was blessed by the church of Philippi for not just being takers. They saw God working through Paul and saw hearts changing because of the power of the Gospel.
This matter of giving and receiving is actually found in more business terminology. It is often used to refer to accounting especially. Paul noted that the Philippians saw their investment in God’s work through the spreading of the Gospel as worthy to invest in.
Do we see God’s work as worthy in to invest in? When we look around us and see all of the ways that we can spend money, is the advancement of the Gospel the first thing we think about? Or is something for ourselves, or our children, or our parents? This is not to say that we don’t give generously to others as well. We are called to live generous lives in every way.
But brothers and sisters, we should always first give generously to the advancement of the Gospel because God is certainly still working and there are so many in need of hearing the message of salvation.
Next we see that....
Scripture References: Philippians 4:13, Acts 2:42
II. You Should Give Generously...Because God is Worthy (17-18)
II. You Should Give Generously...Because God is Worthy (17-18)
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.
In verse 17, we see that Paul reiterates that he is pleased with the gifts from the Philippians not because of the gifts themselves, but because of the heart behind them. They are giving to the work of the Lord and they are giving because they see that God is worthy of their gifts.
Not only that but he also is encouraged because of the future reward they will have in heaven.
The Scriptures are filled with references to credit or account. Some, who are unbelievers, will give an account in a negative way whereas those who are believers will be rewarded based on their faithfulness to God.
12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
We see that we all will give an account of our lives before God.
We also see that our works and gifts are going to be judged by more than just what we do. The heart behind them will matter as well.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
We must give and serve not for our own glory or gain - but for the glory of Christ. We must build on that foundation alone if we want to see any reward for our labor in Christ. We see that we are saved not by our works but by grace here. But we also see that our works will be judged through the fire of testing by the Lord. Those works that are self-exalting will be burnt up and we should expect no reward for them. Only what is done for Christ will last.
I encourage each of you to spend some time thinking about the motivation for what you do. Think not only about what you do but think much deeper - think why you do it.
You may do some wonderful things. But is it for the glory of God? Or is it so that people think you are a good person? Is it to advance the Gospel? Or is it to advance yourself? God knows the very thoughts of our minds and hearts. He will not be deceived. Pray that God gives you a heart for His glory for He is worthy of all honor and praise..
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.
Verse 18 reminds us of Paul’s contentment again. He has all he needs. He is well supplied. He is content in his current circumstance despite the fact that he is in prison! Yet he appreciates the financial gifts and the gift of service that Epaphroditus has brought on behalf of the church in Philippi.
He refers to these gifts as a fragrant offering and an acceptable sacrifice which is pleasing to God. For us today, we may miss the meaning of this term fragrant offering.
In Exodus 30:1-10, we see the Altar of Incense
The Altar of Incense (Exodus 30:1-10)
Here is a diagram of the Holy of Holies and where the Altar of Incense was located.
This was a special altar in which a certain mixture of spices including frankincense was burned to Lord. The mixture of frankincense and other spices was actually considered so holy that later in this same chapter (in verses 34-38) we see that if one burned this mixture to someone or something else other than God, they would be cut off from Israel!
You see, this fragrant offering burned by Aaron and the priests after him symbolized prayer under the Old Covenant. It was a form of worship from the people of God.
So Paul was telling the Philippian believers that their gifts to him were a form of worship to the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, we glorify God by giving gifts to the Lord. Giving is such an important aspect of worshiping God. Oftentimes, we think of worship as what we do every Sunday morning when we sing to the Lord. Although this is certainly worshiping God, we worship God is so many ways. Adam and I have been going through a book by Bob Kauflin called Worship Matters.
Kauflin mentions that although there are multiple Greek words in the New Testament for the word worship, singing is strangely absent from the New Testament as linked to the word worship. Don’t misunderstand - singing is a form of worship - but it is not the only form.
Kauflin mentions the following:
Taken from Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin:
Evangelism is worship.
God is worshiped and glorified when you see Him as worthy enough to tell others about Him.
Serving others is worship.
God is worshiped through your hands and feet that serve others. Jesus taught time and time again that we are to be servants. God is glorified and worshiped through your service.
Giving is worship.
When mentioning giving as worship, Kauflin actually quotes Philippians 4:18.
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.
Our giving to the Lord is extremely important. It is a form of worship. It is a fragrant offering. It is an acceptable sacrifice to God. And God is pleased by this. He is glorified through our giving. And God is worthy of all of our praise and worship.
Finally in our last point we see that -
Scripture References: Romans 14:12, 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, Exodus 30:1-10, 34-38
III. You Should Give Generously…Because God is Wonderful (19-23)
III. You Should Give Generously…Because God is Wonderful (19-23)
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. 21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
I chose the word wonderful for this point because it means marvelous or extremely good. Our God is extremely good.
Verse 19 lets us know just how good our God is. He will supply every need of yours. God provides for his children.
Paul wants the Philippians to know that God is wonderfully faithful.
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
The Philippian church had chosen to sow bountifully. They sacrificially gave of their finances to the work of the Lord and Paul wanted to let them know that God would not leave them hanging. God’s provision is dependable. He wants them to know that Christ has not forgotten about him and Christ will not forget about them either. He will care for them.
The blessings of God through our faithfulness to Him is a difficult thing to preach during this day in time. Because of the sinful teaching of the prosperity gospel (that God desires for all to be wealthy and have everything they want), many theologically sound pastors have shied away from preaching Scriptures like 2 Corinthians 9:6 and Philippians 4:19. Because of our desire to not go off the rails into false teaching, we have not always taught the whole counsel of God regarding His provision.
I want us to take a few moments today to try to further understand what Paul is saying here. There are two major take home points I want us to glean about giving and God today.
The first is:
God is Personal, Faithful, and Generous
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Looking back at Philippians 4:19 we see that..
Our God is a loving and gracious and generous God. Paul reminds these impoverished yet generous Philippian believers that their Lord and Savior has not forgotten them. He lets them know that his God - note the personal relationship Paul has here. This is important to note. He is not just God or a god - He is Paul’s God.
Is He your God my friend? Is Jesus your Savior? If not - make the wonderful decision to respond to the free gift of eternal life today. He is more than worthy. He took the punishment that you and I deserved on the cross some 2000 years ago and was buried. But three days later He rose from the grave and now He is seated at the right hand of the Father offering forgiveness for your sins. Repent, which means turn away from your sins, and turn to the wonderful and gracious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
2. God Owns Everything and Has No Limit to His Provisions
And speaking of his wonderful God, Paul states that God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
How can God claim this? Read Psalm 50:10:
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
God owns everything. He is sovereign. We do not give to the church or to the work of the Gospel because He needs it. We give because He commands us to. We give because by being generous we can find contentment and peace with God. We give because Christ first gave to us. He gave us life. He gave us breath. And He gave us His life for the salvation of our souls. We give because we love Christ and we show Him our love through obedience in giving (John 14:15).
This wonderful God will supply your needs. We are to trust Him and be generous - even when it doesn’t make sense. Even when it seems illogical. We are to faithfully give.
So What is Our Response to These Two Amazing Aspects of God’s Provision and Generosity?
I pray that it is faithfulness in generous giving through obedience to Christ.
I know many pastors also shy away from preaching giving because it makes them uncomfortable. However, we must not run from the hard teachings of Scripture. There is a reason that this topic is so difficult for our churches to hear today. And that reason is that we are an idolatrous nation who worships money, possessions, homes, and vehicles. We fall at the feet of the almighty dollar and give it our time, energy, worship, and attention.
Brothers and sisters:
Generous giving breaks the power that money and possessions have on us. It frees us.
Warren Weirsbe said:
God has not promised to supply all our “greeds.” When the child of God is in the will of God, serving for the glory of God, then he will have every need met. Hudson Taylor often said, “When God’s work is done in God’s way for God’s glory, it will not lack for God’s supply.”
- Warren Weirsbe
When we hold tight to the finances that God has given us and are not generous with it back to him, we show that we do not believe Him to be the faithful God that He has said He is. We show him that we do not trust Him to provide for us. God richly provided the Philippian church with what they needed - but even moreso - He provided them with eternal life!
My friends, as we enter this Thanksgiving and Christmas season may we have our eyes opened to the world around us. So many are in need of the Gospel. They are in need of eternal life. Yes, many have other physical needs as well. We should absolutely come to the aid of those who struggle among us. But all the while, let us use whatever resources we have to help advance the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As one who always tries to remain true to expositional preaching - I cannot leave out the last few verses here:
20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. 21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household. 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Paul ends this with a beautiful doxology in verse 20. All glory to God alone. And then the last three verses he sends greetings and a goodbye. Note how Paul leveraged all that he had for the Gospel. He had been so bold in preaching the Gospel that he had even seen some of those in Caesar’s household at the time converted! These were likely some high ranking officials that had come to a saving knowledge of Christ because of Paul’s generosity of his time and resources and his willingness to give up everything for the Gospel.
Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 9:6, Psalm 50:10, John 14:15
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, may we be willing to hold all that we have loosely. Everything is owned by God - even our finances, our cars, our houses. May we live like it and go forth today in faithfulness to whatever the Lord calls us to do and give.
To end this message, I want us to be sure to realize that we don’t have much to bring to the table for God. Frankly, we have nothing. The great thinker C.S. Lewis said it best in Mere Christianity:
“Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. So that when we talk of a man doing anything for God or giving anything to God, I will tell you what that is really like.”
“It is like a small child going to its father and saying, ‘Daddy, give me sixpence to buy you a birthday present.’ Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with the child’s present. It is all very nice and proper, but only a foolish person would think that the father is sixpence to the good on the transaction. When a man has made these two discoveries God can really get to work. It is after this that real life begins. The man is awake now.”
C.S. Lewis (From Mere Christianity) *see note (*idiot changed to foolish person during sermon)
Let us pray.
Prayer
If you would like to learn more about salvation through Jesus Christ or want to obey Jesus by obeying the first commandment of a believer in going through the waters of baptism - please let me know.
Have a blessed week.