THE JOY OF GIVING UNTO THE LORD!! PHILIPPIANS 4:15-19 We have come to the end of our series on “Finding Joy”. Today I want us to discover – how to Experience the Joy of Giving to God. The book of Philippians was written for two reasons. First of all it was written as a letter of Paul’s expression of joy. The Christian life is to be filled with joy. In this letter Paul expressed joy in numerous situations. Secondly, the book of Philippians is a thank you letter for the gift – the offering that the Philippians gave – as they supported Paul’s ministry. Paul wrote to the Philippians to thank them for the gift they had sent him. Follow along as I read our text for today: 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. - PHILIPPIANS 4:15-19 (NIV) In this passage of Philippians is found one of the greatest promises in the Bible. It is so all encompassing that almost any other promise will fit under its umbrella. It is found in verse nineteen: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. God has made us a promise to meet our needs. God says, "I will meet all your needs. I will take care of you." Why then, do people still have needs? Why aren’t the needs being met? Is God a liar? Is His promise not valid? The answer to the question is simple – many of God’s promises are conditional. You see – with many promises there is a condition that you must meet – before you can claim the promise. In other words – God says, "If you do this – I will do that." The Bible is full of conditional promises. Take for example the promise found in Second Chronicles chapter seven: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. - 2 CHRONICLES 7:14 God makes the promise that He will hear them from heaven – forgive them – and heal their land – "if" they humble themselves – pray – and seek God’s face. In Philippians chapter four we find that Paul praises them for their generosity. They gave and gave to the efforts of spreading the gospel. Paul commends them for their giving – then he says: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS. 4:19) What Paul is saying is: “Because you gave – God will give to you.” Let’s look at this in more detail. 1. The CONDITION – I must be GENEROUS The Bible tells us: A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. - ROVERBS 11:25 The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church and said: Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7  Jesus said: 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. – LUKE 6:38 The principle is this: When you are generous to others – God is going to be generous with you. This is the principle of sowing and reaping. If you are generous – God will be generous to you. You will reap what you sow. In our text today – Paul is praising the Philippians for their generosity – then he says: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (PHILIPPIANS 4:19) Paul gives us three reasons for being generous: 1. Giving is an ENCOURAGEMENT Look at verse fourteen: Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Paul is telling the Philippian church that they helped him when he was in trouble and in need. The Message Bible puts it this way: “I don’t mean that your help didn’t mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.” PHILIPPIANS 4:14 (MSG) The Philippian church was not a wealthy church. In fact they were quite poor. Yet they were big hearted – generous in their giving. Paul said their gift encouraged him – it helped him. When you give – both the giver and the receiver get a blessing. We receive encouragement through giving.  Here are two results of giving: (Not in OUTLINE) A. Giving widens my ministry. In Philippians chapter one, Paul says they are: "partners in ministry". They were supporting him financially. Whatever you support you’re partners with. Not all of us can go to the mission field – but we can support them. We can become partners with them. We can pray for them and support them by giving to their efforts. Giving allows me to be involved in somebody else’s ministry. B. Giving makes me become more like Christ. Jesus was a great giver. Look at Second Corinthians chapter eight with me: 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. – 2 CORINTHIANS 8:9 The most Christ-like thing you can do is give. Jesus was a giver – He was sacrificial. To give is to become more Christ-like. Another reason to give: (Back to the Outline...) 2. Giving is an INVESTMENT When the Philippian church gave Paul said: 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; - Phil. 4:15 Giving brings a blessing to both the giver and the receiver. When you give you receive a blessing from God. Giving is a heavenly investment. Folks here is a word of caution: When you give financially it does not mean that God will bless you financially in this world. God will bless you with money. Could God bless you with money? – yes. Will He bless you with money – that is up to God – but I do know that He expects us to be cheerful givers. I also know that God pays attention to your giving. The Bible has a story in Mark I want us to look at: 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,[a] worth only a fraction of a penny.[b] 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” MARK 12:41-44 God pays attention to what we do. He is recording anything and everything. Every-time you give something it is recorded in heaven. A cup of cold water given in Jesus’ name is written down. Every time you’re generous with your family, your church, your friends, unbelievers, anybody – God knows it. He sees it all – and God will bless you because of your giving. First Timothy says: (New Living Translation) “Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.” 1 Timothy 6:18-19 (NLT) God keeps track of what you give – it is an investment in a heavenly future. 3. Giving is a SACRIFICE Paul said: 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. Philippians 4:18 The most pleasing thing you can do for God is to give sacrificially. Jesus was a total sacrificial giver. When you are most like Christ, you are sacrificial in your giving. You are generous and it pleases God. A sacrificial giver is a beautiful person. They view giving as an act of worship. They give to honor God. God loves it when we give as an act of worship. Matthew records the words of Jesus: And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward. – Matthew 10:42 Every act of generosity in your life can be done as a sacrifice to God. Anytime you have a spirit of generosity – the spirit of giving – it is an encouragement to others – it is an investment in eternity – it is a sacrifice pleasing to God. That’s why Paul said it’s so important to become a giver. Happy people are giving people. Philippians is about joy and giving. We have looked at the condition now let’s look at the promise. II. THE PROMISE – God will supply all my needs Paul says: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. – Phil. 4:19 Let’s look first of all at: The Source: GOD God is not a force – He is a person – who can and wants to have a personal relationship with you. Paul calls God – “My God”. Paul had a personal relationship with God – just as you and I can have a personal relationship with Him.  Jesus told us that when we pray we should pray saying: “Our Father”. God is a caring – consistent – capable Father. He cares for His children. He assumes responsibility for His children’s needs. He is the source for supplying ALL of our needs. The Scope: ALL “All” includes everything. Verse nineteen doesn’t say that God might meet “some” of your needs – but that He will meet “all” your needs. It is a guarantee. If you met the condition – you can count on the promise – God will meet all your needs. Now let me say this... there may be a big difference between your “needs” and your “wants”. God does not promise to give you everything you “want”. He does promise to give you what you “need”. James says: When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. JAMES 4:3 God has not guaranteed to provide you with all your luxuries. He is not going to promote your selfishness – but He has promised to give you what you need. The Bible does not say, “My God shall supply all your greeds.” What has God promised? What is covered in this verse? All legitimate needs. That covers a lot of material needs. It covers physical needs – health needs – relational needs – emotional needs – spiritual needs. God promises to meet our needs. The Supply: HIS RICHES IN CHRIST JESUS How wealthy is God? The Bible tells us that our father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. That heaven is paved with gold. God is rich beyond imagination. God’s bank will never go bankrupt. He has unlimited resources. He has an inexhaustible supply as exhibited in many of His miracles. Second Corinthians tells us:  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. - 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-8 The principle is this: If you become a cheerful giver – God will take care of your needs. That principle is taught all through the Scripture. Giving guarantees God’s provision.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 18:57:29 +0000
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