All right, everybody, I'd like to say thank you for joining us here yet again at the Everlasting Truth broadcast where we give you everlasting truth in this ever-changing world. I greatly appreciate you being here and listening to the Word of God and allowing us some of your time. that we might be able, in hopes, to teach and preach it to you in a way that'll communicate God's truth to your heart, be a help to you to be a better Christian, and the person that God desires you to be. And so let's not waste any time today. Let's go ahead and open our Bibles to Philippians chapter number four. For those of you that are routine listeners, you know that last week we started on this little study in Philippians chapter number four, and we began discussing the subject found here of the relationship between the local New Testament church and the missionary. And it is a very strong relationship, and it's a bond that God intended for the church to have, and he intended for the church to operate in. Contextually, what we have here in the book of Philippians is the author, the apostle Paul, is a missionary. We know he had three missionary journeys recorded throughout the book of Acts, And he went about evangelizing and doing missionary work in many different cities. And we know that Philippi is a church that supported the Apostle Paul in his missionary journeys. This was a church that was affected by his missionary efforts. that Paul went in, preached to them. Many of them got saved. The church was started, but Paul did not stay in Philippi. He moved on to other places and began other works. And when the Apostle Paul left, the church at Philippi, financially, prayerfully, and in necessities helped the Apostle Paul. They supported him in his missionary efforts. And so what we have in the book of Philippians is a letter between a missionary and a local New Testament church that supports him. And so there's much that you and I can learn about what God desires from the relationship between the local church and the missionary. and I hope you do have, number one, I hope you're a part of a local New Testament church, and if you're not, you're going to find that it's impossible to fulfill many of the things that are written inside of the New Testament, because the majority of the New Testament was written to churches, and many of the things that we're required to fulfill are in the context of the church. And so you're going to have a hard time with that. But one of those things that God has told us to do, he said, Go ye therefore in all the world, preach the gospel to every creature. He told us, Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you and lo, I'm with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen. And so that is the Great Commission in which we are to go into all the world and we are to go into all nations. He told us in Acts chapter 1 verse number 8, he says, and ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you. And he said that power is not going to be on you to make you flop around like a fish and speak in gibberish. He said that power is going to do something for you. He said you shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me. in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. Now, all three of those versions of the Great Commission tell us that we're to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. The problem is that no one single human being can go everywhere and preach the gospel to everybody. It's outside of our scope of ability. And so what that means is that in order for us to fulfill this command, those that you and I cannot reach We are responsible to support those who can go and reach them. Thus, the church is to support missionaries. I cannot reach people here in Live Oak, Florida and also be in the jungle somewhere on the other side of the world. But what I can do is be here doing my job and being a witness here in Live Oak, Florida, and financially supporting a missionary who is in a jungle somewhere on the other side of the earth so that they can reach them. And in doing so, I am thus fulfilling the Great Commission to go into all the world, and I am taking part in that, and I am living up to that commandment. And so if you want to be obedient to the Great Commission, and by the way, it is an important commission, and it is THE Great, Great-S Commission we have, and we know that because it's the last things that Jesus said to us before he ascended to be with the Father. Before he left, the last words he left with his disciples and the last words he left with the apostles at the establishment of the church was, go preach my gospel to everybody. And so if you're going to do that, you're going to have to be involved in missions. And so it's important that you and I understand this relationship. But without further ado, let's see what the Bible says about this relationship. Let's read it. Philippians chapter number 4 and verse number 10. God inspired the apostle Paul to write these words, But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now, at the last, your care of me hath flourished again, wherein you were also careful, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned, and whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full, and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Notwithstanding, you have well done in that you did communicate with my affliction. Now ye Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. And this is where we left off last week in those two broadcasts. We were not able to move on to verse number 18 through the rest of the chapter. And so that's what, uh, by God's grace, we'll begin to do today. So pay attention to these next verses. This is our subject matter, verse 18, but I have all and abound. I am full. What a thing for a missionary to say. I have all that I need. I'm abounding. I'm full. I got everything I need to do this job. Why did Paul have all that he needed? He said, verse 18, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus Now unto God and our father be glory forever and ever amen What a strong statement the Apostle made there under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit now Let's do a brief recap recap and crash course here on what we pulled out of this chapter thus far. In verse number 10 through 13, we talked about the suffering of the missionary. Verse 10 told us that there were times where Paul had a lack of support. Verse number 11 through 12 told us that there was Paul's learning to be satisfied in that lack of support. Verse number 13 that said that when Paul lacked support, he operated in the Lord's strength. He said, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. And we talked about how Philippians 4.13 is a verse that applies specifically to a missionary effort being given by a missionary and his response to what he receives from the local New Testament church. So that was the suffering of the missionary. Then we talked about the sharing in the mission. That was verse number 14. He said, notwithstanding you have well done that you did communicate with my affliction. Basically, what that verse says is that when we give to missions, number one, we're doing well. And number two, we are sharing in the mission with them when we communicate with their affliction. And then we went to verse number 15 and we talked about the support of the missionary. And there was a point in time where the only church supporting the Apostle Paul was the church at Philippi, which tells us that there are times where missionaries are not receiving the support that they actually need. And so if they're going to be able to go, then you and I are going to have to be able to give. Right? And then verse number 17, we talked about the salary of missions. And you said, what do you mean by that? I mean, it pays to support missions. Paul said, I want you to give to me as a missionary. And he said, here's why. Verse 17, not because I desire a gift. He said, I don't want you to do it for me. He said, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. God will bless you when you give to missions. And Paul said, I want you to give to my missionary efforts because I want fruit to abound to your account. And now we come to verse number 18, which is our text verse, what we want to mainly deal with. And so join me there. Verse number 18, let's read it again just to make sure that we are refreshed with it. Verse 18, he said, but I have all and abound. I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. The sacrifice of missions. Paul talks here about the fact that the church at Philippi had sent him some support. They had sent it by the hands of Epaphroditus, verse 18 says. And he says that these things that the Philippians had sent the apostle were a sacrifice on their behalf. And so here the apostle Paul likens supporting missions to sacrifice. And isn't that the truth? Giving to missions is going to require some sacrifice from you. You will never support a missionary without some personal sacrifice. You said, what do you mean by that? I mean, you will never be able to give to a missionary without first taking from yourself. You see that dollar bill will never go into a missionary's bank account. If it doesn't first leave yours. And also, your church will never be supportive of missionaries without sacrificing some money from their bank account. You see, it will never leave the church's account and go into the missionary's account without the church deciding they're willing to sacrifice some of what is in their account. And a lot of times I'm afraid we treat the church like that. We try to treat the church like a bank and see how much money we can amass and how much money we can accrue. And I don't believe that Jesus intended the church to be a bank. I believe that Jesus intended the church to be a base for support. He expected us to use the church as what he called a storehouse. He said, bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house. And so the church is a storehouse in which we gather the funds that we need to send out and be support for those that need it. And missions are one of those groups of people that need it. Our missionaries need our sacrificial support. And he says that when you give, it's like sacrifice. I want you to notice first off in verse number 18, the help of your sacrifice. And then we'll talk about the honor of your sacrifice. But he says first, the help of your sacrifice. Look at verse 18, the first line. He said, but I have all and abound. I am full. having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you." This support that the Philippians had sent by the hands of Epaphroditus had proven to be a massive help to the Apostle Paul in his missionary efforts. And I want to tell you that the sacrifice that you made to give to missions is helpful to your missionary. Look at what Paul said, I received this gift from you. And he says, verse 18, I have all and abound. I am full having received of you. Isn't that such a tremendous thing for a missionary to be able to say? I mean, I would hope that your church supports missionaries. And if so, I would hope that you would want the missionaries that you support to be able to say these same words. I have all, I'm abounding, I am full. Don't you desire your missionary to be able to say that? Well here, what enabled the Apostle Paul to say, I have all, I'm abounding, I'm full, I have everything I need for this missionary effort, what enabled him to say that was the fact that the Philippians made a sacrifice to support him and give to him so that he would have everything. And your missionary cannot have this type of sufficiency without your sacrifice. You see, it's gotta come from somewhere. They need help, and when you give, it does help. Because may I remind you, there were times where the Apostle Paul could not always say, I have all, I'm abounding, I am full. We learned that at the beginning of the text in Philippians 4. 10. He said, But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again, wherein ye also were careful, but you lacked opportunity. He said, There was a point in time where you couldn't give to me like you're giving now. He said, Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. There were times when the Apostle Paul didn't have everything that he needed. And he learned how to get along without it. And he said, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. But after the sacrifice here at Philippi, after their giving, he does abound. You see, in verse number 10, he says, you were careful, you wanted, you had care to give to me, he said, but you lacked opportunity. He said, and in that point, I learned how to go without. He said, but in verse number 18, after you sent Epaphroditus and you did support me and you did give to me, he said, I have everything I need now. What would you rather your missionaries that your church supports go around saying? I've learned how to go without. Or would you have them go around saying, I've got everything I need. I want the missionaries that Calvary Baptist Church in Live Oak, Florida supports to be able to go around and say, I got everything that I need. And when you make a sacrifice like they did, and you send that gift like they did by the hands of Epaphroditus, and you give that sacrifice, it is helpful. And your missionary can say, I have all, I abound, and I am full. But without your sacrifice, they won't have all. So the help of your sacrifice, and then look at the honor of your sacrifice. Later in verse number 18, he says this, But I have all and abound, I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice, and listen to what he says, that sacrifice is acceptable, well-pleasing to God. This means that not only does your sacrifice help your missionary, but your sacrifice is honored by God. God honors your sacrifice in giving to missions. He said here, when you gave to me as a missionary, he says that it was a sacrifice that was an odor of a sweet smell to God. He says it was a sacrifice that was acceptable to God. He says it was a sacrifice that was well-pleasing to God. And so not only does your sacrifice benefit your missionary, but is also honored by God. Remember what he said in verse number 14 on the inspiration of the Holy Ghost when they gave the missions he said notwithstanding you have well done. That's what I want the Holy Ghost to say to me when I get there. Well done my good and faithful servant. When I get there, I want him to say that I've been well-pleasing, that what I did was acceptable, that it was an odor of a sweet smell, and what allowed the Holy Ghost to say that to the church at Philippi, and what allowed God to say that to the church at Philippi, was the fact that they made a sacrifice, and the sacrifice in their giving to missions, in and of itself, was acceptable, well-pleasing, and an odor of a sweet smell to God. God will honor your sacrifice. So we see the sacrifice of missions and then quickly look with me at verse number 19, we see the supply of missions. What I mean by that is God will supply for you when you support them. Verse number 19, he said, but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. That verse and verse number 13 are frequently taken out of context. They use verse 13, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me, as a verse that enables football players to score another touchdown and all those kind of things. And maybe you can make that application, but that's not the interpretation. They use verse number 19 to talk about, well, God will just give me any kind of old financial thing I need at any given moment. I have everything because God's going to supply my needs according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus. And while I won't particularly argue that with you, what's the context this is written in? Paul is writing to a church that made a sacrifice in giving to missions in verse number 18. And because of their sacrifice in verse 18, he said that there would be a supply from God in verse number 19. And it's rightful context when he said, my God will supply all your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He's writing to a group of people who were willing to sacrifice for missions. You say, well, I want God to supply all my needs. Well, God says, I want you to support my missionaries then. Because he's saying in verse 18, when you sacrifice, I will supply. Let me just give you some personal experience here. God began to deal with my heart as a pastor about giving more to missions in our church. And he used a conversation to really spark this fire in me again about missions and us being more supportive of missions. And he brought me to this text and God began to speak to me about us needing to make more of a sacrifice to give to missions. This was on a Tuesday, this happened. On Wednesday, I gathered my men after service. I preached this text and this message, actually, that Wednesday night. And after the service, I gathered the men and I told the men, I said, I would like for us to, and I'm not going to throw the number out there, but I would like for us to give this to missions. I would like to increase our missions budget by this amount. And it was somewhat substantial amount for us anyways. And I made the statement out of verse number 19, that if we will support missionaries, God will supply our need. Because of course people are concerned. Well, if we give this much to missions, are we going to be able to do this? And we're going to be able to do that. Are we going to have the financial means that we need? And that's natural, normal thinking. And I appreciate people that look out for the future. But I believe what our Bible says when it says that if we'll sacrifice for missions, God will supply the need. And I made this statement, a church will never go broke by giving the missions. It won't happen. And so we took a hundred percent vote. Everybody agreed. We're going to put this amount in our missions budget. Even though there was some concern, we did it anyways out of faith, trusting that God would supply the need because my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. And I'll have you know that praise be unto God. Two days later, Friday afternoon, I get a check in the mail at the church's mailbox. And that check that comes in is 80% of everything that we pledged we were going to put into our missions budget. 80% of what we said we were going to sacrifice to give to missions, God sent in within two days in one check. 80% of it. One check. You say, what does that mean? That means that my God will supply all your need according to his riches and glory when you sacrifice for missions. The best thing you can do is give. Give to missions. God told us in Malachi 3, he says in response to giving to him, he says, try me, prove me therewith. He said, see if I won't open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there won't even be a room enough to contain it. You're not going to out give God. God is not going to let you go in debt and poverty by supporting his work. David said, I was young, now I'm old. He said, I've never seen the righteous forsaken nor seed begging bread. The apostle Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost in second Corinthians chapter nine. He said, but he that soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly, but he that soweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully. You give bountifully, God will give back to you bountifully. You sacrifice greatly, God will supply greatly. You sacrifice a little, God will supply a little. But what I'm telling you... is that you're not going to go in the hole by giving to the Lord and His work. And your church is not going to go in the hole by giving to the Lord and His work. And I'll leave you with this right here. That same day the Lord birthed this in my heart, there was a preacher that I heard preach. And he said this, that he began pastoring two different churches. at different times in his life. Both of them were in debt. One was extremely in debt. One was a little bit less in debt, but very much in debt just the same. And as he took the pastor in those churches, he made the decision. He said, here's what we're going to do. We're going to give our way out of debt. We're going to support missionaries until we're no longer in debt. And on paper, that doesn't make any sense, does it? But in the realm of heaven and in the mind of God, it makes perfect sense. Because when you sow, then you get to reap. And when you give, you get to see God give. He said within two years. that church that was extremely in debt was out of debt. Not by stockpiling money, not by saving it up, not by hoarding it and being worried about using it for God's work, but by being frugal and giving the way that God wanted them to give to missions, and God pulled that church out of debt. He'll do the same for your personal life, and he'll do the same for your church. Let me ask you, are you making a sacrifice for missions? If not, won't you start today? Why don't you support your missionaries and your church more? Be involved, love them, pray for them, support them. God will bless you for it. Thank you for your time today. We'll see you next time.