Philippians chapter 4, let's read from verse 10. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord, that at last you have revived your care for me. Indeed, you were in need, but you lacked the opportunity. Not that I say this because I have a shortage, for I have learned to be content in whatever my situation may be. I know how to live humbly, and I know how to have abundance. In everything and for everything I am taught, both to be satiated and to be hungry, both to have abundance and to suffer need. I can do everything in Christ who strengthens me. However, you have done well to participate with me in my tribulation. And you yourselves know, O Philippians, that at the beginning of the preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church participated with me in giving and receiving, but you alone. For even in Thessalonica you sent me again and again for my needs. It is not that I seek gifts, but I seek the fruit that abounds in your account. But I have received all, and have abundance. I have been filled, having received from Epaphrodite what you have sent. A fragrant smell, a sacrifice, I accept. Please, in God's pleasure. mi Dios pues suplirá todo lo que os falta conforme a sus riquezas en gloria en Cristo Jesús. Al Dios y Padre nuestro, sea gloria por los siglos de los siglos. Amén. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Let us pray together. Lord, we are a blessed, thankful people. For who you are, because you have made yourself known to us. You have made us your own. You have given us life. May we be, and may we have communion with you. May we have your Holy Spirit. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus. As a result, we are those who have an eternal hope, a safe hope, so that we live our lives now in the light of eternity. These verses remind us of this, point our hearts in that direction, encouraging that viewpoint of gold, that you take these truths and bring them home to our hearts, And may you produce in us and through us what is only possible through you. And we give you thanks for what you will do in the name of Jesus. Amen. This morning we saw how Paul is taking an opportunity to give thanks at the end of this letter, and he's taking it as an opportunity to teach. The action of thanks is genuine, and so is the instruction. It's genuine for how he has received his gift, and they enjoy it. in them in such a way that it reflects the contentment of the apostle. He is a man who has learned to have contentment and he is a pastor who wants them to learn contentment. So it's an opportunity for the apostle Paul to model what he has learned in such a way that they also learn the same thing. We said this morning that where there is contentment, it's only because there is salvation. where there is genuine salvation, there is a new point of view, above all, where there is genuine faith. That faith allows us to live in the light of what God has said, and what God has said informs not only the present, but instructs us to live in the present with eternity before our eyes. This means that what is most important in our life is what is best for our soul. What we are most concerned about is not our material goods, but our spiritual well-being. And when you understand that, and when you live in the light of that, then there are acts of service that you and I will do that are as supernatural as the salvation that God has given us. We are involved in acts of service that are only Christian, that no one else on this planet can experience, except the genuine believers of Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ, there is a unique kind of giving and receiving, and therefore there is a unique kind of participation, of having communion in the work of God. This morning we really focus on contentment, giving and receiving. This night we focus on sharing. that the Filipinos are sharing something with Paul, they are having a participation, they are having a communion of which the apostle speaks, and I want us to understand the companionship that exists and that is possible. that quality of contentment. When our hearts are satisfied with God, satisfied in Christ, now we can participate in the ministry of the Lord in a way that we were not able to do before the Lord saved us, and we will not be able to do it unless we are learning this quality. So tonight we think about six characteristics of financial fellowship. Six characteristics of financial fellowship. And this is the kind of fellowship that Paul is talking about. He's talking about the fellowship that exists through the material gifts that the Philippians were giving to fill the needs of the Apostle in prison. I want to talk a little bit about fellowship. Over the years, I've heard a lot of people say they have a desire for fellowship. I would like to have more fellowship or I miss fellowship. None of that is inappropriate. That expresses something genuine. But what I find interesting is that most of the time I've heard believers talk about this, they only talk about one aspect of fellowship. The word has to do with a participation together. It has to do with what we have in common. Fellowship has to do with what we have in common, what we share together, or in what we participate together. And therefore, or, for example, friendship is an aspect of communion. They love the friendships and the relationships they have in Christ. But the communion that Paul speaks of in these verses, although it has something to do with friendship, it specifically has to do with giving. And I was thinking this day, many people say they want more communion, but I've never heard anyone say, I want to give more. I want you to expand your thinking about communion today and understand that it has to do with everything we have in common because of our common faith, because of our relationship with Jesus, and that includes how we make use of our material goods. So we have six characteristics of financial communion. We start in verse 15, and you know, you Filipinos, that at the beginning of the preaching of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church participated with me in the matter of giving and receiving, but you alone. For even in Thessalonica you sent me again and again for my needs. It's not that I'm looking for dates, but I'm looking for fruit that abounds in your account. The first characteristic of financial communion is that genuine faith manifests. When it is genuinely seen as communion, the dadiva, when it is considered in the context of communion, is manifesting genuine faith. As we said this morning, the apostle is communicating very carefully. He's doing more than simply giving thanks, he's teaching. And twice, he uses words of fellowship in these verses. In verse 14, he says, however, you have done well to fellowship with me in my tribulation. Some versions will have the word of share, You have done well to participate with me in my tribulation. That is to say, they have entered into his afflictions with him and they do this, they share in his afflictions with him by contributing to his material needs. have participated with him in his trial while he was in prison. And he says, this isn't the first time. In verse 15 it says that when he departed from Macedonia, as we talked about this morning, he went to Thessalonica. There he found himself with problems as well. And this church helped him even then, verse 15. And you know, you Filipinos, that at the beginning of the preaching of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church participated with me in the matter of giving and receiving, but you alone. So twice, Paul says, we have this communion together. And in both cases, he's talking about how the church in Philippi entered into giving and receiving with the ministry of the apostle. I want you to ask yourself, why is it that Paul, recognizing their giving, Compare the support they have with other churches. You Philippians also know that at the beginning of the preaching of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church participated with me in giving and receiving, but you alone. He doesn't just thank them for their participation in his suffering and tribulation through the dadiva, but contrasts it with what other churches have done. Why does he do this? I want to give you some reasons why I think he does this. First of all, the contrast points to the unique relationship he has with his church. They have a unique relationship between the church in Philippi and Paul. And it's something good to acknowledge. special relationships. The Lord does this in the ministry. He puts people together in a way that they come together in a special way. He unites the people that they serve together in ways that are not common. They don't do it with all the people. God has put the circumstances together in such a way that there is a special relationship that is formed, and Paul is recognizing that in the case of the Philippian church. Some people say that they've been told over and over again that it's a figure of speech to say that they've been given more than once. It doesn't say how many times, but this is a church that has supported the apostle on multiple occasions, and the apostle wants to recognize that. It would motivate us. When someone ministers to you in a special way, you should acknowledge that. When someone has had a special part in your walk with you, has had a communion with you that has been a great contribution to your spiritual walk or has helped you in a certain area of the ministry, it is good and correct that you acknowledge the special nature of that relationship. Secondly, I think Paul makes note of this to subtly indicate that there was something lacking in the other churches. does not do it in a way that shows those churches as if they have been guilty of something final. The Lord is working in those churches. They are the work of God. They will be developed as God has designed it, and as God begins, He ends. They are maturing. But what the Philippians have done was different than what the other churches have done. Paul takes note of this. In the case of the Philippians, their giving was spontaneous. They were grateful for the gospel. They were grateful for the man who brought the gospel to them. So without any prompting, they gave to fill their need. When they heard that he was in prison, they were moved spontaneously to help him. They have done it more than once. and the implication when you mention giving and receiving, giving and receiving. You yourselves know, Philippians, that at the beginning of the preaching of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church participated with me in giving and receiving, but you alone. When he says that, that way, what he's implying is that other churches also received, but didn't give. They received the gospel just as the Philippians did. You participated in giving and receiving, but they did not. Paul had been used by God to bring the gospel throughout that region of the world, and yet no other church had reached out to help him. I want to ask you the following question. Are you a receiving person but not giving? What does it say when someone receives the ministry of the gospel but does not feel the need to contribute to the ministry of the gospel? It says something about how you value the ministry of the gospel. When you understand the value of the ministry of the gospel, you are motivated to support it. So the Philippians had recognized something in what they had received that motivated them to give. When other churches, although they received the greatest treasure in all the world, They were not motivated to participate in the same way that the Philippians did. 1 Corinthians 9, 11. If we sow among you the spiritual things, great thing, if we reap from you the material. Pablo, having to make the argument with the church in Corinth, that the laborer is worthy of his salary. Although he did not receive support from the Corinthians because of the concerns he had about his spiritual condition, he did not allow money to be a stumbling block. He still needs to educate them, train them, that they have to be supporting. to those who devote their lives to the ministry of the word of God. And as he makes that case, he's presenting it in a way that clarifies that spiritual things are far more valuable than material things. What is more valuable, the ministry of the word of God or your money? What has more real value? What has more lasting value? If we have blinded spiritual things between us, the implication is that that is the most valuable thing. Is it a big deal if we take away from you the material? The implication is, that's the less, the less value. Spiritual things are more valuable than material things. So he points out this contrast between the Philippians and other churches to say, we have this special relationship, and subtly, by implication, he's noting that there's something lacking in these other churches. because they have not participated in giving and receiving. You Filipinos of all these churches, you are the only ones who have helped me like you have helped me. This points to a third thing. It is encouraging them. By that contrast, it is pointing out that there is something that is being manifested in the Filipino church that is wonderful and that has been produced by God. They are manifesting something by their attitude that speaks not only of their genuine faith but also of the maturity of their faith. The fact that you see it the way the Philippians see it is wonderful. It says that you are manifesting something that only God can teach a person. A true and living faith in Jesus Christ and therefore a true and accurate view of the value of the ministry of the gospel. And Paul already made this point in the first chapter, his participation, his communion with him in the advancement of the gospel and what this says about their true spiritual condition. If we go to Philippians chapter 1, let's see what it says in the first verse, Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi with the bishops and deacons. Grace and peace to you from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, always remembering you, always in all my prayers, praying with joy for all of you. for your communion in the gospel from the first day until now, and I am sure of this, that he who began in you the good work will bring it to perfection until the day of Jesus Christ." He's tying these two things together. I see how they've participated in the gospel and it speaks to my heart about what God has begun in you and therefore what is going to end in you. Verse 7, how fair it is to me to feel this from all of you, because I hold you in my heart. and in my prisons, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, all of you are participants with me of grace. This is what we're participating in together through your material support. We're participating together in my prisons, and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. What I'm involved in, you're involved in through your support for me. Verse 8, for God is my witness, how I yearn for you, and how I love you with the love of Jesus Christ, and I pray that your love abounds even more and more, in science and in all knowledge, so that you may approve the best. so that you may be sincere and irrepressible for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by means of Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. I am praying that you overabund in knowledge and discernment." And what he is indicating in this chapter, they have already demonstrated knowledge and discernment by the way in which they value the ministry of the gospel. So, the first thing we see about financial fellowship is that where it exists, it manifests genuine faith. Second, financial fellowship results in spiritual profit. Financial fellowship results in spiritual profit, verse 17. It's not that I seek gifts, but I seek fruit that abounds in your account. Through this section, Paul is using financial terms. He uses the word fruit. It might be better to understand it in terms of finance. What he means by this is profit, or as the New English translation has it, credit. What I seek is the profit that abounds in your account, the credit that abounds in your account. not seeking what is theirs, they are interested in the Philippians. I don't seek what is yours, I seek you. He says in verse 17, it is not that I seek the gift, but I seek the credit, the gain, the fruit, which abounds in your account. That is, the apostle sees their gift to him as a benefit to them. I rejoice in what you are doing for me because I know what this means for you. Now that view, that point of view of the gift, of the offering, requires faith. You can hear the scoffer when you say such things. I enjoy what you give me for what that means to you. And the joker says, sure you say that because they're giving you something. This is what a skeptic would say. And we know there are false teachers who have used this type of language that don't mean what they say. They really do care about what they say themselves. They care about all of it. That's why the only thing that's important to them is the money. But Paul's motivation is sincere, is informed by genuine faith, by biblical faith. And what he knows from the word of God is that when people give for the right reasons and the right way, it's good for them. It's good for their spiritual life. So it's possible to be on the receiving side of what has been given and to be grateful for what it means for the spiritual life of the person who is giving. That's what Paul is saying. I enjoy what this means for you. But here's the bigger question. It's not if Paul believes this, but the Philippians believe this. They're proving it by what they're giving. So, let's apply it here in this room. Do you believe this? Do you believe that it is gain for you to give of your money for the cause of the gospel? When you give your money for the cause of the gospel, do you think that's a loss? Do you think that's a sacrifice on your part? Or do you think you're actually gaining by making your contribution, by having your participation, your communion through the financial and the ladder? You see it as a gain to support those who preach the gospel. You see it as a gain to support the ministry of the church. The Bible says that it is, but do you believe that it is? And if you ask, how is it that Paul sees this as a credit, as a fruit that abounds to his account? What is he talking about? The apostle may have in mind something eschatological, that he is talking about the end of times, when we are before Christ and we are being blessed with the reward of what we've done on this earth. This type of help is going to be rewarded by the Lord Jesus Christ. But what it also means is that this is good for your spiritual life now. This is spiritual growth for you right this moment. And I wouldn't be surprised if he has that in mind, mainly. Not something in the future, not in the distance, but right now, it benefits you spiritually when you have the spiritual vision of the word of God to understand the value of the word of God being ministered. The ministry of the church, the ministry of the word, when you see the value of this, that's good for your spiritual life right now. Paul uses the Greek word karpos seven times more in his letters, and never, that would be the only time, never in his other uses, does he have in mind an eschatological reward. He's always talking about something in the present. So financial fellowship manifests genuine faith. Financial fellowship results in spiritual profit. It is good for us. Third, financial fellowship supplies ministers. Financial fellowship supplies ministers. This is the medium that God has chosen to take care of His servants while they minister the word of God, verse 18, but everything is full. and I have abundance. I have been filled, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent." Let's stop there. Why does he say it like this? I have received everything, I have abundance, I am filled. Because he knows that the Filipinos care about this. He knows this will be meaningful to them, they will enjoy this. They want to know So, even though their viewpoint as they give is to God, it's not wrong or sinful that they are giving because they love Paul. and they want to help him. Obviously, the ultimate motivation is the glory of God. And this is an act of worship, as we'll see in a moment. It has to be for God. But even so, they love Paul. And they gave this through Ephraim to help him. And Paul wants to acknowledge that he did help him. I've received what you sent by him. I have abundance. I'm filled. So this is a motivation that we want to give, not just love for God, but love for His servants as well. Not just love for God, but love for those that we support through that gift. We give because we love the Lord Jesus Christ, we love because we love the work of the gospel, and we give because we love our brothers and sisters who serve God in the progress of the gospel. That's a godly motivation. In fourth place, financial fellowship is an act of worship that pleases God. I've received in abundance, I've been filled, having received from Epaphrodite what you have sent, and then it says, fragrant smell, an acceptable sacrifice. to God. Paul tells them how their dadiva has affected him, his joy, his needs being met, but now he tells them how their dadiva is acceptable before God. I know the answer if you're a believer. You want to please God. So what do you think about what pleases God? I want to please God. So what pleases God? Do you know that one of the ways you can please God is through your giving? Can you enter into this offering? When you enter this financial communion, when you participate in the work of the gospel through the material and financial gift, this is one of the ways that you please your God. And do we imagine that we can please Him if we are not generous? If we are receiving as these churches had received, but we are not giving, if our view of the value of the gospel is so small that we find no motivation to support it materially, how is that going to be pleasant to God? The God who brought us the gospel, the God who brought us the ministry of the church and who brought us the things that he has given us, if we are grateful for it, if we value it, if we have the eyes to see the value of it, it will be manifested through this financial fellowship. In fact, not only is it pleasing to God, but it receives it as a sacrificial worship. Three things are noted about this dadiva in this verse, and all three describe it in a way that is comparable to the sacrificial offerings given by the nation of Israel according to the law of Moses. It says that it is a fragrant smell, a pleasant sacrifice to God. This is the sacrificial language of the Old Testament. He wants us to see our giving as an act of worship, nothing less than an act of worship. It's not a kind of business transaction. It's not a kind of giving like you would give to a school or the club you belong to. No, this is worship. When we give because we love Christ and we love His servants and we see the value of the ministry of the gospel, this is an act of worship. That's what the apostle is emphasizing. We haven't done it since COVID, but those of you who were here before COVID, we used to have a time of offering testimony and we would pass the plate in the middle of our worship service. And that bothers some people, but I can tell you, they were wrong to be bothered. I never understood why someone would be bothered by it. The only way you could be bothered by it is if you see singing as worship, reading of Scripture as worship, prayer as worship, preaching as worship, but giving, the offering, needs to be private and excluded from worship service. All you have to do to know you're wrong is read this passage. But in addition, all you have to do to know you're wrong is look at the first divinely executed church discipline in the history of the church, Ananias and Sapphira, when they're publicly dead because they lied about their offering. How was that dadiva being conducted? They were bringing it publicly before the Apostles' feet. So if the Apostles were not opposed to the public dadiva, if the Apostles considered that an act of worship, why would we think that is something else? The truth of the matter is, if we can all be honest with our hearts, sometimes it bothers us So financial communion manifests genuine faith. Financial communion results in spiritual gain. Those who are pious and have genuine motivation can say, I am pleased when you give, not for what we get, but for what it does for you. What it does for you spiritually. Thirdly, financial communion Fifth, financial fellowship. You have been an instrument of God to meet my needs. How can you make such a promise of this magnitude? Several reasons he can say this. One, because he knows the character of God. He knows who is the God of the Bible. He knows that God rewards and that God pleases. To those who like him, God honors, takes care of his people who are serving him rightfully. think that you can become poor and create a need for yourself. I just want to say this quickly. Remember that the Philippians existed, and we think about the rest of the New Testament, the offering that they took for the saints in Jerusalem. Paul marveled at the churches in Macedonia that, out of their great poverty, helped those saints in Jerusalem. And you'll understand that the Filipinos were part of those Macedonians that gave, that gave in an incredible way. To think that you can impoverish yourself to fill the needs of someone else, and that God will not fill your needs. That's not understanding the character of God. God is pleased by His people participating in financial communion, He is pleased when we engage in mutual support, and He will complete the circle. And Paul knows this. In 2 Corinthians 8, verse 10, he wrote this, is encouraging the congregation in Corinth to participate in the offering to the saints in Jerusalem. That this benefits you, not only to do the service, but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that you're ready. for him to complete it according to his desire. You started this, but you haven't completed the offering. You started with the desire, and now I'm exhorting you for your benefit to participate in this act of giving. He says, verse 12, for if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not what he does not have. give according to what you have. God is not expecting you to give according to what you don't have. If you give according to what you can, if your desire is in line with your ability, God will be pleased with that. For I do not mean that others will have ease and you will have burden, but as a matter of fairness, let their abundance at the present time supply their need, so that their abundance that they may be heard. Paul is saying, in the way that God works, there's this marvelous mutual support that takes place around our family. Over time, when you have abundance and someone else needs, God will use that abundance to pay for it. But the time will come when you will have a need, and God will use His abundance to fill your need, and in that way we participate together, we have communion on the subject of finances. It's a beautiful thing that the Lord does in the lives of His people and in the ministry of His church. Romans 15, 26. And indeed, they owe it to them. Here's the other aspect of giving and receiving that I mentioned earlier. He says, and indeed, they owe it to them. He says, because Macedonia and Achaia had to make an offering for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem, because they thought it was good, and they are debtors to them. Because if the Gentiles have been made participants of their spiritual goods, they must also minister to them of the materials. Paul, exhorting the majority of the Gentiles in these churches, help now the Jewish Christians, recognizing of what God did with Israel, which has now resulted in the spiritual wealth of the Gentiles, just as God has benefited you spiritually, now you can help them materially. What you have received by the providence of God through Israel, that is far more valuable than what you could help with your material things. So Paul knows that this pleases God, and he can say to them, my God will supply all that you need according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. He can also say this for the promises of God. God reveals his character by his promises. And we don't have time tonight to do a lot of it, but just think about the many ways and many places where the word of God declares that God blesses the sacrificial gift. Proverbs 11.24, ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows more than what is just, and ye grows each one of them as he proposed in his heart, not out of sadness or out of necessity. God loves the cheerful giver. God, our God, loves the cheerful giver. Do you want to please the Lord? Then be a cheerful giver. And you know this, that if you sow sparingly, you will sow sparingly. If you sow abundantly, you will sow abundantly. This return is not necessarily material. The return is not always material, but there is blessing where there is fidelity in the offering. Spiritual blessing. Proverbs 22 verse 9 says, whoever has a merciful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. The character of God allows Paul to say what he says in Philippians 4, verse 19. Also his own experience leads him to say this. For his own walk with God, Paul is a giver. And he gives not just materially, he gives of himself. 2 Corinthians 12, 15, and I will with great pleasure spend mine, and even I myself will spend all for the love of your souls. This is the apostle Paul. I will with pleasure spend, and I will spend mine for your souls. In the case of the Corinthians, he wasn't getting a return from this. The apostle says, even though I love you more, I have loved you less. They're upset with him because he says things to them that they don't like, but they needed to hear. And that is the kind of love that he gave them, that he gave them what they needed, not necessarily what they wanted. And he has not been left without God's care. And Paul is an example of how God takes He says to the Philippians that God made them to spontaneously take care of Paul through Paphrodite. The same God who takes care of me, Paul, will take care of you. And he says this, verse 19, is for the resources that are in our relationship with the Lord. He says in verse 19, my God will supply all that you need according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Our security. that our needs are fulfilled. The reason why our Lord can say in Matthew 6, look at the birds in the sky, look at the flowers in the field, look how God takes care of His creation. Don't you understand that you have more value than they do? If He takes care of these things that are here for a day and tomorrow they are gone, how much more will He take care of you, O men of little faith? The God who created, with his words, what you see, has all the resources necessary to take care of you, and they're all yours in his Son, distributed according to God's perfect wisdom, distributed according to what God knows are your spiritual and material needs. But you don't have to be afraid, because he knows who you are, where you are, and what you need. It doesn't say he's giving to you out of those riches. It says he's going to give according to his riches. That is, in keeping with his riches. How vast are those riches? which means there's no problem of God supplying what you need. Do you realize how secure you are in terms of your needs? Not your greed, but your need. God will meet your needs and you don't need to be afraid. 2 Corinthians 6, verse 9 says, Paul describes his status in this world as an apostle. He says, as unknown but well known, as dying, but here we live, as punished, and yet not dead, as sorrowful, yet always joyful, as poor, yet making many rich. This is the reality of the church. He says we possess everything. all in the warehouse of our God, all reserved for the care of the children of God, and to supply all our needs according to His wisdom, what He knows we need and when we need it and what is best for us and for our souls. Financial fellowship is accompanied by promise. In the last thought, financial fellowship results in shared praise. When we fellowship together, we have communion in the work of God through material things. when the praise flows from the one who has been helped. We all praise God with him. How does it end? The passage, verse 20, to God and Father. May ours be glory for the centuries of the centuries. I've told you, the Lord has used you. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God for you. I rejoice in what God is doing. I thank God as I think about you, and your gift, and my need, and the providence of God, and the sovereignty of God. As I think about what this means for you spiritually, how it will benefit you spiritually, when I see the whole picture, it all ends in praise to God. Our Father, may the glory forever and ever be the glory for centuries and centuries. Amen. And what does the people of God say? Amen. We all participate together when we have communion in this way. We all share in the joy, we all share in the praise for what God has done. So in wrapping it up and bringing both sermons Ending both sermons, this morning and tonight, do you know contentment? As I said this morning, where are you struggling with contentment right now? Where are you struggling for your heart to be satisfied in Christ? Do you know contentment? And do you know that as you learn that, is in generosity. When Christ is your treasure and money is not your treasure, then you are free to give your money in ways you otherwise couldn't, to participate in the work of Christ, to participate in the work of the ministry. And if you receive, then you know a freedom in contentment, in the right kind of way, that you don't care about the gift, because your heart is satisfied. But to give God praise for the gift and what it means for the giver. You know that it benefits them spiritually, and this is supernatural. This can only happen where there is a true church, a church that honors Christ. If you say that you're learning contentment, does your trust in God's provision declare that? Anybody here struggling in your faith that God's going to take care of you? Anybody known recently, a little bit of panic, of whether or not you're going to make it? Do you know that your God and Father loves you and takes care of you, not only according to his riches, but according to his riches, in glory, in Christ Jesus. Everything belongs to you in Christ. and the Lord will fill your needs. Look how God takes care of the flowers and the birds, the birds. You are worth more than that and He will take care of you. Do you believe this tonight? And the last question, do you want more communion? I want more communion. What do you mean by that? There's nothing wrong with saying that I want to have spiritual friendship. There's nothing wrong with that. I'd love to spend more time with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen. But how about this aspect of communion? Do you want to participate this way? Do you want to share in what God is doing for what you do with what God has given you? that the Lord make this church rejoice in communion in all its fullness, including the offering. And the church will say, let us pray. Heavenly Father, for this glorious passage, for this glorious section that challenges us in many ways and at the same time encourages us. It convinces us of sin, it shows us where we are failing, but it gives us hope because we know what it is that is happening to us. Through the variety of circumstances in our life, you teach us not to be governed by our circumstances. but you prove to us that you are our true treasure. Have our hearts rest in you, rely on you for all that we need. Take these things we've heard today and penetrate our heart in such a way that faith is the result and may our faith grow and our rest and peace in you grow. We give you praise and glory in the name of Jesus. Amen.