Our passage is Philippians chapter four, beginning at verse 14. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble, 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. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I have received full payment and more, and I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. This is the word of the Lord. And you may be seated. Well, as I said just a moment ago, this morning we come to another popular but abused verse in Paul's joyful letter to this congregation. That passage we just read, my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. It is often quoted today as if it were some unqualified promise, something you can use in negotiating with God. I have actually heard so-called preachers of the gospel encourage people to be bold with God, to go to him and say to him, you exalt your word even above your own name. Your promises are yes and amen, and you promise to supply my every need. You know, that attitude reminds me of a whiny little child trying to make his case to his parents whenever he's told no. He objects, but you promised, right? Usually, the parent said something like, we'll see, or maybe, but being the little lawyer that he is, he reads intent into his parents' words. You may have said, we'll see, but he heard, I promise. Or perhaps you made such a statement in a qualified context. If this occurs, then that, right? That's gonna be important for us in this passage today as well. So whenever I hear people yank this particular passage out of its context, I have the same reaction to verse 13 as well. When I hear that, I wanna borrow a phrase from Inigo Montoya. You may not know who that is, but some of you will, if you've seen The Princess Bride. And when the villain named Vizzini kept referring to everything as inconceivable, He said, you keep using that word, but I do not think that word means what you think it means. All right. Well, I want to say to people who pull this verse out of context, you may be quoting that verse, but it doesn't mean what you think it means. This verse is not a standalone, unqualified, universally applicable promise. It's certainly not a promise of material wealth. Paul explicitly says, every need, not every want. And it's not a promise of an easy life. Unless you think that I'm exaggerating about the abuse of this passage, there was someone who once told me that this verse meant that if they just had enough faith, they would never have to work another day in their life. They said it with a straight face. I mean, they said they could just speak into existence anything they needed because, after all, they could call things that be not as though they were. And by the way, that verse speaks of God's power, not ours. Anyway, they claim that there's absolutely no reason to work if I have sufficient faith, they said. If I just need something, I will believe it in. It's another one of those cliche catchphrases that you hear so much, but it's not in the Bible. You don't believe anything in. But anyway, they went on to say, God has obligated himself, and so if I just hold his feet to the fire, he will have to do it. So people don't have to work? Really? Immediately comes to mind Christ's words, have you not read? Why don't you open that Bible you carry with you? Spend a little time in the book of Proverbs, much less to go to the book of Thessalonians and find out what Paul says to them. If any will not work, neither shall he eat. Listen, the curse isn't work. No, the curse is the frustration and futility of an uncooperative world that came about because of man's sin. That's the curse. The curse isn't tilling the ground, it's the weeds that are produced when we do. And so we need to have a right understanding. Whenever we get to heaven, I don't know what God has planned for us, but I know this, we will not be idle. We will not be idle. God is a productive God. He is an active God. And if anything else, if nothing else, we will be worshiping him for he is worthy and it will be a nonstop worship, a nonstop learning, a nonstop basking in the glory of our God. So anyway, this verse is not saying what so many people want it to say. Now, I will grant you that most applications or misapplications of this verse are not quite as extreme as that last example I gave you. But too many people take a typical promise box approach to this passage, and it engenders false expectations. Some of you may not know what a promise box is. I was surprised to find that they still sell them in the Christian bookstores. They were real popular whenever I was younger. And this little box that you open up, and there are all these cards filled with hundreds of cards. And on these cards, every single one has just a single verse. and they were supposed to be a promise from the word of God. And so you opened it up and you pulled one out for the day, and this is my promise from God for today. That is not the way you read the Bible. That is not the way you understand the promises of God. And so this is really important for us to understand. That engenders false expectations. And when those expectations go unfulfilled, People often become disillusioned with God when they should be disillusioned with whoever put that promise box together. Listen, twisting and perverting God's word is the oldest trick in the book. That's what Satan used to draw Adam and Eve into sin and rebellion which resulted in this fallen world. Listen, we need to be careful when we're speaking for God. Saying God said when he didn't say it is serious business. Listen, in the Old Testament, lying prophets were stoned. So this is important to get it right. So first of all, we need to determine whether or not this truly is a promise of God. In some ancient Greek manuscripts, there's a slight variation in the spelling of the word that's translated for us, supplied. That's the verb, supplied. And that spelling change changes the mood of the verb from a declaration to a wish. And so some scholars say this is actually Paul's prayerful wish for the Philippian church. It's what he desires for these generous Christians. In other words, may God supply every need of yours. And so is it a prayer or is it a promise? That's a legitimate question. Is it Paul's prayer, or is he making a statement about what God will indeed do for these saints? Well, I like what Calvin said. He said, this is clearly what Paul desires for his faithful congregation. That's not in question. So we could clearly say, yes, of course, this is what Paul desires. But the fact remains, we still need to determine what Paul means here. How people look at this and sometimes say, well, you know what? I think this is just really what Paul desires for them is because they remember what Paul prays in chapter one. Now we've been there, it's been a long time, but let me just remind you of a few things. Early on in this letter, the apostle Paul tells the Philippians how he prays for them on a regular basis. This is my prayer for you. He prays for them that their love abound more and more. Well, here at the end of the letter, he talks about receiving from them what our translation says is full payment and more. But in the Greek, it's much the same. He says, I have received at your hand all in abundance. And so the gift to Paul was evidence of answered prayer for Paul. Their abounding in love resulted in an abundant gift for Paul. And so Paul's prayer that they abound more and more then in godly fruit is the very reason, he says in this passage, that he received their gift with joy. He welcomed it because his desire for them, as he says explicitly, is for them to increase in fruitfulness. He prays then that they might be filled with the fruit of righteousness, and here he declares that through their act of generosity, he has been supplied, same word, filled, the filling of his need, and then they are supplied and filled by God in turn. All the same word, all the same word. And so Paul ends his prayer and his commendation of these saints also in the same way. So you see all this common themes, what he prays for, he now says he's seeing in the lives of these Philippians. And so he ends his prayer with glory and praise to God. And he concludes his commendation of these saints with a doxology. In each case, the thought, the movement, goes from fruit produced in their lives to praise for God. It goes from growth in grace to the glory of God. And so this is how Paul frames his epistle. Now, if you'll recall, before he ever prays this prayer in chapter one, He tells them that he's convinced that God will finish the good work he has begun in these saints. And then he petitions the Lord for the completion of that work. Paul starts this letter with a specific prayer concerning what he desired for these precious saints and then closes his letter by showing his confidence that God has and is answering his prayer. So we can put that to rest. Yes, this is what Paul desires for these saints. Their actions in sending Paul this sacrificial gift shows that they are indeed abounding in godly character. They are indeed increasing in fruit of righteousness. But is Paul merely praying for the Lord's blessing, or is this a confident assertion, a promise, if you will? Well, actually the overwhelming textual evidence and I think the context favors interpreting this verse as something Paul believed God would in fact do. And Paul is confident in the Lord's faithfulness. However, we must remember that this is not God speaking directly. Keep that in mind. This is Paul promising what God will do. Of course, given the doctrine of inerrancy, meaning that the scripture is the word of God, inspired by God, even down to the words that are used, the grammar that is used. So given the doctrine of inerrancy, God surely stands behind these words that Paul utters. Jesus himself refers to the whole of scripture as God's word. So yes, we may consider this a promise. But even though it is a promise, again, it is not an absolute freestanding promise without qualification. There's a context to Paul's confidence that's often ignored. When you pull this verse out of its context, you lift it out of the situation that gives Paul the assurance of making that claim. And so as I said, two of the most misused passages in Philippians come to us in this very context. The first, as I said a moment ago, is Paul's confidence that he's able to do all things through Christ who strengthens him. But in this context, Paul is talking about his ability to continue his ministry regardless of whatever adversity comes his way. And now we see the Apostle Paul's conviction that God will supply the Philippians every need. And if you rip that out of the context, That sounds like a promise that no matter what, God's just going to supply your every need. Sit back and relax. Maybe that lady was right. Maybe you don't have to work. Now, both of these are given in the context of Paul commending these saints for faithful support and partnership in the gospel. And as always, context is essential to sound interpretation. The Bible was not written with chapters and verses, so as much as possible, you should try to ignore them whenever you're studying and reading God's word. Read it in the flow that God gives it by the Holy Spirit. Why are the chapters and verses there? Makes it quite convenient for me to tell you where to look so that you can follow me, right? But that's what they're for. They're not for telling us that a thought has changed, or that he is now on a different subject, or that we can take that one verse and lift it from its context. So, let's quickly review the context. Since the context is absolutely essential to understanding this, let's review it. Again, you know this well, but let me remind you again, Paul is in prison, he's chained to an imperial guard, he's awaiting trial, and he has needs. The poor Philippian congregation, and they are in poverty, scrape together a generous gift to help Paul in this time of need. And so he rejoices when the gift arrives, but not over the gift itself. He's rejoicing over the godly character that motivated them to give in the first place. The point is they were thinking and acting like Christ because they were preferring Paul and his well-being over their own. Nonetheless, the apostle doesn't want them to think that his safety or the future of his ministry depended on their gift. He has survived far more desperate situations than this, and God has always sustained him. Sometimes he had plenty, at other times not so much, but through all of this, He says he has learned to be content in all circumstances. He's learned that the success of his ministry rests with the omnipotent Christ who strengthens him for whatever he must face. His life and his ministry stand as a testimony to God's provision and his sustaining grace. What do you need? What do I need? Well, what did Paul need? What God said he needed in every time and in every situation. Well, in any case, Paul commends these saints for their love and concern, for considering his need as their own. He gratefully acknowledges their sacrificial gift, and as we've seen, he uses the language of investment and enterprise. This too is important for understanding verse 19. He refers to their relationship as a partnership in the gospel. And so why is it that God is going to meet their every need? They are partners in the gospel. They have been faithfully supporting Paul's ministry from the moment God granted them salvation. However, by giving to Paul, and this is an important point, they were investing in something more, something greater than just Paul's welfare and his gospel efforts. As the apostle says in Ephesians 3, 2, he is merely a steward of the ministry of God's grace. This is God's enterprise, folks. He calls his elect unto himself using the proclamation of the gospel that he ordained. And Christ is right now sitting at the right hand of the Father, bringing all things under his lordship. This is God's enterprise. Paul is merely a fellow laborer in this mission, one of many whom God has entrusted with this mission. The Great Commission is God's project, not ours. Ministers of the gospel are merely stewards. We are trustees of the life-giving proclamation of Christ, crucified for our sins and raised for our justification. And he grants all of his people the privilege of sharing in this divine enterprise. He invites all of his people to invest in the kingdom of heaven. And so Paul was entrusted with the gospel of Christ. And by giving to Paul, the Philippians themselves were investing in the continuing ministry of Jesus in the earth, because that's what Paul was carrying out. This congregation had partnered with the apostle and the gospel enterprise. Both Paul and the Philippians were investing the resources that they had. Now, where did those resources come from? They came from God for the advancement of God's enterprise. So you see, God and his enterprise is center stage here. Paul and the Philippians then shared, he says, this open account of credit and debit. They had an exchange, a transaction. They supplied Paul with financial assistance and they prayed for him. He supported them with godly instruction and he fervently interceded on their behalf. But it was all for the glory of God. So you see, as they invested in one another, they were investing in something much bigger than themselves. They were investing in the kingdom of God. They were seeking first God's kingdom and his righteousness. And again, this is why Paul thanks God for their joyful partnership as he commends them for their godly behavior. He thanks God, he commends them for their obedience. So whatever financial assistance they were able to provide came from God, from his hand. And Paul's strength with which he was able to continue his ministry regardless of a situation, that too came to him from the hand of God. The Lord supplied the strength that he needed from the storehouse of Christ's infinite power. Well, in this partnership, God then is blessing their obedience. As it turns out, Paul's imprisonment was not an impediment. It was a new avenue for the advancement of the gospel. Yes, in one sense, it was an affliction that he had to bear, but it was yielding much fruit for the kingdom of God. And by sending this gift to Paul, the Philippians themselves were sharing, participating, investing in Paul's troubles and triumphs. Compound interest was accruing to their account. And there's a promised return on godly investments. But that return is not for personal gain. Glory. It's for the glory of God. Listen, all of the capital comes from God. And in the end, all of the capital is to be returned to God. And this is why Paul could say that their gift was to him a fragrant, acceptable, and well-pleasing sacrifice to God. When they gave to Paul, they were giving to God. And when Paul ministered to them, he was serving Christ. Listen, we've talked about this. God is self-sufficient. Read Acts chapter 17. He's in need of nothing. Anything we might offer him is already his. Therefore, we serve God by serving his people. Jesus said this. He said, in as much as you have provided for, in as much as you have done good things to the least of these my brothers, you have done so unto me. And so these are the kinds of sacrifices God welcomes. the kind of sacrifices he finds well-pleasing, sacrifices that are fragrant because they smell like our righteous Savior. And so, It's as these saints invest themselves in the kingdom of God. It is as they offer themselves living sacrifices unto God. It is as they show the love of Christ by preferring the apostle Paul over themselves. It is as they show greater concern for the Lord's purpose than their own agenda. It's in that context that Paul can assure them that the God who commissioned him will surely supply their every need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. So yes, this is a promise. But again, not a standalone, unqualified, universally applicable promise. It's the simple promise that Jesus himself made to his followers in Matthew 6.33. Our Lord knows you have needed these things, he says. So, we're to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things, these necessities, will be added unto us. So, the question is, what has God promised? What has God promised? As these saints continue seeking first God's kingdom and his righteousness, as they continue humbly considering others as more important than themselves, As they continue looking after the interests of others, not just their own, as they do these things, God will supply all they need that they may continue growing in the grace and knowledge of our Savior. God will supply what they need so that they can continue their investments in the gospel enterprise. And the resources of God's infinite glory will continue accruing to their account. There will always be something to give as long as they give. And Paul explains this in detail in 2 Corinthians chapter nine, verses six through 12. Let me read that to you. Just listen to what the apostle Paul says and we'll come back and talk about just a couple of things here. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. Whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written, he has distributed freely, he has given to the poor, his righteousness endures forever. He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. Listen to Paul's words. Listen to what he says. How can Paul promise the Philippians that God will supply their every need? Well, first of all, as we see in the context, they're not sowing sparingly. They're sowing bountifully. They gave sacrificially above and beyond what seemed possible. And they gave not reluctantly or under compulsion, they gave freely and they gave cheerfully. Listen, you know, there are Christians who give to God reluctantly. They know they should give, they know it's the right thing to do, but as they do, they do it grudgingly. Listen, the word reluctant has the connotation of grief or regret. There are Christians who grieve over the balance in their checkbook as it goes down every time they have to write a check or every time they click that online giving button. They grieve over this. So they give out of mere obligation, but they resent it. God expects it, I have to give it. I wish I didn't. That's not the Philippians. They gave joyously from a heart of love, not only for Paul, but for God and God's purpose, for God's enterprise. And God loves a cheerful giver, a giver who is delighted to give. That's what the word cheerful means, delighted. These saints rejoiced in the ability to gather this gift together and send it to Paul. They delighted in the opportunity to invest in God's kingdom. And how then does God relate to such humble and generous investors in his kingdom? Paul says, there in this passage, he makes all grace to abound to them. He provides every blessing, in other words, in abundance. He makes sure that at all times and under all circumstances, in all places, they have all that they need and more. Doesn't that sound like the promise of Philippians 419? And it's declared in the same context of giving, sowing, investing in the gospel. And Paul then explains why God is so generous toward them. It's not so they can sit back and indulge themselves. It's not so they can consume it upon their own lusts, as James would say. No, it's so they could abound in every good work so that they will have more to invest in the kingdom. And as he goes on to say, God supplies seed, that seed with which we sow into his kingdom. As I said, he is the source. He gives us the capital that we have. He gives us the seed. And then those who sow into the kingdom receive a reward, a return. They're given more seed. What's seed for? It's to sow, that they may have more to sow. So God will increase the harvest of those who invest wisely in his kingdom with a joyous heart. He says that He will increase the harvest of your righteousness. That means not just monetary, but the harvest of your righteousness will grow as well. Why? Because it's the heart with which you give. It's the character with which you give. It is the virtue that has been formed in you in the image of Christ that increases your harvest of righteousness. And he says, you will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way. This is what the scripture tells us. So this, if you want to know what God has promised here, this is what God has promised. And it's a wondrous promise, it is. As we will continue looking at this passage, Lord willing, next week, we will see the sweeping scope of this. This is an astounding passage if we will stop and just meditate on the words Paul uses to describe this. It is a wondrous promise, but this is just one of many promises. You know, the promise box had one thing right. There are countless blessings and promises from God. Their problem was they were all taken out of context. There are many blessings of God, and you know what we tend to do? We pick and choose the promises we like, the ones we want to claim for ourselves. That is not the way God's promises work. When you become his child, he makes a promise to you, and he doesn't ask you which promises you want. They all belong to you now because he has chosen you from the foundation of the world. He has set his love upon you and he is unwilling to let you go your own way. He is unwilling to let you trod the path of destruction. And so indeed, this is how the promises of God works. His promises are declarations of his intended purpose for his people. And so they tell us about how God is working in our lives. They tell us about how he responds to our disobedience or our obedience. For example, God trains his children and he chastens them. That's a promise. That's a promise. If you're his child, he promises that he will chasten you. He promises that he will direct you. He will train you up. In this world, we will have tribulation. That's a promise. In this world, we are troubled on many sides. God promises it will be that way. We will enter the kingdom through much affliction. That's a promise. But here's the thing. Read those in context. The promise of chastening yields a peaceful, peaceable fruit of righteousness in the end. He promises to chasten us for our sanctification because he's preparing us for glory. We're to have courage through tribulation that we're promised. Why? Because Christ our Lord has already defeated the world. That too is a promise. Jesus wasn't lying when he said, I have overcome the world. And though we enter the kingdom through much affliction, though that is a promise that we will, Those afflictions, Paul says, are light and momentary, and they are working in us a far greater weight of glory. That's the promise of God. So this is what God has promised, and he has promised to supply every need of those who joyfully invest in his kingdom. What a wonder is our God. What grace he has bestowed. What blessings are ours. Our problem is we fail to see what God has in store for us. We think there can be nothing better than our comfort here and now, our supposed happiness for the moment, a life of ease. Oh, but that doesn't prepare us for glory. And what awaits us is so much greater than anything we can possibly even imagine. And so my prayer is may the Lord grant us a heart for the gospel as these Philippian saints had. May he grant us a hopeful heart of obedience knowing that as we obey God that He is working these wondrous things in us. May He grant us a rejoicing heart as He works His gracious purpose in us. For even though we are called to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, it is God who is at work in us, giving us both the will and the ability to do so. This is the God who promises us He will never leave us nor forsake us. This is the God who promises that he who begins a good work will complete it until that day. God is not a false starter. He finishes what he begins. And all to the praise of his glory. What can we do when we ponder such a God as this? As the Apostle Paul does, break into doxology. Break into doxology. to glory to our Lord only and to praise his holy name. For he has loved us and given himself for us and he will finish in us that wondrous work so that when we see Christ face to face, we shall be like him. There's no greater reward, no greater riches than that. And that awaits all who belong to Him. And to Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.