You. you you so so so so you you so so Good morning, everyone. Special welcome to any who are staying through the weekend or here visiting and looking around. May you be blessed as you gather with us for worship here this morning. There are some coming back from the holidays still, and so we're grateful to see them, even as they enter now. May you be blessed and encouraged as we worship Christ together. There are several announcements that we do each morning. We remind you about this yellow insert and checking there for certain things that apply to this week. The yellow insert shows a budget review meeting tomorrow night, part of why you'll hear in my message even this morning what's happening here as we head toward the annual meeting. The budget review meeting with Evan is tomorrow night. See the insert for more details and specifically to contact him if you plan to be here for that tomorrow night. He would need to know. Tuesday, our Winter Garden Bible Study continues. See the insert for more details as well. And then Friday, February 12th is the annual meeting, and please get any trustee nominations to me or to Pastor David, who happens to be up at our Gainesville church this morning, so you can pray for him and Joelle as they travel. Bless the Saints up there while Pastor Fick is out in California because of Eric Watkins moving. So if you haven't been up on the latest in the Presbytery data of all the moves. Lastly, we are looking for a second team to serve by setting up the Lord's Supper each month with Arts Memorial yesterday. You know that Art and Pam are not helping in that way. But we do need those who could serve that each week. I'm sorry, each month. You're not serving it. You're just setting it up. I'll do the serving and the elders. Looking for some who would be interested in also serving John Bennett. That was also something that Art Bennett would do. And I'm specifically for those in live stream who maybe are not attending physically, of course, because you probably wouldn't put him on your speaker phone for him to listen, but that's something Art did and Carson has overseen and many of us know about. It requires a call to John and a leaving your phone open to hear this because he doesn't have access the way some others do. And so it's a blessed service to a dear brother who actually happens to be sick this weekend too. I got a message from Carson just last night, as many did. Is John in the hospital? Yeah, he is in the hospital right now, so Forgive me. I am tired tonight today, and I'm a little slow But please see Carson if you can help further with any of those things. I just mentioned related to John, etc Elder John has a further announcement here in the morning before we begin the service Well we have come in our series and first Timothy to chapter 6 where we're talking about godliness with contentment is the gain, is great gain. Talking about avoiding, fleeing the love of money, being rich in good deeds, giving generously. And Session thought that this would be a good time to be reminded of what the Bible has to say about generosity and giving. And so we'll have a brief series on that. This is the first of those messages today. Not by me, by Pastor Jeff and David. But it's important for us to think about what the Bible has to say on this topic. We don't do this often, but it is important for us to think about this, to know these principles and these guidelines for us. It's been a tough for us financially as a church. We know that. We've talked about that throughout the last six months of the year and as we wrestle through, we'll discuss that more at the annual meeting. But the Bible does have much to say about generosity and about giving. Here's a few verses just to help prepare your hearts and your minds. I'll let that speak to you this morning. Matthew 6, 19-21, Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Proverbs 3, 9 and 10. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your produce. Then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. Malachi 3.10. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. Elder Matt will read 2 Corinthians 8 this morning, another passage. In 2 Corinthians 9, though, verses 6 through 8, the point is this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and 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." God is interested in our hearts and our relationship to Him. May you find rich blessing as you give of yourself and the resources that God has given you as we think about this topic in this series. With the words shortly washing over us, let's take a further minute now to quiet our hearts, pray privately, before we hear God call us to worship. Let's pray privately first. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your holy and glorious name in all the earth. We give you praise, our Father in heaven, in and through Jesus Christ and by the power of your Holy Spirit, because you have taken us from death and darkness and brought us into light and life in the Lord Jesus Christ. Bless your people this morning. May they be still and know that you are God, but may they also rise up and have their lips inhabited with your praise to join together in one voice and sing and glorify you in their hearts and their minds, oh God. You have been so merciful and gracious to us in our precious Savior by the shedding of his perfect blood for all our sins. May we rejoice in these great truths as we gather together out of the world and into your worship. as we pray and ask all this in Jesus' name, amen. So saints of God and Christian believers, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Our call to worship this morning comes from Psalm 30, verses seven through 12. It says, by your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong. You hid your face, I was dismayed. To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy. What profit is there in my death if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me. O Lord, be my helper. You have turned for me my mourning into dancing. You have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks forever and ever. Let's sing together now a well-known hymn. Now blessed be the Lord, our God. Number 11 in the Green Trinity Hymnal before you. Number 11, now blessed be the Lord, our God, from Psalm 72. Let's stand together and sing. Now blessed be the Lord, our God, Blessed be His glorious name to all eternity. The whole earth let His glory fill, and the heavens, O, let it ring. His wide dominion shall extend from sea to unknown sea. And unto her three mortals put his holy sword. They, all the kings, shall bow to him, his rule of nations hail. Having sung these truths, let's pray again to our God. Our God, as I have prayed, we invoke your holy name, the one true triune God's name, revealed Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We do this uniquely, different than all other faiths or religions. We do this because you have revealed yourself. You have condescended in mercy to reveal the truth of who you are, the triune God. And we have sung of your great praise and provision, that you are worthy of all our heart and mind's full commitment and greatest desires. We ask that you would stir our affections for Christ this morning, that you would fill us afresh by your spirit to give you praise, for you are worthy. You are the holy, majestic, and righteous God. Do all this, Lord, for Christ's sake. Be with your people afresh. Grant them greater love and joy and peace. Grant them to pray for one another, to bear one another's burdens, to comfort one another with the comfort that they have received from Jesus, as we pray in his name. Amen. Elder Matt will help us with the reference to 2 Corinthians 8. If you'd like to turn there and follow along, verses 1 through 15, which I hope, Lord willing, in two weeks to teach on. And then Matt will pray our pastoral prayer. As we heard Elder John read from several texts, not extensively or even exhaustively, and as we see The text that we're gonna be reading this morning here from 2 Corinthians and also from the text from Jeff, pardon me, I have to get keys for Jeff. Massive apologies. Yeah, right. Multitasking is a good thing. So let us be surprised again about how much God's word has to say about generosity and giving and stewardship. As we hear from the Apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians chapter eight, starting in verse one, I'll read through verse 15. We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia. For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. And this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord, and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you, see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. And in this matter, I give my judgment. This benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work, but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness and desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness, your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness, As it is written, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Thus far, a reading of God's word from 2 Corinthians. And now lead us now in pastoral prayer, and I'll start with a portion of praise from Psalm 96. Pray with me, please. Oh Lord, with the psalmist, we declare that you are great and most worthy of praise. You are to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of the nations are idols. But you made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before you. Strength and beauty are in your sanctuary. We will ascribe to you glory and strength. We will ascribe to you the glory, do your name, and worship you in the beauty of holiness. And as you have also said, blessed is the one who fears you, who finds great delight in your commandments. We confess, Lord, that we have not always found great delight in your commandments. In fact, we know that we are reminded continually, even daily, even hourly, that we have sinned and fallen short of your glory. This glory belongs to you alone, and yet, Lord, you have been merciful to us. You have been very merciful to us in that we may come and confess our sins to you, each of us. We certainly, Lord, have neglected to love you as we ought. We have missed the mark of loving our brothers and sisters as we are called to do. As we, Lord, confess our sins, may you graciously apply the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ by your spirit to wash us that we may again be clean. We ask also, Lord, in this, that you would grant us power in our time of need to resist temptation, to resist the devil, that he may flee from us, and to walk according to your word, not according to our own dictates. Lord, as we begin to discuss the idea of stewardship and giving, the idea of generosity comes to our mind, and may it ever be present, knowing how generous you have been to us, and how generous you continue to be. We have much to give thanks for, Lord. We are praising you even now as we see our pews filling up and we are able to worship openly. We are able to worship here corporately. We also thank you, Lord, for the live stream and for those who have been providing this service to many others who are worshiping with us remotely. We thank you, Lord, for all of these tools that you have given us, and we thank you, Lord, for the ability for us to gather here on Sunday morning and Sunday evening. We thank you, Lord, for our daily bread. We thank you, Lord, for our health, many that have been recovered to good health, for our abundant opportunities to read and hear your word preached. We thank you, Lord, for each and every day as we wake up knowing that your mercies are new every morning, that your love is evident for us and your care for our daily needs is before us. We ask, Lord, as you would receive our thanksgiving and our praise for you, that you would also hear our supplication, particularly for our brother, John Bennett, as he's in the hospital. We ask, Lord, that you would heal him, that you might help the doctors diagnose what the situation is with him and that we might be able to care well for him. We pray for our sister Pam Bennett, Lord, as she continues to mourn the loss of our brother Art, her husband, for so many years. And we ask, Lord, that you might be merciful to her and the family in the afterglow of a wonderful Christ-centered service yesterday. We ask, Lord, that you would be merciful to us, that we might think about our brothers and sisters who are suffering. May they not suffer alone. May we be alongside them, caring for them, uplifting them with the words from your word. We pray for job situations for Stacey Stark and others, Lord, who are looking for work and are attempting to upgrade their work. We ask that you would continue to provide in this way, and we give you thanks and praise for these opportunities. We pray for our leaders, Lord, at the national level, the state level, and local level. that has been in front and center in our minds and in the news, and Lord, we know that you are our king, and that is not in princes or in armies that we trust, but it is in you, the Lord of hosts. But we do ask, Lord, that you might shed your wisdom and your mercy upon our leaders so they may make wise decisions. Give us, Lord, mercy and not what we deserve in this way. And so we pray and supplicate in these ways. We pray, Lord, that the gospel may go forth in this chaotic world. We know many are hurting, many are confused, and we ask, Lord, not only in this country but in our world, that your church would rise to the challenge of preaching the gospel in season and out of season, corporately and privately, by word and by deed. We ask, Lord, that your kingdom would continue to build and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. We pray, Lord, for your servant as he brings the word. Give him power and unction. and open our hearts and minds, Lord, as we would hear and we would apply your word to our hearts. We ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. So as I most often say, if you have your Bibles with you, you can open with me to Philippians chapter four this morning. And actually, before we turn and read there, let's go ahead and sing the Gloria Patri in response to prayer. I hope this doesn't go on for the entire hour. But let's stand together and sing the Gloria Patri. It's number 734 in the hymnal before you. Glory be to the Father, Thank you for your mercy. You may be seated. Since you have Philippians 4 open in your Bibles already, if you're using the Pew Bible, it's page 1250. This is a very well-known chapter. And many verses have probably even been memorized by you. We have been in, as John was saying, I've been in First Timothy and David in Genesis. We've been thinking about the Ephesian church for a while. And I'll mention certain things about the Thessalonian church from where the message came in the memorial yesterday. And now we're gonna think for a moment about the Philippian church. Then David, while I'm gone next weekend, will preach on those words of Matthew 6 from Jesus and its cross-reference in Luke 12 as well. And then I'll pick back up in the 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 passages. All of this is for the goal of our growing in wisdom and prudence and perspective, specifically Christ-centered, kingdom-centered perspective in our Christian lives going forward in 2021. and going forward after a church that has been alive and well for decades, our church. We're looking forward into the future and trying to walk wisely and well as we move forward. So after a series of summary exhortations well-known to you, probably from Philippians 4, in certain themes that had been in 1 Timothy 6, I decided to start this small series on generosity and joy and giving and support of the church From this very well-known chapter beginning with what you know is the idea and before his final greetings before after these very well-known section in verses 1 to 9 and before the final greetings in verses 22 and 23 of the letter Paul acknowledges with Thanksgiving the Philippian churches financial support of him and his ministry the ministry of Christ the mission of the kingdom and And it was brought as a gift by Epaphroditus and describes it as a fellowship with him. And I'll describe that in the first point. He describes it as a fellowship in his trouble, a fellowship that's a financial support, a sharing in the troubles that Paul is enduring. And so is the mission in Christ as he is jailed in Rome. And as we've seen and heard from Chris's study in the epistle back to the first chapter and into the second, even tonight, Paul has said, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, that is Philippians, always in every prayer of mine for you all, making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the gospel. Your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, and we see how God, the Holy Spirit, wants His people, all His people in His churches, to all work together to partner and support with the work of the gospel wherever they are in the world. It's a good, wide reminder for us as Christians. Our lives are not just in the local church. They're in a regional church. They're in a national church. They're in an international church. This is God's kingdom here in the world. And so we wanna support that work. And so with the text open before us, with that small orientation to this new passage we're reading, here now as I begin at verse 10 and read through verse 20 of Philippians 4. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That's where we were the last time we spoke. 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. 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 in glory in Christ Jesus to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. I don't know if you are, but I am covered in chills at the rereading of that. There are so many rich portions of Philippians 4. And I do suspect that many of you have memorized certain passages and portions. We're even going to, as a way of application, sort of meditate, ruminate on a way to think about single verses that are famous in this portion toward the end of the message. But as Paul concludes his epistle to the Philippians, he returns to this theme of rejoicing despite difficulty. We've been talking about that since Thanksgiving. I've been trying to think of these themes. I always try and think about a month ahead. Paul warmly welcomes and thanks the Philippians for once and again supporting the mission of Christ and his church, partnering him, partnering with him, partnering with the people of God in supporting and sustaining the church and its ministry. Cheered as he is by the Philippians revived concern as he says, his contentment still lies elsewhere. Do you know well where his contentment lies? As we said in the last message in 1 Timothy 6. I quoted this exact passage then to leave, as it were, a thread from the last message in 1 Timothy 6, from verse six and into this morning. We know that Paul relies upon the contentment that he enjoys in Jesus and Jesus alone. Despite any needs he may have, Paul is not ultimately dependent on their financial support to find contentment. He has Christ. But he rejoices in this practical union that they both share. And this union is in the gospel of Jesus, bringing all of them together and allowing them to rejoice together in Christ, united to Jesus. But Paul has learned the secret of facing both plenty and hunger, abundance and need, as he has said. And what is it? It's that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him. How does that speak to you today? Where are you today? Where are your needs today? We're speaking corporately as a family, as a body, as the bride of Christ here at Lake Sherwood, but for you personally first. Make this, help this to stir your heart now as you're reflecting on the truth of God from a very famous portion. And as we connect what we're saying today with what we heard last time at the heart of 1 Timothy 6.6, we continue this theme of godliness with contentment as great gain, as John said. But as we emphasized in my last message, that Paul also takes the opportunity to explain that he has learned to be content. He has learned to be content, both with little and with much. Have you learned the lessons of being content with little or with much? Paul teaches us to look beyond our own circumstances sometimes. To look beyond our own circumstances and find that that's actually the foundation. It's not looking up, it's looking to the foundation that is Christ, Jesus in our lives. And whether we have much or little, we rejoice together in the contentment provided by Christ, regardless of the trial, the tribulation, the sadness or the suffering. We need Jesus. And then this big idea that we'll try and repeat a few times, at least in my work here in Philippians 4, 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. It's not how much we have, but what we do with what we have that matters to God. Let me say it again, because it is a main idea here. It's not how much we have. It's what we do with what we have that we call stewardship. Because, and let me say this really clearly at the outset. Do you know that nothing you have is yours? 100% of what you have, life and breath and everything else is not yours. We might talk about giving 10% or I give 12%. There are people who give 90% and keep 10 to themselves because they're so rich. Some guy made massive public declarations for about a year, a minister, about how he was given 90%, blah, blah, blah. If you can have $50 billion, who cares? You can't, you get it, I'm getting stirred up. But your life and your breath and every single thing you have is actually God's. When you invert your thinking about your life, and your health, and your breath, and every single thing you have, then it's a matter of stewarding time, talent, and treasure, and giving back to God what is already His. And let me ask you at the outset, so you think about this for the next few messages. Does God need anything from you? He is the all-sufficient, omnipresent, omni-everything God. He does not need from us, but He promises He will supply every need of ours. Needs, not always wants. Every need of ours in Christ Jesus. And so let's continue into this passage, and I'll continue preaching. Disfellowshipping with those in trouble is the first idea. Why do I say fellowshipping in the trouble? How many of you are reading the ESV? Do you see the first verse here? It says in verse 14, yet it was kind of you to fellowship my trouble. Does that make sense to you? Look at your ESV if you're looking at it. You see that little three and then you look down and you say, or have fellowship in. Yet it was kind of you to fellowship in my trouble. Do you know why I'm using that word there? How many of you know the word in the Greek? I bet all of you know some Greek, right? Every Christian who's ever listened to a Bible study on radio or read their Bible or done, they know the word fellowship. It's a noun. And would anyone like to just say that word out loud? Koinonia, right? Everybody knows Koinonia. Does anybody know any other Greek? No, they know like two or three or four or five verse, you know, phrases. And one of them is that noun Koinonia. But the sharing in the trouble is actually a verbal form. It's not a noun. And how is he fellowshipping, like in this verbal form, how are they fellowshipping together in Paul's trouble? And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, et cetera, they're fellowshipping together in this trouble. Many years had passed since Paul had first visited Philippi. He had founded the church there in the beginning of the gospel, as I just reminded you, in verse 15. But the love of the Philippians for Paul was still strong that scholars tell us this was probably 10 years before. And now Paul's in a Roman cell. He's in prison remembering and writing and thanking the Philippians. And the Philippians' love for Paul was strong. It says that he was with them in the beginning of the gospel. What did that mean? when he first preached Christ to them and they believed. And now they knew they were brothers and so they were sharing in his trouble, knowing that he was in jail. The church hadn't forgotten his service to them. He laid down his life for them. And so when news about Paul came to them from Rome and they learned that he was now in prison and lacked everything, If they find out, they hear the example, many had left him. They'd abandoned him in the work. They'd abandoned him in their commitment to that Christ-centered kingdom ministry. He couldn't work. As you know, he always did. He always was sort of bivocational. Couldn't work. So he couldn't provide for himself. And the Philippians hated to hear that. And so they sent him money. And as I'll say probably twice in this message, do you know the Philippian church, unlike the Ephesian church, or unlike the Thessalonian church, or unlike many other churches in Macedonia, they weren't rich. They were not a wealthy church. But they gave, as it were, out of their poverty so that they might become rich in good works. which will be 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 at the end of the message today, but immediately the Philippians began to collect funds to support him, to partner with him, to share in his troubles. They were fellowshipping in his troubles. They were coming aside along in camaraderie and love to serve this one who had laid his life down for them and for Christ, and they loved Jesus. Paul referenced this earlier in the letter and Chris had taught on it literally at his last message and it's a providential overlap that God had done. Chris will be back in Philippians 2 tonight. So you're getting a Philippians day today. We are to emulate Christ's humility and even share in Christ's sufferings. That's a hard one to remember. storing up in his body the sufferings of Christ. Paul knew that he was storing up even in his own body the sufferings of Christ because Christ had gone to heaven. But God the Holy Spirit was in Paul and Paul was sharing in these sufferings of Christ for the work of the gospel. And that's what it feels like to us sometimes. Have you ever felt the burden of ministry in just loving someone else? Have you felt the burden in serving someone else? Have you felt the burden of ministering to someone else in many and varied ways? I don't want to narrow it so you only think about one way. Have you ever felt the burden of loving and serving and laying down your life for someone else? And what did the Philippians do? They sent a gift to Rome as quickly as possible through Epaphroditus. They were fellowshipping in his troubles. And usually we think of this famous term, koinonia, in only positive terms as a noun. Companionship and camaraderie and fellowship. But the only three times it's used as a verb in the New Testament, it's usually negative. This is very positive, but usually it's negative and you'll understand because in English, what we do is we translate this same verb form into participating with someone or to be connected with, even to fellowship with, but usually the examples are, do not participate with someone in their sin. Do not participate in evil. Do not fellowship with evil. So again, an inversion, a turning over, like, wait, no, you can fellowship in good and godliness. You can fellowship in love and service. You can fellowship in sharing troubles with one another. And Paul's pleasure at this gift from Epaphroditus sent by these Philippian Christians who were not wealthy. He knew that they were giving of their own want. Remember Jesus' language about the woman with the might? She gave out of her want. It said in the original, I can't, she gave out of her need. And Christians had sent, this was not merely for Paul's own sake. Paul began to be pleased for their sake. Now hear this, this is a pretty interesting point. Because he knew, as we should all spiritually know from experience, that a gift actually benefits the giver more than it benefits the one who receives it. Do you know that truth? Do you know that the one who gives the gift is often more blessed than the one who just receives? Do you know that practically in your heart? Could you just do this if you do? Because if you've never known the blessing of giving, then you might not be able to relate to what's being said here. And giving, even when it hurts, is a famous phrase we use. To give until it hurts. And I'm not saying any of that. No burden, no pressure from me. Like Paul, I'd say, I am well supplied for. But to be a blessing is also a blessing in both the giving and the receiving. And this is true both on the human level that I'm trying to get you to identify with, and then to recognize that this truth is taught spiritually in the New Testament. It's maybe even more true, we would say, if truth can be more or less. It's more true spiritually. So we see how Paul writes later in verse 17 that in God's sight the gift would appear as fruit credited to their personal account. It's profound you guys. I hope you do hear that. This is a fellowshipping in a unique way. And so I'll mention that again to sort of lay these as layers so you hear it, because the fellowship, the partnership in giving and receiving in this second point in verses 15 and 16, which I'm about to read for you again, notice what's being said. You Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, we said, right? 10 years ago, probably when he was preaching to the gospel to them for the first time. When I left Macedonia, listen, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica, meaning hint, hint, wink, wink, you know how rich Thessalonica is, is the idea that the scholars tell us. Even in Thessalonica, when I was there, you sent me help. You knew I was with the rich church, as it were, and you sent me help for my needs once and again. It appears that the Philippians church's giving was distinctive. They were the only church that gave, and they gave consistently. When the Philippian church was founded, it underwrote, is a language. They financially underwrote the ministry of Paul as he continued to go out to Macedonia. And they were consistent in their support. But note, it was the only church that was supporting Paul. What he's doing is he's commending them for this partnership in the work of the gospel, in Christ-centered, kingdom-centered, mission-focused work. And notice it's giving and receiving. The basic definition, if you would go to a Bible and say, I wanted to clarify myself, the giving, what does it mean exactly? It means aid and assistance and even sending help, which is obvious from the context. Sometimes we need to clarify, what kind of giving are we talking about? Because when you give counsel, that's an increase of wisdom, but it's not stuff. And so it can be aid, assistance, and sending help in many and different, varied ways. It's an everyday, earthy expression of grace, of love and generosity. How many of your friends or your family members do you love to talk to because they just help lighten your spirit? They, as it were, give you joy. They give you happiness. My sweet sister sends videos to my son, who did, and now keeps it up with my daughters. And it's just incredible to watch her beam while she watches my sister, who's across 3,000 miles away. It's just such a sweet gift that she gives from where she is because she can't be with her physically. And that's a small example from my own life. And what are the examples in your life as you're fellowshipping, as you're sharing, as you're partnering in many and different varied ways? There's a certain phrase, the beginning of the gospel, he said, referring to the original time when he came and preached the word to them 10 years previously. And the scholars tell us that in speaking of Thessalonica, they were thought to be a much wealthier church. And so you can see the Philippians are giving even out of their need, but they were committed to the right ends. And that was Christ-centered, you know, gospel-centered support, mission, and vision for Christ's kingdom and church, his bride, his beautiful bride for whom he laid down his life. Paul's choice of terms in entering into partnership means to make one a fellow partaker is another way we translate this. A fellow partaker with someone else in the goal. It's like sharing the burden, lifting the yoke, coming alongside, getting up under their shoulders and helping them walk. All these examples are used in the way the Greek translates the Old Testament in certain circumstances. And here it refers to the act of the Philippians making themselves partners with Paul in the responsibility of assisting in the work of the kingdom of God. Kingdom work. And the words giving and receiving are accounting terms the scholars tell us. These are people who give their whole lives to the study of like let's say Philippi and the exposition of the Philippian Accounts in the New Testament and one scholar says this This accounting terminology refers to a credit and debit side of the ledger and this is ironic, right? But this is why we've been commissioned to this work tomorrow Evan who helps us with credits and debits Ed and John who help us on the budget committee. They're the guys who can do this I'm not very good at this I can balance my own budget, but we need sometimes people to help us see in the terminology that even God the Holy Spirit thought it was necessary to communicate through Paul to these people. So they thought about these earthy and everyday needs, earthy and everyday needs of the saints, especially those who were suffering in prison, who had almost given their lives for the gospel by that point. It's profound. And returning to the context, the Philippian saints owed much to Paul since he was the one who won them to Christ and nurtured them in the faith. And Paul had certain credits on their ledger, as it were, credits on their account that they were paying back, as it were, which they were repaying to Christ ultimately by supporting the church's mission. And then here's a different way. Giving might be a little bit more, but let me, Let me ask it like this, as I set up a certain exposition and application. Do you find it difficult to receive help from other people? I want to get in your gut right here. I use this example in 1st Timothy 6. Do you find it difficult to receive help or aid or support or counsel or stuff from other people? Most of the guys are like, get off me, boy, you're pushing in my stomach right now, you know. Into your gut, is it difficult for you to receive blessings and aid and love? Now, I think there might be a little conviction because they say that in churches like ours, when it gets That's when you might be touching a sore spot. But notice this, it's both in giving and receiving, right? And now you're gonna hear an example and we can, you know, reference something else objective in our lives. This can be an earthy everyday expression of grace, both in the giving and the receiving. And sometimes it's hard to receive help or assistance from others. Have you noticed? Sometimes it's hard and I'm admitting for myself as well. But often it's because of our pride, right? It's because of our self-sufficiency. And I tried to kiddingly say it's because of our manifest destiny and our rugged individualism as Americans. We want and we are told since we are tiny, you got to trust yourself and trust no one else and provide your own way. It's very difficult to receive help and aid and love and counsel and favor. And so it requires humility to counter our very natural and native pride. Sometimes our pride prevents us from being able to receive help or aid from others. But remember, it's a blessing to bless others. Do not take away the blessing from others who are gonna be blessed by God for how they give. It makes sense. I connected it to my introductory statement about that. You know, it's a blessing to give and God sees and he gives in return. He blesses others for being a blessing. So don't take that blessing away from them by not being able to receive. Just say, go figure it. Just say, thank you. It's that easy to overcome the pride. The humility comes in. So it can be a blessing for others to be able to give to you. Don't prevent someone else the blessing of giving simply because you're too proud to receive. That's a very practical application that's helpful. What if Paul said, oh no, don't worry about it. No, just send that back Epaphroditus. I know you trekked all the way here to this jail cell to give that gift, but tell him I don't want it. Right? You get it and you can laugh at Paul or Epaphroditus in that setting. But what if someone wants to just give you something generous out of their generosity, just being a blessing? Oh no, I can't take that. It's just a thing, and it's a thing that happens in life, and it's happening even in our life. Why would we care, and I mean the life of the church? Why would we care to both give and receive? Because this is a mutual one-anothering, 100 times in the New Testament, that language alelone from the original language, one another to give to give to one another, to bless one another, to encourage one another, to build one another up, even to rebuke or reprove or correct one another. All of those uses of one another are about a mutual, symbiotic kind of relationship in Christ's body, the church. And so it's both being a blessing in the giving and the receiving, allowing others to be blessed by their gifts of grace to give and to support the work of Christ. through Paul, to support the mission of Christ's church, even through Paul. Our next point tries to explain the fruit that increases to your credit. Unless you think, well, you might be making too much of that spiritual point, but what then is the fruit that increases to their credit? Note three key ideas here. Let's read verses 17 to 19. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I've received full payment and more. I'm well supplied having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. And listen, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice, acceptable and pleasing to God. Meditate on these passages today and this week, please. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. This is a rich portion of God's word in a rich chapter. But note three ideas I was saying, God saw who sacrificially gave to support Paul and he deposited it as it were a reward, an account, the fruit that increases to your credit. This was what Paul desired in giving, not a gift for himself, not a gift for himself, hear it again, but a reward for the giver. In just receiving, you're allowing them to receive the reward of their giving and being a blessing to you. It's amazing. Try and reflect on that. Paul knew that God saw and rewarded the believers who gave, sacrificially is the idea, right? And Paul desired believers to give sacrificially and even receive generously from God for what they had gave. God was well-pleased with the giving of the Philippians, as is said explicitly in 1 Thessalonians. Verse 18, God, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, literally teaching us a certain spiritual truth here. And Paul compares it, they're all spiritual truths, just so I catch myself there. Paul compares it to an Old Testament sacrifice which a person offered up to God. And listen, when did they offer up sacrifices in the Old Testament? Morning and night. Technically, all day. And so they were giving sacrificially, right? All day is this allusion to this Old Testament picture, but it's beautiful and think about it. If you know about Old Testament sacrifices, certain phrases might come to mind and I'll just say them here. This sacrificial commitment then of the Philippians was a sweet or acceptable aroma to God, right? And even a reference to God's nostrils receiving the aroma of the sacrifices morning and evening. And so it was and is with sacrificial giving in Christ's church today. The gift is acceptable to God just like the sweet smell of a sacrifice in the Old Testament that was offered two times a day at least. And I want to say this slowly and hear you. When I was saying, do you know that nothing you have, life, breath or anything else is yours? We are so American sometimes, even if you weren't born in America. If you're here and you're in the first world and you've lived in this generation that most of us have lived, we are very accustomed to what's mine. And that's why I gave that cute little toddler analogy about, you know, what property law in a child and a toddler's mine? If it's yours, it's mine. If I want it, it's mine. If it's broken, it's yours, but everything else is mine. But hear this closely, and I'm saying it slowly for a reason. It's an act of worship to give to the work of Christ's church. Said a little differently. It's an act of worship to give to the mission of Christ's church. It's an act of worship to give to the kingdom endeavors and missionary work and proclamation, on and on we could go, right? It's an act of worship. And that's why he's using this sacrificial language. The church's giving in Philippi was sacrificial, and it was seen and rewarded by God, and the gift cost the Philippian church something. It seems that the Philippians obviously had seemed to have counted the cost in supporting Paul's ministry, hearing the language of Jesus in that, right? They had counted the cost because their gift is also said to have created a need among themselves. And my God, Paul then, so he encourages and promises and blesses and assures their hearts, my God will supply all your needs. Maybe not all your wants, but definitely all your needs. God will supply all your needs, and praise the Lord for that good news, that assurance in the midst of their giving. God promised to supply all the needs of his dear people. This is one of the great promises of scripture in verse 19, and we're gonna stay on this until I close with verse 20. But consider this for a moment, read it with me again. Have you memorized Philippians 4.19? And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. I just now tried to repeat that differently than the other two times I'd read it. And that's part of what I'm gonna try and teach, remind you here. If you've ever taken time to actually try and meditate on a passage of scripture, memorizing it does that. You're just trying, you're repeating it and repeating it and repeating it and repeating it. But the emphasis I'm trying to make is, emphasize different portions and watch what God the Holy Spirit does to you. Watch how, as Matt and I often talk about, how many other passages of the Bible will arise as you start meditating, even on just one verse. And my God, is this emphasis at the outset. God, well, let me say it first. God is the great provider. That is what Paul is assuring the Philippians. He's actually referring, alluding, the scholars think, to Genesis 22. And why is Genesis 22? When Abraham's about to sacrifice Isaac, why would that be important here? Because a name of God is revealed in Genesis 22, 14. And saints, what is that name of God? Yahweh Yireh, or as you may know it, Jehovah Jireh, the Lord, our provider. Our one true covenantal God, Yahweh, our provider. That is our God and that is his name. God the great provider, God himself. No matter what the need is, the need is not greater than our God, the Lord, our provider. Note the pronoun specifically here, my God. This great covenantal God, this faithful God, this one all the way back to the first book of the Bible, this one who revealed himself in that way and consistently through all the stages of redemptive history, Paul has the audacity to call his God. Can you say the same? Does that seem important to you? And my God, and here's why that I think is super important. A person has to make sure that he knows this one true God personally. This is the very evangelical quality to our type of preaching, biblical, conservative, reformed preaching. But let us not lose sight of the fact that he says, and my God, this is not exclusive to Paul by any means, but what he's saying is, my God, our God, the one true God, we know him personally, and this is who he is. It is our gracious God who can meet all our needs. And there's great assurance, as I've said, in this provision. My God will supply. Is there any uncertainty in that? No, right? Do you pray like that, though? Oh, Lord, if you'd be willing, I guess if you could, maybe if you could, baby, just, you know. Is that a prayer of faith? No, that's your unbelief. I'm just calling it as it is. That's my unbelief too. I'm so discouraged sometimes. It's like I just forget who God is, that's why. But if I fortify my faith with meditation on verses like this, I am, my faith is enlarged. It's fortified and augmented and it's built up and my trust increases practically in the trials of having a toddler and a three month old. There's no question about the place or the source. Paul has no question about the place or the source from where the provision is supplied. The Lord is our provider. That is his name. It is from God. He is able and he is willing to provide for the needs of his dear children. As I've said twice already, not all are wants. but our needs and the need of Christ and his kingdom and his mission, et cetera. That's the confidence we need going into the new year. After a really crazy COVID year in 2020, how many here people are turned upside down by COVID, right? All of us. But a good time then to fortify our faith again in the one true God that he is sovereign and he is not changed. He is the unchanging and unchangeable God. God is not moved from his throne at all. through all the mania of this past year. And so we go forward with confidence in this great provision, my God, and my God will supply. There is great provision in every need of yours. So I'm just demonstrating for you what it looks like to make this application through repetition and rumination, pondering, considering, thinking about this one verse. Remember, this is about the needs, as I've said, but scholars tell us this promise does not refer only to the physical needs for food, clothing, and shelter, which we emphasized last message. And I'm sure you all know that. But do you know it when you're in need? Do you know it when you're sad, and suffering, and sorrowful, and your depression is leading to despair? Do you know it then? Do you really need more crackers and milk at that point? No, you need your heart to be enlarged and encouraged in the truth of God. You need to believe in God and His provision and His love for you and His graciousness and His desire and His willingness, His heart toward you and for you. And so we say this refers also to our mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. It refers to any need that arises or confronts, and I try and say this really softly, the believer who has been made a child of God. Jesus said, and I have to think about this as a father, you who think you love your kids and you would do anything for them, you think you're better than God? You think you love more than God? Your child asks for bread, give him a stone. Wants something else, give him a serpent. No way. And you're not the one who is love. God is the one who is love. He probably knows your needs better than you do. And so you come alongside and you commune with him and you walk with him and you say, really, Lord, I have to forgive seven times? Oh, you've never been like that, right? You've never held a resentment too long, let a little root of bitterness get in there deep underground, so deep you could never reach it? No, that's not you. A God who loves so much that he says, you just go ahead and try and forgive 70 times seven. And then watch me die on a cross. And while I'm up there after being beaten, all falsely, beaten, brutalized, betrayed, abandoned, up on the cross, what does Jesus say? Forgive them, for they know not what they do. Even if the people you can't forgive, just say, they're all wrong. I'm always right. They must be wrong, right? Forgive them, for they know not what they do. Even Stephen, the first martyr of the church, modeled his God, modeled Christ, when being stoned to death. He said, forgive them, for they know not what they do. What is that place in your life that you need to be more like Jesus, as it were, by example? Just one example I'm giving here at the end. No need is unimportant, not to God, if it is His own dear child. He loves you so much because you are in His Son. You are united to Jesus. He loves you this much if you're really in need. And this can be so comforting in the midst of our need as we are trialing and struggling and living through tribulation and sorrow and pain and loss and death. What need do you have today? What need do you have today that God your Father wants to love you in? There may be a lesson for the believer here to learn. There may be a lesson, I'm trying to like hedge a little bit, right? There may be a lesson you need to learn in the suffering, right? Because it's gonna make you more like Jesus. This was his plan for you according to Romans 8, 29, not 28, 29. Before the foundation of the world, he intended a certain suffering in your life so that you might be more conformed to the likeness of Christ your Savior. So what do you need to learn in this season? What do we as a church, what are we learning in the pruning? Maybe it's some lessons about trust. Maybe it's lessons about endurance and perseverance and patience. Maybe it's lessons about greater love and joy and peacefulness and dare I say even self-control. We have to learn something about self-control. But no matter what the trial or the need is, God must be our provider because that is his name and he will not deny himself. And so there's this great source and resource according to his riches in glory, all the riches and glory and majesty of heaven. This is the source of the one who provides for us. Remember, every good and perfect gift comes down from the father of light and glory, James 1 says. and the spiritual needs that God's people have, they bring them to the Lord. And there's a great Savior to whom we're united because according to all these riches and glory, they are in Christ. God's glory is most clearly manifest always and forever in Jesus to us, as I began. And so because there's a great Savior, this is critical to note, God does nothing apart from Jesus. No person can approach God without coming to him through Jesus. This is the key to having our needs met by that one who is our intercessor and mediator at the right hand of God even now. We surrender our lives and our wills to him. And we do it because of his love, and we do it because of his mercy, and how much he's given to us, and we receive it humbly, and we ask God to continue to meet our needs in him so that we might praise him, glorify him, and desire from our hearts to follow him more closely. That's what a loving disciple does toward Jesus. And so we confess, to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. It's as if it just spontaneously arises in prayer and even closes in form, amen. And so it is, so let it be. Given much, they give much. Lord willing, that's the thread you hear me starting now and picking up in two weeks in 2 Corinthians 8. Having been given much, we then give much. Christians should, by their nature and their experience of this great grace that I've tried to preach to you this morning, they have a source, a strong impulse to give to others now, to those in need, to missionaries and to the church as a whole. Whatever Christ's mission is, whether in the local church or the regional church or the international, this is part of who they are now. This is their desire to fulfill God's will for His kingdom come here. Because having been given so much in Christ, it is now their desire to give much in return for Christ and His glory. As 2 Corinthians 8-9, which will be pretty much the key of the next message, for you know, and it's at the bottom of your outline, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that you, by his poverty, might become rich. Is that your knowledge of the gospel? Is that your knowledge of Christ and His ministry to us? Because that's a key theme as well as John had even read this morning. What a key verse as we discuss generous joy in giving to Christ and His church and His ministry and mission. The Holy Spirit teaches us here in Philippians 4 that strengthened by Christ in verse 13, because I can do all things through Him, who strengthens me, strengthened by Jesus, these basic Christian virtues of self-sacrificial love and service and support of the church and partnering and fellowship, say it any way you want, just, but say it, and think it and ruminate on it, meditate upon it, all today and all this week. Support of the church by our time or our talents or our treasures is the way we often repeat it. In what way are we giving? Even sacrificial giving as we heard. Both in the giving and even that hard application on receiving. Learning to just be humble enough to say, thank you. Be blessed for your blessing me with this gift or whatever. Sometimes we need the Spirit of God to help us. Sometimes. All the time we need the Spirit of God. I wrote sometimes, but all the time we need God the Holy Spirit to help us grow in godliness and grace. Editing myself here. We need the Spirit of God to help us grow in this grace, to keep the simplest Christian commands. Love God, love our neighbor, to love our God, to love his beautiful bride, the church, to work for his glory in all we do, to remember he is the one who owns everything. We just give in response of praise. Maybe be reminded if you were to meditate on this section from Philippians 4, to rely upon the strength of Christ from verse 13. In whatever circumstance that we find ourselves now as a church going forward into the new year and into the future, may we rely upon his strength and ask him to strengthen us, to love him more and more, and then to love others as well by sharing in their troubles, fellowshipping with them in their troubles, Just as if we were in trouble, we would want them to fellowship with us and to partner together in the good works. That is our act of worship, laying down our own lives, offering ourselves in worship, but also partnering together with whatever other needs there are. And as we give to his church, so glorify him so that we say at the end of all our lives and all our days and whatever our hours, to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. And God's people say, amen. Let's pray. Our God, there are great truths in your word that we find beyond magnificent to meditate upon. We ask that you would bless your people, that you would fortify them like... an earth that desires to drink in the rain. May you wash your people in your word this morning. May you fill them afresh by your spirit and encourage their hearts and their minds in the knowledge of the truth that they might have faith and confidence, that they might be assured even more deeply in the greatness of their God, who you are and what you have done. May you strengthen us by your spirit to work for your glory in all we do as we ask it in Jesus' name, amen. Now, this beautiful song to end may not be as familiar, but I try and do this sometimes where, immortal, invisible, it's that song, but to this text, which is fitting for Philippians 4. It's called, Though Troubles Assail Us. It's number 95 in the hymnal. You know Immortal, Invisible, well, it's that tune, but sung to number 95, Though Troubles Assail Us. When you have it, let's stand together and sing in closing. ♪ Danger's around the bend ♪ ♪ And foes all unite ♪ ♪ Yet one thing secures us, whatever brings thine ♪ ♪ The promise assures us, the Lord will provide ♪ ♪ Our storehouse, our fair ♪ ♪ From where we must go ♪ ♪ Dress God for our bed ♪ ♪ He seeks what he's paid ♪ ♪ Shall never be denied ♪ ♪ So long as it's fair ♪ ♪ The Lord will provide ♪ ♪ When Satan assails us so sly ♪ We cannot take from us the walk we have tried before. May you receive God's blessing upon your head and hearts as you go out this the Lord's Day. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all in God's peoples. I know.