Title: An Advancing Gospel Community: Partners Together
Speaker: Nate Holdridge
Text: Philippians 4:10-23
Overview: Join Pastor Nate Holdridge as he explores Philippians 4:10-23, emphasizing the essential partnership between Paul and the Philippian church in gospel work. This teaching highlights themes of contentment, sacrificial generosity, and relational health, showing how these attributes not only advance the kingdom of God but also enrich the lives of those who embody them. Discover practical insights for fostering a spirit of generosity, finding fulfillment in Christ, and building healthy relationships rooted in God’s grace and provision.
[00:00:05] Thank you for listening to the Calvary Monterey Podcast. To learn more about our church, please visit calvary.com. And for additional resources from our lead pastor, Nate Holdridge, please visit nateholdridge.com. Teaching today is our lead pastor, Nate Holdridge.
[00:00:24] Nate Holdridge
[00:00:25] All right. Good morning, church. Great to see you guys today. I just wanted to mention we've been doing the meet and greet for the last few months and zero introverts have died.
[00:00:38] Including myself. I've been making it. It's been great.
[00:00:42] Hey, take out your Bibles this morning and turn to the book of Philippians chapter 4.
[00:00:47] Philippians chapter 4. We're in verse 10 to 23 this morning of Philippians chapter 4.
[00:00:53] We've been studying the book of Philippians together. We've taken 11 weeks to go through this four-chapter epistle from Paul.
[00:01:02] The first week was in Acts chapter 16 where Pastor Matt taught us about the birth of the Philippian church.
[00:01:10] Where Paul went there and launched a beautiful gospel community.
[00:01:15] And then I myself have taught eight messages through every verse of this book, including the message today.
[00:01:22] Where we've been able to think about what it looks like to be an advancing gospel community.
[00:01:27] Paul is looking at the Philippian church and thinking, I want you guys to continue to have the testimony that you began 10 years earlier when I first launched you as a church.
[00:01:40] And so from a prison cell probably in Rome, Paul is writing to them and encouraging them to keep their eye on the ball and stay focused in the work that God had called them to.
[00:01:50] The city in Philippi needed them to be a healthy church and the broader community needed them to be a healthy church.
[00:01:56] And so Paul is encouraging them in that direction.
[00:01:59] And then Pastor Matt and Pastor Jeff also shared with us a couple of messages on some key verses in the book of Philippians.
[00:02:08] So we've taken these 11 weeks to take a look at this book and I pray that it's been edifying to you.
[00:02:13] I've felt that it's been encouraging for us as a church to be thinking about the community oriented work of the body of Christ.
[00:02:21] We cannot do the Great Commission alone.
[00:02:23] Amen.
[00:02:23] We need each other.
[00:02:25] We need to be a community that is broadcasting the gospel of Jesus, not just with our words, but with our lives.
[00:02:31] The way that we treat each other, the way that we treat our neighbors and the world around us.
[00:02:36] So I think this is an important perspective for modern Christians to adopt, especially Christians that live in more individualistic kind of cultures.
[00:02:45] For us to recognize, you know, my faith is individual in a sense.
[00:02:50] I individually come to Christ, but I'm then adopted into a family or a flock or a community.
[00:02:57] I'm part of God's team and I'm called to serve with others in the mission that he's given to us.
[00:03:04] So we're going to finish Philippians today and then next week will be December 15th.
[00:03:09] And so we're going to start a short little Christmas series or Advent series.
[00:03:14] And what I'm going to do is take Galatians chapter four.
[00:03:18] I think it's verse five and six.
[00:03:20] It speaks of God, the father before the fullness of time, making a plan to send his only begotten son at the appropriate time.
[00:03:29] Who would come in the likeness of man and come born under the law to redeem us from the law so that those who believe in him could have the spirit of God living inside of them by which we cry out Abba father.
[00:03:44] So what we're going to do is for three weeks think about that Christmas sequence.
[00:03:49] God, the father from eternity past, knowing that there would be a moment that he sent the son into the world.
[00:03:58] I'm going to teach that message next week.
[00:04:02] And then the following week, we'll think about the son, the incarnation.
[00:04:06] And for that one on December 22nd, I'm very excited because I've invited a friend of mine named Tyler Backway,
[00:04:12] who is planting a church in Pismo Beach this next year and whom we are going to support and get behind.
[00:04:19] He is going to come and share the word that Sunday.
[00:04:22] So I gave him the best one, the incarnation, the son.
[00:04:26] And then on Christmas Eve, I'm going to talk about the spirit and how the spirit invites us into the Christmas story.
[00:04:34] The spirit is inviting us into fellowship with the father and the son and himself.
[00:04:39] And so it'll be a very invitational kind of message on Christmas Eve.
[00:04:45] So I'm looking forward to doing that.
[00:04:46] But today, like I said, we've got Philippians chapter four, verse 10 to 23.
[00:04:52] And I want to start today by thinking about a verse in or verses in first Corinthians chapter 12.
[00:04:59] There Paul wrote, and this is from the New Living Translation,
[00:05:02] the human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body.
[00:05:09] So it is with the body of Christ.
[00:05:11] All of you together are Christ's body and each of you is a part of it.
[00:05:22] This was Paul's way of talking about the unity of the church,
[00:05:27] but also the collective mission and responsibility of the church.
[00:05:32] That we're called to work together to accomplish Christ's aims in and for our world.
[00:05:39] And that is a sentiment that Paul brought into, as I've been saying, his letter to the Philippian church.
[00:05:46] And it's a sentiment that the modern church, especially here, our little church on the Monterey Peninsula
[00:05:51] or the churches in the greater Salinas Valley region, we need that message as well.
[00:05:56] Together, if we partner together, the work of the entire body of Christ becomes effective
[00:06:03] when individual members do their individual part.
[00:06:07] They say many hands make light labor.
[00:06:11] But in the church, I think you could say many functioning members make effective labor.
[00:06:19] And this team-oriented approach, to me, it's fascinating.
[00:06:22] It's the one that Jesus adopted from the very beginning.
[00:06:25] I mean, can you imagine being on a team with Jesus?
[00:06:29] I mean, you should be able to imagine it because the vision of the modern church,
[00:06:34] according to the New Testament, is that you are on a team with Jesus.
[00:06:38] From the very beginning, though, he was recruiting.
[00:06:40] Brought in his disciples, brought in larger groups of disciples and followers,
[00:06:45] and invited them into the mission.
[00:06:47] And then after Jesus fulfilled his mission on earth and ascended back to the right hand of the Father,
[00:06:53] he poured out his Spirit so that individual believers would receive the Spirit of God
[00:06:58] and receive the giftings of the Spirit of God.
[00:07:01] So when you read the stories of the New Testament church in the New Testament,
[00:07:05] what you discover are apostles leaning on each other, new leaders emerging in the church,
[00:07:12] individual Christians feeling called by God to do various things,
[00:07:16] and gifted and empowered by God for the mission that God had given to them.
[00:07:21] From the very beginning of the church's work, it has been a team-oriented perspective.
[00:07:27] A body with various parts and functions, a family with various roles,
[00:07:33] or as Paul has been highlighting in Philippians, an army with a mission to accomplish.
[00:07:39] And whenever you find in the New Testament or in our modern time a church that is functioning well,
[00:07:46] it's because that congregation has partnered together, each member or many more of the members doing their part.
[00:07:55] Now when Paul wrote to the Philippian church, he was familiar with that kind of partnership,
[00:07:59] because the Philippians were that type of church.
[00:08:02] He'll actually say in the passage we're going to read this morning,
[00:08:05] that not every church supported him in the way that the Philippian church supported him.
[00:08:10] Not every church partnered with him like the Philippian church partnered with him.
[00:08:13] And all the way back at the very beginning of this letter, chapter 1, verse 5,
[00:08:17] Paul thanked them for their 10-year-long partnership in the gospel.
[00:08:23] So he thought of them as joining together with him in the work.
[00:08:29] And I believe that the partnership the Philippian church had with Paul
[00:08:33] provides us with a good recipe for partnering together as a church today.
[00:08:38] And today in this closing passage of Philippians, where Paul is signing off,
[00:08:43] and really in one sense we'll see finally getting around to the purpose of writing this letter in the first place,
[00:08:48] saying thank you to the Philippians for their generosity to him.
[00:08:51] We're going to see three, I think, important ingredients.
[00:08:54] The first ingredient we're going to see is the ingredient of contentment being found within them,
[00:09:00] particularly and starting with their leader, the apostle Paul.
[00:09:04] He's an incredibly content man.
[00:09:06] The second thing we're going to see is a wonderful generosity that had developed in this church.
[00:09:12] I'm going to spend the bulk of my time on those two points,
[00:09:15] because that's really where the text is pointing.
[00:09:17] But I'm going to draw out a third point,
[00:09:19] and it's that they had a healthy relationship together.
[00:09:24] And Paul, all throughout this text, is fighting to preserve the health of that relationship.
[00:09:29] And I think that those three attributes, contentment and generosity and a healthy relationship,
[00:09:36] are important for a church to be fruitful in our modern times.
[00:09:41] So how many of you guys, you would like us to be an advancing gospel community?
[00:09:45] You'd like that in this church?
[00:09:47] These are some of the elements that Paul saw for the Philippian church that led them to be just that.
[00:09:53] So let's start out by reading Philippians 4, verse 10 to 13, and looking at this section on contentment.
[00:10:00] He says,
[00:10:00] In verse 10,
[00:10:01] I rejoiced in the Lord greatly,
[00:10:07] that now at length you have revived your concern for me.
[00:10:11] Yet you were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
[00:10:15] So it appears there had been a little period of time where they'd not been able to financially support Paul for one reason or another.
[00:10:22] Whether he's not making fun of them or criticizing them about that in any way.
[00:10:26] He says,
[00:10:27] You wanted to, you were concerned, but you just didn't have an opportunity.
[00:10:30] But then in verse 11, look at what he says.
[00:10:32] Not that I am speaking of being in need,
[00:10:35] for I've learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
[00:10:38] I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.
[00:10:42] In any and every circumstance,
[00:10:44] I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger,
[00:10:48] abundance and need.
[00:10:49] Indeed, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
[00:10:56] Okay, these verses that we just read,
[00:10:58] these are,
[00:10:59] this is what shocks us about the book of Philippians.
[00:11:03] You just have this guy who's in prison.
[00:11:07] Again, he's in prison not for doing anything wrong or being disobedient to God
[00:11:11] or getting out of God's will.
[00:11:13] You know, like,
[00:11:14] Oh, I made a mistake.
[00:11:15] I misstepped.
[00:11:16] Should have been listening to the Lord a little bit more.
[00:11:18] And now because I wasn't, I've been thrown into prison.
[00:11:21] No, he's in prison for doing precisely what God asked him to do.
[00:11:25] It's like his big reward.
[00:11:27] Thank you, Lord.
[00:11:28] Here I have, I've served you faithfully,
[00:11:30] and now I'm in jail.
[00:11:33] And yet, despite that,
[00:11:35] there's this joy and contentment that is radiating out of this man.
[00:11:41] That's what's shocking about this letter,
[00:11:44] what's shocking about Paul the apostle.
[00:11:47] And he's real careful.
[00:11:48] He's going to acknowledge the financial gift that they had sent to him
[00:11:54] through this man named Epaphroditus who came and visited him for a period of time.
[00:11:58] But he's very careful before he even really acknowledges it to say,
[00:12:03] but I want you guys to know I'm content either way.
[00:12:07] I mean, notice how he describes his contentment.
[00:12:11] In verse 11, he says,
[00:12:13] I'm not a man in need.
[00:12:14] I want you to know that.
[00:12:15] I'm not a man in need.
[00:12:18] This is astounding, especially from a man in prison.
[00:12:20] I have no needs.
[00:12:21] He says in verse 11 that he was able to see himself like that,
[00:12:26] as without need,
[00:12:27] because he'd learned in whatever situation he found himself in to be content.
[00:12:33] So he goes through all these different situations in life,
[00:12:36] and he's learning how to be content in them.
[00:12:40] And his contentment, he says in verse 12,
[00:12:43] meant that he could handle being brought really low,
[00:12:46] including experiencing hunger and great need.
[00:12:51] But it also meant, his contentment,
[00:12:54] that he could abound, he says in verse 12,
[00:12:58] that he could face plenty,
[00:12:59] and he could experience abundance without compromising in any way.
[00:13:04] Now, I need to give a little side note
[00:13:05] when Paul talks about this thing of abounding and abundance
[00:13:09] and being in prosperity.
[00:13:11] I just want to keep it in context.
[00:13:14] What he's saying is,
[00:13:15] here in prison,
[00:13:16] when you guys sent Epaphroditus
[00:13:19] and he gave me this little financial gift,
[00:13:22] I felt like I was living a wealthy,
[00:13:27] abundant, prosperous life.
[00:13:28] I just want to keep that in perspective,
[00:13:30] because he still was in prison.
[00:13:34] He still was in a hard situation.
[00:13:36] He was still dependent on the generosity of others.
[00:13:40] He's not saying like,
[00:13:41] I know how to have a yacht that's sailing the Mediterranean,
[00:13:44] and I also know how to be imprisoned.
[00:13:46] He's like,
[00:13:52] $10 gift card here in prison
[00:13:53] so that I could spend it on some better food.
[00:13:56] I am abundantly blessed.
[00:13:58] That's the abounding that Paul is talking about.
[00:14:01] The point, though,
[00:14:02] is that Paul knew how to be humbled,
[00:14:05] and he knew how to prosper.
[00:14:07] Going low did not throw him into despair,
[00:14:12] and abundance did not make himself reliant,
[00:14:16] forgetting God and ceasing to pray.
[00:14:19] He found satisfaction in the Lord.
[00:14:23] This is a content man.
[00:14:26] The dictionary calls contentment
[00:14:28] a state of peaceful happiness.
[00:14:30] Doesn't that sound nice?
[00:14:33] The thesaurus tells us contentment's synonyms
[00:14:37] are words like satisfied, gratified,
[00:14:40] fulfilled, cheerful, glad, unworried, and tranquil.
[00:14:47] Have you ever met anyone like this?
[00:14:49] You probably haven't,
[00:14:50] but doesn't that sound nice?
[00:14:54] In Paul's day,
[00:14:56] beyond just the dictionary and thesaurus,
[00:14:58] in Paul's day,
[00:15:00] there were philosophers who thought of contentment,
[00:15:04] the Stoics particularly,
[00:15:06] as someone who is so self-independent
[00:15:10] that they're able to handle whatever,
[00:15:12] even the difficult rigors of life,
[00:15:15] without any turbulence or ups and downs.
[00:15:17] They're just able to push through it
[00:15:20] by the power of their own will.
[00:15:22] But notice, Paul rejected that definition of contentment
[00:15:26] when in verse 13 he made it clear,
[00:15:29] my contentment is fueled, empowered,
[00:15:32] made able by Christ who strengthens me.
[00:15:37] That's what Paul means when he says,
[00:15:39] I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
[00:15:42] He means I can be poor,
[00:15:43] I can be rich,
[00:15:44] I can go low,
[00:15:45] I can go high,
[00:15:46] I can be hungry,
[00:15:47] or I can face plenty by the power of Christ
[00:15:50] who gives me moment-by-moment strength
[00:15:54] for the task at hand.
[00:15:56] Paul is clearly not saying,
[00:15:58] I'm omnipotent,
[00:15:59] I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me.
[00:16:03] In other words,
[00:16:04] I can fly through Christ who strengthens me.
[00:16:06] I can pick up a mountain through Christ who strengthens me.
[00:16:10] I can travel time by Christ who strengthens me.
[00:16:13] That's not what Paul is saying.
[00:16:14] He's saying in context,
[00:16:17] man, I know how to be content in any situation in life
[00:16:21] because the power, ability, strength of my Lord
[00:16:25] is infusing itself into my body
[00:16:27] and I can do this,
[00:16:29] I can face this through the power of Jesus.
[00:16:34] Now, what can we say about contentment like that?
[00:16:37] I think in one sense it sounds alien to us,
[00:16:43] too big for us.
[00:16:46] Something a supernaturally empowered apostle
[00:16:49] from 2,000 years ago might experience,
[00:16:52] something that key instruments in the hands of God
[00:16:56] might experience,
[00:16:58] but that run-of-the-mill believers like us
[00:17:01] cannot expect to enjoy.
[00:17:05] But Paul's contentment,
[00:17:06] even though it sounds like a state of consciousness
[00:17:09] only the spiritual elite will tap into,
[00:17:12] is both extremely beautiful
[00:17:15] and entirely possible.
[00:17:19] This contentment does not belong
[00:17:23] to someone so spiritually minded
[00:17:26] that they have no concept of reality.
[00:17:29] This contentment does not belong
[00:17:32] to someone who just puts on
[00:17:34] a fake spiritual gaze
[00:17:37] and acts as if they are content.
[00:17:40] This is not the contentment of those
[00:17:42] who merely act as if life is all joy
[00:17:44] and no sorrow,
[00:17:46] going around saying,
[00:17:47] I don't worry just because God told me
[00:17:49] not to worry,
[00:17:50] as if it's that easy.
[00:17:52] This is the contentment of a man
[00:17:54] who saw humanity
[00:17:57] and saw reality clearer
[00:17:59] than anyone in this room.
[00:18:01] He saw the cataclysmic fallout
[00:18:04] caused by sin and human depravity.
[00:18:06] He sincerely felt
[00:18:08] that his role in life
[00:18:10] was on the front lines
[00:18:11] of a war between the kingdoms
[00:18:13] of heaven and hell.
[00:18:14] Yet despite his clear
[00:18:16] and true understanding
[00:18:17] of the realities of this life
[00:18:19] and the next,
[00:18:20] and despite the utter pain
[00:18:22] that he endured
[00:18:23] for Christ's sake,
[00:18:24] Paul found an ability
[00:18:26] to be satisfied in Christ
[00:18:28] no matter his circumstances.
[00:18:30] And notice that he says
[00:18:32] that he,
[00:18:33] look at verse 12,
[00:18:35] learned,
[00:18:38] learned,
[00:18:40] learned this contentment.
[00:18:43] He calls it a secret.
[00:18:46] This is actually a phrase
[00:18:49] that Paul borrowed
[00:18:50] from the mystery religions
[00:18:51] of his day
[00:18:52] where you were initiated
[00:18:54] into something.
[00:18:56] He says,
[00:18:57] I've learned
[00:18:58] this secret
[00:19:00] of contentment.
[00:19:02] And this is possible
[00:19:03] for us to learn as well.
[00:19:05] If it weren't,
[00:19:06] God would have never asked us
[00:19:08] to enter into it.
[00:19:10] But scripture tells us
[00:19:11] in Hebrews 13, 5
[00:19:12] to be content
[00:19:13] with what we have
[00:19:14] because our Lord
[00:19:15] will never leave us
[00:19:16] or forsake us.
[00:19:17] It says in 1 Timothy 6
[00:19:19] that there is great gain
[00:19:20] in godliness
[00:19:21] intermixed
[00:19:22] with contentment.
[00:19:23] And as Paul said
[00:19:24] to the Corinthian church,
[00:19:25] let each person
[00:19:26] lead the life
[00:19:27] that the Lord
[00:19:28] has assigned him
[00:19:29] and to which
[00:19:30] God has called him.
[00:19:32] And I think
[00:19:33] that the secret,
[00:19:34] this secret
[00:19:35] of contentment
[00:19:36] is of such
[00:19:37] great value
[00:19:39] in our modern time
[00:19:41] and in our modern culture.
[00:19:44] It just feels
[00:19:45] like a time
[00:19:46] where no one says
[00:19:48] the Lord is my shepherd,
[00:19:49] I shall not want
[00:19:51] anymore.
[00:19:53] We all want
[00:19:54] all the time,
[00:19:56] ever increasingly.
[00:19:58] Even though we live
[00:19:59] in a very prosperous
[00:20:01] time in society,
[00:20:02] there's a driving desire
[00:20:04] that so often
[00:20:06] consumes us.
[00:20:09] But believers
[00:20:10] can be marked
[00:20:11] by a supernatural
[00:20:13] contentment
[00:20:14] even though
[00:20:15] they receive
[00:20:21] the difficulties
[00:20:22] and pains
[00:20:22] that are attached
[00:20:23] to Christ.
[00:20:25] Now,
[00:20:26] I want to conclude
[00:20:27] this little section
[00:20:28] on contentment
[00:20:28] with just some
[00:20:29] practical advice
[00:20:30] for all of us
[00:20:31] on maybe how
[00:20:32] to cultivate
[00:20:32] this contentment.
[00:20:33] Remember earlier
[00:20:34] in the book of Philippians,
[00:20:35] Paul said we should
[00:20:35] work out our salvation
[00:20:36] with fear and trembling.
[00:20:38] So this is something
[00:20:39] God can do in us,
[00:20:40] but if we want
[00:20:40] to learn it,
[00:20:41] there are some things
[00:20:42] that we can do
[00:20:42] to grow
[00:20:48] at my notes
[00:20:49] that I post
[00:20:49] every Sunday
[00:20:50] at nateholdridge.com.
[00:20:52] But number one
[00:20:53] is to build friendships
[00:20:54] across socioeconomic lines.
[00:20:57] Or at least
[00:20:58] in the body of Christ
[00:20:59] is like a cool
[00:21:00] opportunity in the church.
[00:21:01] Be exposed to people
[00:21:02] who have less than you
[00:21:04] or more than you.
[00:21:05] It'll just kind of
[00:21:06] broaden your horizons
[00:21:08] a little bit.
[00:21:09] I mean,
[00:21:10] in other words,
[00:21:10] if every single person
[00:21:12] that you're in relationship
[00:21:14] with has heated
[00:21:15] bathroom floors,
[00:21:16] you'll start thinking
[00:21:17] that that's normal
[00:21:17] and that's not normal.
[00:21:20] So it's just good
[00:21:21] to get around
[00:21:22] and be like,
[00:21:22] oh, not everybody
[00:21:23] lives that way.
[00:21:25] And it just does
[00:21:26] something for the human heart.
[00:21:27] It helps that contentment
[00:21:28] to grow.
[00:21:30] Another thing
[00:21:31] that we can do
[00:21:31] is practice gratitude
[00:21:33] every day.
[00:21:34] Practice gratitude
[00:21:35] every day.
[00:21:37] Some of us
[00:21:38] need to take the time
[00:21:40] to actually literally
[00:21:41] write down things
[00:21:42] that we're thankful
[00:21:43] for each day.
[00:21:44] I do this as a practice
[00:21:46] because I'm a forward-looking person
[00:21:49] and it's good for me
[00:21:50] to look backwards
[00:21:51] and recount God's faithfulness
[00:21:53] even in just the day before.
[00:21:56] So practice gratitude
[00:21:57] each day.
[00:21:59] Another one would be
[00:22:00] to simplify your lifestyle.
[00:22:02] Some of us need
[00:22:02] to declutter our homes
[00:22:04] a little bit
[00:22:05] or reduce unnecessary expenses
[00:22:07] and focus on the essentials.
[00:22:10] And when we do that,
[00:22:12] what we inevitably find is,
[00:22:13] man, actually,
[00:22:14] I'm okay.
[00:22:15] I'm okay.
[00:22:16] And it increases
[00:22:17] our contentment.
[00:22:19] I think a fourth one
[00:22:20] I would say
[00:22:20] in our modern time
[00:22:21] is limit social media use.
[00:22:25] I mean,
[00:22:27] reducing times
[00:22:28] spent on platforms
[00:22:30] that encourage comparison
[00:22:32] and dissatisfaction,
[00:22:33] it's just good
[00:22:34] for the soul.
[00:22:35] Another great thing
[00:22:36] to do to increase contentment
[00:22:37] is to serve others.
[00:22:39] You know,
[00:22:39] when you serve people
[00:22:40] in your church community
[00:22:42] or when you serve
[00:22:45] underserved parts
[00:22:46] of our larger community,
[00:22:47] it can help remind you
[00:22:49] of the blessings
[00:22:50] in your own life
[00:22:51] and give you
[00:22:52] needed perspective.
[00:22:53] And then
[00:22:53] a last one I would say
[00:22:55] is cultivate
[00:22:55] spiritual practices
[00:22:57] that ground you
[00:22:58] in Christ.
[00:23:00] You know,
[00:23:00] praying,
[00:23:01] worshiping,
[00:23:02] studying the scriptures
[00:23:03] to deepen your reliance
[00:23:05] on him.
[00:23:05] These just center you
[00:23:07] over and over again
[00:23:08] upon Jesus.
[00:23:08] you get your satisfaction
[00:23:11] from him.
[00:23:12] It fuels
[00:23:13] and empowers
[00:23:14] a contentment
[00:23:15] in the rest
[00:23:16] of your life.
[00:23:17] Okay,
[00:23:17] so that's the first one.
[00:23:18] Contentment
[00:23:19] started with Paul.
[00:23:20] There he has it.
[00:23:21] But now I want to talk
[00:23:22] about generosity
[00:23:24] as seen in the generosity
[00:23:25] that Paul recounts
[00:23:26] in the Philippian church.
[00:23:27] So let's read it
[00:23:28] in verse 14
[00:23:30] to verse 19.
[00:23:31] He says,
[00:23:32] yet it was kind of you
[00:23:34] to share my trouble.
[00:23:37] And you Philippians
[00:23:38] yourselves know
[00:23:40] that in the beginning
[00:23:41] of the gospel
[00:23:42] when I left Macedonia,
[00:23:43] Macedonia is the larger region
[00:23:45] or nation
[00:23:46] that Philippi was in.
[00:23:48] So he left their region.
[00:23:50] No church entered
[00:23:51] into partnership
[00:23:52] with me
[00:23:52] in giving
[00:23:53] and receiving
[00:23:54] except you only.
[00:23:56] Even in Thessalonica,
[00:23:58] you sent me help
[00:23:59] for my needs
[00:24:00] once and again.
[00:24:01] Not that I seek
[00:24:03] the gift,
[00:24:04] but I seek
[00:24:05] the fruit
[00:24:06] that increases
[00:24:07] to your credit.
[00:24:09] I have received
[00:24:10] full payment
[00:24:10] and more.
[00:24:11] I am well supplied
[00:24:13] having received
[00:24:14] from Epaphroditus
[00:24:15] the gifts you sent,
[00:24:17] a fragrant offering,
[00:24:18] a sacrifice
[00:24:18] acceptable and pleasing
[00:24:20] to God.
[00:24:20] And my God
[00:24:20] will supply
[00:24:21] every need
[00:24:22] of yours
[00:24:23] according to
[00:24:25] his riches
[00:24:25] in glory
[00:24:27] in Christ Jesus.
[00:24:30] Okay,
[00:24:31] so Paul starts out
[00:24:32] this real big
[00:24:34] close to his letter
[00:24:36] by first
[00:24:37] acknowledging their gift
[00:24:38] but being quick
[00:24:39] to really tell them,
[00:24:40] but I'm content.
[00:24:41] No matter whether
[00:24:42] you gave to me
[00:24:42] or didn't,
[00:24:43] I'm content.
[00:24:43] I'm satisfied
[00:24:44] in Christ Jesus.
[00:24:45] I'm fine.
[00:24:46] I'm not a man in need.
[00:24:46] I know how to go up.
[00:24:47] I know how to go down
[00:24:48] and I'm okay.
[00:24:49] I'm content
[00:24:50] in Christ Jesus.
[00:24:51] But now
[00:24:52] he turns,
[00:24:53] he doesn't want them
[00:24:54] to feel that
[00:24:54] he's unappreciative
[00:24:55] of their support
[00:24:56] and so he begins
[00:24:57] to acknowledge
[00:24:59] what they had done.
[00:25:00] He tells them,
[00:25:01] you guys are my partners
[00:25:04] all the way
[00:25:05] from the very beginning
[00:25:06] and so he highlights
[00:25:08] this at the close
[00:25:09] of his letter
[00:25:09] and it seems
[00:25:10] according to what
[00:25:11] he said in verse 14
[00:25:12] to 16
[00:25:13] that when Paul
[00:25:14] went to places
[00:25:15] like Thessalonica
[00:25:16] or Corinth
[00:25:17] or Rome
[00:25:18] the church
[00:25:19] at Philippi
[00:25:20] repeatedly
[00:25:21] sent money
[00:25:22] and aid
[00:25:23] Paul's way.
[00:25:26] Specifically
[00:25:27] it says in verse 18
[00:25:28] well he was imprisoned
[00:25:29] there in Rome.
[00:25:30] They sent this guy
[00:25:31] named as we've already
[00:25:32] studied in chapter 2
[00:25:34] Epaphroditus
[00:25:34] with a gift
[00:25:35] for Paul
[00:25:35] which would help
[00:25:36] him a lot
[00:25:37] as he's there
[00:25:38] under house arrest
[00:25:39] having to provide
[00:25:40] for his own needs
[00:25:42] and it's this support
[00:25:43] that Paul wants
[00:25:44] to acknowledge here.
[00:25:45] He directly
[00:25:45] wants to recognize
[00:25:46] in verse 10
[00:25:47] and verse 17
[00:25:48] and verse 18
[00:25:48] their gift
[00:25:50] and he says
[00:25:51] it was kind of you
[00:25:52] to share
[00:25:53] in my trouble
[00:25:55] and he seems
[00:25:56] to want them
[00:25:56] to know
[00:25:56] you're the only church
[00:25:57] that's helped me
[00:25:59] during long periods
[00:26:00] of my gospel work.
[00:26:03] Now we live
[00:26:05] in a time
[00:26:05] where we're
[00:26:06] constantly hit up
[00:26:07] for our money.
[00:26:11] Everyone's trying
[00:26:11] to get in our pockets
[00:26:13] and because of that
[00:26:15] I have
[00:26:16] for
[00:26:17] 20 something years
[00:26:19] now
[00:26:19] tried to lead
[00:26:21] a ministry
[00:26:21] that does not
[00:26:22] make money
[00:26:23] the constant
[00:26:23] topic
[00:26:24] or goal
[00:26:24] or even
[00:26:26] a fairly
[00:26:26] regular
[00:26:27] topic
[00:26:27] or goal
[00:26:30] but there are
[00:26:31] certain things
[00:26:32] that I want
[00:26:32] for each believer
[00:26:33] in our community
[00:26:34] and I think
[00:26:35] I could distill
[00:26:36] the big ones
[00:26:37] into four things.
[00:26:38] I want to see
[00:26:39] every person
[00:26:40] in our church
[00:26:42] attend
[00:26:43] our weekly
[00:26:44] gathering
[00:26:44] like engage
[00:26:45] in our weekly
[00:26:46] gathering
[00:26:47] to learn
[00:26:47] to worship
[00:26:48] God
[00:26:48] to be faithful
[00:26:50] to just
[00:26:51] show up
[00:26:52] I think
[00:26:53] that's just
[00:26:53] a great
[00:26:54] step
[00:26:54] in a person's
[00:26:55] life
[00:26:56] of being
[00:26:57] a disciple
[00:26:57] of Jesus
[00:26:58] to be present
[00:26:59] and accounted
[00:27:00] for in the body
[00:27:01] of Christ.
[00:27:02] I also want
[00:27:03] people
[00:27:04] to engage
[00:27:05] in a smaller
[00:27:06] version
[00:27:07] of Christian
[00:27:07] community
[00:27:08] so whether
[00:27:09] that's a life
[00:27:09] group
[00:27:10] or a discipleship
[00:27:11] group
[00:27:11] or a growth
[00:27:12] group
[00:27:12] or some
[00:27:13] kind of smaller
[00:27:14] study
[00:27:14] or a house
[00:27:15] church
[00:27:15] or something
[00:27:15] totally off
[00:27:16] the Calvary
[00:27:17] Monterey
[00:27:17] grid
[00:27:18] I just want
[00:27:18] Christians
[00:27:19] to be in
[00:27:20] relationships
[00:27:21] with other
[00:27:22] believers
[00:27:22] in smaller
[00:27:23] settings
[00:27:23] because the
[00:27:24] large gathering
[00:27:25] can't cut it
[00:27:25] and we need
[00:27:26] to do
[00:27:26] the Christian
[00:27:27] life
[00:27:28] together
[00:27:30] after that
[00:27:31] my prayer
[00:27:33] is that
[00:27:33] each person
[00:27:34] in our
[00:27:35] church
[00:27:35] will become
[00:27:36] spiritually
[00:27:37] emotionally
[00:27:38] and physically
[00:27:39] healthy enough
[00:27:40] to serve
[00:27:42] in some way
[00:27:43] in the church
[00:27:44] and financially
[00:27:46] support the work
[00:27:47] of the church
[00:27:48] here
[00:27:49] to some
[00:27:49] degree
[00:27:50] I believe
[00:27:51] that this
[00:27:52] combination
[00:27:52] of worship
[00:27:54] and community
[00:27:56] and service
[00:27:57] and generosity
[00:27:59] or giving
[00:28:02] creates
[00:28:02] the environment
[00:28:04] for a robust
[00:28:05] and healthy
[00:28:06] believer
[00:28:07] to mature
[00:28:08] and continue
[00:28:09] to grow
[00:28:10] in Christ
[00:28:11] and when it
[00:28:13] comes to a church
[00:28:14] partnering together
[00:28:15] generosity
[00:28:16] is a huge
[00:28:17] part of that
[00:28:18] partnership
[00:28:18] and I want you
[00:28:20] to see four
[00:28:20] ways that Paul
[00:28:21] thought of their
[00:28:22] financial partnership
[00:28:23] with him
[00:28:25] number one
[00:28:26] Paul thought
[00:28:28] of their
[00:28:28] financial support
[00:28:29] as gospel
[00:28:30] partnership
[00:28:31] in verse
[00:28:32] 15
[00:28:33] he said that
[00:28:34] from the
[00:28:35] beginning
[00:28:35] of the
[00:28:36] gospel
[00:28:37] they'd been
[00:28:38] the only church
[00:28:39] to have partnered
[00:28:40] with him
[00:28:41] in the work
[00:28:43] this is important
[00:28:44] they were
[00:28:45] in other words
[00:28:46] to view
[00:28:47] what they
[00:28:47] were doing
[00:28:48] with Paul
[00:28:48] as they
[00:28:49] sent aid
[00:28:49] his way
[00:28:50] as a way
[00:28:52] to use
[00:28:54] their resources
[00:28:55] to expand
[00:28:56] the gospel
[00:28:57] and the knowledge
[00:28:59] of the gospel
[00:29:00] throughout the world
[00:29:01] they were taking
[00:29:01] their earthly
[00:29:02] resources
[00:29:03] and using
[00:29:04] them in the
[00:29:05] most important
[00:29:06] ways
[00:29:07] they could
[00:29:08] I mean
[00:29:08] using money
[00:29:09] for food
[00:29:10] and using money
[00:29:10] for shelter
[00:29:11] is intensely
[00:29:12] important for human
[00:29:14] life and flourishing
[00:29:15] but man does not
[00:29:16] live by bread
[00:29:17] alone
[00:29:17] at the core
[00:29:18] of every human
[00:29:19] being
[00:29:19] as a soul
[00:29:20] that is in need
[00:29:21] of reconnection
[00:29:22] to the living
[00:29:23] God
[00:29:24] and as the
[00:29:25] Philippians
[00:29:25] invested
[00:29:26] in Paul's
[00:29:27] work
[00:29:27] it meant
[00:29:28] people who
[00:29:29] had never
[00:29:29] heard of
[00:29:29] Jesus
[00:29:30] and people
[00:29:31] who were
[00:29:31] already
[00:29:32] believers
[00:29:32] would be
[00:29:33] strengthened
[00:29:34] as he
[00:29:34] proclaimed
[00:29:35] the gospel
[00:29:36] so that's
[00:29:36] one part
[00:29:37] of financial
[00:29:37] giving
[00:29:38] is to see
[00:29:38] it as
[00:29:39] this is
[00:29:39] for gospel
[00:29:40] work
[00:29:42] second
[00:29:43] though
[00:29:43] I want
[00:29:44] you to
[00:29:44] see
[00:29:44] how
[00:29:44] Paul
[00:29:45] was
[00:29:45] not
[00:29:45] consumed
[00:29:46] with
[00:29:46] acquiring
[00:29:47] their
[00:29:47] financial
[00:29:47] support
[00:29:48] but what
[00:29:49] he really
[00:29:49] wanted
[00:29:50] he said
[00:29:50] in verse
[00:29:51] 17
[00:29:51] is the
[00:29:52] fruit
[00:29:53] that was
[00:29:53] going to
[00:29:54] come
[00:29:54] from
[00:29:55] their
[00:29:55] financial
[00:29:55] support
[00:29:56] he said
[00:29:56] not
[00:29:57] that I
[00:29:57] seek
[00:29:58] the
[00:29:58] gift
[00:29:59] in
[00:29:59] verse
[00:29:59] 17
[00:30:00] but
[00:30:00] the
[00:30:01] fruit
[00:30:01] that
[00:30:02] increases
[00:30:03] to
[00:30:04] your
[00:30:04] credit
[00:30:05] Jesus
[00:30:06] said
[00:30:06] it
[00:30:07] like
[00:30:07] this
[00:30:07] in Luke
[00:30:08] chapter
[00:30:08] 16
[00:30:09] he said
[00:30:09] use
[00:30:10] your
[00:30:10] worldly
[00:30:11] resources
[00:30:12] to
[00:30:13] benefit
[00:30:13] others
[00:30:14] and
[00:30:14] make
[00:30:15] friends
[00:30:15] then
[00:30:16] when
[00:30:17] your
[00:30:17] possessions
[00:30:18] are
[00:30:19] gone
[00:30:19] they
[00:30:20] will
[00:30:20] welcome
[00:30:21] you
[00:30:21] to
[00:30:22] an
[00:30:23] eternal
[00:30:23] home
[00:30:24] what
[00:30:24] Jesus
[00:30:24] is
[00:30:24] saying
[00:30:25] here
[00:30:25] is
[00:30:26] that
[00:30:26] there
[00:30:27] are
[00:30:27] ways
[00:30:27] we
[00:30:28] can
[00:30:28] convert
[00:30:29] our
[00:30:29] hard
[00:30:29] earned
[00:30:30] cash
[00:30:30] into
[00:30:31] eternal
[00:30:31] life
[00:30:32] for
[00:30:33] other
[00:30:33] people
[00:30:34] it's
[00:30:34] like
[00:30:34] the
[00:30:34] ultimate
[00:30:35] money
[00:30:36] laundering
[00:30:36] scheme
[00:30:37] according
[00:30:37] to
[00:30:38] Jesus
[00:30:38] so
[00:30:39] like
[00:30:40] let me
[00:30:40] give you
[00:30:40] an
[00:30:40] example
[00:30:41] let's
[00:30:41] take
[00:30:41] our
[00:30:42] youth
[00:30:42] ministry
[00:30:42] as
[00:30:43] an
[00:30:43] example
[00:30:43] we
[00:30:44] have
[00:30:44] hired
[00:30:45] two
[00:30:45] great
[00:30:46] young
[00:30:46] men
[00:30:47] who
[00:30:47] are
[00:30:47] leading
[00:30:48] our
[00:30:48] youth
[00:30:48] ministries
[00:30:49] right
[00:30:50] now
[00:30:51] our
[00:30:51] youth
[00:30:52] ministry
[00:30:52] is
[00:30:52] filled
[00:30:52] with
[00:30:53] kids
[00:30:53] from
[00:30:53] this
[00:30:54] church
[00:30:54] and
[00:30:55] filled
[00:30:55] with
[00:30:55] kids
[00:30:55] from
[00:30:56] other
[00:30:56] churches
[00:30:56] who
[00:30:57] can't
[00:30:57] afford
[00:30:58] to
[00:30:58] have
[00:30:58] youth
[00:30:58] pastors
[00:31:01] a
[00:31:01] lot
[00:31:02] of
[00:31:02] you
[00:31:02] have
[00:31:02] no
[00:31:03] direct
[00:31:04] you're
[00:31:05] not
[00:31:05] your
[00:31:12] ministry
[00:31:12] and
[00:31:13] as
[00:31:13] you
[00:31:14] give
[00:31:14] there's
[00:31:14] no
[00:31:14] direct
[00:31:15] coming
[00:31:15] right
[00:31:16] back
[00:31:16] into
[00:31:16] your
[00:31:17] life
[00:31:17] kind
[00:31:18] of
[00:31:18] thing
[00:31:18] that
[00:31:19] will
[00:31:19] occur
[00:31:20] but
[00:31:21] as
[00:31:21] these
[00:31:21] guys
[00:31:21] are
[00:31:21] making
[00:31:22] disciples
[00:31:22] as
[00:31:23] they're
[00:31:24] leading
[00:31:24] teams
[00:31:25] as
[00:31:25] they're
[00:31:26] leading
[00:31:26] the kids
[00:31:27] in
[00:31:27] worship
[00:31:27] as
[00:31:27] they're
[00:31:27] pointing
[00:31:28] them
[00:31:28] to
[00:31:28] Christ
[00:31:28] as
[00:31:28] they're
[00:31:29] answering
[00:31:29] their
[00:31:29] hard
[00:31:30] and
[00:31:30] difficult
[00:31:30] questions
[00:31:31] as
[00:31:31] they're
[00:31:31] doing
[00:31:32] that
[00:31:32] work
[00:31:33] there
[00:31:34] is
[00:31:34] some
[00:31:34] kind
[00:31:34] of
[00:31:35] divine
[00:31:35] heavenly
[00:31:36] accounting
[00:31:37] going
[00:31:37] on
[00:31:37] where
[00:31:38] Jesus
[00:31:38] says
[00:31:38] what
[00:31:38] happens
[00:31:39] is
[00:31:39] you've
[00:31:40] taken
[00:31:40] your
[00:31:40] resources
[00:31:41] you've
[00:31:41] used
[00:31:42] them
[00:31:42] in
[00:31:42] this
[00:31:42] way
[00:31:43] and
[00:31:43] one
[00:31:44] day
[00:31:44] those
[00:31:45] resources
[00:31:45] because
[00:31:46] they've
[00:31:46] made
[00:31:46] eternal
[00:31:47] life
[00:31:47] those
[00:31:48] eternal
[00:31:49] lives
[00:31:49] will
[00:31:49] welcome
[00:31:50] you
[00:31:50] into
[00:31:51] glory
[00:31:52] so
[00:31:53] some
[00:31:53] little
[00:31:54] middle
[00:31:55] school
[00:31:55] kid
[00:31:55] who's
[00:31:55] like
[00:31:56] man
[00:31:56] at
[00:31:56] the
[00:31:56] worst
[00:31:56] time
[00:31:57] of
[00:31:57] my
[00:31:57] life
[00:31:59] Austin
[00:32:00] was
[00:32:00] there
[00:32:00] for
[00:32:00] me
[00:32:01] and
[00:32:01] he
[00:32:01] preached
[00:32:01] to
[00:32:01] me
[00:32:02] and
[00:32:02] he
[00:32:02] helped
[00:32:03] me
[00:32:03] and
[00:32:03] he
[00:32:03] encouraged
[00:32:04] me
[00:32:05] and
[00:32:05] then
[00:32:06] you
[00:32:06] come
[00:32:06] to
[00:32:06] heaven
[00:32:07] and
[00:32:07] you're
[00:32:07] like
[00:32:07] I
[00:32:07] never
[00:32:08] met
[00:32:08] you
[00:32:08] in
[00:32:08] my
[00:32:08] life
[00:32:09] but
[00:32:10] there's
[00:32:10] some
[00:32:10] accounting
[00:32:11] that's
[00:32:11] done
[00:32:11] where
[00:32:12] it's
[00:32:12] yeah
[00:32:12] but
[00:32:14] when
[00:32:14] you
[00:32:14] gave
[00:32:15] it
[00:32:15] supported
[00:32:16] that
[00:32:17] and
[00:32:17] this
[00:32:18] was
[00:32:18] the
[00:32:18] work
[00:32:18] that
[00:32:19] was
[00:32:19] accomplished
[00:32:20] Paul
[00:32:21] is
[00:32:21] saying
[00:32:21] I
[00:32:21] seek
[00:32:21] the
[00:32:22] gift
[00:32:22] not
[00:32:23] the
[00:32:23] gift
[00:32:23] but
[00:32:24] the
[00:32:24] fruit
[00:32:24] that
[00:32:24] increases
[00:32:25] to
[00:32:25] your
[00:32:25] credit
[00:32:25] the
[00:32:25] third
[00:32:26] thing
[00:32:26] I
[00:32:26] want
[00:32:27] you
[00:32:27] to
[00:32:27] see
[00:32:27] is
[00:32:27] that
[00:32:27] Paul
[00:32:28] thought
[00:32:28] of
[00:32:28] their
[00:32:28] financial
[00:32:29] support
[00:32:29] as
[00:32:29] worship
[00:32:31] look
[00:32:31] at
[00:32:31] verse
[00:32:32] 18
[00:32:32] he
[00:32:32] called
[00:32:33] it
[00:32:33] a
[00:32:33] fragrant
[00:32:33] offering
[00:32:34] a
[00:32:34] sacrifice
[00:32:35] acceptable
[00:32:36] and
[00:32:36] pleasing
[00:32:36] to
[00:32:37] God
[00:32:37] this
[00:32:37] is
[00:32:37] such
[00:32:37] Old
[00:32:38] Testament
[00:32:39] worship
[00:32:39] language
[00:32:40] you
[00:32:41] know
[00:32:41] they
[00:32:41] would
[00:32:41] offer
[00:32:42] these
[00:32:42] sacrifices
[00:32:42] to
[00:32:43] God
[00:32:44] literal
[00:32:44] sacrifices
[00:32:45] burning
[00:32:46] these
[00:32:46] sacrifices
[00:32:46] the
[00:32:47] smoke
[00:32:47] would
[00:32:47] rise
[00:32:48] and
[00:32:49] it
[00:32:49] would
[00:32:49] often
[00:32:50] say
[00:32:50] throughout
[00:32:53] the
[00:32:53] Lord
[00:32:54] Paul
[00:32:55] is
[00:32:55] using
[00:32:55] that
[00:32:56] terminology
[00:32:56] here
[00:32:57] and
[00:32:57] he's
[00:32:57] saying
[00:32:57] when
[00:32:58] we're
[00:32:58] giving
[00:32:58] it's
[00:32:59] meant
[00:32:59] to
[00:32:59] be
[00:32:59] as
[00:33:00] worship
[00:33:00] unto
[00:33:00] God
[00:33:01] Pastor
[00:33:01] Riley
[00:33:01] led
[00:33:02] us
[00:33:02] in
[00:33:02] that
[00:33:02] way
[00:33:02] this
[00:33:03] morning
[00:33:03] we
[00:33:03] try
[00:33:04] to
[00:33:04] do
[00:33:04] that
[00:33:04] this
[00:33:05] is
[00:33:05] the
[00:33:05] reason
[00:33:05] why
[00:33:06] at
[00:33:06] the
[00:33:06] end
[00:33:07] of
[00:33:07] our
[00:33:07] musical
[00:33:08] worship
[00:33:08] we
[00:33:09] commit
[00:33:09] our
[00:33:10] tithes
[00:33:10] and
[00:33:11] offerings
[00:33:11] to
[00:33:11] God
[00:33:12] together
[00:33:12] as
[00:33:13] a
[00:33:13] church
[00:33:13] because
[00:33:13] we
[00:33:13] believe
[00:33:14] that
[00:33:14] it
[00:33:14] is
[00:33:15] the
[00:33:15] pinnacle
[00:33:15] of
[00:33:16] worship
[00:33:16] it's
[00:33:17] like
[00:33:17] us
[00:33:17] climbing
[00:33:18] on
[00:33:18] the
[00:33:18] altar
[00:33:19] ourselves
[00:33:19] and
[00:33:20] saying
[00:33:20] God
[00:33:21] we
[00:33:21] want
[00:33:21] to
[00:33:21] worship
[00:33:21] you
[00:33:22] by
[00:33:22] giving
[00:33:22] our
[00:33:22] lives
[00:33:23] to
[00:33:23] you
[00:33:23] and
[00:33:24] we're
[00:33:24] showing
[00:33:25] you
[00:33:25] that
[00:33:26] through
[00:33:27] financial
[00:33:29] generosity
[00:33:30] to
[00:33:30] you
[00:33:31] and
[00:33:32] then
[00:33:32] fourthly
[00:33:33] Paul
[00:33:33] thought
[00:33:34] of
[00:33:34] their
[00:33:34] financial
[00:33:34] support
[00:33:35] as
[00:33:36] a
[00:33:36] way
[00:33:37] for
[00:33:37] them
[00:33:37] to
[00:33:37] look
[00:33:38] to
[00:33:38] God's
[00:33:38] provision
[00:33:39] for
[00:33:40] their
[00:33:40] lives
[00:33:41] notice
[00:33:41] that
[00:33:42] Paul
[00:33:42] in
[00:33:42] verse
[00:33:42] 19
[00:33:43] said
[00:33:43] as
[00:33:44] a
[00:33:44] result
[00:33:44] of
[00:33:44] their
[00:33:44] generosity
[00:33:45] and
[00:33:46] my
[00:33:46] God
[00:33:46] will
[00:33:47] supply
[00:33:47] every
[00:33:48] need
[00:33:48] of
[00:33:49] yours
[00:33:49] according
[00:33:50] to
[00:33:51] his
[00:33:51] riches
[00:33:51] in
[00:33:52] glory
[00:33:53] in
[00:33:54] Christ
[00:33:54] Jesus
[00:33:55] I
[00:33:55] want
[00:33:55] to
[00:33:55] be
[00:33:55] quick
[00:33:56] to
[00:33:56] say
[00:33:56] Paul
[00:33:56] did
[00:33:56] not
[00:33:57] say
[00:33:57] this
[00:33:57] to
[00:33:57] every
[00:33:58] Christian
[00:33:59] he
[00:34:00] is
[00:34:00] saying
[00:34:00] this
[00:34:00] to
[00:34:00] a
[00:34:00] specific
[00:34:01] group
[00:34:01] of
[00:34:02] people
[00:34:02] believers
[00:34:03] who
[00:34:03] had
[00:34:03] partnered
[00:34:04] together
[00:34:04] with
[00:34:05] him
[00:34:05] financially
[00:34:36] to
[00:34:36] express
[00:34:36] our
[00:34:37] dependence
[00:34:37] on
[00:34:37] the
[00:34:37] living
[00:34:38] God
[00:34:38] God
[00:34:38] I
[00:34:38] need
[00:34:39] you
[00:34:39] to
[00:34:40] provide
[00:34:40] for
[00:34:40] my
[00:34:41] every
[00:34:41] need
[00:34:41] I
[00:34:42] could
[00:34:42] have
[00:34:42] used
[00:34:42] that
[00:34:42] that
[00:34:43] I
[00:34:44] just
[00:34:44] gave
[00:34:44] away
[00:34:44] but
[00:34:45] I'm
[00:34:46] trusting
[00:34:46] that
[00:34:47] you
[00:34:47] are
[00:34:47] going
[00:34:48] to
[00:34:48] supply
[00:34:48] for
[00:34:48] me
[00:34:49] and
[00:34:49] God
[00:34:49] has
[00:34:49] thousands
[00:34:50] of
[00:34:50] ways
[00:34:51] to
[00:34:51] do
[00:34:51] that
[00:34:52] in
[00:34:52] our
[00:34:52] lives
[00:34:52] I
[00:34:53] think
[00:34:53] I've
[00:34:53] shared
[00:34:53] this
[00:34:53] story
[00:34:54] so
[00:34:54] many
[00:34:54] times
[00:34:54] but
[00:34:55] it's
[00:34:55] a
[00:34:55] fun
[00:34:55] one
[00:34:55] to
[00:34:55] tell
[00:34:56] when
[00:34:56] I
[00:34:56] was
[00:34:56] just
[00:34:57] 19
[00:34:57] or
[00:34:58] 20
[00:34:58] years
[00:34:58] old
[00:34:58] and
[00:34:59] I
[00:34:59] was
[00:34:59] getting
[00:34:59] started
[00:35:00] in
[00:35:00] ministry
[00:35:02] I
[00:35:02] started
[00:35:03] interning
[00:35:03] here
[00:35:04] at the
[00:35:04] church
[00:35:04] and
[00:35:05] I
[00:35:06] was
[00:35:06] working
[00:35:06] seven
[00:35:07] days
[00:35:07] a
[00:35:07] week
[00:35:07] and
[00:35:07] I
[00:35:08] was
[00:35:08] making
[00:35:08] $500
[00:35:09] a
[00:35:09] month
[00:35:09] which
[00:35:10] back
[00:35:10] in
[00:35:10] 1999
[00:35:11] was
[00:35:11] like
[00:35:12] $100,000
[00:35:12] so
[00:35:13] it was
[00:35:13] pretty
[00:35:20] three
[00:35:20] Volvo
[00:35:20] and
[00:35:21] one
[00:35:22] day
[00:35:22] I
[00:35:23] had
[00:35:23] some
[00:35:23] car
[00:35:24] problems
[00:35:24] and
[00:35:25] I'm
[00:35:25] like
[00:35:25] okay
[00:35:25] I
[00:35:26] took
[00:35:26] it
[00:35:26] into
[00:35:26] the
[00:35:26] mechanic
[00:35:27] and
[00:35:27] the
[00:35:27] whole
[00:35:27] job
[00:35:28] was
[00:35:28] going
[00:35:28] to
[00:35:28] cost
[00:35:29] five
[00:35:29] or
[00:35:29] six
[00:35:30] hundred
[00:35:30] dollars
[00:35:30] to
[00:35:30] fix
[00:35:31] this
[00:35:31] thing
[00:35:32] that's
[00:35:32] like
[00:35:32] a
[00:35:32] month
[00:35:33] of
[00:35:35] salary
[00:35:35] for
[00:35:35] me
[00:35:36] I
[00:35:36] don't
[00:35:36] know
[00:35:36] how
[00:35:36] I'm
[00:35:36] going
[00:35:36] to
[00:35:36] be
[00:35:36] able
[00:35:37] to
[00:35:37] do
[00:35:37] this
[00:35:37] I
[00:35:38] needed
[00:35:38] a
[00:35:38] car
[00:35:39] and
[00:35:39] I
[00:35:50] started
[00:35:50] making
[00:35:50] a
[00:35:50] paycheck
[00:35:51] as
[00:35:51] a
[00:35:51] Christian
[00:35:51] young
[00:35:52] man
[00:35:52] I
[00:35:52] just
[00:35:52] started
[00:35:53] giving
[00:35:53] a
[00:35:54] tenth
[00:35:54] to
[00:35:54] my
[00:35:54] home
[00:35:54] church
[00:35:55] and
[00:35:55] I'm
[00:35:55] just
[00:35:56] like
[00:35:56] doing
[00:35:56] that
[00:35:56] and
[00:35:57] I'm
[00:35:57] like
[00:35:57] okay
[00:35:57] Lord
[00:35:57] this
[00:35:58] is
[00:35:58] difficult
[00:35:58] but
[00:35:59] I'm
[00:36:00] trusting
[00:36:00] you
[00:36:00] I
[00:36:01] don't
[00:36:01] know
[00:36:01] how
[00:36:01] I'm
[00:36:01] going
[00:36:01] to
[00:36:01] pay
[00:36:02] for
[00:36:02] this
[00:36:02] but
[00:36:03] the
[00:36:03] mechanic
[00:36:04] told
[00:36:04] me
[00:36:05] because
[00:36:05] it
[00:36:05] was
[00:36:05] like
[00:36:05] a
[00:36:05] catalytic
[00:36:06] converter
[00:36:06] thing
[00:36:07] so
[00:36:07] he's
[00:36:07] like
[00:36:07] well
[00:36:07] you
[00:36:08] know
[00:36:08] if
[00:36:08] you
[00:36:08] get
[00:36:09] down
[00:36:09] there
[00:36:09] and
[00:36:09] cut
[00:36:10] the
[00:36:10] thing
[00:36:10] out
[00:36:10] for
[00:36:11] me
[00:36:11] and
[00:36:12] do
[00:36:12] some
[00:36:13] of
[00:36:13] the
[00:36:13] labor
[00:36:13] I
[00:36:14] could
[00:36:14] knock
[00:36:14] some
[00:36:15] of
[00:36:15] the
[00:36:15] price
[00:36:15] off
[00:36:16] so
[00:36:16] I
[00:36:16] found
[00:36:16] a
[00:36:17] friend
[00:36:17] who
[00:36:17] had
[00:36:17] a
[00:36:18] sawzall
[00:36:19] or
[00:36:19] something
[00:36:19] and
[00:36:19] we
[00:36:19] jacked
[00:36:20] up
[00:36:20] the
[00:36:20] car
[00:36:21] and
[00:36:21] got
[00:36:21] to
[00:36:22] converter
[00:36:23] and
[00:36:23] ordered
[00:36:24] the
[00:36:24] new
[00:36:25] one
[00:36:25] and
[00:36:26] brought
[00:36:26] it
[00:36:26] in
[00:36:27] to
[00:36:28] him
[00:36:28] but
[00:36:29] still
[00:36:29] this
[00:36:29] is
[00:36:29] going
[00:36:29] to
[00:36:29] be
[00:36:30] like
[00:36:30] 350
[00:36:30] bucks
[00:36:31] even
[00:36:31] though
[00:36:31] I've
[00:36:31] done
[00:36:31] all
[00:36:32] that
[00:36:32] I'm
[00:36:32] like
[00:36:32] I
[00:36:32] don't
[00:36:32] know
[00:36:33] but
[00:36:33] I
[00:36:33] got
[00:36:33] to
[00:36:33] do
[00:36:34] this
[00:36:34] and
[00:36:35] so
[00:36:35] I'm
[00:36:59] like
[00:36:59] the
[00:36:59] hoopty
[00:36:59] of
[00:37:00] all
[00:37:00] hoopties
[00:37:00] so
[00:37:01] I'm
[00:37:01] like
[00:37:01] looking
[00:37:01] around
[00:37:02] I'm
[00:37:02] like
[00:37:02] where
[00:37:02] where
[00:37:03] where
[00:37:03] you
[00:37:04] know
[00:37:05] he's
[00:37:05] like
[00:37:05] right
[00:37:05] here
[00:37:06] you
[00:37:06] know
[00:37:06] so
[00:37:06] he's
[00:37:06] like
[00:37:06] what
[00:37:07] I
[00:37:07] want
[00:37:07] you
[00:37:07] to
[00:37:07] do
[00:37:07] is
[00:37:07] I
[00:37:08] want
[00:37:08] you
[00:37:08] to
[00:37:08] go
[00:37:08] around
[00:37:08] the
[00:37:29] whole
[00:37:29] thing
[00:37:29] for
[00:37:29] free
[00:37:29] it
[00:37:30] was
[00:37:30] a
[00:37:30] net
[00:37:30] gain
[00:37:31] it
[00:37:31] was
[00:37:31] just
[00:37:31] great
[00:37:34] and
[00:37:34] it
[00:37:35] was
[00:37:35] just
[00:37:35] like
[00:37:35] a
[00:37:35] little
[00:37:35] moment
[00:37:36] for
[00:37:36] me
[00:37:36] to
[00:38:00] gospel
[00:38:01] partnership
[00:38:01] mindset
[00:38:02] any
[00:38:03] church
[00:38:04] you're
[00:38:04] part
[00:38:04] of
[00:38:04] whether
[00:38:04] it's
[00:38:04] this
[00:38:05] one
[00:38:05] or
[00:38:05] at
[00:38:06] future
[00:38:06] times
[00:38:06] in
[00:38:07] your
[00:38:07] life
[00:38:07] when
[00:38:07] you're
[00:38:07] part
[00:38:07] of
[00:38:08] another
[00:38:08] church
[00:38:08] be
[00:38:09] thinking
[00:38:09] of
[00:38:10] your
[00:38:10] giving
[00:38:11] as
[00:38:11] gospel
[00:38:13] focused
[00:38:14] reflect
[00:38:15] on
[00:38:15] and
[00:38:15] celebrate
[00:38:16] fruit
[00:38:17] you know
[00:38:18] you'll
[00:38:19] probably
[00:38:19] have a
[00:38:19] hard
[00:38:19] time
[00:38:19] drawing
[00:38:20] a
[00:38:20] direct
[00:38:20] line
[00:38:21] between
[00:38:21] your
[00:38:21] giving
[00:38:22] and
[00:38:22] the
[00:38:23] fruit
[00:38:23] but
[00:38:24] God
[00:38:24] is
[00:38:24] able
[00:38:24] to
[00:38:24] do
[00:38:25] that
[00:38:25] as
[00:38:25] I've
[00:38:25] already
[00:38:25] talked
[00:38:26] about
[00:38:26] so
[00:38:26] use
[00:38:27] your
[00:38:27] imagination
[00:38:27] for
[00:38:28] instance
[00:38:28] this
[00:38:29] last
[00:38:29] week
[00:38:31] Pastor
[00:38:32] Mike
[00:38:32] asked me
[00:38:33] to come
[00:38:33] out
[00:38:33] to
[00:38:33] regeneration
[00:38:34] and
[00:38:34] it's
[00:38:34] just
[00:38:35] beautiful
[00:38:35] what
[00:38:35] God
[00:38:35] is
[00:38:35] doing
[00:38:36] on
[00:38:36] Monday
[00:38:36] nights
[00:38:36] it's
[00:38:37] just
[00:38:37] an
[00:38:37] incredible
[00:38:37] environment
[00:38:38] very
[00:38:39] Jesus
[00:38:39] very
[00:38:40] New
[00:38:40] Testament
[00:38:41] and
[00:38:42] we
[00:38:43] were
[00:38:43] worshiping
[00:38:43] together
[00:38:44] praying
[00:38:44] you know
[00:38:45] and
[00:38:45] God
[00:38:45] was
[00:38:58] going
[00:38:58] use
[00:38:59] your
[00:38:59] imagination
[00:38:59] in
[00:39:00] that
[00:39:00] kind
[00:39:01] of
[00:39:01] way
[00:39:02] you
[00:39:02] know
[00:39:02] we're
[00:39:03] about
[00:39:03] to
[00:39:03] build
[00:39:03] like
[00:39:03] a
[00:39:03] new
[00:39:04] playground
[00:39:04] down
[00:39:04] here
[00:39:05] we're
[00:39:05] not
[00:39:05] raising
[00:39:05] money
[00:39:06] for
[00:39:06] it
[00:39:06] we're
[00:39:07] paying
[00:39:07] for
[00:39:07] it
[00:39:07] the
[00:39:08] money
[00:39:08] has
[00:39:08] been
[00:39:09] raised
[00:39:09] but
[00:39:09] we're
[00:39:10] putting
[00:39:10] a
[00:39:10] new
[00:39:10] little
[00:39:10] playground
[00:39:11] down
[00:39:11] here
[00:39:11] and
[00:39:11] I'm
[00:39:12] fully
[00:39:12] convinced
[00:39:13] that
[00:39:13] there's
[00:39:13] going
[00:39:14] to
[00:39:14] be
[00:39:14] little
[00:39:14] connections
[00:39:15] that
[00:39:16] little
[00:39:16] kids
[00:39:17] make
[00:39:17] that
[00:39:17] turn
[00:39:17] into
[00:39:18] lifelong
[00:39:18] friendships
[00:39:19] that
[00:39:19] turn
[00:39:19] into
[00:39:19] gospel
[00:39:20] partnerships
[00:39:28] you know
[00:39:29] so just
[00:39:29] be
[00:39:29] thinking
[00:39:30] about
[00:39:30] it
[00:39:30] like
[00:39:31] that
[00:39:31] you know
[00:39:32] like
[00:39:32] the
[00:39:33] chairs
[00:39:33] that
[00:39:34] people
[00:39:34] are
[00:39:34] sitting
[00:39:35] in
[00:39:35] right
[00:39:35] now
[00:39:35] like
[00:39:35] God
[00:39:36] is
[00:39:36] working
[00:39:36] in
[00:39:36] people's
[00:39:37] lives
[00:39:37] as
[00:39:37] they're
[00:39:37] seated
[00:39:38] in
[00:39:38] these
[00:39:38] chairs
[00:39:38] someone
[00:39:39] it might
[00:39:39] have
[00:39:40] been
[00:39:40] you
[00:39:40] bought
[00:39:40] that
[00:39:41] chair
[00:39:41] you know
[00:39:42] so to
[00:39:43] be
[00:39:43] thinking
[00:39:43] in
[00:39:43] that
[00:39:43] way
[00:39:44] I
[00:39:44] think
[00:39:44] is
[00:39:44] good
[00:39:44] to
[00:39:45] reflect
[00:39:45] on
[00:39:45] and
[00:39:45] celebrate
[00:39:46] fruit
[00:39:46] and
[00:39:46] then
[00:39:46] shift
[00:39:47] from
[00:39:47] obligation
[00:39:48] to
[00:39:48] worship
[00:39:50] reframe
[00:39:51] your
[00:39:51] giving
[00:39:51] as
[00:39:51] an
[00:39:52] act
[00:39:52] of
[00:39:52] worship
[00:39:53] and
[00:39:53] praise
[00:39:53] to
[00:39:53] God
[00:39:54] you know
[00:39:54] before
[00:39:54] you
[00:39:55] give
[00:39:55] pray
[00:39:56] over
[00:39:56] your
[00:39:56] gift
[00:39:57] ask
[00:39:57] God
[00:39:57] to
[00:39:58] use
[00:39:58] it
[00:39:58] for
[00:39:58] his
[00:39:58] glory
[00:39:59] and
[00:40:00] trust
[00:40:00] in
[00:40:01] God's
[00:40:02] provision
[00:40:03] make
[00:40:04] your
[00:40:04] generosity
[00:40:05] an
[00:40:05] expression
[00:40:06] of your
[00:40:06] faith
[00:40:07] in
[00:40:07] God
[00:40:08] I'm
[00:40:08] trusting
[00:40:09] you
[00:40:09] to
[00:40:09] provide
[00:40:10] for
[00:40:10] my
[00:40:10] needs
[00:40:11] and
[00:40:11] then
[00:40:11] stop
[00:40:12] and
[00:40:12] consider
[00:40:12] how
[00:40:13] he
[00:40:13] has
[00:40:13] done
[00:40:13] that
[00:40:14] okay
[00:40:15] I
[00:40:15] want
[00:40:15] to
[00:40:15] wrap
[00:40:15] up
[00:40:16] today
[00:40:16] like
[00:40:16] I
[00:40:16] said
[00:40:16] with
[00:40:17] just
[00:40:17] a
[00:40:17] short
[00:40:17] little
[00:40:18] point
[00:40:18] about
[00:40:18] healthy
[00:40:19] relationships
[00:40:19] because
[00:40:20] they
[00:40:20] had
[00:40:20] contentment
[00:40:20] they
[00:40:21] had
[00:40:21] a
[00:40:22] generosity
[00:40:22] but
[00:40:23] they
[00:40:23] had
[00:40:23] healthy
[00:40:23] relationships
[00:40:24] we'll
[00:40:24] conclude
[00:40:25] the
[00:40:25] letter
[00:40:25] by
[00:40:26] reading
[00:40:26] the
[00:40:26] last
[00:40:26] four
[00:40:27] verses
[00:40:27] he
[00:40:27] says
[00:40:27] in
[00:40:28] verse
[00:40:28] 20
[00:40:28] to
[00:40:28] our
[00:40:28] God
[00:40:29] and
[00:40:29] Father
[00:40:36] the
[00:40:37] saints
[00:40:37] greet
[00:40:37] you
[00:40:37] especially
[00:40:38] those
[00:40:38] of
[00:40:38] Caesar's
[00:40:39] household
[00:40:39] the
[00:40:39] grace
[00:40:40] of
[00:40:41] the
[00:40:41] Lord
[00:40:41] Jesus
[00:40:42] Christ
[00:40:43] be
[00:40:44] with
[00:40:44] your
[00:40:44] spirit
[00:40:45] this
[00:40:46] is a
[00:40:46] typical
[00:40:46] conclusion
[00:40:47] from
[00:40:47] Paul
[00:40:48] in
[00:40:48] a
[00:40:49] lot
[00:40:49] of
[00:40:49] his
[00:40:49] letters
[00:40:50] he
[00:40:51] gives
[00:40:51] some
[00:40:51] greetings
[00:40:52] to
[00:40:52] the
[00:40:52] church
[00:40:52] and
[00:40:53] some
[00:40:53] blessings
[00:40:53] from
[00:40:54] God
[00:40:54] maybe
[00:40:55] a
[00:40:55] unique
[00:40:55] thing
[00:40:55] about
[00:40:56] his
[00:40:56] greetings
[00:40:56] here
[00:40:57] is
[00:40:57] that
[00:40:57] he
[00:40:57] talks
[00:40:57] about
[00:40:58] people
[00:40:59] from
[00:40:59] Caesar's
[00:41:00] household
[00:41:00] greeting
[00:41:01] the
[00:41:01] church
[00:41:01] so
[00:41:01] that
[00:41:02] helps
[00:41:02] us
[00:41:02] know
[00:41:02] that
[00:41:02] while
[00:41:03] Paul
[00:41:03] was
[00:41:03] there
[00:41:03] in
[00:41:04] Rome
[00:41:04] he's
[00:41:04] reaching
[00:41:05] people
[00:41:06] in
[00:41:06] the
[00:41:07] echelons
[00:41:07] of
[00:41:08] the
[00:41:08] upper
[00:41:08] echelons
[00:41:09] of
[00:41:10] Caesar's
[00:41:12] government
[00:41:12] including
[00:41:13] his own
[00:41:13] household
[00:41:14] who have
[00:41:14] given
[00:41:14] their lives
[00:41:15] to
[00:41:15] Jesus
[00:41:15] and
[00:41:16] his
[00:41:17] blessing
[00:41:17] that
[00:41:18] he
[00:41:18] gives
[00:41:18] is
[00:41:18] special
[00:41:19] because
[00:41:19] a lot
[00:41:20] of
[00:41:21] times
[00:41:21] in
[00:41:21] his
[00:41:22] blessing
[00:41:22] at
[00:41:23] the
[00:41:23] end
[00:41:23] of
[00:41:23] his
[00:41:24] letters
[00:41:24] he'll
[00:41:24] talk
[00:41:24] about
[00:41:24] the
[00:41:25] whole
[00:41:25] trinity
[00:41:25] the
[00:41:26] father
[00:41:26] the
[00:41:26] spirit
[00:41:27] and
[00:41:27] the
[00:41:27] son
[00:41:29] but
[00:41:29] here
[00:41:29] he
[00:41:30] talks
[00:41:30] about
[00:41:31] the
[00:41:31] father
[00:41:31] he
[00:41:31] talks
[00:41:31] about
[00:41:32] the
[00:41:32] son
[00:41:33] but
[00:41:33] he
[00:41:34] doesn't
[00:41:34] mention
[00:41:35] the
[00:41:35] spirit
[00:41:35] directly
[00:41:37] but
[00:41:37] in
[00:41:38] his
[00:41:38] other
[00:41:38] letters
[00:41:39] when
[00:41:39] he's
[00:41:39] closing
[00:41:39] he'll
[00:41:39] talk
[00:41:40] about
[00:41:40] the
[00:41:40] fellowship
[00:41:41] of
[00:41:41] the
[00:41:41] spirit
[00:41:41] and
[00:41:41] you
[00:41:42] do
[00:41:42] see
[00:41:42] the
[00:41:42] fellowship
[00:41:43] of
[00:41:43] the
[00:41:43] spirit
[00:41:43] even
[00:41:44] though
[00:41:44] the
[00:41:44] spirit
[00:41:44] isn't
[00:41:44] mentioned
[00:41:45] here
[00:41:45] at
[00:41:46] the
[00:41:46] close
[00:41:46] of
[00:41:46] his
[00:41:46] letter
[00:41:46] all
[00:41:47] these
[00:41:47] relational
[00:41:47] dynamics
[00:41:48] greetings
[00:41:48] blessings
[00:41:49] saints
[00:41:49] brothers
[00:41:50] it's
[00:41:50] like
[00:41:50] a
[00:41:50] family
[00:41:51] thing
[00:41:52] so
[00:41:52] here's
[00:41:52] how
[00:41:52] I
[00:41:53] want
[00:41:53] to
[00:41:53] end
[00:41:53] this
[00:41:54] letter
[00:41:54] I
[00:41:54] want
[00:41:54] to
[00:41:54] point
[00:41:55] out
[00:41:55] that
[00:41:55] a
[00:41:55] third
[00:41:56] facet
[00:41:56] of
[00:41:57] the
[00:41:57] way
[00:41:57] Paul
[00:41:57] and
[00:41:57] the
[00:41:57] Philippians
[00:41:58] partnered
[00:41:58] together
[00:41:59] is that
[00:41:59] they
[00:41:59] had
[00:42:19] a
[00:42:19] lot
[00:42:19] of
[00:42:19] time
[00:42:20] this
[00:42:20] hierarchical
[00:42:21] system
[00:42:21] called
[00:42:22] the
[00:42:22] patron
[00:42:23] client
[00:42:24] relationship
[00:42:25] the
[00:42:26] patron
[00:42:27] client
[00:42:28] relationship
[00:42:28] and the
[00:42:29] patron
[00:42:29] client
[00:42:29] relationship
[00:42:30] there
[00:42:31] was
[00:42:31] the
[00:42:31] benefactor
[00:42:32] the
[00:42:33] one
[00:42:33] giving
[00:42:33] and the
[00:42:34] benefactee
[00:42:35] the
[00:42:35] one
[00:42:35] receiving
[00:42:35] and the
[00:42:37] benefactee
[00:42:37] was expected
[00:42:38] to be
[00:42:39] of service
[00:42:40] to the
[00:42:40] benefactor
[00:42:42] and show
[00:42:43] gratitude
[00:42:44] to them
[00:42:44] loyalty
[00:42:45] to them
[00:42:45] and often
[00:42:46] publicly
[00:42:47] acknowledge
[00:42:48] the patron's
[00:42:49] generosity
[00:42:50] and what I want
[00:42:51] you to see
[00:42:52] is that
[00:42:53] Paul
[00:42:53] was careful
[00:42:54] through this
[00:42:54] whole close
[00:42:55] verse 10
[00:42:55] to 23
[00:42:56] he's careful
[00:42:57] in this
[00:42:57] whole close
[00:42:58] to avoid
[00:42:59] that system
[00:43:00] at all
[00:43:01] costs
[00:43:02] he wants
[00:43:03] to have
[00:43:03] nothing
[00:43:04] to do
[00:43:04] with it
[00:43:04] not because
[00:43:05] he's too
[00:43:05] proud
[00:43:06] to be
[00:43:06] thankful
[00:43:07] but because
[00:43:08] he needed
[00:43:09] to view
[00:43:09] himself
[00:43:10] not as
[00:43:11] in debt
[00:43:11] to the
[00:43:12] Philippians
[00:43:12] but as
[00:43:13] in debt
[00:43:14] to Christ
[00:43:15] it would
[00:43:15] make him
[00:43:15] better
[00:43:16] at his
[00:43:16] job
[00:43:17] and he
[00:43:17] needed
[00:43:18] them
[00:43:18] to find
[00:43:19] their
[00:43:19] motivation
[00:43:20] not for
[00:43:21] some
[00:43:22] public
[00:43:22] acknowledgement
[00:43:23] or being
[00:43:24] known
[00:43:24] as
[00:43:24] generous
[00:43:25] people
[00:43:25] who do
[00:43:26] generous
[00:43:27] things
[00:43:28] but as
[00:43:29] worship
[00:43:30] to their
[00:43:31] Lord
[00:43:31] Paul
[00:43:32] could not
[00:43:33] see himself
[00:43:33] as in debt
[00:43:34] to the
[00:43:34] Philippians
[00:43:35] and the
[00:43:35] Philippians
[00:43:35] should not
[00:43:36] see Paul
[00:43:36] as in debt
[00:43:37] to them
[00:43:38] for these
[00:43:39] reasons
[00:43:39] Paul
[00:43:39] went out
[00:43:40] of his
[00:43:40] way
[00:43:40] to declare
[00:43:41] their
[00:43:41] gift giving
[00:43:41] as a
[00:43:42] simple
[00:43:42] sign
[00:43:43] of
[00:43:43] partnership
[00:43:44] in the
[00:43:45] gospel
[00:43:45] in fact
[00:43:46] look for
[00:43:47] the word
[00:43:48] thanks
[00:43:49] you won't
[00:43:50] find it
[00:43:51] he highlights
[00:43:52] he says
[00:43:53] like I
[00:43:53] rejoice
[00:43:54] over your
[00:43:54] gift
[00:43:55] your gift
[00:43:56] was super
[00:43:56] kind
[00:43:57] but all
[00:43:58] his
[00:43:58] gratitude
[00:43:59] is reserved
[00:44:00] for God
[00:44:01] it's pointed
[00:44:02] in God's
[00:44:03] direction
[00:44:03] he does
[00:44:05] not owe
[00:44:05] them
[00:44:05] they do
[00:44:06] not owe
[00:44:06] him
[00:44:06] they're both
[00:44:07] pursuing
[00:44:08] the Lord
[00:44:08] and responding
[00:44:09] to his
[00:44:09] leading
[00:44:10] in their
[00:44:11] lives
[00:44:11] I think
[00:44:11] what you
[00:44:12] have here
[00:44:12] is a
[00:44:12] relational
[00:44:13] triangle
[00:44:14] and I
[00:44:14] made you
[00:44:14] a little
[00:44:15] graph
[00:44:15] to demonstrate
[00:44:16] this
[00:44:16] to you
[00:44:17] it's
[00:44:18] what you
[00:44:18] have
[00:44:18] here
[00:44:19] it's
[00:44:19] a healthy
[00:44:19] relational
[00:44:20] triangle
[00:44:21] the top
[00:44:21] is God
[00:44:23] well the
[00:44:23] other two
[00:44:24] points are
[00:44:24] occupied by
[00:44:25] Paul and
[00:44:25] the Philippians
[00:44:26] both of them
[00:44:26] point themselves
[00:44:27] towards
[00:44:28] God
[00:44:29] and when the
[00:44:29] Philippian
[00:44:30] support came
[00:44:31] Paul's
[00:44:31] way
[00:44:32] he looks
[00:44:33] to God
[00:44:33] thank you
[00:44:34] thank you
[00:44:35] for what
[00:44:36] you have
[00:44:36] provided
[00:44:37] this lack
[00:44:39] of
[00:44:40] codependency
[00:44:40] made him
[00:44:42] so much
[00:44:42] better for
[00:44:43] the Philippians
[00:44:44] and a
[00:44:44] better
[00:44:44] ambassador
[00:44:45] of the
[00:44:45] gospel
[00:44:46] for our
[00:44:46] world
[00:44:47] and by
[00:44:48] the way
[00:44:48] I think
[00:44:48] this
[00:44:49] relational
[00:44:49] triangle
[00:44:50] it's
[00:44:50] one
[00:44:51] that
[00:44:51] we
[00:44:52] should
[00:44:52] be
[00:44:52] practicing
[00:44:53] in a
[00:44:53] lot
[00:44:53] of our
[00:44:54] relationships
[00:44:55] not just
[00:44:56] our
[00:44:56] gospel
[00:44:57] partnership
[00:44:58] but a
[00:44:58] lot
[00:44:58] of our
[00:44:59] relationships
[00:45:00] I want
[00:45:01] to say
[00:45:01] to the
[00:45:01] husbands
[00:45:02] of the
[00:45:02] church
[00:45:02] right now
[00:45:03] if you
[00:45:04] are
[00:45:04] leading
[00:45:04] your
[00:45:05] wife
[00:45:06] into
[00:45:06] a
[00:45:07] transactional
[00:45:07] kind
[00:45:08] of
[00:45:08] relationship
[00:45:09] you are
[00:45:09] in
[00:45:10] error
[00:45:11] you want
[00:45:11] to be
[00:45:12] a
[00:45:12] sacrificial
[00:45:12] man
[00:45:13] who
[00:45:13] lays
[00:45:13] down
[00:45:14] your
[00:45:14] life
[00:45:14] and is
[00:45:14] not
[00:45:15] counting
[00:45:15] I did
[00:45:16] this
[00:45:16] so now
[00:45:17] you owe
[00:45:17] me
[00:45:18] you need
[00:45:19] to be
[00:45:19] saying
[00:45:19] I'm doing
[00:45:20] this for
[00:45:20] the Lord
[00:45:20] I want
[00:45:21] to be
[00:45:22] a blessing
[00:45:22] in your
[00:45:23] life
[00:45:23] I want
[00:45:24] to lay
[00:45:24] down
[00:45:24] my life
[00:45:25] as Christ
[00:45:25] laid down
[00:45:26] his life
[00:45:27] for the
[00:45:27] church
[00:45:28] but this
[00:45:28] kind of
[00:45:28] relational
[00:45:29] triangle
[00:45:29] is so
[00:45:31] healthy
[00:45:31] for us
[00:45:32] to practice
[00:45:33] okay
[00:45:33] so
[00:45:35] relational
[00:45:36] health
[00:45:36] okay
[00:45:37] my
[00:45:37] hope
[00:45:37] for
[00:45:38] this
[00:45:38] study
[00:45:38] of
[00:45:38] Philippians
[00:45:39] is
[00:45:39] that
[00:45:41] the
[00:45:41] joy
[00:45:41] that
[00:45:42] Paul
[00:45:42] had
[00:45:42] can
[00:45:42] become
[00:45:43] ours
[00:45:43] and
[00:45:44] he
[00:45:44] attained
[00:45:44] that
[00:45:44] joy
[00:45:44] by
[00:45:45] staying
[00:45:45] on
[00:45:45] task
[00:45:46] on
[00:45:46] mission
[00:45:46] so
[00:45:47] as
[00:45:47] we
[00:45:47] stay
[00:45:47] on
[00:45:48] mission
[00:45:48] as
[00:45:48] a
[00:45:48] church
[00:45:48] I
[00:45:49] think
[00:45:49] we'll
[00:45:49] partake
[00:45:49] of
[00:45:50] this
[00:45:50] joy
[00:45:51] when
[00:45:52] we
[00:45:52] live
[00:45:52] as an
[00:45:52] advancing
[00:45:53] gospel
[00:45:54] community
[00:45:54] our
[00:45:55] churches
[00:45:55] become
[00:45:55] more
[00:45:55] joyful
[00:45:56] and
[00:45:56] uplifting
[00:45:58] they'll
[00:45:58] never
[00:45:59] be
[00:45:59] perfect
[00:45:59] our
[00:46:00] churches
[00:46:00] will
[00:46:00] never
[00:46:00] be
[00:46:00] perfect
[00:46:01] our
[00:46:01] church
[00:46:01] will
[00:46:02] never
[00:46:02] be
[00:46:02] perfect
[00:46:02] I
[00:46:03] expect
[00:46:03] a
[00:46:04] hundred
[00:46:04] out
[00:46:04] of
[00:46:04] a
[00:46:05] hundred
[00:46:05] committed
[00:46:06] believers
[00:46:06] to
[00:46:06] experience
[00:46:07] church
[00:46:07] hurt
[00:46:08] at some
[00:46:08] point
[00:46:09] in their
[00:46:09] lives
[00:46:10] but at
[00:46:11] least
[00:46:12] a
[00:46:12] church
[00:46:12] like
[00:46:12] this
[00:46:13] is
[00:46:13] on
[00:46:13] mission
[00:46:14] when
[00:46:15] a
[00:46:15] church
[00:46:15] resists
[00:46:16] the
[00:46:16] desire
[00:46:17] to
[00:46:17] turn
[00:46:18] completely
[00:46:18] inward
[00:46:19] on
[00:46:19] itself
[00:46:20] when
[00:46:20] a
[00:46:20] group
[00:46:20] of
[00:46:20] believers
[00:46:21] insist
[00:46:22] on
[00:46:22] orienting
[00:46:23] their lives
[00:46:24] towards
[00:46:24] others
[00:46:24] rather
[00:46:25] than
[00:46:25] themselves
[00:46:25] and
[00:46:25] when
[00:46:26] we
[00:46:26] persist
[00:46:26] in
[00:46:27] taking
[00:46:27] up
[00:46:27] the
[00:46:27] mind
[00:46:28] of
[00:46:28] Christ
[00:46:28] and
[00:46:29] serve
[00:46:30] one
[00:46:30] another
[00:46:30] in
[00:46:30] our
[00:46:31] world
[00:46:31] the
[00:46:31] gospel
[00:46:31] advances
[00:46:32] and
[00:46:33] we
[00:46:33] have
[00:46:34] joy
[00:46:34] so
[00:46:35] let's
[00:46:36] commit
[00:46:36] to
[00:46:36] that
[00:46:36] as
[00:46:36] a
[00:46:36] church
[00:46:37] to
[00:46:37] be
[00:46:38] an
[00:46:38] advancing
[00:46:39] gospel
[00:46:39] community
[00:46:40] together
[00:46:41] amen
[00:46:44] thank
[00:46:45] you
[00:46:45] for
[00:46:45] listening
[00:46:46] if
[00:46:46] you
[00:46:46] would
[00:46:47] like
[00:46:47] more
[00:46:47] teachings
[00:46:47] and
[00:46:48] information
[00:46:48] about
[00:46:49] Calvary
[00:46:49] Monterey
[00:46:49] please
[00:46:50] visit
[00:46:50] calvary.com
[00:46:51] you can
[00:46:52] also
[00:46:52] find
[00:46:53] books
[00:46:53] teachings
[00:46:54] through
[00:46:54] the
[00:46:54] bible
[00:46:54] and
[00:46:55] articles
[00:46:55] from
[00:46:56] our
[00:46:56] lead
[00:46:56] pastor
[00:46:57] at
[00:46:57] nateholdridge.com
[00:46:59] thanks again
[00:47:00] for tuning
[00:47:00] in
[00:47:00] we'll
[00:47:01] see
[00:47:01] you
[00:47:01] next
[00:47:01] week