Pastor Nate continues our study through the book of Philippians.
[00:00:00] 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, including myself. I've been making it. It's been great.
[00:00:18] Hey, take out your Bibles this morning and turn to the book of Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. We're in verse 10 to 23 this morning of Philippians chapter 4.
[00:00:28] We've been studying the book of Philippians together. We've taken 11 weeks to go through this four chapter epistle from Paul.
[00:00:38] The first week was in Acts chapter 16 where Pastor Matt taught us about the birth of the Philippian church, where Paul went there and launched a beautiful gospel community.
[00:00:50] And then I myself have taught eight messages through every verse of this book, including the message today, where we've been able to think about what it looks like to be an advancing gospel community.
[00:01:03] 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.
[00:01:15] 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.
[00:01:25] The city in Philippi needed them to be a healthy church and the broader community needed them to be a healthy church.
[00:01:31] And so Paul is encouraging them in that direction.
[00:01:34] And then Pastor Matt and Pastor Jeff also shared with us a couple of messages on some key verses in the book of Philippians.
[00:01:43] So we've taken these 11 weeks to take a look at this book, and I pray that it's been edifying to you.
[00:01:48] I felt that it's been encouraging for us as a church to be thinking about the community-oriented work of the body of Christ.
[00:01:56] We cannot do the Great Commission alone.
[00:01:58] Amen?
[00:01:59] We need each other.
[00:02:00] We need to be a community that is broadcasting the gospel of Jesus, not just with our words, but with our lives, the way that we treat each other, the way that we treat our neighbors and the world around us.
[00:02:12] So I think this is an important perspective for modern Christians to adopt, especially Christians that live in more individualistic kind of cultures, for us to recognize, you know, my faith is individual in a sense.
[00:02:25] I individually come to Christ, but I'm then adopted into a family or a flock or a community.
[00:02:32] I'm part of God's team, and I'm called to serve with others in the mission that he's given to us.
[00:02:39] So we're going to finish Philippians today.
[00:02:41] And then next week will be December 15th.
[00:02:45] And so we're going to start a short little Christmas series or Advent series.
[00:02:49] And what I'm going to do is take Galatians chapter 4.
[00:02:54] I think it's verse 5 and 6.
[00:02:55] It speaks of God the Father before the fullness of time, making a plan to send his only begotten Son at the appropriate time,
[00:03:04] who would come in the likeness of man and come born under the law to redeem us from the law,
[00:03:12] so that those who believe in him could have the Spirit of God living inside of them, by which we cry out, Abba, Father.
[00:03:19] So what we're going to do is for three weeks think about that Christmas sequence.
[00:03:25] God the Father from eternity past, knowing that there would be a moment that he sent the Son into the world.
[00:03:33] I'm going to teach that message next week.
[00:03:37] And then the following week, we'll think about the Son, the incarnation.
[00:03:40] And for that one, on December 22nd, I'm very excited because I've invited a friend of mine named Tyler Backway,
[00:03:48] who is planting a church in Pismo Beach this next year and whom we are going to support and get behind.
[00:03:54] He is going to come and share the word that Sunday.
[00:03:58] So I gave him the best one, the incarnation, the Son.
[00:04:01] And then on Christmas Eve, I'm going to talk about the Spirit and how the Spirit invites us into the Christmas story.
[00:04:09] The Spirit is inviting us into fellowship with the Father and the Son and himself.
[00:04:15] And so it'll be a very invitational kind of message on Christmas Eve.
[00:04:20] So I'm looking forward to doing that.
[00:04:21] But today, like I said, we've got Philippians chapter 4, verse 10 to 23.
[00:04:27] And I want to start today by thinking about a verse in or verses in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
[00:04:34] There, Paul wrote, and this is from the New Living Translation,
[00:04:38] The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body.
[00:04:44] So it is with the body of Christ.
[00:04:46] All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a part of it.
[00:04:57] This was Paul's way of talking about the unity of the church, but also the collective mission and responsibility of the church.
[00:05:07] That we're called to work together to accomplish Christ's aims in and for our world.
[00:05:14] And that is a sentiment that Paul brought into, as I've been saying, his letter to the Philippian church.
[00:05:21] And it's a sentiment that the modern church, especially here, our little church on the Monterey Peninsula,
[00:05:26] or the churches in the greater Salinas Valley region, we need that message as well.
[00:05:32] Together, if we partner together, the work of the entire body of Christ becomes effective
[00:05:38] when individual members do their individual part.
[00:05:43] They say many hands make light labor.
[00:05:46] But in the church, I think you could say many functioning members make effective labor.
[00:05:55] And this team-oriented approach, to me, it's fascinating.
[00:05:58] It's the one that Jesus adopted from the very beginning.
[00:06:01] I mean, can you imagine being on a team with Jesus?
[00:06:04] I mean, you should be able to imagine it because the vision of the modern church,
[00:06:09] according to the New Testament, is that you are on a team with Jesus.
[00:06:12] Yes.
[00:06:13] From the very beginning, though, he was recruiting, brought in his disciples,
[00:06:18] brought in larger groups of disciples and followers, and invited them into the mission.
[00:06:23] And then after Jesus fulfilled his mission on earth and ascended back to the right hand of the Father,
[00:06:29] he poured out his Spirit so that individual believers would receive the Spirit of God
[00:06:34] and receive the giftings of the Spirit of God.
[00:06:37] So when you read the stories of the New Testament church in the New Testament,
[00:06:40] what you discover are apostles leaning on each other, new leaders emerging in the church,
[00:06:47] individual Christians feeling called by God to do various things,
[00:06:51] and gifted and empowered by God for the mission that God had given to them.
[00:06:57] From the very beginning of the church's work, it has been a team-oriented perspective,
[00:07:03] a body with various parts and functions, a family with various roles,
[00:07:08] or as Paul has been highlighting in Philippians, an army with a mission to accomplish.
[00:07:14] And whenever you find in the New Testament or in our modern time a church that is functioning well,
[00:07:22] it's because that congregation has partnered together, each member, or many more of the members doing their part.
[00:07:31] Now, when Paul wrote to the Philippian church, he was familiar with that kind of partnership
[00:07:35] because the Philippians were that type of church.
[00:07:38] He'll actually say in the passage we're going to read this morning that not every church supported him
[00:07:43] in the way that the Philippian church supported him.
[00:07:45] Not every church partnered with him like the Philippian church partnered with him.
[00:07:49] And all the way back at the very beginning of this letter, chapter 1, verse 5,
[00:07:52] Paul thanked them for their 10-year-long partnership in the gospel.
[00:07:58] So he thought of them as joining together with him in the work.
[00:08:04] And I believe that the partnership the Philippian church had with Paul
[00:08:08] provides us with a good recipe for partnering together as a church today.
[00:08:14] And today, in this closing passage of Philippians, where Paul is signing off,
[00:08:19] and really in one sense we'll see finally getting around to the purpose of writing this letter in the first place,
[00:08:23] saying thank you to the Philippians for their generosity to him.
[00:08:27] We're going to see three, I think, important ingredients.
[00:08:30] The first ingredient we're going to see is the ingredient of contentment being found within them,
[00:08:35] particularly in starting with their leader, the Apostle Paul.
[00:08:39] He's an incredibly content man.
[00:08:41] The second thing we're going to see is a wonderful generosity that had developed in this church.
[00:08:47] I'm going to spend the bulk of my time on those two points because that's really where the text is pointing.
[00:08:52] But I'm going to draw out a third point, and it's that they had a healthy relationship together.
[00:08:59] And Paul, all throughout this text, is fighting to preserve the health of that relationship.
[00:09:05] And I think that those three attributes, contentment and generosity and a healthy relationship,
[00:09:12] are important for a church to be fruitful in our modern times.
[00:09:16] So how many of you guys, you would like us to be an advancing gospel community?
[00:09:20] You'd like that in this church?
[00:09:22] These are some of the elements that Paul saw for the Philippian church that led them to be just that.
[00:09:28] So let's start off by reading Philippians 4, verse 10 to 13, and looking at this section on contentment.
[00:09:34] He says, in verse 10,
[00:09:37] I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me.
[00:09:46] Yet you were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
[00:09:50] 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.
[00:09:57] He's not making fun of them or criticizing them about that in any way.
[00:10:01] He says, you wanted to, you were concerned, but you just didn't have an opportunity.
[00:10:05] But then in verse 11, look at what he says.
[00:10:08] Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I've learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
[00:10:14] I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound.
[00:10:17] In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
[00:10:25] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
[00:10:31] Okay, these verses that we just read, these are, these are, this is what shocks us about the book of Philippians.
[00:10:39] You just have this guy who's in prison.
[00:10:42] Again, he's in prison not for doing anything wrong or being disobedient to God or getting out of God's will.
[00:10:48] You know, like, oh, I made a mistake.
[00:10:50] I misstepped.
[00:10:51] Should have been listening to the Lord a little bit more.
[00:10:53] And now because I wasn't, I've been thrown into prison.
[00:10:56] No, he's in prison for doing precisely what God asked him to do.
[00:11:01] It's like his big reward.
[00:11:02] Thank you, Lord.
[00:11:03] Here I have, I've served you faithfully and now I'm in jail.
[00:11:08] And yet, despite that, there's this joy and contentment that is radiating out of this man.
[00:11:17] That's what's shocking about this letter, what's shocking about Paul the Apostle.
[00:11:22] And he's real careful.
[00:11:23] He's going to acknowledge the financial gift that they had sent to him through this man named Epaphroditus
[00:11:32] who came and visited him for a period of time.
[00:11:34] But he's very careful before he even really acknowledges it to say,
[00:11:38] but I want you guys to know I'm content either way.
[00:11:43] I mean, notice how he describes his contentment.
[00:11:46] In verse 11, he says, I'm not a man in need.
[00:11:50] I want you to know that.
[00:11:51] I'm not a man in need.
[00:11:53] This is astounding, especially from a man in prison.
[00:11:55] I have no needs.
[00:11:57] He says in verse 11 that he was able to see himself like that, as without need,
[00:12:02] because he'd learned in whatever situation he found himself in to be content.
[00:12:09] So he goes through all these different situations in life,
[00:12:12] and he's learning how to be content in them.
[00:12:15] And his contentment, he says in verse 12,
[00:12:18] meant that he could handle being brought really low,
[00:12:22] including experiencing hunger and great need.
[00:12:26] But it also meant his contentment that he could abound, he says in verse 12,
[00:12:33] that he could face plenty, and he could experience abundance without compromising in any way.
[00:12:39] Now, I need to give a little side note when Paul talks about this thing of abounding and abundance
[00:12:44] and being in prosperity.
[00:12:47] I just want to keep it in context.
[00:12:49] What he's saying is, here in prison, when you guys sent Epaphroditus,
[00:12:54] and he gave me this little financial gift,
[00:12:57] I felt like I was living a wealthy, abundant, prosperous life.
[00:13:04] I just want to keep that in perspective, because he still was in prison.
[00:13:09] He still was in a hard situation.
[00:13:12] He was still dependent on the generosity of others.
[00:13:15] He's not saying, like, I know how to have a yacht that's sailing the Mediterranean,
[00:13:20] and I also know how to be imprisoned.
[00:13:22] He's like, I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound,
[00:13:25] like when you guys gave me, like, a $50 gift card here in prison
[00:13:29] so that I could spend it on some better food.
[00:13:31] I am abundantly blessed.
[00:13:33] That's the abounding that Paul is talking about.
[00:13:37] The point, though, is that Paul knew how to be humbled,
[00:13:40] and he knew how to prosper.
[00:13:42] Going low did not throw him into despair,
[00:13:47] and abundance did not make himself reliant,
[00:13:51] forgetting God and ceasing to pray.
[00:13:55] He found satisfaction in the Lord.
[00:13:59] This is a content man.
[00:14:01] The dictionary calls contentment a state of peaceful happiness.
[00:14:06] Doesn't that sound nice?
[00:14:08] The thesaurus tells us contentment synonyms are words like satisfied,
[00:14:14] gratified, fulfilled, cheerful, glad, unworried, and tranquil.
[00:14:22] Have you ever met anyone like this?
[00:14:24] You probably haven't, but doesn't it sound nice?
[00:14:30] In Paul's day, beyond just the dictionary and thesaurus,
[00:14:33] in Paul's day, there were philosophers who thought of contentment,
[00:14:39] the Stoics particularly, as someone who is so self-independent
[00:14:45] that they're able to handle whatever, even the difficult rigors of life,
[00:14:50] without any turbulence or ups and downs.
[00:14:53] They're just able to push through it by the power of their own will.
[00:14:57] But notice, Paul rejected that definition of contentment
[00:15:02] when in verse 13 he made it clear,
[00:15:05] my contentment is fueled, empowered, made able by Christ who strengthens me.
[00:15:12] That's what Paul means when he says,
[00:15:14] I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
[00:15:17] He means I can be poor, I can be rich, I can go low, I can go high,
[00:15:21] I can be hungry, or I can face plenty by the power of Christ
[00:15:25] who gives me moment-by-moment strength for the task at hand.
[00:15:31] Paul is clearly not saying, I'm omnipotent,
[00:15:35] I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me.
[00:15:38] In other words, I can fly through Christ who strengthens me.
[00:15:41] I can pick up a mountain through Christ who strengthens me.
[00:15:45] I can travel time by Christ who strengthens me.
[00:15:48] That's not what Paul is saying.
[00:15:49] He's saying, in context, man, I know how to be content
[00:15:54] in any situation in life
[00:15:57] because the power, ability, strength of my Lord
[00:16:00] is infusing itself into my body,
[00:16:03] and I can do this, I can face this
[00:16:06] through the power of Jesus.
[00:16:09] Now what can we say about contentment like that?
[00:16:13] I think in one sense it sounds alien to us.
[00:16:18] too big for us.
[00:16:22] Something a supernaturally empowered apostle
[00:16:25] from 2,000 years ago might experience.
[00:16:28] Something that key instruments in the hands of God
[00:16:31] might experience.
[00:16:33] But that run-of-the-mill believers like us
[00:16:36] cannot expect to enjoy.
[00:16:40] But Paul's contentment,
[00:16:41] even though it sounds like a state of consciousness,
[00:16:44] only the spiritual elite will tap into,
[00:16:48] is both extremely beautiful and entirely possible.
[00:16:55] This contentment does not belong to someone
[00:16:59] so spiritually minded that they have no concept of reality.
[00:17:05] This contentment does not belong to someone
[00:17:08] who just puts on a fake spiritual gaze
[00:17:12] and acts as if they are content.
[00:17:15] This is not the contentment of those who merely act
[00:17:18] as if life is all joy and no sorrow,
[00:17:21] going around saying,
[00:17:22] I don't worry just because God told me not to worry,
[00:17:25] as if it's that easy.
[00:17:28] This is the contentment of a man
[00:17:30] who saw humanity and saw reality clearer
[00:17:34] than anyone in this room.
[00:17:37] He saw the cataclysmic fallout
[00:17:39] caused by sin and human depravity.
[00:17:42] He sincerely felt that his role in life
[00:17:45] was on the front lines of a war
[00:17:47] between the kingdoms of heaven and hell.
[00:17:50] Yet despite his clear and true understanding
[00:17:53] of the realities of this life and the next,
[00:17:55] and despite the utter pain that he endured
[00:17:58] for Christ's sake,
[00:18:00] Paul found an ability to be satisfied in Christ
[00:18:03] no matter his circumstances.
[00:18:06] And notice that he says that he,
[00:18:09] look at verse 12,
[00:18:10] learned, learned, learned this contentment.
[00:18:19] He calls it a secret.
[00:18:22] This is actually a phrase that Paul borrowed
[00:18:25] from the mystery religions of his day.
[00:18:28] Where you were initiated into something.
[00:18:31] He says, I've learned this secret of contentment.
[00:18:37] And this is possible for us to learn as well.
[00:18:40] If it weren't,
[00:18:41] God would have never asked us to enter into it.
[00:18:45] But scripture tells us in Hebrews 13, 5,
[00:18:47] to be content with what we have
[00:18:49] because our Lord will never leave us or forsake us.
[00:18:52] It says in 1 Timothy 6,
[00:18:54] that there is great gain in godliness
[00:18:56] intermixed with contentment.
[00:18:59] And as Paul said to the Corinthian church,
[00:19:01] let each person lead the life
[00:19:03] that the Lord has assigned him
[00:19:05] and to which God has called him.
[00:19:07] And I think that the secret,
[00:19:10] this secret of contentment
[00:19:11] is of such great value
[00:19:15] in our modern time
[00:19:16] and in our modern culture.
[00:19:19] It just feels like a time
[00:19:22] where no one says,
[00:19:24] the Lord is my shepherd,
[00:19:25] I shall not want anymore.
[00:19:28] We all want.
[00:19:30] All the time.
[00:19:31] Ever increasingly.
[00:19:33] Even though we live
[00:19:35] in a very prosperous time in society,
[00:19:38] there's a driving desire
[00:19:40] that so often consumes us.
[00:19:45] But believers can be marked
[00:19:47] by a supernatural contentment
[00:19:50] even though they receive
[00:19:52] the difficulties and pains
[00:19:58] that are attached to Christ.
[00:20:00] Now, I want to conclude
[00:20:02] this little section on contentment
[00:20:04] with just some practical advice
[00:20:05] for all of us
[00:20:06] on maybe how to cultivate this contentment.
[00:20:08] Remember earlier
[00:20:09] in the book of Philippians,
[00:20:10] Paul said we should work out
[00:20:11] our salvation
[00:20:12] with fear and trembling.
[00:20:13] So this is something
[00:20:14] God can do in us,
[00:20:15] but if we want to learn it,
[00:20:16] there are some things
[00:20:17] that we can do
[00:20:18] to grow in our contentment.
[00:20:20] So here's some things.
[00:20:21] I'll put them up on the screen.
[00:20:22] They're also listed for you
[00:20:23] at my notes
[00:20:24] that I post every Sunday
[00:20:25] at nateholdridge.com.
[00:20:27] But number one
[00:20:28] is to build friendships
[00:20:29] across socioeconomic lines.
[00:20:33] Or at least in the body of Christ
[00:20:34] is like a cool opportunity
[00:20:36] in the church.
[00:20:36] Be exposed to people
[00:20:37] who have less than you
[00:20:40] or more than you.
[00:20:41] It'll just kind of broaden
[00:20:42] your horizons a little bit.
[00:20:44] I mean, in other words,
[00:20:46] if every single person
[00:20:48] that you're in relationship with
[00:20:49] has heated bathroom floors,
[00:20:51] you'll start thinking
[00:20:52] that that's normal
[00:20:53] and that's not normal.
[00:20:55] So it's just good
[00:20:56] to get around
[00:20:57] and be like,
[00:20:58] oh, not everybody lives that way.
[00:21:00] And it just does something
[00:21:02] for the human heart.
[00:21:03] It helps that contentment to grow.
[00:21:05] Another thing that we can do
[00:21:07] is practice gratitude every day.
[00:21:09] Practice gratitude every day.
[00:21:12] Some of us need to take the time
[00:21:15] to actually literally write down
[00:21:17] things that we're thankful for each day.
[00:21:19] I do this as a practice
[00:21:21] because I'm a forward-looking person
[00:21:25] and it's good for me
[00:21:26] to look backwards
[00:21:26] and recount God's faithfulness,
[00:21:29] even in just the day before.
[00:21:31] So practice gratitude each day.
[00:21:34] Another one would be
[00:21:35] to simplify your lifestyle.
[00:21:37] Some of us need to declutter
[00:21:39] our homes a little bit
[00:21:40] or reduce unnecessary expenses
[00:21:42] and focus on the essentials.
[00:21:45] And when we do that,
[00:21:47] what we inevitably find is,
[00:21:49] man, actually, I'm okay.
[00:21:51] I'm okay.
[00:21:51] And it increases our contentment.
[00:21:54] I think a fourth one I would say
[00:21:56] in our modern time is
[00:21:57] limit social media use.
[00:22:01] I mean, reducing times spent on platforms
[00:22:05] that encourage comparison
[00:22:07] and dissatisfaction,
[00:22:09] it's just good for the soul.
[00:22:10] Another great thing to do
[00:22:11] to increase contentment
[00:22:13] is to serve others.
[00:22:14] You know, when you serve people
[00:22:16] in your church community
[00:22:17] or when you serve underserved parts
[00:22:21] of our larger community,
[00:22:23] it can help remind you
[00:22:24] of the blessings in your own life
[00:22:26] and give you needed perspective.
[00:22:28] And then a last one I would say
[00:22:30] is cultivate spiritual practices
[00:22:32] that ground you in Christ.
[00:22:35] You know, praying, worshiping,
[00:22:38] studying the scriptures
[00:22:39] to deepen your reliance on him.
[00:22:40] These just center you
[00:22:42] over and over again upon Jesus.
[00:22:44] You get your satisfaction from him.
[00:22:47] It fuels and empowers a contentment
[00:22:50] in the rest of your life.
[00:22:52] Okay, so that's the first one,
[00:22:53] contentment.
[00:22:54] Started with Paul.
[00:22:55] There he has it.
[00:22:56] But now I want to talk about generosity
[00:22:59] as seen in the generosity
[00:23:01] that Paul recounts
[00:23:02] in the Philippian church.
[00:23:03] So let's read it in verse 14
[00:23:05] to verse 19.
[00:23:07] He says,
[00:23:08] Yet it was kind of you
[00:23:09] to share my trouble.
[00:23:12] And you Philippians
[00:23:14] yourselves know
[00:23:16] that in the beginning of the gospel,
[00:23:17] when I left Macedonia,
[00:23:19] Macedonia is the larger region
[00:23:21] or nation that Philippi was in.
[00:23:23] So he left their region.
[00:23:25] No church entered into partnership
[00:23:27] with me in giving and receiving
[00:23:29] except you only.
[00:23:31] Even in Thessalonica,
[00:23:33] you sent me help for my needs
[00:23:35] once and again.
[00:23:36] Not that I seek the gift,
[00:23:40] but I seek the fruit
[00:23:41] that increases to your credit.
[00:23:44] I have received full payment and more.
[00:23:47] I am well supplied,
[00:23:48] having received from Epaphroditus
[00:23:50] the gifts you sent,
[00:23:52] a fragrant offering,
[00:23:53] a sacrifice acceptable
[00:23:54] and pleasing to God.
[00:23:55] And my God will supply
[00:23:56] every need of yours
[00:23:59] according to his riches
[00:24:01] in glory in Christ Jesus.
[00:24:06] Okay, so Paul starts out
[00:24:08] this like real big close
[00:24:10] to his letter
[00:24:11] by first acknowledging their gift,
[00:24:13] but being quick to really tell them,
[00:24:15] but I'm content.
[00:24:16] You know, no matter
[00:24:16] whether you gave to me
[00:24:18] or didn't, I'm content.
[00:24:19] I'm satisfied in Christ Jesus.
[00:24:20] I'm fine.
[00:24:21] I'm not a man in need.
[00:24:22] I know how to go up.
[00:24:23] I know how to go down
[00:24:24] and I'm okay.
[00:24:25] I'm content in Christ Jesus.
[00:24:26] But now he turns,
[00:24:28] he doesn't want them to feel
[00:24:29] that he's unappreciative
[00:24:31] of their support.
[00:24:32] And so he begins to acknowledge
[00:24:34] what they had done.
[00:24:36] He tells them,
[00:24:36] you guys are my partners
[00:24:40] all the way from the very beginning.
[00:24:42] And so he highlights this
[00:24:43] at the close of his letter.
[00:24:45] And it seems,
[00:24:46] according to what he said
[00:24:46] in verse 14 to 16,
[00:24:48] that when Paul went to places
[00:24:50] like Thessalonica
[00:24:51] or Corinth or Rome,
[00:24:53] the church at Philippi
[00:24:55] repeatedly sent money
[00:24:57] and aid Paul's way.
[00:25:01] Specifically,
[00:25:02] it says in verse 18,
[00:25:03] well, he was imprisoned
[00:25:04] there in Rome.
[00:25:05] They sent this guy named,
[00:25:06] as we've already studied
[00:25:07] in chapter two,
[00:25:09] Epaphroditus
[00:25:09] with a gift for Paul,
[00:25:11] which would help him a lot
[00:25:12] as he's there
[00:25:14] under house arrest
[00:25:14] having to provide
[00:25:15] for his own needs.
[00:25:17] And it's this support
[00:25:18] that Paul wants
[00:25:19] to acknowledge here.
[00:25:20] He directly wants
[00:25:21] to recognize in verse 10
[00:25:22] and verse 17
[00:25:23] and verse 18,
[00:25:24] their gift.
[00:25:25] And he says,
[00:25:26] it was kind of you
[00:25:28] to share in my trouble.
[00:25:30] And he seems to want them
[00:25:31] to know,
[00:25:32] you're the only church
[00:25:33] that's helped me
[00:25:34] during long periods
[00:25:35] of my gospel work.
[00:25:39] Now, we live in a time
[00:25:41] where we're constantly
[00:25:42] hit up for our money.
[00:25:46] Everyone's trying
[00:25:47] to get in our pockets.
[00:25:48] And because of that,
[00:25:50] I have,
[00:25:52] for 20-something years now,
[00:25:55] tried to lead a ministry
[00:25:57] that does not make money
[00:25:58] the constant topic
[00:25:59] or goal
[00:26:00] or even a fairly regular
[00:26:02] topic or goal.
[00:26:05] But there are certain things
[00:26:07] that I want
[00:26:08] for each believer
[00:26:08] in our community.
[00:26:09] And I think I could distill
[00:26:11] the big ones
[00:26:12] into four things.
[00:26:14] I want to see
[00:26:15] every person
[00:26:16] in our church
[00:26:18] attend our weekly gathering,
[00:26:20] like engage
[00:26:20] in our weekly gathering
[00:26:22] to learn to worship God,
[00:26:24] to be faithful,
[00:26:25] to just show up.
[00:26:27] I think that's just
[00:26:28] a great step
[00:26:29] in a person's life
[00:26:31] of being a disciple
[00:26:33] of Jesus,
[00:26:33] to be present
[00:26:34] and accounted for
[00:26:35] in the body of Christ.
[00:26:38] I also want people
[00:26:39] to engage
[00:26:40] in a smaller version
[00:26:42] of Christian community.
[00:26:43] So whether that's
[00:26:44] a life group
[00:26:45] or a discipleship group
[00:26:46] or a growth group
[00:26:48] or some kind
[00:26:48] of smaller study
[00:26:49] or a house church
[00:26:50] or something totally off
[00:26:51] the Calvary-Monterey grid,
[00:26:53] I just want Christians
[00:26:54] to be in relationships
[00:26:56] with other believers
[00:26:57] in smaller settings
[00:26:59] because the large gathering
[00:27:00] can't cut it
[00:27:01] and we need to do
[00:27:02] the Christian life together.
[00:27:05] After that,
[00:27:07] my prayer is that
[00:27:08] each person
[00:27:09] in our church
[00:27:11] will become spiritually,
[00:27:13] emotionally,
[00:27:13] and physically healthy enough
[00:27:16] to serve in some way
[00:27:18] in the church
[00:27:19] and financially support
[00:27:22] the work of the church here
[00:27:24] to some degree.
[00:27:26] I believe that this combination
[00:27:28] of worship
[00:27:29] and community
[00:27:31] and service
[00:27:33] and generosity
[00:27:34] or giving
[00:27:37] creates the environment
[00:27:39] for a robust
[00:27:41] and healthy believer
[00:27:43] to mature
[00:27:44] and continue
[00:27:44] to grow
[00:27:45] in Christ.
[00:27:47] And when it comes
[00:27:48] to a church
[00:27:49] partnering together,
[00:27:50] generosity
[00:27:51] is a huge part
[00:27:52] of that partnership.
[00:27:54] And I want you
[00:27:55] to see four ways
[00:27:56] that Paul thought
[00:27:57] of their financial
[00:27:58] partnership
[00:27:59] with him.
[00:28:00] Number one,
[00:28:02] Paul thought
[00:28:03] of their financial support
[00:28:05] as gospel partnership
[00:28:07] in verse 15.
[00:28:08] He said that
[00:28:09] from the beginning
[00:28:10] of the gospel,
[00:28:13] they'd been the only church
[00:28:14] to have partnered
[00:28:15] with him
[00:28:16] in the work.
[00:28:18] This is important.
[00:28:19] They were,
[00:28:21] in other words,
[00:28:21] to view
[00:28:22] what they were doing
[00:28:23] with Paul
[00:28:24] as they sent aid
[00:28:25] his way
[00:28:25] as a way
[00:28:28] to use
[00:28:29] their resources
[00:28:30] to expand
[00:28:31] the gospel
[00:28:32] and the knowledge
[00:28:34] of the gospel
[00:28:35] throughout the world.
[00:28:36] They were taking
[00:28:37] their earthly resources
[00:28:39] and using them
[00:28:40] in the most
[00:28:41] important ways
[00:28:42] they could.
[00:28:43] I mean,
[00:28:44] using money
[00:28:44] for food
[00:28:45] and using money
[00:28:46] for shelter
[00:28:46] is intensely
[00:28:48] important
[00:28:48] for human life
[00:28:49] and flourishing,
[00:28:50] but man does not live
[00:28:52] by bread alone.
[00:28:53] At the core
[00:28:53] of every human being
[00:28:54] as a soul
[00:28:55] that is in need
[00:28:57] of reconnection
[00:28:58] to the living God.
[00:29:00] And as the Philippians
[00:29:01] invested in Paul's work,
[00:29:03] it meant people
[00:29:04] who had never heard
[00:29:05] of Jesus
[00:29:05] and people
[00:29:06] who were already
[00:29:07] believers
[00:29:08] would be strengthened
[00:29:09] as he proclaimed
[00:29:10] the gospel.
[00:29:11] So that's one part
[00:29:12] of financial giving
[00:29:13] is to see it as
[00:29:14] this is for gospel work.
[00:29:17] Second,
[00:29:18] though,
[00:29:19] I want you to see
[00:29:19] how Paul
[00:29:20] was not consumed
[00:29:21] with acquiring
[00:29:22] their financial support.
[00:29:23] But what he really wanted,
[00:29:25] he said in verse 17,
[00:29:27] is the fruit
[00:29:28] that was going to come
[00:29:29] from their financial support.
[00:29:31] He said,
[00:29:32] not that I seek
[00:29:33] the gift
[00:29:34] in verse 17,
[00:29:35] but the fruit
[00:29:37] that increases
[00:29:38] to your credit.
[00:29:41] Jesus said it like this
[00:29:43] in Luke chapter 16.
[00:29:44] He said,
[00:29:45] use your worldly resources
[00:29:47] to benefit others
[00:29:49] and make friends.
[00:29:51] Then,
[00:29:52] when your possessions
[00:29:53] are gone,
[00:29:55] they will welcome you
[00:29:56] to an eternal home.
[00:29:59] What Jesus is saying here
[00:30:00] is that
[00:30:01] there are ways
[00:30:03] we can convert
[00:30:04] our hard-earned cash
[00:30:06] into eternal life
[00:30:08] for other people.
[00:30:09] It's like the ultimate
[00:30:10] money laundering scheme
[00:30:12] according to Jesus.
[00:30:14] So,
[00:30:15] like,
[00:30:15] let me give you
[00:30:16] an example.
[00:30:16] Let's take our youth ministry
[00:30:18] as an example.
[00:30:19] We have hired
[00:30:20] two great young men
[00:30:22] who are leading
[00:30:23] our youth ministries
[00:30:24] right now.
[00:30:26] Our youth ministry
[00:30:27] is filled with kids
[00:30:28] from this church
[00:30:29] and filled with kids
[00:30:31] from other churches
[00:30:32] who can't afford
[00:30:33] to have youth pastors.
[00:30:36] A lot of you
[00:30:37] have no direct,
[00:30:39] your life
[00:30:41] is not directed,
[00:30:42] impacted directly
[00:30:43] by that presence
[00:30:45] of a healthy youth ministry.
[00:30:48] And as you give,
[00:30:49] there's no direct,
[00:30:50] you know,
[00:30:51] coming right back
[00:30:51] into your life,
[00:30:52] you know,
[00:30:53] kind of thing
[00:30:53] that will occur.
[00:30:55] But as these guys
[00:30:57] are making disciples,
[00:30:58] as they're leading teams,
[00:31:00] as they're leading
[00:31:01] the kids in worship,
[00:31:02] as they're pointing them
[00:31:03] to Christ,
[00:31:04] as they're answering
[00:31:04] their hard
[00:31:05] and difficult questions,
[00:31:06] as they're doing
[00:31:07] that work,
[00:31:08] there is some kind
[00:31:10] of divine,
[00:31:11] heavenly accounting
[00:31:12] going on
[00:31:13] where Jesus says
[00:31:14] what happens is
[00:31:14] you've taken
[00:31:15] your resources,
[00:31:16] you've used them
[00:31:17] in this way,
[00:31:18] and one day
[00:31:19] those resources,
[00:31:21] because they've made
[00:31:22] eternal life,
[00:31:23] those eternal lives
[00:31:24] will welcome you
[00:31:26] into glory.
[00:31:28] So some,
[00:31:29] you know,
[00:31:29] little middle school kid
[00:31:31] who's like,
[00:31:31] man,
[00:31:31] at the worst time
[00:31:32] of my life,
[00:31:34] Austin was there
[00:31:35] for me
[00:31:36] and he preached
[00:31:37] to me
[00:31:37] and he comforted
[00:31:38] me
[00:31:38] and he helped
[00:31:38] me
[00:31:38] and he encouraged
[00:31:39] me,
[00:31:40] and then you
[00:31:41] come to heaven
[00:31:42] and you're like,
[00:31:42] I never met you
[00:31:43] in my life,
[00:31:45] but there's some
[00:31:46] accounting that's done
[00:31:47] where it's,
[00:31:48] yeah,
[00:31:48] but when you gave,
[00:31:50] it supported that
[00:31:52] and this was the work
[00:31:53] that was accomplished.
[00:31:56] Paul is saying,
[00:31:56] I seek the gift,
[00:31:58] not the gift,
[00:31:59] but the fruit
[00:31:59] that increases
[00:32:00] to your credit.
[00:32:01] The third thing
[00:32:01] I want you to see
[00:32:02] is that Paul thought
[00:32:03] of their financial support
[00:32:04] as worship.
[00:32:06] Look at verse 18.
[00:32:07] He called it
[00:32:08] a fragrant offering,
[00:32:09] a sacrifice acceptable
[00:32:11] and pleasing to God.
[00:32:12] This is such
[00:32:13] Old Testament
[00:32:14] worship language.
[00:32:16] You know,
[00:32:16] they would offer
[00:32:17] these sacrifices
[00:32:18] to God,
[00:32:19] literal sacrifices,
[00:32:21] burning these sacrifices.
[00:32:22] The smoke would rise
[00:32:23] and it would often say
[00:32:25] throughout the Old Testament
[00:32:26] it was an aroma
[00:32:27] pleasing to the Lord.
[00:32:30] Paul is using
[00:32:31] that terminology here
[00:32:32] and he's saying
[00:32:32] when we're giving,
[00:32:34] it's meant to be
[00:32:35] as worship unto God.
[00:32:36] Pastor Riley led us
[00:32:37] in that way
[00:32:38] this morning.
[00:32:39] We try to do that.
[00:32:40] This is the reason
[00:32:41] why at the end
[00:32:42] of our musical worship
[00:32:43] we commit our tithes
[00:32:46] and offerings
[00:32:46] to God together
[00:32:48] as a church
[00:32:48] because we believe
[00:32:49] that it is
[00:32:50] the pinnacle
[00:32:51] of worship.
[00:32:52] It's like us
[00:32:53] climbing on the altar
[00:32:54] ourselves
[00:32:55] and saying,
[00:32:56] God,
[00:32:56] we want to worship you
[00:32:57] by giving our lives
[00:32:58] to you
[00:32:59] and we're showing you
[00:33:01] that through
[00:33:04] financial generosity
[00:33:05] to you.
[00:33:07] And then,
[00:33:08] fourthly,
[00:33:08] Paul thought
[00:33:09] of their financial support
[00:33:11] as a way for them
[00:33:12] to look
[00:33:13] to God's provision
[00:33:14] for their lives.
[00:33:16] Notice that Paul
[00:33:17] in verse 19
[00:33:18] said,
[00:33:19] as a result
[00:33:19] of their generosity
[00:33:20] and my God
[00:33:22] will supply
[00:33:22] every need
[00:33:24] of yours
[00:33:25] according to
[00:33:26] his riches
[00:33:27] in glory
[00:33:28] in Christ Jesus.
[00:33:30] I want to be quick
[00:33:31] to say,
[00:33:31] Paul did not say
[00:33:32] this to every Christian.
[00:33:34] He is saying this
[00:33:35] to a specific group
[00:33:37] of people,
[00:33:38] believers who had
[00:33:39] partnered together
[00:33:40] with him financially.
[00:33:41] He's saying,
[00:33:42] I am never going
[00:33:44] to repay you.
[00:33:45] I am not meant
[00:33:46] to repay you.
[00:33:48] I have a job to do
[00:33:49] but God
[00:33:50] will provide
[00:33:51] for your every need.
[00:33:53] Every material
[00:33:54] thing you need,
[00:33:55] every spiritual
[00:33:55] thing you require,
[00:33:56] God is ready
[00:33:57] to grant.
[00:33:58] He's going
[00:33:58] to reciprocate
[00:34:00] with you.
[00:34:02] You've met
[00:34:02] my needs,
[00:34:03] Paul is saying,
[00:34:04] and now God
[00:34:05] will meet
[00:34:06] your needs.
[00:34:07] And financial
[00:34:08] investment
[00:34:09] and gospel work
[00:34:10] is a way
[00:34:11] for us
[00:34:11] to express
[00:34:12] our dependence
[00:34:12] on the living God.
[00:34:13] God,
[00:34:14] I need you
[00:34:14] to provide
[00:34:15] for my every need.
[00:34:17] I could have used
[00:34:17] that,
[00:34:18] that I just gave away
[00:34:20] but I'm trusting
[00:34:21] that you are going
[00:34:23] to supply for me
[00:34:24] and God has thousands
[00:34:25] of ways
[00:34:26] to do that
[00:34:27] in our lives.
[00:34:28] I think,
[00:34:28] I've shared this story
[00:34:29] so many times
[00:34:30] but it's a fun one
[00:34:31] to tell.
[00:34:31] When I was just
[00:34:32] 19 or 20 years old
[00:34:34] and I was just getting
[00:34:35] started in ministry,
[00:34:37] I started interning
[00:34:39] here at the church
[00:34:40] and I was working
[00:34:41] seven days a week
[00:34:43] and I was making
[00:34:43] $500 a month
[00:34:45] which back in 1999
[00:34:46] was like $100,000.
[00:34:48] So, you know,
[00:34:49] it was pretty good
[00:34:49] but, you know,
[00:34:51] it's like I just,
[00:34:52] I had a little
[00:34:54] hoopty 1983 Volvo
[00:34:56] and one day
[00:34:57] I had some car problems
[00:34:59] and I'm like,
[00:35:00] okay,
[00:35:01] I took it into the mechanic
[00:35:02] and the whole job
[00:35:03] was going to cost
[00:35:04] five or $600
[00:35:05] to, you know,
[00:35:06] fix this thing.
[00:35:07] I'm like,
[00:35:07] that's like a month
[00:35:10] of salary for me.
[00:35:11] I don't know how
[00:35:11] I'm going to be able
[00:35:12] to do this.
[00:35:13] You know,
[00:35:13] I needed a car
[00:35:14] and I'm just praying.
[00:35:15] I had,
[00:35:16] from the very beginning
[00:35:16] of my Christian life,
[00:35:18] I'd seen my parents
[00:35:20] regularly,
[00:35:21] faithfully give
[00:35:22] and I just adopted
[00:35:23] that into my life
[00:35:24] so the first time
[00:35:25] I started making
[00:35:25] a paycheck
[00:35:26] as a Christian young man
[00:35:27] I just started
[00:35:28] giving a tenth
[00:35:29] to my home church
[00:35:30] and I'm just like
[00:35:31] doing that
[00:35:32] and I'm like,
[00:35:32] okay,
[00:35:33] Lord,
[00:35:33] this is difficult
[00:35:33] but I'm trusting you.
[00:35:36] I don't know
[00:35:36] how I'm going to
[00:35:37] pay for this
[00:35:38] but the mechanic
[00:35:39] told me
[00:35:40] because it was like
[00:35:40] a catalytic converter thing
[00:35:42] so he's like,
[00:35:43] well,
[00:35:43] you know,
[00:35:43] like if you get down there
[00:35:44] and like you cut
[00:35:45] the thing out for me
[00:35:47] and like do some
[00:35:48] of the labor
[00:35:49] I could like knock
[00:35:50] some of the price off
[00:35:51] so I found like a friend
[00:35:52] who had like a sawzall
[00:35:54] or something
[00:35:54] and we like jacked up
[00:35:55] the car
[00:35:56] and we're like cutting out
[00:35:57] the catalytic converter
[00:35:58] and like ordered
[00:35:59] the new one,
[00:36:00] you know,
[00:36:01] and like brought it in
[00:36:03] to him
[00:36:03] and I'm like,
[00:36:04] but still,
[00:36:04] this is going to be
[00:36:05] like 350 bucks
[00:36:06] even though I've done
[00:36:07] all that.
[00:36:07] I'm like,
[00:36:08] I don't know
[00:36:08] but I got to do this
[00:36:10] and so I'm in there
[00:36:11] and I come back
[00:36:12] and he's like,
[00:36:13] hey,
[00:36:13] it's ready.
[00:36:14] I come in,
[00:36:14] he comes out,
[00:36:15] he's like,
[00:36:15] hey,
[00:36:16] but I got bad news
[00:36:18] and I'm like,
[00:36:19] okay,
[00:36:19] what's the bad news?
[00:36:20] He said,
[00:36:20] well,
[00:36:20] your car was finished
[00:36:22] and she was just
[00:36:23] sitting out here
[00:36:23] in the parking lot
[00:36:24] and one of my mechanics
[00:36:26] backed a car
[00:36:27] out of the garage
[00:36:29] and it nicked your car
[00:36:31] than the front fender
[00:36:32] and keep in mind,
[00:36:34] this was like
[00:36:34] the hoopty of all hoopties
[00:36:36] so I'm like looking around
[00:36:37] and I'm like,
[00:36:37] where,
[00:36:38] where,
[00:36:38] where,
[00:36:39] you know?
[00:36:40] He's like,
[00:36:40] right here,
[00:36:41] you know,
[00:36:41] so he's like,
[00:36:42] what I want you to do
[00:36:43] is I want you to go
[00:36:43] around the corner,
[00:36:44] there's an auto body shop
[00:36:45] and I trust these guys,
[00:36:47] I want you to get a quote
[00:36:48] for how much it would cost
[00:36:49] to fix it,
[00:36:50] to make it right.
[00:36:51] Come on back
[00:36:52] and I'll give you that amount
[00:36:54] and I'm going to give you
[00:36:55] this job for free
[00:36:56] so I went around the corner,
[00:36:58] they said it'll cost $500
[00:37:00] to fix this.
[00:37:01] I went back,
[00:37:02] he paid me $500,
[00:37:03] gave me the whole thing
[00:37:04] for free,
[00:37:05] it was a net gain,
[00:37:06] it was just great
[00:37:09] and it was just like
[00:37:10] a little moment
[00:37:11] for me to learn
[00:37:12] as just a young man
[00:37:13] and my God
[00:37:16] will supply
[00:37:17] all of your needs
[00:37:19] according to his riches
[00:37:20] and glory.
[00:37:21] Just stay faithful,
[00:37:23] do what you're called
[00:37:23] to do
[00:37:24] and he is going
[00:37:25] to provide
[00:37:26] and care
[00:37:27] for your needs.
[00:37:29] So with these perspectives
[00:37:30] in mind,
[00:37:30] I think here's some ways
[00:37:32] to practice this brand
[00:37:33] of generosity.
[00:37:34] I think we want to develop
[00:37:35] a gospel partnership mindset.
[00:37:38] Any church you're part of,
[00:37:39] whether it's this one
[00:37:40] or at future times
[00:37:42] in your life
[00:37:42] when you're part
[00:37:43] of another church,
[00:37:44] be thinking of your giving
[00:37:46] as gospel focused.
[00:37:50] Reflect on
[00:37:50] and celebrate fruit.
[00:37:53] You know,
[00:37:54] you'll probably have
[00:37:54] a hard time
[00:37:55] drawing a direct line
[00:37:56] between your giving
[00:37:57] and the fruit
[00:37:59] but God is able
[00:38:00] to do that
[00:38:00] as I've already talked about
[00:38:01] so use your imagination
[00:38:03] for instance.
[00:38:04] Like for instance,
[00:38:04] this last week
[00:38:06] I was able to,
[00:38:07] Pastor Mike asked me
[00:38:08] to come out
[00:38:08] to regeneration
[00:38:09] and it's just beautiful
[00:38:10] what God is doing
[00:38:11] on Monday nights.
[00:38:12] It's just an incredible
[00:38:13] environment,
[00:38:14] very Jesus-y,
[00:38:15] very New Testament
[00:38:17] and we were worshiping
[00:38:19] together,
[00:38:19] praying,
[00:38:20] you know,
[00:38:20] and God was just
[00:38:21] doing work.
[00:38:23] You have no way
[00:38:24] of knowing
[00:38:24] whether like
[00:38:25] one of your dollars
[00:38:26] was paying
[00:38:27] for the kilowatts
[00:38:28] of energy
[00:38:29] that was powering
[00:38:30] the building
[00:38:31] at that time
[00:38:32] making a difference
[00:38:33] in someone's life
[00:38:33] but just use your imagination
[00:38:35] in that kind of way.
[00:38:37] You know,
[00:38:38] we're about to build
[00:38:38] like a new playground
[00:38:39] down here.
[00:38:40] We're not raising money
[00:38:41] for it.
[00:38:41] We're paying for it.
[00:38:43] The money has been raised
[00:38:44] but we're putting
[00:38:45] a new little playground
[00:38:46] down here
[00:38:46] and I'm fully convinced
[00:38:48] that there's going
[00:38:49] to be like
[00:38:49] little connections
[00:38:51] that little kids make
[00:38:52] that turn into
[00:38:53] lifelong friendships
[00:38:54] that turn into
[00:38:55] gospel partnerships
[00:38:56] in the future.
[00:38:58] You know,
[00:38:58] someone else,
[00:38:59] their age
[00:38:59] that's going
[00:39:00] to support them
[00:39:00] in Christ
[00:39:01] in the years
[00:39:02] to come.
[00:39:03] You know,
[00:39:04] so just be thinking
[00:39:05] about it
[00:39:06] like that.
[00:39:07] You know,
[00:39:07] like the chairs
[00:39:09] that people are sitting
[00:39:10] in right now.
[00:39:11] Like God is working
[00:39:11] in people's lives
[00:39:12] as they're seated
[00:39:13] in these chairs.
[00:39:14] Someone,
[00:39:14] it might have been you,
[00:39:15] bought that chair.
[00:39:17] You know,
[00:39:18] so to be thinking
[00:39:18] in that way
[00:39:19] I think is good.
[00:39:20] Reflect on
[00:39:20] and celebrate fruit
[00:39:21] and then shift
[00:39:22] from obligation
[00:39:23] to worship.
[00:39:25] Reframe your giving
[00:39:26] as an act of worship
[00:39:28] and praise to God.
[00:39:29] You know,
[00:39:29] before you give,
[00:39:31] pray over your gift.
[00:39:32] Ask God
[00:39:33] to use it
[00:39:33] for his glory
[00:39:34] and trust
[00:39:36] in God's provision.
[00:39:39] Make your generosity
[00:39:40] an expression
[00:39:41] of your faith
[00:39:42] in God.
[00:39:43] God,
[00:39:44] I'm trusting you
[00:39:44] to provide
[00:39:45] for my needs
[00:39:46] and then stop
[00:39:47] and consider
[00:39:48] how he has done that.
[00:39:50] Okay,
[00:39:50] I want to wrap up today,
[00:39:51] like I said,
[00:39:52] with just a short
[00:39:53] little point
[00:39:53] about healthy relationships
[00:39:55] because they had contentment,
[00:39:56] they had generosity,
[00:39:58] but they had healthy relationships.
[00:39:59] We'll conclude the letter
[00:40:01] by reading
[00:40:01] the last four verses.
[00:40:02] He says,
[00:40:03] in verse 22,
[00:40:04] our God and Father,
[00:40:05] be glory forever
[00:40:06] and ever.
[00:40:07] Amen.
[00:40:07] Greet every saint
[00:40:08] in Christ Jesus.
[00:40:09] The brothers
[00:40:10] who are with me
[00:40:10] greet you.
[00:40:11] All the saints
[00:40:12] greet you,
[00:40:13] especially those
[00:40:13] of Caesar's household.
[00:40:14] The grace
[00:40:16] of the Lord
[00:40:17] Jesus Christ
[00:40:19] be with your spirit.
[00:40:20] This is a typical
[00:40:22] conclusion from Paul
[00:40:23] in a lot
[00:40:24] of his letters.
[00:40:25] He gives some
[00:40:27] greetings to the church
[00:40:28] and some blessings
[00:40:29] from God.
[00:40:30] Maybe a unique thing
[00:40:31] about his greetings
[00:40:32] here is that he talks
[00:40:33] about people
[00:40:34] from Caesar's household
[00:40:36] greeting the church.
[00:40:37] So that helps us know
[00:40:38] that while Paul
[00:40:38] was there in Rome,
[00:40:39] he's reaching
[00:40:41] people in the echelons
[00:40:43] of,
[00:40:43] the upper echelons
[00:40:44] of Caesar's,
[00:40:46] you know,
[00:40:47] government,
[00:40:47] including his own household
[00:40:49] who have given
[00:40:50] their lives to Jesus.
[00:40:51] And his blessing
[00:40:53] that he gives
[00:40:53] is special
[00:40:54] because a lot
[00:40:56] of times
[00:40:56] in his blessing
[00:40:58] at the end
[00:40:59] of his letters
[00:40:59] he'll talk about
[00:41:00] the whole trinity,
[00:41:01] the Father,
[00:41:02] the Spirit,
[00:41:02] and the Son.
[00:41:04] But here
[00:41:05] he talks about
[00:41:06] the Father,
[00:41:06] he talks about
[00:41:07] the Son,
[00:41:08] but he doesn't
[00:41:10] mention the Spirit
[00:41:10] directly.
[00:41:12] But in his other
[00:41:13] letters when he's
[00:41:14] closing,
[00:41:15] he'll talk about
[00:41:15] the fellowship
[00:41:16] of the Spirit
[00:41:16] and you do see
[00:41:17] the fellowship
[00:41:18] of the Spirit
[00:41:19] even though
[00:41:19] the Spirit
[00:41:19] isn't mentioned
[00:41:20] here at the close
[00:41:21] of his letter.
[00:41:22] All these relational
[00:41:23] dynamics,
[00:41:23] greetings,
[00:41:24] blessings,
[00:41:25] saints,
[00:41:25] brothers,
[00:41:26] it's like a family
[00:41:26] thing.
[00:41:27] So here's how
[00:41:28] I want to end
[00:41:28] this letter.
[00:41:29] I want to point out
[00:41:30] that a third facet
[00:41:32] of the way Paul
[00:41:32] and the Philippians
[00:41:33] partnered together
[00:41:34] is that they had
[00:41:35] an extremely
[00:41:36] healthy relationship.
[00:41:39] And we see this
[00:41:40] at the end
[00:41:40] of this letter.
[00:41:41] In the first century,
[00:41:44] the giving
[00:41:45] and receiving
[00:41:46] of gifts
[00:41:47] had a deeply
[00:41:48] embedded social
[00:41:50] expectation
[00:41:50] attached to them.
[00:41:51] There were assumptions.
[00:41:53] And what this
[00:41:53] led to
[00:41:54] was a lot of times
[00:41:55] this hierarchical
[00:41:56] system
[00:41:56] called the
[00:41:58] patron-client
[00:41:59] relationship.
[00:42:01] The patron-client
[00:42:03] relationship.
[00:42:04] In the patron-client
[00:42:05] relationship,
[00:42:06] there was the
[00:42:07] benefactor,
[00:42:08] the one giving,
[00:42:09] and the benefactee,
[00:42:10] the one receiving.
[00:42:11] And the benefactee
[00:42:13] was expected
[00:42:14] to be of service
[00:42:15] to the benefactor
[00:42:18] and show gratitude
[00:42:19] to them,
[00:42:20] loyalty to them,
[00:42:21] and often publicly
[00:42:22] acknowledge
[00:42:23] the patron's
[00:42:25] generosity.
[00:42:26] And what I want
[00:42:27] you to see
[00:42:27] is that Paul
[00:42:28] was careful
[00:42:29] through this whole
[00:42:30] close,
[00:42:30] verse 10 to 23,
[00:42:31] he's careful
[00:42:32] in this whole
[00:42:32] close
[00:42:33] to avoid
[00:42:34] that system
[00:42:35] at all costs.
[00:42:38] He wants to have
[00:42:39] nothing to do
[00:42:39] with it.
[00:42:40] Not because he's
[00:42:41] too proud
[00:42:41] to be thankful,
[00:42:43] but because
[00:42:43] he needed
[00:42:44] to view himself
[00:42:45] not as in debt
[00:42:47] to the Philippians,
[00:42:48] but as in debt
[00:42:49] to Christ.
[00:42:50] It would make him
[00:42:51] better at his job,
[00:42:52] and he needed
[00:42:53] them to find
[00:42:54] their motivation,
[00:42:56] not for some
[00:42:57] public acknowledgement
[00:42:58] or being known
[00:42:59] as generous people
[00:43:01] who do generous
[00:43:02] things,
[00:43:03] but as worship
[00:43:05] to their Lord.
[00:43:07] God
[00:43:09] for these reasons,
[00:43:14] Paul went out
[00:43:15] of his way
[00:43:15] to declare
[00:43:16] their gift giving
[00:43:17] as a simple sign
[00:43:18] of partnership
[00:43:19] in the gospel.
[00:43:21] In fact,
[00:43:22] look for the word
[00:43:23] thanks.
[00:43:24] You won't find it.
[00:43:26] He highlights,
[00:43:28] he's like,
[00:43:28] I rejoice
[00:43:29] over your gift.
[00:43:30] Your gift
[00:43:31] was super kind,
[00:43:32] but all his
[00:43:34] gratitude
[00:43:34] is reserved
[00:43:36] for God.
[00:43:37] It's pointed
[00:43:37] in God's direction.
[00:43:39] He does not
[00:43:40] owe them,
[00:43:41] they do not
[00:43:41] owe him.
[00:43:42] They're both
[00:43:42] pursuing the Lord
[00:43:43] and responding
[00:43:44] to his leading
[00:43:45] in their lives.
[00:43:46] I think what you
[00:43:47] have here
[00:43:47] is a relational
[00:43:48] triangle,
[00:43:49] and I made you
[00:43:50] a little graph
[00:43:50] to demonstrate
[00:43:51] this to you.
[00:43:53] That's what you
[00:43:53] have here.
[00:43:54] It's a healthy
[00:43:55] relational triangle.
[00:43:56] The top
[00:43:57] is God.
[00:43:58] Well,
[00:43:59] the other two
[00:43:59] points are occupied
[00:44:00] by Paul
[00:44:01] and the Philippians.
[00:44:01] Both of them
[00:44:02] point themselves
[00:44:03] towards God,
[00:44:04] and when the
[00:44:05] Philippian support
[00:44:05] came Paul's
[00:44:06] way,
[00:44:07] he looks to
[00:44:08] God.
[00:44:09] Thank you.
[00:44:10] Thank you
[00:44:11] for what you
[00:44:11] have provided.
[00:44:13] This lack
[00:44:14] of co-dependency
[00:44:16] made him
[00:44:17] so much better
[00:44:18] for the Philippians
[00:44:19] and a better
[00:44:19] ambassador
[00:44:20] of the gospel
[00:44:21] for our world.
[00:44:22] And by the way,
[00:44:23] I think this
[00:44:24] relational triangle,
[00:44:25] it's one that
[00:44:26] we should be
[00:44:28] practicing in a
[00:44:28] lot of our
[00:44:29] relationships.
[00:44:30] Not just our
[00:44:31] gospel partnership,
[00:44:33] but a lot of
[00:44:34] our relationships.
[00:44:35] I want to say
[00:44:36] to the husbands
[00:44:37] of the church
[00:44:38] right now,
[00:44:38] if you are
[00:44:39] leading your
[00:44:40] wife into
[00:44:41] a transactional
[00:44:43] kind of relationship,
[00:44:44] you are in
[00:44:45] error.
[00:44:46] You want to be
[00:44:47] a sacrificial
[00:44:48] man who lays
[00:44:49] down your life
[00:44:49] and is not
[00:44:50] counting,
[00:44:50] I did this,
[00:44:52] so now
[00:44:52] you owe
[00:44:52] me.
[00:44:53] You need
[00:44:54] to be saying,
[00:44:54] I'm doing
[00:44:55] this for the
[00:44:55] Lord.
[00:44:56] I want to
[00:44:57] be a blessing
[00:44:57] in your life.
[00:44:58] I want to
[00:44:59] lay down
[00:44:59] my life
[00:45:00] as Christ
[00:45:01] laid down
[00:45:01] his life
[00:45:02] for the
[00:45:03] church.
[00:45:03] But this
[00:45:03] kind of
[00:45:04] relational
[00:45:04] triangle
[00:45:05] is so
[00:45:06] healthy
[00:45:07] for us
[00:45:07] to practice.
[00:45:09] Okay,
[00:45:09] so
[00:45:11] relational
[00:45:11] health.
[00:45:12] My hope
[00:45:13] for this
[00:45:13] study of
[00:45:14] Philippians
[00:45:14] is that
[00:45:16] the joy
[00:45:17] that Paul
[00:45:17] had
[00:45:22] mission.
[00:45:22] So as we
[00:45:22] stay on
[00:45:23] mission
[00:45:23] as a
[00:45:23] church,
[00:45:24] I think
[00:45:24] we'll
[00:45:24] partake
[00:45:25] of this
[00:45:26] joy.
[00:45:26] When we
[00:45:27] live as an
[00:45:28] advancing
[00:45:28] gospel
[00:45:29] community,
[00:45:30] our churches
[00:45:30] become more
[00:45:31] joyful and
[00:45:32] uplifting.
[00:45:33] They'll never
[00:45:34] be perfect.
[00:45:35] Our churches
[00:45:35] will never
[00:45:36] be perfect.
[00:45:36] Our church
[00:45:36] will never
[00:45:37] be perfect.
[00:45:38] I expect
[00:45:38] a hundred
[00:45:39] out of a
[00:45:40] hundred
[00:45:40] committed
[00:45:41] believers to
[00:45:42] experience
[00:45:42] church hurt
[00:45:43] at some
[00:45:44] point in
[00:45:44] their lives.
[00:45:46] But at
[00:45:47] least a
[00:45:47] church like
[00:45:48] this is on
[00:45:48] mission.
[00:45:49] When a
[00:45:50] church resists
[00:45:51] the desire
[00:45:52] to turn
[00:45:53] completely
[00:45:54] inward on
[00:45:54] itself,
[00:45:55] when a
[00:45:55] group of
[00:45:56] believers
[00:45:56] insist on
[00:45:58] orienting
[00:45:58] their lives
[00:45:59] towards others
[00:46:00] rather than
[00:46:00] themselves,
[00:46:01] and when we
[00:46:01] persist in
[00:46:02] taking up the
[00:46:03] mind of
[00:46:03] Christ and
[00:46:05] serve one
[00:46:05] another in
[00:46:06] our world,
[00:46:06] the gospel
[00:46:07] advances and
[00:46:08] we have
[00:46:09] joy.
[00:46:10] So let's
[00:46:11] commit to
[00:46:11] that as a
[00:46:12] church to
[00:46:13] be an
[00:46:13] advancing
[00:46:13] gospel
[00:46:15] community
[00:46:15] together.
[00:46:16] Amen.