Preached Sunday, October 28, 2012 from Philippians 4:18-20
Theme: A good earthly gift—given in Christ’s love—results in heavenly blessings.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
As followers of Jesus Christ, one of the most practical blessings of our Christian faith is that it brings an eternal perspective to everything that we do.
If, by faith in Christ, we are now saved by God’s grace through Jesus and are destined to share forever in His eternal glory; and if we are now the children of a loving heavenly Father who is our great Provider; and if the Holy Spirit now dwells in us to guide our steps according to the word of Scripture, and to empower us for all that God calls us to do, then it follows that there is literally nothing in our lives that can ever be considered ‘mundane’.
That word ‘mundane’, by the way, comes from the Latin word for “world”; and it refers to things that are merely of this world—strictly earthly affairs and earthly concerns. For us who are in Christ, there really isn’t any such thing as ‘mundane’ anymore. For us, everything now bears the color and flavor of heavenly realities. Even the seemingly ‘common’ and ‘earthly’ things that others do and concern themselves with—the ‘mundane’ matters of life—now have, for us, a heavenly significance; and should be viewed from an eternal perspective.
Take what the apostle Paul writes in this morning’s passage as an example. He had been placed in a Roman prison for preaching the message of the gospel. Speaking strictly from an earthly perspective, he was in very dire straits. But his dear believing brothers and sisters in far-away Philippi had heard about his situation; and in the love of Christ, they gathered a very sacrificial gift together and sent it to support him in his time of need.
Much of the last chapter of his letter to the Philippians involves his ‘thank you’ for this wonderful gift that they sent him. But Paul’s words make clear that he didn’t view this gift in a ‘mundane’ way—as if it were merely given and received with only an earthly realities in view. Instead, he chose to recognize the spiritual realities that were true of this gift; and to highlight the eternal blessedness of it to those who gave it.
And so, in Philippians 4:18-20, we find these words:
Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen (Philippians 4:18-20).
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Now; keep a finger in Philippians 4; but turn your Bible, if you would, to Acts 20. I’d like to show you a remarkable saying from our Lord Jesus that, I believe, expresses the theme of this passage.
Paul was talking to a group of pastors from the city of Ephesus. He was departing from them; and wanted to give them some final instructions. And among the things he told them was this—found at the end of Acts 20:35: “And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'”
We don’t know when the Lord Jesus spoke this saying. It isn’t recorded in any of the Gospels. But we can be absolutely sure that the Holy Spirit has preserved it for us—through the remembrance of Paul—as something that He most certainly said. It has become one of the most beloved and oft-repeated sayings of all time—and yet, very few of the people realize that it was the Lord Jesus who first said it. But what exactly did He mean by it? Did He mean that it is more blessed to give in only a sentimental, earthly sort of way?
Obviously, there are temporal ‘blessings’ that come from giving when viewed with only an earthly perspective. There’s the happiness that it brings to those who receive. There’s a sense of satisfaction that it brings the giver when it actually meets a need. And there’s also the appreciation that it may evoke from others who hear of it. But those ‘temporal’ blessings wear-out and fade away rather quickly. Those words from our Lord can’t be true if they are only viewed in a ‘mundane’, of-this-world-only sense. The phrase ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ can only be true in the sense that our Lord Jesus meant it—and in the way He modeled it—if such giving is done with eternal realities in mind. It’s the heavenly perspective that is ours in Christ that make such giving the eternally ‘blessed’ thing that it is.
And it’s these eternal realities that Paul highlights in our passage this morning. In his ‘thank you’ note, he is showing us that a good earthly gift—given in Christ’s love—truly does result in great heavenly blessings.
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Now; look a little closer at this passage with me; and see how Paul highlights those blessings for us. He begins by showing us that a good gift or a sacrificial act of service—done in Jesus’ name and out of love for Him—is a truly blessed thing because . . .
1. IT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE GOD’S PEOPLE (v. 18a).
The gift that the Philippians gave Paul met his needs wonderfully. In verse 18, he tells the Philippians, “Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you . . .”
Now; as you’ll remember from some of our most recent times together in Philippians, Paul was careful to tell his Philippian brethren that, as much as he appreciated and valued their act of kindness to him, his own sense of satisfaction in Christ didn’t depend on such things. He wasn’t so much concerned about the gift itself as he was the reward they would receive from the Lord for their faithfulness in having given it. In verses 10-17, he wrote;
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account (vv. 10-17).
Paul was a man who was characterized by sincere gratitude. He knew that the gift that the Philippian believers had lovingly sent to him had cost them dearly. And he wanted them to know that the gift had done the job. They needed to know how well the need was met by this gift; and so, he writes to tell them that indeed it was! He even speaks in very assuring terms; that he had “all”, that he “abounded”, and that he was “full”. That must have made them very happy.
One of the lessons I believe we learn from Paul is that we should always be genuinely thankful to people—and to be deliberate in expressing our appreciation to those who served us. It’s a terrible thing to neglect giving thanks to others for the good things they do for us Paul let his Philippian friends know that it was good that they shared in his “distress”, and that it rejoiced his heart to know that their care for him had flourished. He let’s them know that he is now “full”.
But Paul was not the only one who knew about this gift. The Lord Jesus knew about it as well. And what I really believe Paul wanted to impress upon the Philippian believers—far more than how much he appreciated their gift—is that such acts of service to God’s own people are known about and rewarded by God Himself. As Jesus Himself said in Matthew 25:40; “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” And as the writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews 6:10; “For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.”
Obviously, we should serve one another out of a sincere spirit of genuine love—and not merely for how we might think that the Lord would reward us. But it is a part of our eternal perspective to know that the Lord takes notice of such things—and does indeed reward them! This is a great blessing that results from such giving—to know that it actually meets the needs of the saints that the Lord Jesus Himself loves!
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Another reason that such giving results in a great eternal blessing is that . . .
2. IT IS A SACRIFICE WELL-PLEASING TO GOD (v. 18b).
Paul wrote, “I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.” What an amazing way to describe the financial gift that they had sent to him!
When Paul refers to the gift that they sent to him as “a sweet-smelling aroma”, he’s drawing a picture from right out of the Old Testament priesthood. That’s how the offerings that the priests offered-up upon the altar were described. The burnt offering was an offering of complete sacrifice; and Moses described it as “a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD” (Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17). That’s how many of the offerings were described as well—as “an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD.” Paul was telling the Philippians that their sacrificial gift to him was like that burnt offering made upon the altar in the tabernacle of old—something that’s smoke ascended to heaven unto the Lord, that was ‘breathed in’ by Him, and that pleased Him greatly.
Further, Paul called it “an acceptable sacrifice”. In the Old Testament, not all sacrifices that people may have wished to offer to the Lord were acceptable. People couldn’t bring a lame animal or an unclean one. They could not offer an animal for sacrifice that was of no use to them. They couldn’t bring just any old thing to the altar of God that they might wish to bring—or, perhaps more honestly, that they may have wished to get rid of. It had to be a clean animal—an animal that God Himself specified. And it had to be spotless and without blemish. It could not be marred or crippled. And if the offering was a grain offering, it had to be of the best of the harvest; and had to be prepared in accordance with God’s specifications. Paul was telling the Philippians that the gift they sent to him was an offering not made ultimately to him, but rather to God; and that God accepted it! It was something that, perhaps, had cost them greatly; but it was offered with the purest of motives as a genuine act of service to the Lord.
Paul even goes so far as to say that it was “well-pleasing” to the Lord. The act of gathering this collection and sending it to help Paul in his time of trial was to offer a sacrifice to God Himself; and that it was an offering that truly pleased Him! And this reminds me of what the writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews 13;16; “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
That’s yet another reason why giving such a gift is an act that is blessed in an eternal way. It’s because it’s an act of sacred sacrifice to the Lord that is well-pleasing to Him.
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Now; this brings us to verse 19. And what a wonderful verse it is. I read of one Bible teacher who referred to this as the greatest promise in the Bible. The reason he called it the greatest is because all of the other promises of the Bible to God’s people can be summed up in just this one.
Paul told the Philippians, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” All our needs! Think of that! This one promise is like a great container that holds all the other promises that God has ever made to His people.
And this promise highlights to us one more reason why it is that a good gift—given in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ—results in real joy. It’s because it . . .
3. IT LEADS TO FURTHER TRUST IN GOD’S PROVISION (v. 19).
You see; most scholars believe that the reason Paul said this to them was because they had sent to him far more than—humanly speaking—they could afford to give. It’s very possible that they had knowingly placed themselves in a state of need by meeting Paul’s needs.
It’s very reasonable to believe that they would have given far more than they could afford to give, because they had a reputation for doing that sort of thing. Philippi was a leading church in Macedonia. And in 2 Corinthians 8:2-4, Paul wrote this about the churches in Macedonia;
that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints (2 Corinthians 8:2-4).
Paul, apparently, tried to talk them out of this. But he wasn’t able to. They insisted! And what’s more, as he goes on in verse five to write this about the way they gave:
And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God (v. 5).
When God knows that we are truly His, and that we can be trusted to faithfully use the things that He gives us for His glory, then He may well ask us to give much more than we think we can afford to give. From a strictly “worldly” standpoint, it doesn’t seem to make sense. But from a heavenly standpoint—one in which we see ourselves dependent upon, and wonderfully provided for by, a immeasurably rich heavenly Father—then it makes perfect sense.
And this means that we can safely give far more than we think we can. Do you notice what this promise from God says? He doesn’t promise to supply our needs merely “from out of” His riches in glory. He promises to supply our needs “according to” or “in proportion to” His riches in glory. Our own personal needs would have to exceed the infinite riches of God our Father in heavenly glory before He would be unable to meet them. And all of the riches of His kingdom are ours already through His Son Jesus Christ. His supply is infinitely greater than our ability to give!
Jesus once told us, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” (Luke 6:38). And in Luke 12:32, He said,
“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have and give alms; provide for yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:32-34).
Truly, our God shall supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
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So; a good earthly gift—given in Christ’s love—results in several heavenly blessings. It results in the meeting of the needs of the saints in such a way that God promises to reward. It results in a sacrifice that is truly well-pleasing to God. And it results in further trust in the immeasurable supply of our heavenly Father from out of his infinite riches in glory.
And there’s one more blessing . . .
4. IT RESULTS IN GOD RECEIVING THE GLORY (v. 20).
Paul closes his expression of thanks with these words of praise, “Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever.” Paul acknowledges that it was ultimately God the Father Himself who had moved upon the hearts of the Philippians to give as they did, and who supplied them with all that they needed in order to give as He commanded. The Philippians certainly deserved thanks for their obedience to God and for their love to Paul; but Paul reserved his deepest thanks and praise to God Himself, who was the great Author of that gift.
And that is truly a wonderful reason to give or serve the saints in the love of Christ! It results in multiplied praises being offered up to God the Father. I think here of what the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9. He was encouraging the believers in Corinth to send a sacrificial gift to the support of some other believers in need. And he told them something that not only spoke of the praise to God that would result, but also of the other heavenly blessings we’ve already considered. He wrote;
Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:10-15).
Do you see it? It would result in the meeting of the needs of the saints; it would result in a sacrifice that is well-pleasing to God; it would result in further trust in the supply from the Father; it would result in praise and thanks and worship!
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As Paul said, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” That “gift” is, in a very real sense, the wonderful “gift” of being able to give a gift in the name of Christ that results in great eternal blessings. May God help us to see the giving of such a gift from heaven’s perspective—and to truly rejoice in faithfully giving it at God’s call!