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Christ is our sufficiency!
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, God, as I come before your throne this morning, Lord, I just want to thank you and praise you for this time that you have given us thus far. I thank you for the witness of your Holy Spirit, dear God, testifying unto your children whose we are.
And it is my prayer this morning, as I try to preach this morning, my prayer, my request is this, help me to preach the gospel, Lord, and I trust that you are able to do what I'm not able to do, to convince, to convict, to convert, to do anything of that nature, God, but you are.
And I am holding to your word, that you sent your Holy Spirit to convict this world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come, and I ask that you do that today through your word, as we try to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ this morning, for it is in Jesus' name we pray, amen, and amen.
As you're turning to the book of Philippians, chapter 4, this morning, as you're turning, I want to read something from the book of Acts to you. You don't necessarily have to turn there unless you just want to, but concerning Jesus Christ in the book of Acts, in the fourth chapter, the apostle Peter and the apostles are on trial for having healed a man in the temple, and the Bible says in the fourth chapter, their response to being judged for what God had done, they said, if this, if we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by him this man stands before you whole.
This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief corner stone, nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
The only hope that any person has is Jesus Christ, and outside of Jesus Christ, there is no hope. There is nothing, according to the word of God, but a fearful looking for the certain and fiery judgment of a holy God, but thanks be unto God, God sent his son Jesus Christ, so that men might not have to abide under the wrath of God, and live in fear of judgment, but men might have the forgiveness of sins, and men might have the hope of eternal life.
Those two things go hand in hand, and they are all found in Jesus Christ. There is hope, and there is no hope. Either way you look at it, it's in Jesus Christ. And from the word of God in the book of Philippians this morning, we're going to read from verse 10 through verse 23, we'll be finishing out, Lord willing, here in the book of Philippians today, and the theme, if you would have it this morning, is simply this, sufficiency in Jesus Christ.
We're going to look at all of the verses, and we're going to look at some parallel verses in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and 9, but we'll see here throughout this text of scripture, we're going to see some things that stick out to us, but we're going to read and we're going to focus and we're going to consider and think about how Paul closes this letter to the Philippian church.
The Philippian church is a local church in Philippi, there in the larger region of Macedonia. So you'll read and you'll hear references made to Macedonia, just know geographically that is the larger area where Philippi resides within.
And so verse 10 begins like this, Paul said, 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 whatsoever state I am therewith.
To be content.
I know how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I have learned both how to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. And verse 13, he said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
His sufficiency was in Jesus Christ. Verse 14,. 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. Indeed, I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the thing sent from you, a sweet smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.
And verse 19,. And my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus, sufficiency in Jesus Christ. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever.
Amen.
Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar's household. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
It is unmistakable, having read as we have for the past seven months, nearly entirely the last seven months, week by week, going back and forth in this book of Philippians, reading it in your hearing.
Hopefully you've been reading it in your time through the week. But it is unmistakable that Jesus Christ is the central theme in all of this epistle to the Philippian church. And Paul is constantly going back and forth and going back and forth.
And every time he goes back in this text of scripture, he's always going back to Jesus Christ. You have if you are saved today, you have Jesus Christ. He is the chief cornerstone upon which our hope is built.
It's a building not made with hands. It's a building that if the ground quakes, that the building is not going to crumble and going to fall. But it is an eternal foundation. As a matter of fact, it's stated in one of the epistles that we have a sure foundation.
We have a sure foundation and the foundation of God stands sure. Having this seal, the Lord knows them that are his. Are you saved today? How are you born again today? If you are born again by the spirit of God, then my friend, you have been made a new creature in Jesus Christ.
You have not only been given a new life, you have not only been given a new outlook in life because truly this is really what Paul had. It wasn't so much an outlook. You can stand up here on this platform and I can see some of the things that some of you shorter people can't see when you're standing on the ground, right?
It's because of where I'm at, my placement at that particular time, at this particular time. But friends, Jesus Christ gives man not only an outlook that is limited by time and space, but he gives unto us an uplook, an ability to look up unto him from which our head.
It may seem like though we're at the bottom of the totem pole, it may seem like that there's nowhere else to go for him. That is the best news. Truly, truly, truly that we can know that when we are at our very lowest point in life, that the only thing that we can do is look up.
I'm thankful for that today. And so Paul's perspective, Paul's mindset, because he had been saved by the grace of God, it wasn't a mindset. It was an attitude of hopefulness. And that's why we hear Paul continually from the beginning of this epistle to right here at the very end of this epistle to speak about rejoicing.
How in the world can a man who is in prison for the sake of the gospel rejoice? How in the world can a man who had been beaten numerous times, stoned numerous times, left for dead numerous times, say that he has any joy at all because his joy is not of this world, but his joy is in Jesus Christ.
And so verse 10 there picking up, he said, But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly. And he rejoicing here after already reminding the Philippians why he was so thankful for them, why he was so thankful for their fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, as he said, why he had hope because his hope was a steadfast and a sure hope.
And here at the end, he said, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that your care for me has flourished again. And we're going to see something in this last bit of scripture. And I'll be honest with you. This is not one of those parts of scripture, really, that I've really looked.
I'm just going to be completely honest. I look forward to preaching. Because what's addressed in this text of scripture is within the context of the local church, is the responsibility of the believer to give to the work of the ministry.
I'm thankful, though. And I'm going to read you an introduction to a sermon that Charles Spurgeon preached on 2 Corinthians 9. And I just want to tell you this. I am so glad that the Lord ain't limited to time and space like you and I are.
There are men who have stood down through the ages who have wrestled with the same things that this preacher wrestles with. This is what Spurgeon said. He said, I'm most anxious, dear friends, to make full proof of my ministry.
And in this one respect, especially, that I may address you upon all parts of God's word and not be found guilty of confining myself to one set of topics, for certainly this, although it might be pleasant, would not be profitable for you.
I would gladly, if I had my choice, constantly preach upon the doctrine of God's everlasting and unchanging love. I should delight to preach each Sunday and indeed every sermon upon the simple doctrine of the justification of the sinner in the sight of God by faith in Jesus Christ.
He said this, but there are other things in Scripture beside these. All things in Scripture are not placed there for our comfort. All are not promises. All are not words of cheer for feeble minds and disconsolate spirits.
There are other words besides those of consolation. There are words of direction, words of precept. If we should shun these, if these never entered into the course of our ministry at all, some solemn disease might break out among the church because a part of the convenient food for them had been withheld.
Therefore, I thought it best to speak to you upon this subject and all the more because there is no collection. You're not asked to give anything and I shall therefore feel myself the more at liberty to press upon you the instruction of this text.
You will see that my simple object is to bring out the teaching of the word to you and not with any ulterior motive, but purely to promote that result which God himself may intend to work by the words before us.
Words, remember, of undoubted inspiration concerning the Scripture and therefore is worthy of all acceptance as any other sentence from the divine mouth. Anytime that we mention anything about giving within the local church, the first thing that comes to my mind is many of you probably are aware of that's happened for years and years and years and even in the past few weeks.
Preachers will get up and say, please send us your money. We need to get a brand new jet for the ministry. We need to raise fifty three million dollars. And it would be a good idea if you would sow a thousand dollar seed offering to the ministry,.
Right?
It's a little bit exorbitant there, but I like Spurgeon can say that when we get up and we read from the text of Scripture and we have to teach and preach on biblical giving that I am somewhat free because, you know, if you are not aware, you need to know this.
No one gets any money. I don't get to stick my hand in that offering box every week and whatever's in there, pull it out and stuff it in my pocket. What goes into that offering box is what you, the church, give and it pays for where you're sitting right now.
So we don't have to sit out in 85 degree humidity. And so I'm freed up somewhat, but it is nonetheless necessary for you, the church, to hear the truth about the grace of giving and how that we are to give.
And so concerning the sufficiency of Christ and how that relates to our giving, Jesus Christ is our great example for giving. And we're going to read that from the book of Corinthians here in just a moment.
But let's move throughout the text and then we'll get there here in just a moment. Paul said, not that I speak in regard to need, for I've learned in whatever state I am to.
Be content.
So his need, even at the moment of the need, was still not based upon just a momentary discomfort or a momentary displeasure or a momentary lack of something, but everything and always it was in his mind that no matter where he was, no matter what state he was in, he was always looking to Jesus as his sufficiency.
He said in verse 12, I know how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I've learned both to be full and to be hungry, to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
His sufficiency was in Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ is not everything to you, then he is nothing to you. Because if he is not everything and you're still depending upon the arm of your flesh to supply your happiness, to supply your joy, even to supply your needs in life, this is not to say that you ought to lay down and do nothing and expect that the blessings will rain down from heaven, that money will appear in your mailbox miraculously, but that we have a responsibility as believers to be active in the working of God's provisions in our lives because what God gives us to do is a means of his provision for us.
So understanding that Christ being our full sufficiency, Paul said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So he says, Christ is my sufficiency. And then in verse 14, he says, 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. Now, as we turn over to the book of 2 Corinthians, if you would, 2 Corinthians in chapter 8, we'll read a few verses from the 8th chapter there in 2 Corinthians, and then we're going to go over to the next chapter there, chapter 9.
But it's important, again, that we use the scripture as our text, as our context and for our understanding of what biblical giving is. And so the apostle Paul to the church at Corinth is addressing Corinth.
And in chapter 8 and verse 9, he says this, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sakes, he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich. And in this, I give advice, it is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago, but now you also must complete the doing of it.
That is, there was a readiness to desire it. So there also may be a completion of what you have. Verse 12, for if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has and not according to what one does not have.
For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but by an equality that now, excuse me, at this time, your abundance may supply their lack and that their abundance may also supply your lack, that there may be an equality.
Paul is addressing the church at Corinth and he is referencing the giving of the Macedonian church, the people at Philippi. He's referencing them in this and he makes a clear illustration concerning what Jesus Christ did.
Jesus Christ left the glories of heaven, having everything, being there in the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, never having need, never having want, never having lack. And yet through the grace of Almighty God, he gave up everything that he had.
He came into this world, born just as you and I are born into this world through a woman. He lived under the same circumstances that you and I live in this world. He lived with poverty. He lived maybe with some time of abundance.
He lived with joy. He lived with sorrow. He lived with pain. He lived a time without pain. He endured all these things so that he might become the faithful high priest that could only become the sacrifice for our sins, the propitiation for our sins.
And so if we went a little further to the ninth chapter, we'll see there in 2 Corinthians chapter 9, the apostle Paul goes on concerning the ministering to the saints. He says, it is superfluous for me to write to you.
He says, it means it's over necessary for me to write to you. You've heard this time and time again, but nonetheless, I'm writing this to you. He said, for I know your willingness about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago and your zeal has stirred up the majority, yet I have sent the brethren, lest their boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready.
He's saying you need to be prepared and do and follow through with what you say you're going to do and give what you say you are going to give. Many times in our lives, we get on emotional highs. I get there.
I was on an emotional high this morning. We get on emotional highs and sometimes we'll make promises to God. We'll make promises to people. We always need to be, as we're taught in Sunday school, to have a sober mind, to have a sound mind, to make sound and wise decisions and to realize and to understand that sometimes even when we get wound up emotionally, that we need not make promises that we might not ever be able to keep.
And so Paul says you just need to follow through with what you say you are going to do and give what you say you're going to give. And he said this. Lest, verse 4, lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, should be ashamed of this confident boasting.
Paul said, I've been bragging on you all. Therefore, I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised that it may be ready.
Listen, as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation, giving to your local church. And I'm going to make a statement right here. Your giving as a Christian needs to be to the local church first and then to outside ministries, because your local church is where you get fed the word of God.
Your local church is where you come and it makes it possible for folks to even who never have been here before to come in and to hear the message of the gospel preached and proclaimed. It is important.
And so Paul said, I want you to give as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. And so that being said, remembering Christ is our sufficiency in all things, both in lack and in abundance and concerning the fact that Paul says here that you ought to give generously, that you ought not to give grudgingly.
A lot of times we get caught up and we get hung up on the amount or the percentage that we're supposed to give. In the Old Testament, the scriptures taught for God's people that the bare minimum that they were to give was 10 percent the time.
Everybody aware of that?
If you're still awake, say, yes, I'm awake.
All right.
If you're asleep, your silence will tell me where you're at. All right. I know this ain't one of those shouting messages necessarily, but it's needful and it's necessary. 10 percent was the bare minimum in the Old Testament.
But what many folks fail to read, to understand and to know that it wasn't just the tithe, it was the offering. It was the over and the above the tithe that was given. And many times that could have equated to 21, 22, 23 percent.
Now, some would say, well, I can't give 20 percent to the church. Well, my question and I had to face this question myself is this. When you go to a restaurant and you sit down and you eat and you get that little white piece of paper at the end of your meal, that little paper gives you the price of your meal.
And then at the bottom, it says you can either give 15 percent, 18 percent or 20 percent. And why is it that we can give 18 and 20 percent to the people who bring us our food on Sunday afternoon and we cannot give God 20 percent of our possessions?
That is a challenge, folks.
It is necessary. It is necessary that you give. It's necessary that you give not only because we're called to be generous givers, but there needs to be an equality in giving so that the majority of the work is not placed on the few in the church.
You remember the illustration we used years ago? Cameron, yeah, it was Cameron, Carson get up on the table and everybody got around the table and everybody put one finger underneath the table and lifted the whole table up.
And I know Carson, he ain't a heavy dude, but nonetheless, it's hard to pick somebody up that's laid out on a table. But when everybody put their finger under that table and lifted it up in there, it became almost effortless.
And it's the same principle for giving within the local church, that there needs to be an equality of giving and the giving needs to be generously and it doesn't need to be a matter of grudging obligation.
You say, well, preacher, I think you're making it a grudging obligation by preaching this. No, the Word of God is never a grudging obligation. The directive that we get from the Word of God is joy for us.
It is a joy to be able to give to the work of God. Paul went on to say there in verse 6, but this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
So let each one of us give, here it is, as he purposes in his heart. So preacher, are you telling me that I need to give more than 10 I'm telling you, you need to give according as the Lord has blessed you.
If that's more than 10%, hallelujah. If it's less than the bare minimum that God gave to people, I'd say you might need to spend some time in prayer. Simply because we have that standard and we have the grace of God as our example, as our standard for giving and we ought always to look unto the grace of God and not do it grudgingly.
For God loves a cheerful giver. How many of you know somebody? That if they got a $20 bill in their hand and they're handing it to you, you see the tremors start to come on their hand.
And you see them clench up and you try to grab it and it's like there's that two second tug of war there. God wants us to be cheerful givers. My example for me is this. This is how my family, we purpose to give that if we get an opportunity to give, I'm just going to wad it up and throw it at you and smile.
That kind of giving where it's freely done, where you want to be generous and loving and kind about it. God loves a cheerful giver. And verse 8, and God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you having all sufficiency, there it is, all sufficiency in all things may have an abundance for every good work.
He has dispersed abroad. He has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. Verse 10, 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.
That means generous giving. It doesn't mean being a liberal. It means generous giving, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. Paul was telling the Corinthian church that your giving, the giving of the body of Christ is another reason that he has cause to rejoice.
And so he goes on for the administration of this service, this service being the giving of the saints. It not only supplies the needs of the saints. By the way, when you give, you give to pay for our building and the money that is in the account because, let me say how thankful I am for our body.
The money that you give to God's church helps those of you that are here periodically and.
From time to time.
That's what it's for.
That we help one another, that we encourage one another. And so he said this, it supplies the needs of the saints, but also it is abounding through many thanksgivings to God.
Wow.
And here is the strong statement concerning your giving. This is what the apostle Paul said under divine inspiration, while through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ.
Faithfully giving to the local church proves that you are Christ and that you glorify God, not just with your body, not just with your time, but with your possessions. So he said this, the confession to the gospel of Christ and for your liberal sharing with them and all men and by their prayer for you, which long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you, thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.
So the example of giving as a New Testament church ought very much to be giving generously. Don't limit it to just that minor 10%, but consider what God has done and let your giving be in accordance to the grace of God to you.
Closing out here, Philippians, you know also that in the beginning of the gospel, back to Philippians 4, chapter 4, verse 15. You Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concern in giving and receiving, but you only for even in Thessalonica, you sent aid once and again for my necessities.
Paul said, verse 17, I do not seek the gift. I do not necessarily seek the money. I do not seek the monetary gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. This is why from time to time, it is necessary for us to preach a message like this, because friends, we do not seek to have our pockets lined with your money.
We seek to see the gospel continue to go forth so that men and women, because it's possible they might not hear that everywhere. Indeed, verse 18, I have all and abound in full having received from Epaphroditus the thing 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.
He continues to fall back on the grace of God. How beautiful that is. And now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you.
All the saints greet you. And if it's possible, I'm not telling you this is what happens, but in my mind, this is what I imagine when Paul makes this next statement. I can see just a big old stupid grin come on his face when he says, all the saints greet you, but especially they who are of Caesar's household.
What does that have to do with anything? Well, he was in prison in Rome at the time of this writing. And it wasn't wrong that he continued to preach the gospel. And it wasn't wrong that even those soldiers who had the charge of Paul would listen to the gospel message that he preached day in and day out unto them, and the grace of God opened the hearts of some of them.
Those who lived in Caesar's own household had been saved by the grace of God. That was the joy that Paul had. And then he makes the closing statement, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Now, we don't have necessarily any other accounts of Paul writing to the Philippian believers in the canon of scriptures, the word of God. Here we have this particular account given to the Philippian church.
But again,.