Philippians 4:10

Open your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Philippians. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. Philippians chapter 4 is near the end of your Bible, just before the book of Colossians, which happens to be the next book we'll be studying through.

We have spent the last 10 weeks, 11 including today, studying through these four chapters of the book of Philippians together. This is, as I said when we began, an important and powerful book. As we've been going through it, we've been looking at it through the theme or the lens, if you will, of joy, contentment, and happiness, because this has been referred to by many as the letter or the epistle in the New Testament of joy.

I recognize that as we've gone through this passage, and really as we go through any book of the Bible here at Cross Connection, there is still a lot that is left in this book. We have not exhausted this passage of Scripture in 11 weeks. There is a lot of gold that remains in this mine. I hope that you have been stirred and that your appetite has been whetted, if you will, to dig into these things on your own.

Today, we're going to consider what is undoubtedly one of the most important bullet points under the heading of happiness in the book of Philippians. So, Philippians chapter 4, we're going to begin reading today at verse 10. Would you stand with me?

Philippians chapter 4, verse 10. The Apostle Paul writes, "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again. Though you surely did care, you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am in there 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. Indeed, I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma and acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

My God shall supply all of your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Father, would You speak and give us insight and understanding into the Scriptures this morning? This is a passage that no doubt could be broken up into at least two, possibly multiple teachings. But as we approach it today, would You give us wisdom and teach us, Lord? Help us to lay hold of the truths here, the applications that we find in the passage, and that You would make us more like You, that we would shine brightly in a world that so desperately needs Your glorious grace.

So God, teach and transform us. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

The Apostle Paul, in one of the other letters that he wrote, which is found in the New Testament, was written right about the same time, just a little bit after this letter to the Philippians. He wrote, "Godliness with contentment is great gain." Here in Philippians chapter four, he says, "Indeed, I have all and abound. I am full. I have everything. I have abundance."

In reading that this week and thinking about it, I kept coming to the question: Can I say that? Can we say that? I have everything. I have abundance. I am full. Or would you rather say, with the Rolling Stones, "I can't get no satisfaction"?

Or maybe with Bono, I still haven't found what I'm looking for. It's interesting. We live in a nation that is arguably the most blessed when it comes to finances, goods, and commerce. Yet, I would say that many people in our nation find themselves in that position on a regular basis, thinking, "I can't get no satisfaction. I still haven't found what I'm looking for."

One might think, when they read Paul's words, "I have everything. I have abundance. I am full," that this is written by someone living in the lap of luxury, experiencing great prosperity. But that's not the case. As we've considered together before, when Paul wrote these words, he found himself in a pretty difficult situation. He was in a prison in the city of Rome, imprisoned on false charges of sedition. He was awaiting a trial before essentially the Supreme Court of his day, Caesar Nero, and he had a very unsure and uncertain future. The possibility, even the probability, was that he would suffer execution for crimes he had not committed.

In that situation, he writes these powerful words: "I have all, I have abundance, I am full." He hoped, no doubt, that he would soon be released from his predicament, but he was unsure about what would come. This really brings home the question: How is it possible? How does one find satisfied contentment in the midst of difficult circumstances, in spite of hard situations in life? How does one come to the place where they grasp this kind of joy, peace, and contentment when they're going through circumstances that warrant more contempt than a contented spirit?

How do you come to that place? Well, C.H. Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, rightly noted that contentment is one of the flowers of heaven. He said that if we would have it, it must be cultivated; it will not grow in us by nature. It is the new nature alone that can produce it. I think most of us would acknowledge today that our default tendency is not to be content. Our default tendency is to lean towards complaining rather than contentedness. We see this from the earliest ages. Even when you have abundance, not just when you're suffering need, but when you have abundance,

Even when you're experiencing an overflow of abundance, there's always someone you can find who has more than you. Instantly, you default to a place of complaining, thinking, "Well, I don't have as much as that." Take five kids and give each of them five balloons; they will complain because they didn't get the balloon they wanted, the color they desired, even though they all have the same number of balloons. This is why socialism doesn't work. By our very nature, as sinful, fallen beings, we are not content. We have a great complaining spirit. As Spurgeon notes, this is a nature that needs to be cultivated within us.

Paul writes in Philippians chapter four, verse 10, "But I rejoiced greatly in the Lord 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, even in the state of California, to be content. I know how to be abased and brought low. I know how to abound and have much. 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."

Paul begins by saying, "I rejoiced greatly in the Lord." He has repeatedly in this book exhorted the Christians who lived in the city of Philippi to rejoice in the Lord. We saw this previously; we studied it last week in Philippians chapter three, verse one, where he says, "Rejoice in the Lord. For me to write these things to you over and over again is not tedious for you; it's safe. It's to safeguard your faith." Again, in Philippians chapter four, verse four, he says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice."

He has been driving home this point that Christians, followers of Jesus, are to find their gladness, joy, and contentment in the Lord. These are not vain or idle exhortations from someone who has never suffered loss. If you have someone who has never really experienced loss talking to someone who has just experienced the greatest loss of their life, the person who has never suffered might say, "Oh, just trust in the Lord. Everything's going to be okay." The one who has just experienced loss would look at them and think, "You have no idea what you're talking about."

However, Paul was one who had suffered great loss and endured much for the cause of Christ. He knew that the Christians in Philippi were experiencing severe trials and poverty.

He knew what it was like to go through those things. For the cause of Christ, he had been beaten for his faith, imprisoned for his faith, almost killed for his faith, and shipwrecked in pursuit of sharing the gospel with people. He experienced severe loss and trial; he was well-versed in suffering and educated in trials. In the midst of that, he said, "I rejoiced greatly in the Lord." The very thing that he was encouraging the Christians at Philippi to do—rejoice in the Lord—was the standard practice of his life, and it needs to be the standard practice of our lives.

Notice also that not only was it the standard practice of Paul's life, but certain things happened to increase his joy. He speaks about it at the end of verse 10, saying that now at last their care, speaking to the Philippians, had flourished again. He acknowledged that they surely did care, but they lacked opportunity. Paul was joyful in Christ; he rejoiced greatly in Christ Jesus. However, his joy excelled and increased to some extent because the Christians at Philippi had sent a gift to him. He mentions that gift at the end of verse 18, stating that he had received from Epaphroditus, one of the ministers of the city of Philippi, the things sent from them.

Paul had received a gift from the church at Philippi, and he expressed that he was joyful and had rejoiced greatly in the Lord, but his joy had increased because of their gifts. So, point number one on your outline, sermon guide, is in the bulletin: If you want to experience joy and contentment, then seek opportunities to care for the welfare of others. Paul's joy in Christ Jesus increased through the loving care of the Christians in the city of Philippi.

No doubt, Paul the Apostle knew that the Christians there loved him. He knew that they cared for him and that they loved to visit him. They were undoubtedly praying for him, but now their care, concern, and prayer became very tangible. While Paul was in prison in Rome, he received a minister from the city of Philippi carrying with him a gift from the Christians there. In receiving this gift, no doubt, Paul's heart was warmed.

We all know that our hearts are filled with joy in the receiving of a gift. Here, his joy, which was already there, increases because of this gift given to him. Now, the skeptic will say, "Well, of course he's happy; he just received a gift." However, notice that Paul's joy was not in the gift. He says, "I rejoiced greatly in the Lord." His joy was not found in what was given to him; his joy was found in the Lord.

Furthermore, the Philippians, those who gave the gift, also experienced an increase of joy by giving the gift. How do we know this? Paul witnessed with his own eyes that this was true among the Christians who lived in this church. He speaks about it in a letter that he wrote to a church called Corinth. If you turn just a few books to the left, to Second Corinthians, you will pass Ephesians and Galatians, and then you will reach Second Corinthians.

Look at Second Corinthians chapter eight. In this chapter, the same man who wrote the letter to the Philippians is writing to a church in Corinth, an ancient Greek city. He is boasting about the Christians in the city of Philippi, or in the region called Macedonia, where Philippi was the capital city. He says this in Second Corinthians chapter eight, verse one: "Moreover, brethren, I make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, or Philippi, the Philippians. I want to tell you about God's grace being expressed through the church at Philippi."

In verse two, he continues, "That in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded." These are some things that don't seem to go together in the American ethos and the American mind in the 21st century: a great trial of affliction and deep poverty alongside abounding joy. In fact, I would say there are probably many people in our nation today who believe there is no possible way to have abounding joy in the midst of a deep trial of affliction and severe poverty. And yet, Paul says these Christians in Philippi had abounding joy while simultaneously experiencing hardship.

Severe trial and deep poverty. How did that come about? In a great trial of affliction, their deep abundance of joy and their deep poverty abounded in riches of their liberality, or another way to translate it is their generosity. What was it that increased their joy in the midst of a trial of affliction and deep poverty? Their generosity.

Paul goes on in verse three, "For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, begging us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship, or the koinonia, the sharing of the ministry of the saints." Paul says that when he was in Philippi, he was writing to the church at Corinth and boasting about the Philippians. He mentions that even though they were going through a hard trial and experiencing deep poverty, they begged him to receive a financial gift from them, above their ability. They didn't have the means to give this so that it could be carried to other Christians in the city of Jerusalem who were going through difficulty. Paul witnessed with his own eyes that their joy abounded and increased through their generosity.

Now, someone might ask, how is this possible? It is possible because the words of Jesus are true. Quoted by the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts, Acts chapter 20, verse 35, Paul reminds Christians that Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." We all recognize that it is a joyful thing to receive a gift. How many of you like receiving a gift? Come on, be honest. It is a joyful thing to receive a gift. So much so that when we were kids, we hinted about the gifts we wanted well in advance of the day of possibly receiving them. Christmas! How many of you remember the JCPenney Wishbook? Heck yes! We left hints about what we wanted because we wanted to receive the gift.

But Jesus says it is more blessed to give than to receive. As you become a parent, you begin to realize that truth. When you become a Christian, you truly come to understand that it is real: it is more blessed to give than to receive. The Philippians experienced that joy.

Paul continues back in Philippians chapter four, verse 11. He says, "Not that I speak in regard to want or need, for I have learned in whatever state I am in to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. In all things, I have learned both how to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." Another English translation says it like this.

Nor do I mean that I have been in actual need or want, for I have learned to be content. Whatever the circumstances may be, I know how to live when things are difficult. I know how to live when things are prosperous in general. In particular, I love this. I have learned the secret of facing poverty or plenty. Well, it's not a very deep secret. Paul speaks of it openly. The secret, as we'll see in a moment, is to learn contentment.

Point number two on your outline: seek to learn contentment in every circumstance. Essentially, Paul says, please don't misunderstand. I was rejoicing in Christ before you gave me the gift, but your gift made me rejoice in Him all the more. I was already rejoicing in Him because I've learned that whether I'm prosperous or in the prison house, I've learned to be content. So I had joy. I had contentment before your gift came, but my joy has increased through it. Not that I'm trying to get you to give more of a gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. I desire that you would increase in your account before the Lord.

Paul was rejoicing in Christ Jesus, regardless of his present state or condition, whether he was low or high, as it related to plenty or having want. He says, I already have joy. So I'm not trying to get a gift from you by saying these things, but I am seeking, Paul says, the joy that will come to your account, the credit to your account.

Now, I realize this may be a long way to explain what Paul is teaching here. Sometimes Paul's letters require you to do that. He says, I was rejoicing before I received the gift, but your gift has caused me to rejoice all the more because I have learned in whatever state I'm in to be content.

And here's the secret; it's found in verse 13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. What's the secret to having contentment in plenty or in want? I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. In light of verse 13, point two on your outline could be written: seek to learn contentment through.

Christ in every circumstance. Now, Christians love to spout this verse off: "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." I would say nine times out of ten, Christians quote this verse out of context. They will use this verse and say things like, "Yeah, I know I didn't study for the test, but I'm going to do well on the test because I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." Or, "I know I haven't worked really hard for it, but I'm going to get the promotion because I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

How many of you remember back in May when Manny Pacquiao fought Floyd Mayweather in boxing? In the press conference before that match, Manny Pacquiao quoted this verse as the reason he was going to win. He said, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength," and he lost. This is not a promise to us that we can do nothing and expect everything just because we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.

This verse is a promise to Christians for a store of strength from the Lord to be content in every circumstance, in any situation, whether we have much or we have nothing. We can face those things by the Lord and learn contentment in every situation.

Now, most people—not just Christians, but most people—live an "if only" existence. What is an "if only" life? They think things like this and even say things like, "If only I had that job, I would be happy." Or, "If only I had that girl or that guy, I would be happy." They might say, "If only I had that degree, I would be happy," or "If only I drove that car, I'd be happy." Sometimes it's in the negative: "If only I didn't have this pain, I'd be happy," or "If only I didn't have that spouse, I'd be happy." Whatever it may be, people live this "if only" existence.

Paul says here, "I have learned to live without the if only. I've learned to be content in every circumstance." What an awesome lesson to learn! He goes on in Philippians 4:14, "Nevertheless, you Christians in Philippi 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—the county where Philippi was the capital—no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving, but you only.

For even when I was in Thessalonica, another city in Macedonia, you sent aid once again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

Now, by this point, if you were an astute reader, reading this letter in the city of Philippi among the church there, you might be rethinking your gift to the Apostle Paul. If Paul was already content and full and abounding without their gift, then why should we send him anything? If he says, "I've learned to be content when I have nothing or I have everything," then why give him anything in the first place?

But Paul says to them in verse 14, "Nevertheless, you've done well in that you shared in my distress." The word "shared" is used in verse 14 and again in verse 15, where he says, "You shared in my distress." At the very beginning of the gospel, you shared with me as it related to giving and receiving. You were the only Christians who did that.

This word is translated from the Greek root "koinonia." If you don't know that word, that's fine, but many of you have probably been around the church for a while, so you've heard the word "koinonia" before. It is used to describe the experience of the early church in Acts chapter two, the very beginning of the church. In verse 42, it says that early Christians continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, in fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. That word "fellowship" is this word "koinonia."

For many Christians today, fellowship can mean all kinds of things. For example, if you go to a coffee shop with some Christians, you might say, "I have fellowship." If you play basketball with some Christians, you might say, "We were fellowshipping." However, that's not what fellowship or "koinonia" really means in the biblical sense.

The expression of it is very clearly seen in how Paul uses it here in Philippians when he says that you shared in my distress. Early on in the beginning of the ministry, you shared once and again with me in the giving and receiving; you gave aid to me. The idea is expressed in Acts chapter two. Right after we read that they continued in fellowship, we see in verse 45 how their fellowship was expressed, their "koinonia." They sold their possessions and divided them among all.

They gave to the welfare of others. Verse 46 of Acts chapter two says, "So continuing daily with one accord, they gathered together as one body in the temple and breaking bread from house to house. They ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart." The result of their giving, their koinonia, their sharing with one another, was an increase of gladness or extreme joy.

If you desire contentment and joy to increase in your life, point number three on your outline is to seek to give liberally. Anytime a preacher makes a comment like that, you can bet there's some skeptic in the crowd thinking, "Oh, that's what I thought. The preacher is just going to go after my money." When a preacher gives a point like that, they often receive prayer cards and anonymous comment cards in response. So we're waiting. Come on, send them in. We have the FBI here for handwriting analysis. We're going to find you! One of our interns just graduated with his bachelor's degree in criminology, so we will find you. I'm just kidding. Don't worry.

If you're looking for something to get mad about in this message, there it is. If you seek to increase in joy and contentment in your life, then seek to give liberally. Paul says it like this in verse 17: "Not that I seek the gift. I'm not trying to get something from you, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account." As you give, there's fruit that abounds to your account.

In another one of the Apostle Paul's writings in the New Testament, as he's talking about the work of the ministry and carrying the gospel to others, he uses the metaphor of planting seed. He says this in First Corinthians chapter three, verse eight: "Now, he who plants or gives forth the gospel and he who waters, they are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his labor." The one who is planting the seed and the one who is watering that seed will both receive a reward.

Jesus uses the same illustration or metaphor in the Gospel of John chapter four, verse 36. He says, "He who reaps brings in the harvest evangelistically."

He who brings in the harvest receives wages and gathers fruit unto eternal life, that both he who plants and he who reaps may rejoice together. Now, why do I reference these two passages or these two metaphors? Because the scripture reveals that those who give liberally to the work of the ministry share in the reward of that work.

What do I mean? Well, you may never stand before a crowd and preach a message or preach the gospel. You may never go on a short-term mission trip or a long-term mission trip anywhere in the world. You may never go and serve down in Ducati or do any of these things, but if you support the work of the ministry through prayer and financial contributions, you share in the reward of that work. You have stock, if you will, in the reward.

When Paul was doing the work of the ministry, traveling around Asia Minor, Galatia, Macedonia, and Greece, planting churches in all of these places, he says to the church at Philippi in Philippians chapter four, "No church shared with me, no church coined a need or fellowshiped with me like you did concerning giving and receiving, only you in Philippi." If you will, the Christians in Philippi got in on the IPO of Paul's ministry—the initial public offering. They invested in the ministry of the Apostle Paul, which for the last 2,000 years has been producing dividends. The stock has split billions of times, so that the Christians in Philippi, now in heaven, are experiencing the rewards, the dividends of that investment.

To bring it home to our day, if on December 12, 1980, you had invested $10,000 in a little startup out of a garage in Cupertino, California, called Apple Incorporated, that $10,000 would have bought you 455 shares at the stock price of $22. That stock split two-for-one three times and had a seven-for-one split just two years ago. Your stock, which was 455 shares, would have become over 12,000 shares, and at the current stock price that closed at over $126 this last Friday, you would have $3.2 million.

Not bad. But Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter six, verse 19, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy." Do not lay up for yourselves treasures in the Dow Jones, where the ups and downs of the market can destroy and where Bernie Madoffs come in and steal. Instead, lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where there are no Bernie Madoffs. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Now, I beg your pardon this morning as I play the part of an investment advisor. Point number four on your outline is to seek investments that pay eternal dividends. This is not to say, and please don't misunderstand, that you should not wisely invest in the economy of this day to use what you receive for the glory and kingdom of God. It is not to say that you should not be involved in the commerce and trading of this world, because even Jesus said that we should be wise in the way that we use earthly goods. He used the term "unrighteous mammon" for the kingdom of God.

While you are doing that, make sure that you are also seeking to invest in things that pay eternal dividends. Invest in the kingdom of God; put your stock, if you will, in the bank of eternal securities.

You see, Jesus, in one of his stories, one of his parables recorded in Matthew chapter 25, beginning at verse 14, told a story about a wise master, a king who had three servants. To one of his servants, he gave five measures of money called talents; to another, he gave two talents; and to the third, he gave one talent. Then he went away for a period of time.

When the king returned, he squared accounts. He went to the one who had five talents, and the one who had five said, "Master, I had five. Now I have ten. Here is what you have." His master said to him, "Well done, my good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord." The one who had two talents had increased to four, and the master said to him, "Well done."

My good and faithful servant, you've been faithful over little. Enter into the joy of the Lord. The one who had one talent hid it. He made no investment with it; he hadn't even given it to the bankers to increase in interest. The master said to him, "You wicked and perverse servant, cast him into outer darkness."

Seek investments that pay eternal dividends. Now, in saying that, the question always comes: how much should I do? How much should I give? The answer to that question is simple: however much you can give willingly and cheerfully. The Apostle Paul, in Second Corinthians chapter nine, verse seven, said to the church in Corinth, "So let each one of you give as you purpose or plan in your heart, not grudgingly, not with the attitude of, 'Oh man, I have to give this; I'm not very happy about it,' and not out of necessity, as if being forced, 'Oh, they're making me do it.' We're not going to make you do anything, for God loves a cheerful giver."

How much should I give? Well, as much as you can give generously and cheerfully. But also remember the principle that comes just before Paul says that in Second Corinthians nine, verse six. He says, "But this I say to you: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." There are varying rewards, apparently, in God's economy for how we use that which He has given to us for investment in His kingdom.

Paul continues in Philippians chapter four, verse eighteen, saying, "I have all, and I abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things that you sent to me—a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God." I have received the gift from you, Paul says. Notice that it is a sweet-smelling aroma and an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. In God's economy, the gift given by the Philippians to Paul was a gift given to God.

So, point number five on your outline: seek to offer acceptable sacrifices to God. If you desire to increase in joy and contentment in Christ, seek to offer acceptable sacrifices to God.

Now I'm sure someone will say, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. I thought that we no longer had a sacrificial system. There is no temple any longer. There's no sacrificial system, right?" Well, maybe not. Yes, we don't have a building that we go to in order to offer sacrifices because the Bible says that you and I, as Christians, are living stones being built together into a temple for God. So we, the body of Christ, are the temple of God, and the Bible does speak of new covenant sacrifices.

No, we don't follow the old covenant system recorded in the first 39 books of the Bible, called the Old Testament, where you go to an actual physical location and bring a lamb, a ram, or a bull to sacrifice and offer it to God. Thankfully, PETA is very happy we don't have that anymore. However, we do, as Christians, have new covenant sacrifices. What are they? Well, I can think of three of them, and they're recorded for us in the book of Hebrews.

Hebrews is to the right of Philippians; just a few books turned to the right, we come to a big book called Hebrews. In Hebrews chapter 13, look at verse 15. The author of the book of Hebrews says, "Therefore, by Him, Jesus, let us continually, on a regular consistent basis, offer the sacrifice." What sacrifice? Well, first, the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.

Secondly, in verse 16, we are reminded not to forget to do good and to share koinonia, to give; for with such sacrifices, plural—three of them—God is well pleased. God is pleased by the new covenant sacrifices of, number one, praise and thanksgiving to God. This is not just when we gather together in a place like this and sing songs of praise to God, but throughout our day and throughout our week, we should give praise and thanksgiving to God.

It's not that when something good happens, we just kind of spout off, "Oh, praise the Lord." That's not what we're talking about. Praise and thanksgiving to God is offering to Him the honor and the glory for all the things that you have in your care, under your management. Everything you have is from the Lord, and so we need to live a life of thanksgiving and praise to God for all that we have. That's a sacrifice to God.

Secondly, he says to offer the sacrifice of good works. The Apostle James states that faith without works is dead. Therefore, Christians are to be those who live with good works in the world. I know that for some Christians today, the term "social justice" is like a curse word, but it is actually something we are commanded to do—good things. It is a sacrifice acceptable to God.

Not only is the acceptable sacrifice of good works important, but also the acceptable sacrifice of generous giving. The Apostle Paul mentions this in Philippians chapter four. He tells the church at Philippi that when they gave a gift to him, God saw it as a sweet-smelling aroma and an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. When you give of your energy, your assets, and your time, it is like the smell of an In-N-Out burger. While that may not be something you discuss with a group of hungry people on a Sunday morning, you know that smell. It is a sweet-smelling aroma to God.

In God's economy, when you give to those who do the work of the ministry, you are giving to Him. In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus tells a story. He says, "When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat. When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you took me in. When I was naked, you clothed me," and so on. The people respond, "When did we do that, Lord?" In Matthew 25, verse 40, He replies, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did this to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did this to me."

The question is simple: Am I, are you, are we offering acceptable sacrifices to God? Do you praise God with your lips? Do you seek to do the good and right thing? Do you give generously? If you do, then the promise of verse 19 is yours. Look at verse 19: "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Now, first, I would like to acknowledge that I detest the teaching of some that is often referred to as prosperity theology.

I detest the teaching of some within the Christian church that says the whole point of the gospel is the financial blessing of Christians. That's not the point of the gospel. The point of the gospel is the salvation of sinners. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, Paul said, not to make you wealthy.

That said, some of the same verses that those who teach that false doctrine, which is abominable and detestable, use are the verses that we're teaching here in the scriptures. These are true verses, like Proverbs chapter 19, verse 17, which says, "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and God will repay him for his deeds." Proverbs 11:25 states, "The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself." Proverbs 28:27 tells us, "He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses."

It has been said, and it is true, that you cannot outgive God. If you are offering acceptable sacrifices to God, praising and giving thanks to His name, performing good works for the glory of His kingdom, and generously giving to those doing the work or in the ministry, then He says, "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory." Why is that? Hebrews chapter 6, verse 10 tells us that God is not unjust; He will not forget your labor of love and how you minister to those who are saints. Paul assures us that we can be sure God will take care of everything we need by His generosity exceeding our generosity.

So, point number six: we end with this—seek God's supply for your needs. What are you seeking today? We live in a nation given to the pursuit of happiness. According to a decision by the Supreme Court this last Friday, they were supporting the pursuit of happiness. What are you seeking? What are you looking for? God's equation for happiness is different from the world's. Therefore, seek opportunities to care for the welfare of others and seek to learn contentment in every situation.

Seek to give liberally. Seek investments that pay eternal dividends. Seek to offer acceptable sacrifices to God and seek God's supply for your needs. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?

Father God, I thank you for your Word, which is living and powerful. I ask, Lord, that you would write these things that we have considered today on the tablet of our hearts and that you would transform us by the renewing of our minds so that we would live in such a way that honors and glorifies you. Shine your bright light through our lives to a world that is in such desperate need of your grace.

God, I pray that you would enable us by your power to live in such a way that we fulfill the applications of this text. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agree said, Amen.