Money Matters - Gospel Partners - Origin Sermon - 26 March 2023

Good morning. I'm glad to be back with you

after a week in Boston. It was a good time there for

spring break. Ellen was presenting a paper

there this weekend so we me Can I piggybacked with her on her

trip to Boston and we had a really good time, they're in the

city. One of the things I like to do

in the cities is sort of see what t-shirts people are wearing

and what, you know, what kind of messages, they're trying to get

across and it it made me realize and reflect on the passage that

we have this weekend of a favorite text for guys in the

gym. And it's Philippians 4:13.

Philippians 4:13

Who knows this verse, How does it go?

That's it. You know, that's, that's the one

that's their favorite one. In the gym, you know, you've got

that weight and you're like, And you just open, you know, that

maybe Jesus or someone else is going to spot you and and get it

up there, right? But do you know, Philippians 4,

14? Now, Philippians 4, 14.

It's such an important verse. Because we take the 413

triumphalism and we miss, what's really going on.

When the Apostle Paul gives this message of his internal

workings, he says, yet. It was good of you to share in

my troubles. Oh, wait a minute.

I can do all things through Christ.

Who strengthens me? Yet, it was good of you to share

in my troubles. What's going on there?

What is he after in this text with the Philippians, he's

actually after the intersection of Money Matters with Ministry

and missions and ministers. So we've been in this series on

why Money Matters and why it's important for us to actually

align our heart with God, in order to seek the kingdom of

Jesus and his righteousness. So that then we can deal with

the strange powers that money has over us and over others.

And when it comes to missions and Ministry carrying out the

work and mission of the The Apostle Paul here has brought

together something that Jesus had brought together that had

always been brought together in the expression of God's

sovereignty among his people. And that is that there is this

issue of who are you relying on. But are you also interdependent

with the people of God? Are you ultimately relying on

God in your life as your provider?

But are you also interdependent with the people of God and the

work and Ministry of the church will not be accomplished.

The Great Commission will not be accomplished unless we become a

people of Philippians 4:13 and 14.

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me yet,

it was good of you to sharing my troubles.

So let's read. Read the text so that we can see

the full context of Money Matters and the mission and

Ministry of the church. This is Philippians 4 beginning

in verse 10. He says I rejoiced greatly in

the Lord that at last. You renewed your concern for me.

Indeed. You were concerned but you had

no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I

am in need for. I have learned to be content,

whatever the circumstances, I know what it is to be in need

and I know what it is to have. Have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every

situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty

or in want, I can do all this through him who gives me

strength yet? It was good of you to share in

my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians

know, in the early days of your It's with the gospel when I set

out from Macedonia, not one Church, shared with me in the

matter of giving and receiving except you, only for even when I

was in thessalonica, you sent me Aid more than once when I was in

need. Not that I desire.

Your gifts. What I desire is that more be

credited to your account. I have received full payment and

have more than enough. I am amply supplied.

Now that I have received from epaphroditus, the gifts you

sent, they are a fragrant offering an acceptable,

sacrifice pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your

needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus to our

God and Father be glory forever and ever.

Amen. Greet all God's people in

Christ, Jesus. The brothers and sisters, who

are with me? Send, greetings, all God's

people here. Send you greetings, especially

those who belong to the Caesars household.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Amen. Do you know Paul viewed the

people of Philippians of Philippi as his Partners in the

gospel and chapter 1 beginning in verse 3, Paul tells them that

he's thanking God. Every time he remembers them, he

says, in his prayers for all of you.

He always prays with joy because of your partnership in the

gospel from the first day until now, He's riding two partners in

the gospel Partners who are participating and what it takes

to fulfill the mission and Ministry of the church to

fulfill that Commandment that Jesus gave the great Commandment

that we would fulfill. Well that we would love one

another great commandment and the Great Commission that we

would actually carry his good news message.

Zh to others and help them become Disciples of Jesus.

This work and Ministry requires partners.

Andy tells the Philippians you are Partners In The Gospel with

me and you've been my partners from the beginning.

Do you know one of the things that gospel Partners do is that

they show Mutual concern. What do gospel Partners do?

They show Mutual concern. It's a two-way street and

movement. Paul says, I rejoiced greatly

when you renewed your concern for me, not that you stopped

being concerned but you hadn't been able to show it, you know.

No one. Can you imagine what the Apostle

Paul would do if he had a phone especially a smartphone?

I think he would have been a texting Fein all the time

texting is prayers to people, how I was praying for you.

Well, I don't need to write you a letter.

I'm just Gonna send you a text. And all thumbs, he would have

got it done, or maybe he would have spoken his prayers and just

sent them to you. It was a mutual concern.

Do you know? We live in a day when it's so

easy to show our concern and care.

And yet, we don't. We're so slow to do it.

The Apostle Paul has to write a letter, the people of

Philippians have to round up epaphroditus and take a

collection and then send epaphroditus to Rome because

they've heard that Paul is in prison and they are concerned

for him. They are concerned for the

bodily care of Paul. They are concerned for the

financial care of Paul. They are concerned for the

spiritual life of Paul. How is he doing?

But Paul also is concerned for them, and so he's writing a

letter and he sending epaphroditus back.

With the letter. Because he's concerned do you

know missionaries and people who have committed themselves to

respond to God's call on their life, to share the gospel and

their life with another people and that Times Gone, knowing

they would never return home. That home would have to be in

their heart with Jesus home would have to be in their

interdependence with people in that very field that Jesus sent

them to. when William Carey, Responded to the call of God in

the late 1700s. He was responding to a call that

God had been nurturing in his life for years.

He wasn't sure where he would go, but he ended up going to

India. He got on a boat with his

family. Traveled to India.

Was there for 40 years and never returned home.

If you're came as home, he's became his people.

He learned the language. He shared his life.

But do you know before he went one of the grace gifts of God

was that there was a team of people who said we will hold the

Rope. Here's how it happened.

He had shared a message at a church pastored by rev, Andrew

Fuller. And in that meeting.

Carry had shared from his heart that the call of God was

becoming more and more urgent. So Fuller gathered up some

friends. Carrie said, I will go down like

a minor into a mine. I will go down if you will hold

the Rope. Fuller said of that moment.

Before he went down, we engage that while he lived, we would

never let go of the Rope. Wow, what a group of friends. a

group of friends who never pulled him up out of that mine

and brought him back to Britain but instead they continued to

hold the Rope of prayer and of concern and financial giving In

order to provide some help. Some sustenance to William

Carey. This was the life of the Apostle

Paul as well. One of mutual concern for the

work of the Gospel. He said, it was a concern that

weighed heavy on him at times, it was worse than the beatings

that he received his concern for what God would do in the

churches and the lives of those who were responding to the

gospel. He was so thankful.

He said in Philippians to have a man like Timothy.

He says, I have no one else like him.

Who shows a genuine concern for your welfare and then of

epaphroditus. He says this man, risked His

life for the gospel, when you sit him to take care of my needs

and you brought the gift. A mutual concern. everyone needs

a team of mutual concern if you are a teacher or a lawyer or a

medic, If you are, someone who's working into the daily lives of

our city, you need a group of people.

Who will hold the rope with you? For your life and faithfulness

to Jesus. Some of you at times will enter

into times when you need some people who will hold the Rope

financially because of the call of God on your life.

Every one of the churches that you will be a part of in the

future, will need your help and assistance.

To hold the Rope to be concerned, for the work in

Ministry of that church. So that you participate by

prayer. by activation of your gifts and by giving, Show.

Mutual concern. But gospel Partners must also,

learn something else. Gospel Partners must learn

contentment. we must all learn contentment, what Paul calls,

the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether

fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want Do you know

when Paul uses the word content? He's actually reaching into the

social conversation of his day. The social media of his day,

would have been full of the stoics philosophy, and one of

the highest values of stoicism once contentment, and by

contentment. They meant self-sufficient.

So it seems as if Paul is saying I have learned the secret of

being self-sufficient. I've learned the secret of being

content of being a self-reliant man, is that really what he's

saying? And just in case they thought

that that was what he was saying, he says, but I can do

all things through Christ through him, who strengthens me.

Paul was navigating attention between.

Trusting Jesus and being interdependent with people.

He says looked Jesus is enough. Jesus is enough for facing my

troubles. Jesus is enough for facing the

trouble of being in, want in poverty.

Jesus is enough for facing the, the troubles that come with

having plenty and being comfortable.

I yeah. Is that really what he's saying

that both come with troubles. Having enough.

Not having enough, it's spiritual trouble for the heart.

Most of us don't acknowledge that the influenza of affluence.

We're just thinking the thing I need to avoid the most in my

life is poverty is not having enough.

But Paul says here, look there's spiritual troubles, that

accompany both. And Jesus can help me face them.

Oh, we have so much to learn about the secret of contentment.

Of being Christ Reliant. When we have a lot Christ

Reliant when we don't seem to have enough.

Gospel Partners. Must learn this.

And Paul is saying I'm learning. I'm learning.

I'm learning it. God is working this into my

life. I'm learning it.

Do you know? Jesus made his disciples work,

this out, Jesus and the twelve disciples were accompanied by A

whole circle of other disciples. In fact, in Luke chapter, 8,

Luke goes on to name a group of women who accompanied Jesus and

the disciples Mary and Joanna, wife of cuza, who is the manager

of herod's household and Susanna and many others.

These women were helping support them out of their own means.

You mean Jesus had a Grace team? Jesus had a team of people who

were helping Supply their needs so that sometimes they were

actually sort of comfortable. And and it wasn't just a group

of men, with some money, it was a group of women with some

money. Who were disciples who were

supplying the mission supplying. The ministry supplying The

Minister's, but there were other times would Jesus led them into

places where they didn't have enough.

On one occasion, there was a whole crowd of people there in

front of the disciples after a full day of teaching and Jesus

turns to them. After the disciples have come

and said Jesus excuse me teacher Jesus, Jesus, take a break.

You need to send them home. Jesus, it's enough.

Jesus, why? But they don't have enough to

eat. They're gonna faint going home.

Jesus. I think the disciples were just

tired, you know. It's easy to blame it on the

crowd. We're going to rescue the crowd

from their hunger so you send them home, but the disciples

were probably a bit weary they had enough.

And Jesus says, you feed them. You feed them.

The disciples are like, what are you talking about?

We can't feed them. If we whole Year's wages,

wouldn't be enough to feed them. Jesus says, well, what do you

have? We have Five Loaves and two

fish. That's enough.

That's enough. And so Jesus led his disciples

into occasions where he taught them contentment in the Kingdom.

It'll be enough. You're going to make it through.

Every gospel partner and that's all of us must learn this.

And at times and Seasons, those who Minister and move, according

To the commission of Jesus, in their lives, experience Seasons,

where they have plenty and the seasons where they don't have

enough. But they need to learn the

secret of contentment. I've had to learn the secret of

contentment, part of the movement into the secret of

contentment is to not only say like William Carey did expect

great things from God. Attempt great things for God but

also to enter into that season and occasion of your life, where

you say God has the right to do whatever he wants.

William Carey experience this after 20 years in India. when he

arrived at India, he had to sneak off the boat just outside

of Calcutta, because the colonial Powers there at that

time had decided, they did not want Christians to come, They

were seeking to exclude Christian missionaries from

India. Oh, there's a different play on

colonialism and the church. So he had to find another

Captain who would sneak him onto the boat with his family and

then let him sneak off the boat. Into India.

And that's what he did and then he began to get to know the

people and he began to learn the language.

And he found a way to earn his own income.

And when he met some other folks, who were Mission minded,

he said we should live together. And so, they created a communal

living setting, where they just moved in and out, and people

began to move in and out of their space.

And that time he began to translate the Bible and to

Bengali or oriya Marathi Hindi, Asami and Sanskrit.

How did he know enough to translate the Bible?

Well, before he received his call in the ministry, Hudson

Taylor, William Carey was a Shoemaker A Shoemaker that was

his craft and people said he didn't even make good shoes.

But in all of his off time, he began to teach himself, Greek

and Hebrew the language of the scriptures until he became

intensely familiar with it. And so then, when he came to

India, he began to force and compel himself to just learn the

language of the people's. and as he learned the languages, he put

it in the script and he translated it translated the

scripture. He just developed a printing

press area as well as one of his businesses where he could print

things for other people, but he could also print the scripture.

And he began to take all of these languages and create the

printing blocks for making the pages for printing the

scripture. At year 20.

His printing shop, burned to the ground.

All of the scriptures. He had printed all of the

printing blocks were burned to the ground, 20 years of Labor.

God. Terry had no backups.

Nothing in the cloud, 20 years of non-stop, labor was gone.

How would he respond? He wrote to his pastor friend.

Andrew Murray. Andrew Murray was one of those

who had started to hold the Rope.

Andrew Murray is famous for his own works on prayer and Ministry

and missions and this is what Kerry wrote to him.

The ground must be labored over again, but we are not

discouraged. We have all been supported under

the Affliction and preserved from discouragement to me the

consideration of the Divine sovereignty and wisdom has been

very supporting I Endeavor to improve this.

Our Affliction Lords last day. By reading from Psalm 46:10, be

Psalms 46:10

still and know I am God I principally dwelt on two items.

One God has the Sovereign right to dispose of us as he pleases

and to we ought to acquiesce in all that God does with us and to

us. All Partners In The Gospel.

Must learn Kingdom contentment. How to be reliant on Christ.

But then also how to be interdependent with the people

of God, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens

me yet, it was good of you to share in my troubles.

When the Apostle Paul received this gift, he was very concerned

that they understood the true direction of.

They're giving that their direction of giving didn't

start, just because he had a need, the direction of their

giving started because they were giving their lives to God.

In verse 18 of chapter 4, he says, I have received full

payment and have more than enough.

I am amply supplied. Now that I have received from

epaphroditus, the gifts, you sit, they are a fragrant

offering an acceptable, sacrifice pleasing to God and by

God, will meet all your needs according to the riches of his

glory in Christ Jesus. Do you know one of the ways?

That we managed to put Church plus campus together is that our

staff has a grease team. Our staff has a Grace team of

people who are giving financially and praying for us

and for you so that we can continue to gather In Worship in

Ministry and in sharing our lives here with you.

Paul had a Grace team but his grace team was established not

by people who first saw him and neediness.

They were established by a people who first saw God.

So they're giving themselves to God and he says this gift.

You gave me actually Rises to God. as an offering as a

fragrant, Aroma that he smells and that he Delights in Never

mistake, you're giving as something that's transactional

from you to the Apostle Paul from you to the church from you

to this missionary. Always understand it.

First, The Secret of giving is to give yourself first to God.

And then give the money. And this is what the Apostle

Paul affirms in their lives. He gets so excited about it and

he says, oh, the glory of God. All of this is for the glory of

God. He just gets excited.

He offers up a doxology right there because he sees the

blessing of this ongoing Grace, you gave me Grace.

God gave me, Grace. I'm giving Grace to others who

are getting to know Jesus. And now the praise continues, In

fact, he wants them to know. He gives them a little coded

message here. That their gifts supporting the

ministry that he is involved in. Is being effective.

Did you catch it? Notice?

He says greet all God's people in Christ, Jesus, the brothers

and sisters who are with me, send, greetings.

Wait a minute, Paul's in prison in Rome who are the brothers and

sisters in Rome that are greeting him.

Is it just the other churches that are out and about or is

there sort of a Church on the Move that's being established as

Paul is prisoned? They're in a little house

arrest. Maybe there's a little church

growing in that house and in case they were just catching on

to the coded message. He makes it really clear all

God's people here. Send you greetings, especially

those who belong to Caesars household.

What? Part of the emperor's family.

Have become followers of Jesus. Yeah.

Even the emperor's family have become followers of Jesus.

This is what? Gospel Partners.

Love to hear. Jesus said all the angels of

heaven rejoice, when even one sinner repents do you know that

William Carey and his friends carried on their Ministry in

India for seven years before they saw one person, say yes to

Jesus. That yet, that one person who

said, yes, his name is Krishna Chandra Paul.

When he became a follower of Jesus, it happened because he

had met a doctor. He had slipped and Fallen.

He had dislocated his shoulder. The medical doctor named John

Thomas took him home and I'm sure it was painful put his

shoulder back in socket. But their continued to minister

and care for him and gave him a track that was written in

Bengali. Krishna began to come and visit

them. Often would talk with William

Ward and Felix carry and they would discuss Jesus.

Until finally, the day came that Krishna told Thomas.

I'm a great Center but I've consent best my sin and a free

and then dr. Thomas says, then I called you

brother come and let's eat together in love.

That move was an announcement of his Devotion to Jesus.

Because when Krishna 8 with these European people, it

stirred great consternation among others, who realized that

he had broken cast by eating with these white people.

Despite being mobbed and called a traitor.

Krishna was baptized. He was the first to receive

Jesus as Lord, in seven years of work there.

Krishna's wife and sister, also made commitments to Christ as

did his four daughters and a neighbor and a wife.

And another neighbor who was a widow and they formed the First

new community. They had spiritual Growing

Pains, they had difficulties. But Krishna was one of many

first because they began to worship.

He began to write songs the first collection of songs and

Bengali lifting up the name of Jesus giving glory to God.

Hallelujah. Praise God.

From whom all blessings flow. This happens because there's

Mission Partners both Paul and Carrie and everyone who answers

the call of Jesus to share the gospel with others.

Delights, that being able to tell the story again of someone

else giving their life to Christ.

Let's pray together. Lord Jesus.

We pray that you would assist us in being a true gospel partner

to someone someday and even now would you let us be gospel

partners with our own church? Would you let us be gospel

partners with someone outside of here?

Reaching another campus? Another Place.

Another people would you let us be gospel partners with you.

Cole labourers with Christ in the gospel.

And let it be all to your glory in Jesus name.

Amen.