To Live Is Christ

I hope you all have are having an awesome morning so far.

And uh last week I started by telling you all how much I loved stormy days and moody and gloomy days, and we got rain all week.

So let me try try to test this theory here.

So I will tell you, I'm gonna switch it up and tell you how much I love a dry spell so I can mow my lawn.

That'd be great.

So today we're continuing in our series in the book of Philippians that we've titled To Live is Christ.

And we will be going through verses 10 through 20, 10 through 20 of chapter 4.

And in there we will encounter another highly quotable verse of scripture.

You probably already know which one, but before we get started, let's go to the Lord and prayer.

Father, you are good and holy and gracious and kind.

And Lord, you your grace is amazing.

Your mercy is new every morning, and we are so thankful for that.

You're holy, holy, holy.

You're perfectly set apart, and we are so thankful to be your people.

Lord, we are glad that we're able to gather here together to listen to your word, to learn what you have for us, to apply it to our lives.

And Lord, I pray that by the power of your spirit, you allow us to write your words into our hearts, that we may leave here today not just knowing more facts or more lines or more things about scripture, but knowing you through your word, Lord.

That we would grow in our desire to know you more and more.

Thank you for another opportunity to come and worship you together.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Okay, let's turn our Bibles to the book of Philippians, chapter 4, starting in verse 1.

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

And then today, church, let's let's stand for the reading of the word.

Let's do that.

Philippians chapter 4, verse verse 1.

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

I'm sorry, verse 10.

Sorry.

I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have received your concern for me.

You were indeed concerned for me, but you have had no opportunity.

Not that I'm speaking of being in need, for I have learned that in whatever situation I am to be content.

I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound.

And in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, through he who strengthens me.

Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.

And you, Philippians, yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.

Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again.

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

I have received full payment and more.

I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God, and now and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.

Do our God and Father be the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

You may be seated.

Now, we spent quite a bit of quite quite a bit of time last week speaking about uh and learning about rejoicing in the Lord.

We spoke about what the true fountain of joy is, and about what trusting that the true fountain of joy will never run dry.

And today we get to hear Paul's Paul places joy where it rightfully belongs, in the hands of God, who provides it richly in every circumstance.

And he doesn't just say uh he doesn't just tell us to be joyful again, he does a lot more than that.

I want to share with you the structure for this morning.

There are three obvious movements that happen in this passage, and frankly, each of them could be its own little sermon, but they all flow beautifully together, landing in the final words in verse 20 before Paul gives his final greeting to the church that he loves so much.

And those three movements are this.

So if you were to write three points, these are your three points.

Number one, Christ is enough.

Christ is enough.

Number two, grace makes us generous people.

Grace makes us generous people.

And number three, God supplies what his people need.

God supplies what his people need.

So let's start with number one.

Christ is enough.

Let's look back at the text and read verses 10 through 13.

I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me.

You were indeed concerned for me, but you have, but you had no opportunity.

Not that I'm seeking to be in, not that I'm speaking of being in need, for I have learned that in whatever situation I am to be content.

I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound.

In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Now there are a couple of things we can gather from these opening verses.

And the first is that Paul is still rejoicing.

He's still rejoicing, even in his need.

But notice that Paul isn't just rejoicing because just because he received the support of the church.

In fact, if you read if we read verse 10 too quickly, we could almost hear Paul saying, At long last, that support has arrived.

That's great.

Now I can rejoice.

But that is not what Paul is saying at all.

Paul's joy is not dependent upon the gift of the church.

He's not saying, I'm so glad because you sent your support and now therefore I can be happy.

Because Paul tells us, not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

He says, in every situation I am to be content.

And if we don't take that into consideration when reading the previous verse, we might just miss it.

We might just think that Paul is simply saying, you know what, I'm so glad that you guys helped me and I received your help and therefore I'm happy now.

Or I have joy or I can rejoice for that.

He certainly can, and that's a good thing.

But he then makes it abundantly clear.

He says, Not that I'm speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

So let's not miss those words in there.

If you're if you're like me and you take a look at my Bible at any given time, when I'm studying through something, I circle and underline and put arrows and things.

This is one spot where you can circle.

I have learned.

I have learned.

Contentment didn't come naturally, naturally to Paul.

You can you can read it and say, like, I have learned that in every circumstance I am to be content.

I learned to be content.

It did not come naturally to him.

Paul had to learn contentment.

I said this before, we tend to think of Paul as a super Christian, right?

He is the apostle Paul, after all.

The second most influential man in the history of mankind after Jesus.

But he says, I had to learn contentment.

And I don't think that comes to us naturally either.

Life is hard, church.

Life is hard.

And I don't want to diminish that.

And I certainly don't think God expects us to walk through life, walk through painful seasons, pretending everything is fine and simply painting a smile on our faces because Christians are supposed to be content.

Life is hard.

Biblical contentment is not pretending that suffering doesn't hurt.

It's not denying anxiety.

We were talking about anxiety last week.

Remember what we learned last week, right?

In the middle of anxiety, pain, uncertainty, difficulty, and difficult seasons, God tells us, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God.

We just read that last week.

And then comes the promise immediately after.

And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart.

And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And if that sounds familiar to you, it should if you were here last week.

It was one of the central points.

Paul had learned that whatever situation he found himself in, he could go to the Lord.

And there, even in his need, he could know peace.

Even in his need, he knew I just need to go to the Lord with thanksgiving, with prayer.

And he will supply my needs, and I'll be okay.

Even in suffering, he could experience joy.

Even when his circumstances were not what he wanted them to be, he could be content.

So the Christian's joy isn't just a smile that we paint on our faces, it flows from knowing the deep and everlasting fountain of joy, who is Christ.

Contentment is the response of a heart that has learned to trust God and be thankful for what He provides.

Contentment is the response of a heart that has learned to trust God and be thankful for what He provides.

And Paul says this.

He says, I've been brought low and abounding.

I've had plenty and hunger.

Abundance and need.

Paul has lived both sides.

Verse 13.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

And there it is, one of the most uh famous verses in the entire Bible, and perhaps one of the most misunderstood ones.

I did a little research, and this is widely considered the second most taken out of context verse in scripture.

Somewhere along the way, this verse became a slogan for something like, I can accomplish anything as long as Christ is on my side.

You see it quoted by athletes before games.

You probably saw it on Tim Thibault's cheeks before game, right here.

Celebrities use it, motivational speakers use it before a great some great challenge, and they can get up there and say, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, so I can do it.

I can win this game, I can get this promotion, I can accomplish this dream, I can reach this goal.

Because I can do all things through Christ.

But church, that is almost the exact opposite of Paul's point.

Remember where Paul is when he's writing when he's writing these words.

Paul isn't standing in a podium holding a trophy.

He's sitting in captivity.

He isn't celebrating some great personal achievement.

He's talking about hunger, need, being brought low, suffering.

And yet, in the middle of all of it, Paul says, Christ strengthens me.

Christ strengthens me.

That's the secret.

Paul isn't saying, Christ gives me the strength to accomplish is to accomplish anything that I want.

He's saying Christ gives me the strength to remain faithful in whatever he allows.

He gives me the strength to remain faithful in whatever he allows.

When I have plenty, Christ is enough.

When I am hungry, Christ is enough.

When I abound, Christ is enough.

When I'm brought low, Christ is enough.

When life looks exactly the way I hope it would, Christ is enough then too.

And when everything I thought could depend upon has been stripped away, Christ is enough then too.

Philippians 4 13 is not primarily about a promise of success, it is a declaration of sufficiency.

It does not promise us deliverance from hardship.

It tells us that when our strength, it tells us where our strength is found in the middle of hardship.

It redirects our attention from our suffering, our conditions, our circumstances, and points them directly where they belong, and that is on Christ.

And isn't it interesting how easily we can take something so holy, so profound, so comforting, like knowing where our strength comes from in every situation, and turn it into a promise that God will give us success.

Because that is what our hearts naturally want.

We want Christ to give us enough strength to get the thing, enough strength to overcome the obstacle, enough strength to reach the goal, enough strength to get out of the valley.

But Paul has discovered something much better.

Sometimes Christ changes the circumstances.

That's true.

You may be praying, and God miraculously changes the circumstances.

And sometimes Christ gives you the strength to remain faithful while the circumstances remain unchanged.

Sometimes God will change the circumstances, some other times he gives you the strength to remain faithful even when the circumstances do not change.

So perhaps the question this passage places before us is not, do I have enough?

Maybe the better question is, is Christ enough for me?

Is Christ enough for me?

So next time, church, that you find yourself in the middle of something, good or bad, in times of plenty and in times of wanting, ask yourself, is God enough for me right now?

Because Christian contentment does not come from finally having everything we want, right?

Christian contentment comes from comes when we discover that whether we have much or little, whether we are on the mountaintop or walking through the valley, whether we whether our hands are full or nearly empty, we have Christ.

We have not been left without our greatest treasure.

We have not been left without our greatest treasure.

Now, point number two grace makes us generous people.

Grace makes us generous people.

Now we know uh what contentment is and we know where it comes from.

Now we have to look at what contentment produces.

Let's look back at the text.

Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.

And you, Philippians yourself, know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only.

Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once again.

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

I have received full payment and more.

I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.

Church, at a glance, you can read this and come away thinking Paul is just thanking them for their financial support.

And he is.

He is thanking them for their financial support.

But that's not all that he is doing.

Remember who he is talking to, right?

The church in Philippi has Paul's deep affection.

If you go back to chapter one, right?

Like when we learned at the beginning of the series, that affection was not just built upon what Paul could get out of them.

It was spelled, it was built on gospel partnership.

In fact, if you listen again to the language that Paul uses, he says, No church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only.

And that word should sound familiar because all the way back in chapter one, when Paul was explaining why he thanked God for these people, he said, I thank my God for all in all my remembrance of you, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.

And now, here at the end of the letter, we see one of the ways that their partnership expressed itself.

They gave.

Once and again.

Why?

Well, because of where their treasure was.

They were able to look at the circumstances, see the gospel being proclaimed, and that became their treasure.

When Christ becomes our treasure, we don't have to clutch everything else quite so tightly.

When Christ is our treasure, we don't have to hold on to all other things so tightly.

That's what contentment begins to produce.

If my security is found in what I possess, then given, then given will always feel threatening to me.

Because given means I have less.

If my security is found in my bank account, then I have to protect the bank account.

If my security is found in my possessions, then I have to protect my possessions.

If my security is found in comfort, then I have to protect my comfort.

But if my security is Christ, if I can say with Paul, I know what it is to have plenty, and I know what it is to have little, and Christ is enough for me either place.

Then I can begin to open my hands.

Important verse 17.

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

And I love that.

Because tells us Paul tells us exactly what his concern is.

Paul is not sitting in prison thinking, how can I get more money out of these people?

That's not what he's thinking at all.

He's a pastor, he loves them.

He's more excited about what their giving reveals in them than what their given provides for him.

He says, not that I seek the gift.

Less interested in that.

In other words, this isn't ultimately about what you what I can get from you.

He says, but I seek the fruit.

Paul sees their generosity as evidence that God's grace is bearing fruit in their lives.

Church, that's why we have to be willing to talk about money and possessions.

And I'll admit to you, this is not the easiest thing for me to preach about or be talking about.

Pastors, all pastors, I think, well, some pastors might not, but pastors know the stereotypes.

We've seen ministries manipulate people.

We've seen television preachers promise that if you send enough money, God will bless you with health and wealth.

We've seen churches handle money poorly.

And because of abuses like those, it can be tempting for a pastor to simply avoid the subject altogether.

But I also don't think, I don't think that's faithful either.

I can see why they would avoid it, but I don't think that it's faithful either.

Because Jesus talks about money, the apostles talks about money, scripture talks about generosity, and God cares about our relationship with what He has entrusted us.

Not because God is short on cash, he's not.

Not because God needs something from us, he doesn't, but because our relationship with money and our physical possessions reveal something about our relationship with him.

Jesus said it plainly in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6, 21.

He says, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

No, he says it the other way.

He says, Where your treasure is, what you treasure, that's where your heart will go.

That's where your heart is.

And here's an uncomfortable but necessary question, church.

Where is your treasure going?

Where's your treasure going?

Because if I want to know what I truly value, one of the places I can look at is at what do I do with what God has entrusted me?

What am I doing with what God has entrusted me?

And church, I can tell right now, preparing this message convicted me.

Because it's easy for me to look at someone's life and ask whether they're being generous or not.

It's much harder to look at my own.

And look back three months ago.

I was standing here preaching on Titus, and I said, Hey, I am preaching on Titus and the qualifications of an elder because I'm putting a spotlight on myself.

Hold me accountable to these things.

Pray for me.

And it seems like every time I approach this pulpit and I prepare a message, the Lord is just transforming my life and convicting me.

And that is my hope for our church.

What does my spending say about what I treasure?

What does my giving say about what I treasure?

What am I willing to sacrifice for?

What am I holding on to so tightly that obedience becomes difficult?

Those aren't questions merely for you, those are questions for me.

I've used this analogy a couple of times already, telling my kids, hey, get off the video game.

And if they can't, then the video game is controlling them.

They're not controlling it.

If somebody asks you for something and you're holding on so tightly you cannot let it go, who has the power over it?

The question is not just how much am I giving or am I tithing faithfully?

The deeper question is, what has my heart?

Take it away from the money at all.

Take it away from your possessions at all.

And just ask a simple question.

What has my heart?

And look at how Paul describes the Philippians gift in verse 18.

He says, A fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.

Now we've moved beyond finances.

Paul takes their financial gift and uses the language of worship.

Their gift went to Paul, but their offering was ultimately to God.

Think about that, church.

Christian giving is not merely about paying the church's bills.

That's nice and all.

It isn't about paying dues, it isn't about paying admissions so that we can come and hang out here every Sunday.

It's an act of worship.

When we give so the gospel can be proclaimed, missionaries can be supported, children can be discipled, people can be cared for, and the word can be preached, and the work of the local church can continue.

We are participating in gospel ministry.

And that is a partnership.

And that means generosity isn't primarily about what God wants from us, it's about what his grace is producing in us.

The Philippians had received grace, Paul had preached grace to them, and they have been they had been saved by grace, and they learn to find their sufficiency in Christ, and now that grace is bearing fruit.

Grace had loosened the grip their grip on the things of this world.

And he produced generosity, not generosity designed to earn God's favor, like the TV evangelists claim.

Not generosity designed to purchase God's blessing.

But generosity flowing from people who already knew that in Christ they have received far more.

Church ultimately, if all we received from God was the salvation of our souls, we have more than we deserve.

The question isn't just do I do I give?

Is that what this is about?

No.

What the question is, what does the way I hold things God has given me reveal about where my treasure is?

What does the way I hold things that God has given me reveal about where my treasure is?

Because if Christian because if if Christ is our treasure, then everything else becomes something that we can hold with an open hand.

And that leads us to the final truth Paul wants this believers to understand.

Because opening our hands can be scary.

Generosity naturally raises the question if I give, will I have enough?

If I I don't have much, but if I give, will I have enough?

And Paul is about to answer that question for them.

In verse 19, he says, And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

So on to point number three.

God supplies what his people need.

Remember the question we just asked?

If I open my hands, will I have enough?

Paul's answer is simple.

You can trust your father.

You can trust your father.

But church, we need to be careful here because just like verse 13, verse 19 can be made to say something that it doesn't say.

Paul is not promising that if you give generously, God will give you wealth.

He's not saying that faithful Christians will never experience financial hardship.

He can't possibly mean that because just a few verses earlier he says, I know how to be brought low.

I learned the secret of fancy facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

So he can't possibly mean that.

Paul knows what needs feel like.

And yet, from that place, he says, My God, my God will supply every need of yours.

That is confidence in the providence of God.

The Philippians could give with open hands because they trusted that the God who had provided for them yesterday would still be God tomorrow.

In church, so can we.

We don't give in order to manipulate God into providing for us.

We give because we trust the God who provides for us.

And notice where Paul ultimately locates that provision.

He says, according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.

Everything keeps coming back to Christ.

If you guys remember from last week, that was the recurring theme in Christ, in the Lord, in Christ.

He says, according to his riches and glory, in Christ Jesus.

Our contentment is in Christ, our generosity flows from what we received in Christ, and our confidence for tomorrow rests in Christ.

Romans 8 32 says, He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also set him graciously, give us all things?

How will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Church, God has already provided our greatest need.

Like I said before, if all we got is the salvation of salvation of our soul, we received more than we deserved.

Our greatest need wasn't money, our greatest need wasn't greater comfort, our greatest need wasn't an easier life.

Our greatest need was reconciliation with a holy God who is righteously angry towards sinners.

We needed righteousness when we had none.

We needed forgiveness when we couldn't earn it.

We needed life when we were dead in our sins.

And God provided all of it.

And in just a moment, we're going to come to this table and remember exactly that.

The bread reminds us of the body of Christ given for us.

The cup reminds us of the blood of Christ poured out for us.

So perhaps this morning we came asking, do I have enough?

Do I have enough?

But the gospel gives us a better question.

Has God given me Christ?

Has God given me Christ?

And if you belong to Him, the answer to the primary to the first question is yes.

Even if our circumstances are hard, even if we don't have enough, even if if we're not in abundance, if we're in a time of need, we have enough.

So with Paul, we can say to our God and Father, be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

That's verse 20.

To our God and Father, be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Church, this table reminds us that God has supplied our greatest need.

We were separated from God by our sin, unable to make ourselves righteous, and unable to save ourselves.

And God provided what we could never provide for ourselves.

He gave us Christ.

And so, as we come to the table this morning, we come remembering that our hope is not in what we have done for God, but but but in what Christ has done for us.

And through faith in him, we have been reconciled to God.

Now, before we receive communion this morning, I want to remind us who this table is for.

This meal is for baptized believers in Jesus Christ.

Those who have repented of their sins, trusted in Christ alone for their salvation, and have publicly identified with him through baptism.

You do not have to be a member of Watkins Community Church to participate.

But if you have not trusted in Christ, or if you have not yet followed him in baptism, we ask that you allow the elements to pass by this morning.

And please understand this.

This isn't meant to exclude you from Christ.

Quite the opposite, actually.

Our invitation is that you would come to Christ.

But Jesus can.

So before we receive the elements, let's take a moment quietly before the Lord, confess your sin, consider the condition of your heart, and remember the sufficiency of Christ and his supremacy over all.

Given your son, Lord, to pay the debt that we could not pay, that we may be called children of God.

Lord, I pray that you would seek our hearts, that you would convict us of our sins, that we may seek your forgiveness before we approach your table.

Lord, we know you are ready to forgive us.

And we pray that.

Thank you for your body.

Thank you for your blood.

Thank you for making us your people.

Amen.

Do this in remembrance of me.

Church, this bread reminds us of the body of Christ given for us.

God has provided.

Take and eat in remembrance of him.

Also, he took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood.

Do this as often as ye drink it in remembrance of me.

This cup reminds us that the forgiveness of our sins was purchased at a cost.

The blood of Christ was shed for his people.

Our salvation has been accomplished.

Our debt has been paid.

Our hope is secured on Christ in Christ.

Take and drink in remembrance of him.

Church, today, we have heard Paul say, My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

And here at this table, we remember the greatest evidence that we can trust him.

God did not spare his own son, he gave him up for us.

So whether we are brought low or abound, whether we face abundance or need, we can say together, Christ is enough.

And then again, reading the final words in chapter and verse 20.

To our God and Father be the glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Let's pray.

Thank you for your grace.

Thank you, thank you for providing for us always, for your faithfulness.

Lord, you are just incredible.

We are so humbled to be your people.

Thank you for your son, for the unimaginable sacrifice, for the pain taken in our stead.

Thank you for making us your children, for welcoming us into your house and your family.

Lord, let us live every day remembering these truths and have the security that only comes from knowing you.

Amen and amen.