At the very end of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, the apostle finally thanks the Philippians for their financial gift to him. Although thanking the Philippians for their financial partnership with him is one of the chief reasons prompting him to write this letter in the first place, he waits until the very end of this letter. Paul has needed to address many things in this letter to the Philippians, but he has not forgot to express his gratefulness for their generosity.

Of course, Paul would never addressing themes as significant as worldly possessions, financial stewardship, and generosity with a perfunctory thank you note. Instead, he takes this opportunity to expand the vision for generosity beyond what the Philippians might have already. Paul is not trying to squeeze more money out of the Philippians, and he does not even want to suggest that he was desperate for what they sent to him. Rather, he treats their giving along the same lines that he has addressed their wider spiritual growth in the gospel, as the work of God in them to will and to work.

In this closing section of the letter to the Philippians, Paul touches on several themes from this letter to place Christian generosity squarely within the context of sanctification—and also squarely under the provision of the grace of God.

Today, we finish our sermon series from the letter Paul's letter to the Philippians next week, Lord willing, we will begin a study in the Book of Genesis, which I'm looking forward to. Read with me from Philippians chapter four, starting in verse ten through the end of the chapter in twenty-three.

10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 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. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 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. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. 18 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. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings
21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.

23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.Philippians 4:10-23, ESV

This is the word of the Lord. When I was maybe five or six and my brother, who was about two and a half years younger than me, was then maybe four or three or somewhere around there. We're both very, very little kids. My father traveled quite a bit for work, and when he would come home, there was a regular ritual where we would expect a present that dad would bring home. For us, this was our right. This is what was due to us as children. So we would go and we would sit on the couch and close our eyes and hold out our hands, the anticipation just so great that we were shaking and kicking our feet. I remember it well, and I also remember, well, the week that for whatever reason, Dad didn't bring a present home. I don't know if he ran out of time or couldn't find something, or maybe our family couldn't afford something that week.

I really don't remember. But I remember that week that my parents had to say, Yeah, Dad didn't bring anything for you this week. Now I was crushed in my heart. However, I knew, this little political machinery mind knew even at that tender age, that if I threw a fit, I would lose some standing. I would never get myself in trouble. I would have some problems. My parents wouldn't necessarily respect me. I may lose some political capital that I would otherwise not be able to trade in at some future point. My brother, however, was three or four and did not get the point. So he threw himself on the floor in a fit and a rage.

Now I ask you who responded better to the situation. Was it my brother who outwardly expressed what I was feeling in my heart? How dare he not bring me a trinket or was it me whose heart was so corrupt that not only was I mad about it, but I was smart enough to think ahead and play the game? Augustine, the church father who died in about 430 A.D., observed in his autobiography called, "The Confessions". He said, you know, babies just scream and cry, and we look at them and wonder why they don't control themselves more. I said, well, it isn't that we grow out of that, it's that we get so much better at hiding the corruption of our hearts as time goes on.

In this last passage of the letter to the Philippians, Paul is finally getting around to doing really the thing that he has been thus far. This entire letter, in large part, is written as a thank you note to the Philippians for their financial contributions to him as he's been in jail. He puts this thank you section all the way to the very end of this letter, and he wants to be very careful as he speaks to them about the way in which he communicates to them. Thank you for the way in which they had contributed financially to his ministry and in the midst of his suffering.

In this we see not only how to give well, but first, actually, Paul addresses how we ought to receive, whether that's financially, whether that's someone who praises us, whether that's someone who gives us a gift, whether that someone who gives us a bit of encouragement. How do we receive well? Second, how do we give? Well, what are we called to give? What does that look like? Third, why do we do this? What promises do we have behind the way in which we give and receive?

1. How We Ought to Receive
2. How Do We Give
3. Why Do We Do This

How We Ought to Receive

So let's look at this passage together. Starting in verse ten of chapter four, Paul says, "I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length, you have revived your concern for me."

The word therefore revived is a botanical word. It's a word that we might literally translate as bloomed or blossomed. It's the idea that your giving was sort of like a tree, and this tree went into winter for a time into dormancy. Now it's springtime and everything is blooming and blossoming again, and I see the evidence of that and the gift that you are sending me, so I rejoiced in the Lord greatly.

Now why? What is the cause behind Paul's joy? What gives him joy in this situation? Is he a spoiled brat who just wants to receive a gift, as I have been so often? That didn't end when I was five, so often in my life, a spoiled brat. Well, Paul wants to be very clear. He's speaking as an inspired apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the word of the Lord to us. This is not just the transaction of business. This is not just a perfunctory thank you note. Oh yeah, thank you for what you did. Paul actually wants to disciple us, to lead us in how we can receive well from the generosity of other people. So he has three things that he wants us to avoid thinking.

The first is that Paul wants us to avoid thinking that we should receive as though our egos were at stake. Look at what he says in verse eleven, he says he gives his first qualification, he qualifies a lot himself a lot in this passage, but the first qualification comes in verse eleven. Starting at the end of verse ten he said, "You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity." He doesn't want to give the impression that he thinks that they hadn't been concerned for him in that time, as though he's kind of throwing a fit, saying, why didn't you send to me during this entire time? He acknowledges, I knew you were concerned about me. I know you were worried about me, but you had no opportunity in that time.

Well, we don't know what exactly this means what this lack of opportunity meant, except that we do have maybe a glimpse of this and 2 Corinthians chapter eight, where Paul speaks of how the churches in Macedonia were stricken with a trial of poverty for a time. That even in the midst of their trial of poverty that they were stricken with, they nevertheless gave way beyond their means, generously. However, because they were in the midst of this poverty, whether there was a famine or whether there was some kind of economic downturn, we don't really know whatever happened. It shrunk their ability to give at all. They gave as much as they could.

You think of Jesus observing the widow, giving two small copper coins, which compared to the rich people who gave lots of money, didn't seem like much. Except Jesus said this woman has given all that she had to live on. The same thing apparently happened with the churches in Macedonia, which the church at Philippi was a church in Macedonia. Apparently, they were in this poverty and could give and did give, but they were only able to give very little. So it seems that in the way that they were able to give very little, Paul must not have received what they were able to give. It must have gone somewhere else, probably to relief for the churches in Jerusalem.

He said, but you had no opportunity at this time. What Paul is saying is saying, look, I'm not offended, I'm not hurt by this. It wasn't like I was looking to you and to your giving as the scoreboard of your approval for me. Very often, one of the problems with the spirit in which we receive things is that we are looking to other people to gratify us. We're waiting for that compliment or we're waiting for a gift or we're waiting for someone to come alongside and serve us, whether that's in our jobs, whether that's in our homes, whether that's in the church. We are just wanting some kind of validation that someone else notices that I exist and to tell me that I'm doing a good job.

Well, Paul says that's not what's at stake here. I know that you have been concerned about me. I don't want you to get the thinking that I was worried in my ego that you were excluding me from your giving.

The second thing Paul wants them to avoid is that his ego was at stake, but it also wasn't that he was worried about his needs being met. This is where we get to verse eleven. He says, "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." Then he goes on and says, "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." He said it wasn't that I was just desperate. I was just waiting for you and I felt left hung out to dry. I have needs, but you know what? He said, I've learned this secret of being content in any circumstance, whether I have a lot or a little weather abundance or need, whether I am hungry or whether I have plenty in front of me. I didn't rejoice because you met my need.

The third thing he says is that he didn't rejoice because of self-satisfaction or self-sufficiency. We read pretty quickly over that word in verse eleven, content that sounds like a good Christian word, aren't Christians supposed to be contented in life? Well, yes, we are. The word that Paul chooses here isn't a good Christian word. It's a thoroughly Greek pagan word. The word here for contentment literally means self-sufficient.

Back in Paul's time, there were these Greek stoic philosophers. They were thoroughly pagan, and what they said is that if you want to succeed in life, here's what you're going to do. You are going to get to the point where no one matters at all to you, where you don't need anyone to help you at all. It's a radical individualism. It's the British idea of a stiff upper lip. It's the idea that I am going to succeed no matter what, and no one can hurt me. No one can get to me because I am self-sufficient. I am content.

Well, that's the word that Paul uses here, but he uses it ironically, and we know he uses it ironically because he doesn't talk about his own sufficiency. Instead, in verse thirteen, he's somewhat self-sufficient. I am Christ sufficient. So he says, "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Now that is one of the most famous lines from this entire letter, and it's been used in a multitude of contexts in our society. What this does not mean is that if you know Jesus, you can make a whole lot of basketball shots in the NBA. It doesn't mean that you are going to achieve any career aspiration you want to. It doesn't mean that you can set to do anything you set your mind to do. What it means is that regardless of the circumstance in which Jesus Christ calls you to follow him into, you are trusting in him for your sufficiency.

You see, we have these options when we receive. There are a lot of ways that we could look at these gifts. Again, whether we're talking about prayers that people lavish on us, or recognition, or whether people help us. When they say, I see you, you're doing a really hard job, let me come alongside and help you. Or whether we're talking about financial contributions, whether it's time, talent, or treasure when people give us of what they have.

We could look at that as a personal validation where we find our identity in what other people think about us. On the other extreme, we could see this as I don't need you, back off. I've got this. I'm fine on my own. Your gift is offensive to me because it is an affront to my self-sufficiency. We could just say thank you, thank you I just needed this.

Well, it's not that we shouldn't look at other people. It's not that we shouldn't acknowledge we have needs. It's not that we shouldn't try to do what we can to address our own circumstances. What Paul is saying is if we seek our identity anywhere but in Christ, we missed the point and we can't possibly receive it with the gospel in mind. The gospel frees us to remember that everything we have comes as a gift. The gospel reminds us that we are not judged based off of what other people think of us. We are not judged based on how well we hold it together. We are judged according to the standard of Christ. That is by how well Jesus has met the standard.

The gospel tells us that we don't have to set up our own ability to get things done or try to manipulate people or try to find this satisfaction in other people. It's that God is already satisfied in us if we have trusted in Christ for faith. We are all sinners who fall short of the glory of God. In the sight of God we stand justly deserving of his wrath and displeasure. Yet because God, in his sovereign mercy, sent Jesus to die for us, God promises that if we trust him through faith, we've already passed the test in Christ. We must find our identity in Christ if we are to be able to receive from people in the way that we ought to.

How Do We Give

That doesn't quite answer the question. Why, then, does Paul rejoice in this situation. If it's not because they sort of stroked his ego, if it's not because he had a deep need that he was happy to see it filled, if it's not because of his own self-sufficiency? Why, then, does Paul rejoice in the Lord greatly that their concern was revived for him again?

Well, this is where Paul begins to address the issue of giving. In verses fourteen through sixteen, he says, "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."

These words share in verse fourteen and partnership in verse fifteen. Both stem from this word "koinōneō" . It's a commonality, a mutual purpose. It's not the idea of spectators in the stands watching from afar as Paul does something. It's the idea of people who are actually alongside Paul, even if they're physically remote from him, even if they're sending him support from a great distance. They are actually involved in the ministry in which Paul himself has dedicated his life to. They do this through financially giving to the ministry. Paul is saying, to have a partnership with me, you are involved in this. You're giving is not just writing a check and being done with it. You're giving actually takes part in the ministry of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations.

So Paul then uses two metaphors that are incredibly important in understanding his overall message here. In verse seventeen and into verse eighteen, he uses first to financially metaphor and then at the very end of eighteen he uses a sacrificial metaphor. He says in verse seventeen, "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit." The idea of fruit in an agrarian culture, your wealth is not necessarily determined by the money you have in a bank. It's not necessarily quantifiable or countable or measurable based off of units of currency you own. Your wealth is more than likely based off of the commodities you possess. How many livestock do you own? How much grain do you have?

Think of this almost as saying that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. That means that God possesses all the wealth in all the world. Or think of Jesus as parable of the rich fool, of the man whose fields produced abundantly and he had all this grain. He said, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to tear down my barns, I'm going to build bigger barns and I'm going to fill those barns with grain. Then I'm going to have enough fruit enough grain to live off for the rest of my life and I can eat, drink and be merry. God, that night demanded his soul of him. You fool who was going to take possession of what you have worked so hard to build up for yourself, such as the man who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God?

Well, Paul is saying financially, when you give, what you are doing is investing. You are putting fruit, grain or whatever into an account, into a barn. Not a barn where you are becoming rich to yourself, laying up treasure for yourself, hoarding to yourself. You are investing in God's kingdom.

There's another aspect to this. When Paul talks about fruit throughout his writings. He's referencing the fact that there is only one person who gives the growth, God. God alone gives the growth. In 1 Corinthians three, he says, you know, I planted and Apollos watered, but it's God who gave the growth. In Galatians Chapter five he talks about the fruits of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit. This is something that God gives the growth. He's saying, I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. I'm wanting to see God work in you. So again, he says, I've received full payment. That's something you would put at the bottom of a receipt in those days. I've received full payment and more.

He says in verse eighteen, "I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent," I'm not looking to get rich off of you, but I have received everything I need. I'm interested in the fruit that increases to your credit in your account. Then he shifts at the end of eighteen to a sacrificial metaphor. If the idea of fruit speaks to God as the source of what they were able to give, the idea of a sacrifice, "a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God." Speaks to God as the recipient of what they were giving.

Well, Paul receives the fruit. I mean, he receives the gifts he's able to eat from it and just like with a sacrifice, the priests were able to eat from the sacrifices, a reserved portion of the sacrifices part of it they would offer to God and part of it the priests would keep as a way to minister to their own physical needs. What Paul is saying is yes, I'm benefiting from this, but God is the one supplying you, and God is the one to whom you are giving this.

We give not directly to other people or to other ministries, we give because God is the one at work in us to willing to work. We give as a sacrifice to God himself. Now here are three things I think we need to see from this.

The first principle I think we need to recognize is that the gospel frees us to receive from people, whether again, whether we're talking encouragement. Or whether we're talking about a gift or financial donations. Or whether we're talking about someone coming alongside to serve our needs. We are able to receive without seeking the gift.

Some of you may be in situations where you have a boss or a spouse or a parent or children, or you have neighbors or friends with whom it is very difficult to get along. In fact, you feel in a lot of ways, like some this person, you probably know exactly who I'm talking about, is maybe very withholding, maybe doesn't give you much, maybe doesn't recognize your efforts, maybe doesn't send much your way, is not very generous with you, either in their words or their giving or whatever.

Well, the question is what happens when that person does give you something? Do you look at that and say finally, someone is gratifying me? Or do you say, man, I've gotten over you. I'm so over you. I don't need what you have to offer. Forget about it. I extended my hand in friendship or as a spouse or as a son or a daughter or whatever and you rejected it time and time again. I'm done with this. I'm not playing your game anymore. Or you say finally, I just needed this so much and move on? Or are you able to look at that gift, not seeking the gift, but recognizing that God might be doing something in this person, to get this person to move from the point where they are of selfish withholding to the point where they're actually able to give. Do you see that as God working in their lives? Is that a cause for you to rejoice, not because you receive something, but because God is at work to cause this person to give?

This what Paul is saying. I'm not interested in your money. I'm not interested in receiving something from you and mooching off of you. I am interested in seeing God at work in your heart.

Well, the second principle that we should learn from this is that not only does the gospel free is to receive, but the gospel frees us to give. The gospel reminds us that it is not by giving that we are saved, but that the gospel saves us to give. It isn't that God is sort of looking well, did you give a certain portion of your money to the church and that's what qualifies you for salvation? That's not how you are saved. Instead, the way the reason you are saved is by grace through faith. When you look to Jesus through faith and say, I am a sinner, I have nothing that I can contribute. I have made a wreck of my life. I need Jesus to transform me. God forgive me of my sins and help me to follow Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If that's your hope, you have salvation in Christ. You know Jesus and to have Jesus as to have salvation. The result of that salvation is fruit, that God's Holy Spirit would cause you to be transformed and changed and moved to give.

Why Do We Do This

Why are you supposed to give? Well, Paul says we all have a part in this to play. He says we have a fellowship with each other. You all have been given different gifts. You all have been given different resources. Some of that's money, some of that's the home you live in. Some of that's the food you own. Some of that's abilities and talents you have. You all have different amounts of time available to give to other people, time, talents, treasures. You all have that to some degree, to some aspect.

We're called to see the work of the gospel as a partnership. Where we are joined in fellowship with one another. Where God doesn't save us by the work that we do. He saves us in order to commission us for a work that means that we give of our money, it means giving of our time. We talked earlier about the god of capitalism, the god of money that is very strong in our society. Do you want to know the one of the ways to put that god to death and to worship Jesus instead? It's to give up your money to God to serve the true God.

More than money, it's so much more. Do you see what God has given you as an opportunity to love and to serve other people? The gospel frees us to find the role we have, no matter what that might be. Whether it's in your neighborhood or in this neighborhood, or whether that's in serving other people, by teaching or by serving and meeting their physical needs, whatever it is, do you see your role and how God is calling you to be a partner for the kingdom of the gospel?

Well, how Paul ends this, and he brings this together by talking about fellowship in the same way that he begins and the beginning of this letter, he talked about the fellowship that he has had with Philippians from the first day, convinced that at the very last day, he knew that God would bring the good work to completion that he began in them. He says, here's how this is going to happen, the way he closes, this is with two promises.

He says in verse nineteen, "My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus". Then he says, "the grace of the Lord Jesus, be with your spirit." Is the way you have confidence that God is not going to leave you out to dry if you give? Is this the way you have confidence that whether or not you receive from someone else, what you think you need right now is according to the gospel? According to the riches of God in glory in Christ Jesus? According to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that God promises will go with you?

He even throws in some evidence of this in verse twenty-two, that there are saints, saved people, in Caesar's own household. That the gospel has permeated and penetrated the darkest place, powerful place on the face of the planet.

So in verse 20, right before the greetings, Paul ends on a note of benediction, "To our God and Father, be glory forever and ever. Amen." What Paul says it's the gospel that not only gives you grace to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, to give to those who are in need, to receive, not because you need it, but because you are rejoicing in seeing other people have a work of God done in their lives. That all of this leads us to worship. God is the source of everything we can give. God is the recipient of everything that we can give. God is the one who owns all glory now and forevermore. This begins and ends in God. This leads us even in our acts of sanctification or growth in Christ, following Jesus, where he leads us. Also in our worship to praise and give glory to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit forever and ever.

Pray with me. Heavenly Father, we pray that you would give us grace to be faithful stewards of all that you've entrusted to us. We pray that you would make us generous, not as we seek to pay you something back or to gain something from you. But out of a sense that you are saving us. That we would be conform to the image of Christ, who though he was rich for our sake, made himself poor to make us rich? God, give us those eyes to see other people around us and to give. When people give to us, give us eyes to receive in a spirit of the gospel. God, we pray as we seek our daily bread and as we seek the needs that we have that surround us, we pray that you would meet every one of our needs according to your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Father, as we close this letter. We pray that you would use these words of your apostle, to continue to give you the glory forever and ever. We pray this in the name of your son, Jesus, by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.