Philippians 4:14-20
You’ve all likely heard the expression…”God’s ways are not our ways”. For example consider his plan to redeem his creation from Satan’s control. He sends his son, Jesus. Not to force us to do his will and not to physically overpower the God of this world, but instead to suffer at the hands of those he created and allow himself to be humiliated and publicly be put to death. What kind of plan is that?
And yet, in doing just that, Jesus conquers death, ultimately defeats Satan, and provides a way for every person to be forgiven and reconciled to God for eternity. Stunning, isn’t it?
And then there is this Kingdom… God’s Kingdom that he wants to establish. “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth even as it is in heaven.” Jesus prays. Certainly, he’s going to provide the leadership and presence to insure that this incredible plan of God is going to be implemented efficiently and effectively. After all, he is God’s son. Who better to lead the charge, the only one to defeat death! But no, he departs this earth and delegates his followers to take up the mission under the guidance of God’s Spirit… who we can’t even see! Rather confounding, isn’t it? And yet…the Kingdom of God continues to advance even after 2000 years! Even the gates of hell cannot prevail over it!
Finally, there’s the matter of resources to carry out this overwhelming mission. After all, we have been commissioned to “Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.” That’s going to take a huge budget! I wonder how God is going to fund that undertaking. Is there a bank account somewhere that we can access? A heavenly ATM machine that is available to Christians 24-7-365 for the purpose of Kingdom work? No, all of God’s kingdom resources are in the pockets and bank accounts of his followers! He’s made us, the stewards of all His resources. He’s literally banking on us to fund this Kingdom mission.
Surely God knows that we are self-centred beings at our core. Why would he limit the development of His Kingdom… the accomplishment of His plan, by expecting us to willingly fund something so significant and important? What was He thinking?
God’s ways are certainly not our ways… but He wants us to make them our ways!
Which brings us to the final passage in Paul’s letter to the Philippians… chapter 4:14-23.
The church at Philippi was committed to helping Paul in his efforts to share the Good News. They had sent him money more than once and in his response to their gifts he mentions three benefits that flow from their generosity. Three benefits that we would be wise to consider and embrace because these are not benefits specific only to the first century church in Philippi. These are universal benefits that apply to all God’s people.
I want you to receive A REWARD for your kindness. “My motivation for having you give is not simply the meeting of my needs. I want you to give so that you will receive God’s reward for your generosity.” Were you aware that God is ready to reward you for your investment in His Kingdom?
Remember Jesus teaching in Matthew 6 when he’s talking about giving and says, “Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:4
Both Jesus and Paul talk about how our sharing with others is an investment in our eternal future. We need to be asking ourselves…am I paying as much attention to my heavenly investments as I am to my earthly investments? In case you haven’t done the math…God’s interest, compounding for eternity, is a much better option than you are going to receive for any of your GICs or mutual funds or Real estate investments.
The Bible often talks about our Heavenly Treasure…have we made any recent deposits?
Our giving to God’s Kingdom work is a sacrifice that pleases God. Paul is saying that our giving is actually AN ACT OF WORSHIP. He uses OT language here comparing our financial sharing with the animal sacrifices that the Israelites were asked to give. Was it the actual smell of burning meat that God loved to inhale from those animal sacrifices? No, it was the willingness of his people to sacrifice the best of their animals, which constituted their wealth, in worship to Him. It illustrated their trust in his provision.
If we want to please our Heavenly Father, we should be ready and willing to sacrifice from our resources. So, what constitutes a sacrifice?
I heard a joke this week about old money being recycled. A one dollar bill and a hundred dollar bill were traveling up the conveyor belt together and began to discuss their lives. The one dollar bill asked the hundred…so what have you been up to since you were minted. Oh, the hundred said, I’ve had quite a life…I’ve travelled all over the world…been on some amazing cruises…seen some truly incredible restaurants and the entertainment I’ve witnessed…truly amazing.
What about you, he said to the one dollar bill. Well, the one dollar bill said, I’ve been to a lot of places as well…to the Baptist Church, the Anglican Church, quite a few Catholic Churches…even circulated through some Presbyterian congregations.
The Hundred looked over at him and said…What’s a church?
When it comes to sacrifice it all depends on the size of your resources. That’s why in the OT God prescribes a percentage for giving…the tithe or 10%. Sacrifice for one person is not a sacrifice for another. But whomever we are and however we have been blessed, God is pleased, we are worshiping Him, when we are generous in sharing the financial resources that He has blessed us with.
The third benefit of being generous is that God has promised to SUPPLY ALL OUR NEEDS. This to me, is the most powerful benefit of generosity. Through out scripture God continually promises to meet the needs of his children. Once again Jesus reiterates this in his sermon on the mount…
“I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed a beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today, and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
Generosity grows our faith! Are you serious about growing a deeper faith? Don’t read more books, don’t memorize greater amounts of scripture, or increase your fasting and prayer. All these things will have some value to your Christian life but nothing builds your trust in God like regularly giving some of your finances to his Kingdom’s work. Especially when you think you need it all to meet your needs. That takes trust… trusting that He will provide you with what you need! He’s promised to do that. Are we taking him at his promise and growing our faith or choosing to not belief him?
Friends, thisis why God hasn’t opened an ATM machine for his Kingdom work. He’s using us and the resources he’s blessed us with to get the job done and in the process, he’s growing our trust in Him! He’s making us into his disciples…true followers, partners in the Kingdom work.
Can I put it even more bluntly? If I choose not to share my resources in God’s Kingdom work I’m telling God that I don’t trust Him to look after me. How can we trust Him for our salvation and yet not trust Him to take care of us in our daily lives?
Here at Hope Hills we’re engaged in God’s Kingdom business. We are serious about Connecting people to God through Jesus and that takes our time, our prayers, our plans, and our finances. We’re also committed to helping one another become fully devoted disciples of Jesus and we can’t accomplish that without trusting God and that involves sacrificial giving. And finally, we want you all to receive the rewards that God has promised to those who steward His resources with generous hearts.
God’s ways…his rescue plan, his strategy to build the kingdom, and his methods for developing disciples…are certainly wiser and more complex than anything we might have imagined. Let’s embrace his ways and as Paul says in conclusion to the Philippians…”May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”
And what could be a more appropriate ending to a message about being generous that sharing in the Lord’s supper. Every week we participate together in this reminder of God’s generosity. “For God so loved the world that He gave…” such a sacrificial gift both by the Father and the Son. As we partake let’s remember God’s incredible generosity and determine to become just like Him.