back to indexWed Bible Study Philippians Lesson 12
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So, starting from verse 10, it says, "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at 00:00:13.520 |
Indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. 00:00:17.800 |
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I 00:00:22.720 |
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity. 00:00:27.440 |
In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, 00:00:35.880 |
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 00:00:39.400 |
Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. 00:00:43.360 |
You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel after 00:00:47.680 |
I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but 00:00:54.420 |
For even in Thessalonica, you sent a gift more than once for my needs. 00:00:59.080 |
Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. 00:01:04.980 |
But I have received everything in full and have an abundance. 00:01:08.440 |
I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant 00:01:14.080 |
aroma and acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 00:01:18.640 |
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." 00:01:27.360 |
Lord God, we want to thank you again for your word and we pray, God, that as it exposes 00:01:37.360 |
our hearts, whether it be content in Christ, exposes some of our expectations and desire, 00:01:45.360 |
and it touches upon an area of our lives where most of us prefer to keep it very private. 00:01:51.100 |
And I pray, Father God, that as your word continues to search our hearts, Lord, will 00:01:55.760 |
we be sanctified internally and therefore strengthened. 00:01:59.640 |
I do pray, God, that your word would have its fruit in our thinking, everyday decisions, 00:02:06.320 |
and even, Father God, the way that we feel about our life circumstances. 00:02:11.120 |
And so, God, we pray for this time now as we study, God, that you bless us thoroughly. 00:02:19.760 |
So, I want to give some introductory remarks about the passage as a whole. 00:02:24.600 |
And remember that in context, the Apostle Paul said in chapter 1, verse 12, he says, 00:02:31.400 |
"I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of 00:02:37.480 |
Remember that this letter, it has multiple purposes. 00:02:40.720 |
He wants to encourage them, he's praying for them. 00:02:43.120 |
But one of the things that he wanted to say was, clearly the church was worried about 00:02:52.080 |
And so then, in response, he was giving an update, so to speak. 00:02:56.600 |
And although they might have heard, like, "Oh, goodness, he's, you know, jailed. 00:03:00.400 |
He's under guard," you know, and in his absence are all these other people who are preaching 00:03:07.360 |
He's saying, "These circumstances don't be dismayed," okay? 00:03:10.760 |
Because God has turned these circumstances for the good. 00:03:14.080 |
Now, within this last portion, though, what's very interesting is, given the context, he 00:03:20.200 |
is talking about finances quite a bit in this section because he is thanking them, right? 00:03:30.080 |
And what's really interesting is he uses what I like to call euphemisms for a hard topic, 00:03:37.600 |
Now, for a lot of us, actually, talking about finances can get a little touchy. 00:03:45.260 |
And just like majority of us would, I just thought it was kind of funny that it's the 00:03:50.080 |
It's like, you talk about everything else, "How are you doing? 00:03:54.400 |
And then, by the way, you know, he brings it up at the end. 00:03:57.720 |
But I think what's really interesting, then, is as he's talking about finances, because 00:04:03.820 |
I think in commonality, right, we can have misgivings about it. 00:04:08.960 |
We could be misinterpreting what he's doing with finances. 00:04:12.480 |
And because it can be a touchy subject, essentially, Apostle Paul gives some qualifiers. 00:04:18.000 |
So if you notice within this text, he talks about the way that they gave, but then he 00:04:22.240 |
also talks in more qualifying terms, "Oh, this is what I'm thinking," or "This is what 00:04:31.240 |
But what's really interesting is, overall, this passage has so much to say about his 00:04:36.720 |
thankfulness and so much to say about his contentment in relation to those finances, 00:04:44.360 |
And so I just had a kind of interesting thought, you know, as I mentioned that sometimes finances 00:04:51.560 |
And you kind of wonder, like, "Why is it a touchy subject? 00:04:59.760 |
Because sometimes when something, an object, is very near and dear, if something is very 00:05:07.240 |
precious or something is of the object of my desire, then it becomes touchy to talk 00:05:14.040 |
Just like you don't go and talk to somebody about their kid and just flippantly make comments 00:05:20.400 |
and whatever it may be, that can be a very sensitive subject. 00:05:24.080 |
And then you kind of realize, "Oh, man, why is it that sometimes talking about finances 00:05:32.840 |
You know, if we're thinking about it correctly, if we're having the right heart attitude towards 00:05:41.600 |
But nevertheless, I think in that whole vein then, in that whole thought, this passage 00:05:46.320 |
is a huge encouragement to have a mature attitude in both the receiving, in both the concept 00:05:55.800 |
This isn't the only passage in the Bible, obviously, that talks about finances, but 00:05:59.040 |
very much appreciate Apostle Paul's mentality towards it. 00:06:03.400 |
Now, in saying that, you don't have to copy this down, I just wanted to show you how I 00:06:11.960 |
And I asked this question for your Bible study, "Did you notice any pattern? 00:06:18.560 |
Because if you kind of read it in a fast way, it almost sounds like he's wrapping things 00:06:23.640 |
up saying, "Thank you," and then we're done, right? 00:06:26.600 |
But actually, what I saw was there was a commendation. 00:06:29.760 |
So there was a praise in a sense, like, "Wow, you guys did well. 00:06:34.360 |
But then there was a qualifier, and I saw that repeat twice. 00:06:38.920 |
But to make it into a nice outline, some of the words that kind of hinted that was, verse 00:06:43.760 |
10 is, "I rejoice in the Lord for your concern for me." 00:06:53.640 |
Verse 14 through 16, he's like, "You did well to share with me my affliction." 00:06:58.120 |
And then verse 17, 19, he says, "Not that I was just seeking the gift in of itself." 00:07:05.200 |
Again, there's maybe other patterns that you noticed. 00:07:08.560 |
And what I like to do is, you don't necessarily have to copy this exactly down because all 00:07:12.280 |
I did is essentially highlight the first phrase of the sections that I saw. 00:07:20.280 |
So what I like to do is kind of paraphrase to make it a little bit more easier for me, 00:07:24.560 |
at least, to conceive of it, which is in verse 10, it's just simply, "Thank you so much for 00:07:29.760 |
I think what Apostle Paul is all the more grateful for is not just, "Thank you for the 00:07:37.720 |
And then he talks about how, "But in his heart, he has no other wants because he's content." 00:07:41.560 |
And then in verse 14 through 16, he says, "Thank you so much for your fellowship." 00:07:46.560 |
And the reason why I say that is because he says, "Thank you for sharing in this affliction." 00:07:52.320 |
And the idea there really is more so fellowship. 00:07:55.360 |
And then he says, "But my heart is not so much that like, 'Oh, help me. 00:08:02.440 |
Because for to you, your opportunity to engage in this is to your blessing. 00:08:06.560 |
And I think that's a good way to just summarize this passage as a whole. 00:08:10.760 |
So I hope that was helpful in just overview, overview of the passage. 00:08:15.560 |
With that said, let's jump into the very first section of our study, okay? 00:08:21.640 |
And I just want to say in advance that, man, it was tough to try to... 00:08:29.600 |
And so I apologize if it feels like I'm skimming over some stuff. 00:08:33.560 |
With verse 10 in section 1A, it says, "Thank you for your concern." 00:08:38.540 |
And verse 10 reads, "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived 00:08:46.360 |
Indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity." 00:08:50.040 |
What I like to do is just break that sentence down into longer phrases, and I broke it down 00:08:56.760 |
One of the very first things I see is that Apostle Paul is saying, "I rejoiced in the 00:09:03.800 |
And the reason why I bring this up is because maybe some of you guys noticed, "Huh, this 00:09:12.800 |
And what's really interesting about this is, I'm not going to necessarily make a huge point 00:09:16.360 |
of it, but it seems like he introduced the kind of concept and transition from the previous 00:09:24.280 |
section where he was saying, "Follow my example," right? 00:09:28.400 |
And try to emphatically say, "I am rejoicing in the Lord and thinking about this whole 00:09:34.560 |
Because remember, Apostle Paul right now, he's trying to paint a picture for the whole 00:09:38.480 |
church of his perception of his entire scenario, right? 00:09:43.880 |
And what he's doing is he's thanking the Lord. 00:09:46.200 |
Yes, the church has given him, but more so than anything, he's thanking the Lord. 00:09:51.360 |
And what's very interesting is that I think that very first phrase is very emphatic because 00:09:56.640 |
when I looked up how the sentence structure was, the first word is, "I rejoice, but, in 00:10:05.240 |
Meaning, there is this emphasis on this idea that he is rejoicing in Christ, he's rejoicing 00:10:10.320 |
in the Lord as even just the fruitfulness of everything that's happening. 00:10:15.880 |
Now, what I want to say is this is, in thinking about this very first sentence, clearly, Apostle 00:10:22.000 |
Paul is very grateful for their concern for him. 00:10:27.160 |
And what's really interesting about this is that one of the key phrases, or I guess words, 00:10:33.900 |
that we studied in the previous sections was the idea of attitude. 00:10:38.440 |
If you guys recall in chapter 2, Apostle Paul said, "Have this attitude which is in Christ," 00:10:43.720 |
which is the humble attitude, the sacrificial attitude, right? 00:10:47.240 |
What's interesting is if you did a word study on concern, it's the same word for nail. 00:10:53.580 |
So this term actually within the book is repeated multiple times through many chapters, and 00:10:58.600 |
the idea behind it is to have this mindset, is to have this kind of, here it says, "The 00:11:05.700 |
activity represented by this word involves the will, the affection, and the conscience." 00:11:10.680 |
So it's pretty broad, but more so than anything, it's kind of like a frame of mind. 00:11:16.520 |
And I think what Apostle Paul is really highlighting is what he's grateful for is not just that 00:11:25.860 |
What he's absolutely grateful for is that as he looks at this church, he is recognizing 00:11:30.980 |
there's a Christ-likeness in their thinking, the sacrificial thinking, the thinking about 00:11:37.100 |
the kingdom, and all the more than he is grateful for seeing Christ reflected in their hearts. 00:11:44.060 |
And what's kind of interesting, if you notice, is in describing the church and how they gave, 00:11:50.340 |
there's these two phrases I want to highlight to you. 00:11:52.260 |
It says, "Now at last and lack the opportunity," right? 00:11:55.700 |
So he's describing their giving, and at first you'd kind of be like, "Oh, he's just kind 00:12:01.540 |
It's like, 'Before, maybe you tried, you know? 00:12:04.940 |
You forgot for a little while, and then finally you did it.'" 00:12:09.260 |
But that's actually, I don't think that's necessarily what he's exactly saying. 00:12:12.700 |
What it appears is there has been a long time in between the numerous times that this church 00:12:19.420 |
So later on, Apostle Paul is going to commend them and say, "You actually gave multiple 00:12:25.700 |
And so time has passed between the times that he's given, and so he's not talking about 00:12:30.140 |
how these people had just completely forgotten him. 00:12:32.140 |
He's talking about how a big intermittent time has passed. 00:12:35.980 |
This is not perfect, but judging by when he is writing Philippians in his jailing, and 00:12:41.060 |
judging by when he went to Macedonia, almost 10 years has gone by in his relationship with 00:12:49.180 |
So I want you guys to think about that for a little bit, because if we're thinking, one 00:12:52.780 |
of the questions I asked you was, if you look at this whole discussion of finances here, 00:12:59.300 |
and we're looking at the Philippian church as an example, or perhaps model, and some 00:13:03.580 |
principles to gain concerning financial giving towards ministry, what's pretty crazy is these 00:13:09.620 |
individuals have committed, or in many ways, kept Paul in their hearts for a long period 00:13:19.540 |
And what's more, Apostle Paul, again, is so thankful for them, not just because they gave 00:13:23.980 |
the money, but clearly they were so concerned for him that they were willing to send their 00:13:29.540 |
Remember when we were talking about Prophet Didius, he was clearly an individual where 00:13:38.140 |
He was clearly an individual where people esteemed him highly. 00:13:41.220 |
People already knew, "Wow, this man, man of character, already fruitful." 00:13:46.420 |
So you send your best person out there, right? 00:13:50.700 |
What kind of concern the church had for Apostle Paul, it was deep. 00:13:55.740 |
It wasn't for a lack of concern, but rather a lack of opportunity, okay? 00:14:02.260 |
I'm going to move into the next section, because the next section has so much more additional 00:14:08.060 |
deep things to talk about in terms of Apostle Paul's perspective. 00:14:11.260 |
So what we can say is the first portion, Apostle Paul is very thankful for their heart of concern, 00:14:16.100 |
and yes, a long time of past in their relationship and how they were giving to him. 00:14:20.860 |
And during that time, he is communicating, "Don't you worry, I did well," right? 00:14:26.460 |
And in many ways, you can say that he was saying within all the concern that you had, 00:14:34.580 |
Yes, humanistically, it sounds like, "Oh my goodness, the situation is so bleak." 00:14:41.520 |
And so in the next section, 1B, he says, "I want nothing more." 00:14:47.260 |
But in verse 11, he says, "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content 00:14:58.460 |
In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, 00:15:06.420 |
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." 00:15:12.580 |
And one of the tips I want to give you is, again, in previous ones, we talked about meditating. 00:15:17.660 |
If it's a simple command, you just meditate and try to soak it in. 00:15:26.380 |
Those are just questions you ask to evaluate yourself. 00:15:28.900 |
But here, there's such kind of richness to the perspective Paul is trying to give us. 00:15:35.400 |
And so what I typically recommend is just break the deep, deep kind of spiritual teaching 00:15:42.580 |
So you guys have seen me do this multiple times. 00:15:45.340 |
Sometimes when we're taking a big chunk like this, we can't do it with every verse. 00:15:52.280 |
However, I'm not speaking from want, because I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances 00:16:00.120 |
I like to break it down into those small phrases so that I can appreciate every piece of the 00:16:15.640 |
And so just like that, I recommend sometimes if you have the time, I know we don't have 00:16:20.000 |
the time to do it again with every verse, but to take each piece. 00:16:23.760 |
And you can start asking questions about every piece. 00:16:26.600 |
When he says, "Not that I speak from want," what is it that Paul could actually want if 00:16:33.160 |
I mean, being held without privilege in prison, having a guard with you at all times, wouldn't 00:16:42.480 |
Wouldn't you want certain liberties as a Roman citizen? 00:16:45.200 |
Wouldn't you want to be able to vindicate yourself? 00:16:48.600 |
I mean, he's probably scraping by with the very meager portions they give him as a prisoner, 00:16:54.960 |
And you ask the question, like, "For I have learned." 00:16:58.560 |
Sometimes we think like, "Apostle Paul, he's the man," right? 00:17:05.240 |
He's always there doing the right thing because he's the man, right? 00:17:09.480 |
And then you realize, no, could there be a process by which Apostle Paul was learning? 00:17:15.280 |
Sometimes people don't realize, and I love this fact that when Apostle Paul gets knocked 00:17:20.080 |
off his horse, right, on the road to Damascus, we learn that thing. 00:17:23.240 |
He gets knocked off his horse, and he goes, and he has to wait three days. 00:17:26.920 |
And some people think immediately he went to the synagogue. 00:17:33.840 |
But actually, history says there is a time of silence for Paul where after he is converted, 00:17:38.920 |
yes, he goes to the synagogue, and then there's a silence of 10 years where Paul is learning. 00:17:45.460 |
And then when he starts to get commissioned by the church, it's a decade later. 00:17:51.680 |
But what process of learning does Paul have to go through? 00:17:54.840 |
And especially in this context, when we're learning this passage, he gives all these 00:18:01.160 |
And you better bet he probably was learning how to learn his heart through all of those 00:18:14.600 |
And so what does he mean when he says that he is content in every circumstance? 00:18:25.160 |
Does he also then expect us to follow this example in every circumstance that we might 00:18:32.680 |
What are the circumstances that some of these individuals he's talking to right now, what 00:18:42.040 |
He lived in a generation when things like slavery existed, when things like indentured 00:18:50.860 |
So when he says every circumstance, it includes the parameters are bigger than ours, right? 00:18:56.060 |
Again, I'm running through this stuff, but I'm just saying sometimes when you see something 00:19:00.380 |
rich like this, you want to pause and enjoy each piece, okay? 00:19:04.740 |
Now what we're going to do is go forward to talk about this stuff. 00:19:09.500 |
So he says, "I don't speak from want, but I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances." 00:19:17.960 |
The idea of content in the scriptures is really, really also, again, rich. 00:19:23.900 |
What's interesting is this idea of contentment is translated, given the context into kind 00:19:28.820 |
of different nuances, but one of the most primary ones or more frequent ones is this 00:19:34.100 |
idea of being self-sufficient, which is weird, right? 00:19:39.000 |
To feel a sense of adequacy, to feel a sense of being satisfied, right? 00:19:47.120 |
And that's kind of an interesting nuanced way to think about it, and that's why I paraphrased 00:19:57.380 |
To constantly feel this need like, "Oh, gosh, I need to level up. 00:20:07.920 |
That is the mantra of our generation, like our generation of wish list, our generations 00:20:19.760 |
And then what's more, he talks about that no matter the circumstance, he's learned to 00:20:24.360 |
be content, and I think that's what to me is incredibly impressive. 00:20:30.040 |
So on your packet there, on your student handout, I have just the words like, "What's impressive?" 00:20:36.600 |
Because I think, again, if we were to think about, "Wow, how is this challenging to our 00:20:50.120 |
It's inspiring to have a kind of faith where it supersedes circumstances. 00:20:57.320 |
And he reiterates this idea that in whatever circumstances, humble means, prosperity, whether 00:21:03.080 |
he says in any circumstance, and then he says, "Filled, hungry, abundance, and suffering 00:21:08.880 |
And some of those pictures, we have to appreciate, he's not just talking about the kind of hunger 00:21:14.680 |
It's like, "Oh my gosh, I skipped breakfast, and around 11 o'clock, my stomach started 00:21:19.440 |
No, he's talking about being famished, right? 00:21:26.000 |
So I want you to think about that for a little bit because, man, how many of us can say in 00:21:32.840 |
the spectrum of life experiences, "I know how to deal with all of those things. 00:21:46.080 |
Kind of like Moses as a hero of faith in chapter 11 of Hebrews talks about how disdaining the 00:21:55.040 |
In some ways, does Apostle Paul know that stuff? 00:21:59.800 |
If you recall, he was prime candidate almost to be the leader of the Jews. 00:22:06.520 |
He clearly had the backing, all that kind of stuff. 00:22:10.120 |
And yet also, knowing the humble means, but within his suffering, in his desperation and 00:22:27.560 |
Again, is the fact that he had to learn these things. 00:22:31.280 |
I think about this sometimes and it's kind of crazy to me, right? 00:22:34.880 |
The great apostle who planted churches upon churches, and Scripture says, "And he worked 00:22:45.360 |
He says, "I very well could have asked you to support me, but I didn't because I didn't 00:22:53.880 |
And so what's really interesting is in terms of the experience, what I'm trying to highlight 00:23:00.200 |
to you is if we're really trying to appreciate his mentality, we have to appreciate the fact 00:23:06.600 |
that A, there was a full gamut and various kind of experiences that Paul went through. 00:23:12.080 |
B, those experiences were extreme ends of the spectrum, right? 00:23:16.920 |
And within all that, he says, "I have learned to be content." 00:23:20.400 |
One of the passages I want to highlight to you is 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9 through 10. 00:23:25.080 |
I don't know exactly, exactly what it was that was the thorn on his side, but you guys 00:23:32.280 |
Some people think it was that one false teacher who was just coming at him, constantly accusing 00:23:38.080 |
him, constantly trying to usurp his authority and try to sway his congregation, right? 00:23:45.480 |
Some people think it was actually a physical thorn on the side, meaning he had this ailment. 00:23:50.040 |
Regardless of the case, remember, Apostle Paul requested numerous times, three times, 00:23:59.320 |
He said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. 00:24:05.600 |
Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ 00:24:10.400 |
Therefore, I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, 00:24:17.040 |
with difficulties for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong." 00:24:27.600 |
Because ingrained into just how we normally react. 00:24:33.640 |
And what's more, it is also rational and normal. 00:24:37.700 |
If something hurts, if something's painful, we just react to remove ourselves from that, 00:24:45.240 |
If something is threatening, if something is risky, it is natural, it is normal, and 00:24:56.520 |
That although yes, there is this human rationale, the logic, he says no, there is this biblical, 00:25:03.720 |
Christ-like rationale that he exercises to be content in these situations. 00:25:09.960 |
You see, I think for us, sometimes we forget this fact, that what God is trying to produce 00:25:17.880 |
in our lives isn't the perfect bubble scenario, right? 00:25:23.680 |
Perhaps our desire, perhaps our longing is to control all circumstances. 00:25:28.820 |
That if we adjusted, if we moved the way, the location that we lived, if we had an artificially 00:25:33.920 |
controlled environment where there was no threat, no danger, no germs, no bad people, 00:25:43.160 |
But God says no, then you would truly be weak, right? 00:25:47.620 |
Because what God is trying to produce in you is inner strength. 00:25:52.520 |
Through the trials, through the hardships, through the persecutions and difficulties, 00:25:56.680 |
he's not just trying to give you freedom from those difficulties, he's giving you inner 00:26:03.880 |
And so our God, he's not just trying to artificially control our circumstances, but rather he is 00:26:10.040 |
producing in us, producing in us a perseverance, a steadfastness that has its rationale in 00:26:21.680 |
And so I want to give you a couple of these cross-references that Scripture challenges 00:26:31.000 |
In Luke chapter 3 verse 14, there was a soldier and he was told, "Be content with your wages." 00:26:37.040 |
In 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 8, Paul says, "If we have food and covering, with these 00:26:44.800 |
In Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5, it says, "Make sure that your character is free from the 00:26:48.560 |
love of money, being content with what you have." 00:26:51.480 |
Now, if I could ask you, please turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 20 00:26:56.480 |
because this admonition and this kind of exhortation is really intense. 00:27:02.320 |
Remember I told you that in the context of Apostle Paul's generation, his era, there 00:27:06.640 |
existed different types of extreme scenarios that are so far beyond what we can imagine 00:27:12.660 |
as oppression, so far beyond what we can imagine as difficulty and hardship. 00:27:18.360 |
But in this passage, 1 Corinthians 7 verse 20, this is what Apostle Paul says to the 00:27:26.120 |
He says, "Each man must remain in that condition in which he was called." 00:27:30.760 |
Meaning you had a certain role in life, whether you were a boss, manager, servant, or whatever 00:27:40.360 |
The gospel is preached to you and you get saved. 00:27:43.040 |
And then he says, "Were you called while a slave? 00:27:47.660 |
But if you are able also to become free, rather do that. 00:27:50.760 |
For he who has called unto the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freed man. 00:27:55.000 |
Likewise, he who was called while free is Christ's slave. 00:28:01.600 |
Brethren, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called." 00:28:15.140 |
You have to do the whole like imagining what the Bible is saying, right? 00:28:22.960 |
Apostle Paul is saying, "Were you called while you were being a slave?" 00:28:25.800 |
And then you hear the words, "Don't worry about it." 00:28:37.800 |
How in the world are you, Pharisee, educated, ruler guy, Roman citizen, you're going to 00:28:56.960 |
Now what's really interesting is Apostle Paul almost like, "If you can get free, get 00:29:11.240 |
Apostle Paul takes this small world view and expands it out. 00:29:14.840 |
He says, "See, you think that in your operating world of mankind that you're going to get 00:29:21.900 |
freedom and you're going to maneuver and you're going to escape your circumstances." 00:29:26.360 |
Apostle Paul is not thinking on that small level. 00:29:37.440 |
He's thinking, you know, that whole mentality is, "What good is it? 00:29:40.400 |
You escape this and then you go jump into hell. 00:29:46.000 |
Once you realize a spiritual perspective, he's saying, "Look, I get it that you have 00:29:49.880 |
been in this position, but what good is it to bend your whole life to gain this one small 00:29:57.960 |
Do you understand you're going to become a slave of Christ? 00:30:03.040 |
What's more, do you understand you already have your freedom in Christ if you're saved? 00:30:10.520 |
And so when you do that, then you can go back to the whole idea of the "I can do all things." 00:30:19.400 |
That that admonition of "Remain where you are," that might sound like an impossibility 00:30:26.120 |
for individuals who are oppressed, for individuals who are suffering. 00:30:30.520 |
On a human level, he has the right to...an individual would have the right to fight back 00:30:34.360 |
and be like, "I don't think you know and understand what you're saying." 00:30:38.720 |
But Apostle Paul is going to say, "No, I do." 00:30:42.000 |
And the fact of the matter is what seems to be impossible for you, it is possible in Christ. 00:30:48.760 |
"Because I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." 00:30:53.200 |
Yes, if Apostle Paul needed to stay in jail extra years, he's already been there a while. 00:30:59.680 |
The course of time that Apostle Paul is jailed unjustly in false accusation is over two years. 00:31:13.120 |
Because it is Christ who is strengthening him. 00:31:21.240 |
There is this question that I asked, "What are the parameters of using this verse, verse 00:31:25.560 |
And if I asked you, "Have you ever heard this verse used out of context?" 00:31:28.960 |
I'm pretty sure all of you are going to be like, "Yeah, you know, I heard it in sports. 00:31:39.760 |
It's like I survived the season of life or whatever it may be. 00:31:55.520 |
This verse, if you think about it correctly, is so powerful because he's talking about 00:32:00.860 |
being empowered by the one who has all power. 00:32:08.100 |
In all, I am strong in the one empowering me. 00:32:12.460 |
The term for "I can do all things," that idea of can do all is actually, in the Greek, 00:32:21.380 |
It's just one word describing a physical ability. 00:32:29.660 |
And the way I want to talk about it is, again, what God wants to do in us, His power is residing 00:32:36.220 |
within us so that He is actually strengthening us from the inside so that all those things 00:32:42.780 |
that we think are human strengths rather are now completely, completely redefined. 00:32:49.820 |
For those who are believers, strength is not to go fight for your life and then win all 00:32:56.740 |
The strength is to actually bear under all that hardship, to bear under all that persecution, 00:33:05.260 |
to bear under all those things that seem unbearable. 00:33:11.440 |
Because we have the power of Christ, the power that Christ exercised in all of that. 00:33:16.820 |
So with that said, again, He's not thankful just for the money. 00:33:23.540 |
He's not thankful just for them giving and sending somebody, but He's so thankful. 00:33:29.660 |
He's so thankful for their concern, and after that concern, He wants to reiterate that He's 00:33:35.660 |
not speaking out of this want for their money. 00:33:38.140 |
He's not, you know, like speaking out of want for their support, but rather He is speaking 00:33:43.180 |
out of an abundance of the strength that God has provided. 00:33:47.140 |
Now, I want to move quickly then to the next section and then start wrapping things up. 00:33:53.500 |
Is in verse 14 through 16, Apostle Paul thanks them for their fellowship. 00:33:59.580 |
He says, "Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. 00:34:03.660 |
You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel after 00:34:07.980 |
I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but 00:34:14.340 |
For even in Thessalonica, you sent a gift more than once for my needs." 00:34:20.260 |
All I wanted to really highlight from this section is here it says, "You have done well 00:34:29.940 |
What's very interesting is that idea of share, oh, I don't have the word there for you, but 00:34:38.180 |
the word for share is the word, it's a dual word, syn-koinonia. 00:34:48.500 |
And within that, all I want to highlight for you is Apostle Paul commending them. 00:34:53.100 |
Look at what we can appreciate about the model they have set. 00:34:56.820 |
So here's a passage from 2 Corinthians 8 describing how when he first went to Macedonia, the way 00:35:05.340 |
It says, "Now brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given 00:35:10.000 |
to the churches of Macedonia that in a great ordeal of affliction, their abundance of joy 00:35:15.900 |
and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. 00:35:20.300 |
For I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their 00:35:24.720 |
own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support 00:35:32.020 |
And this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us 00:35:38.340 |
Man, you know, take that verse down and that's something really to meditate on, their heart 00:35:48.020 |
The priority in their giving, their liberality in their giving, the kind of sacrifice in 00:35:53.460 |
their giving, all of that is absolutely commendable. 00:35:57.380 |
And I want to say again, what's really awesome about all of this is seriously, when you see 00:36:02.280 |
that kind of attitude, when you see that kind of sacrifice, you can really appreciate the 00:36:07.300 |
fact, wow, they must have seen the sacrifice of Christ, right? 00:36:13.200 |
They must have seen the sacrificial heart of the Lord. 00:36:16.380 |
Now, that is the commendation or that that is a thankfulness for the church. 00:36:21.620 |
But then there's a second qualification that Apostle Paul gives, okay? 00:36:27.540 |
And what he says is, "Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which 00:36:31.980 |
increases to your account, but I have received everything in full and have an abundance. 00:36:37.140 |
I am amply supplied having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable 00:36:47.140 |
And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." 00:36:53.580 |
I want to highlight for you what I believe to be this. 00:36:57.480 |
Apostle Paul, if you see it the wrong way, he's kind of like, "Thank you so much." 00:37:01.940 |
And if you see it the wrong way, he could appear to be somebody who's like, "Thank you 00:37:09.620 |
And it could almost look like he's just vying for more. 00:37:13.420 |
But I think what he's doing is he's thanking them appropriately, but then also he has this 00:37:25.300 |
This first maturity, what I like to highlight, he says, "Not that I seek the gift itself, 00:37:29.180 |
but I seek for the profit which increases to your account." 00:37:32.860 |
I want you to imagine with me somebody who asks for help, but is absolutely childish 00:37:41.900 |
If you can imagine, let's say, a young child doing dishes and he asks his parent, "Can 00:37:47.700 |
So the parent comes over and says, "Well, let me do the scrubbing." 00:37:50.260 |
And he says, "No, I want to do the scrubbing." 00:37:53.980 |
And the child says, "You just hold the faucet." 00:37:59.940 |
Likewise when it comes to finance, if you just say, "I wanted you to just send the 00:38:13.540 |
Apostle Paul has this maturity to say, "It wasn't just simply just the gift," right? 00:38:20.820 |
"I didn't have this mentality of just send the money. 00:38:36.560 |
That is somebody who has the right perspective. 00:38:38.700 |
All of that then I want to summarize as maturity, right? 00:38:44.940 |
Number two, "But I have received everything in full and have an abundance. 00:38:47.980 |
I am amply supplied having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent." 00:39:02.580 |
"I received everything in full and I have an abundance." 00:39:07.940 |
He's genuinely not speaking from a greedy, "Why can't you do this for me? 00:39:16.500 |
And then lastly, "As a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God." 00:39:22.620 |
The way that he describes what the church is doing, he describes with a perspective 00:39:33.620 |
A maturity of faith has God as its consideration, has God in the context, has God as its goal. 00:39:47.580 |
Why does he describe it like a fragrant aroma? 00:39:49.640 |
Why does he describe it as an acceptable sacrifice? 00:39:52.580 |
But clearly there is a consideration of the Lord. 00:39:58.300 |
The very last kind of maturity that I see is an absolute confidence in God's provision 00:40:03.540 |
in the midst of talking about the church's monetary provision for him. 00:40:08.580 |
Something that I absolutely appreciate of mature Christians who've been walking with 00:40:19.380 |
Are you supposed to be laboring diligently so that you provide, so that you're not a 00:40:25.860 |
Are you supposed to make sure that you exercise all the opportunities that God has given you? 00:40:31.660 |
But that weird paradox of you working, but having not the confidence in yourself, but 00:40:36.580 |
a confidence in God, I think mature Christians who've been walking with the Lord appreciate 00:40:42.660 |
That they recognize the confidence they have in God's provision. 00:40:47.580 |
They fight, they fight the tendency for us to calculate cost, do risk analysis, and constantly 00:40:54.920 |
think about how do I secure this and that, recognizing by experience we could run around 00:41:03.300 |
But if the Lord does not provide, we have nothing. 00:41:07.420 |
That is the kind of conclusion I hope that people walking with the Lord can testify from 00:41:16.380 |
And I hope that every single one of us continues to do that. 00:41:19.680 |
And what we appreciate about, again, those, the people around us, what we appreciate about 00:41:23.700 |
those who are setting the example is this kind of hard attitude that Apostle Paul is 00:41:32.100 |
We thank the Lord, we commend you, but in terms of all things, my provision is in God. 00:41:46.420 |
Father God, there is a desire from Apostle Paul for all the churches. 00:41:55.060 |
God that we would have such a experience, Lord, of testing and seeing that your Word 00:42:03.740 |
You say in Scripture that it's more blessed to give than to receive. 00:42:08.700 |
And clearly, Father God, there have been saints before us who have exercised that and all 00:42:14.220 |
the more than experienced the blessing of it. 00:42:16.980 |
And I pray, Father God, that we too then will be challenged to do the same. 00:42:20.980 |
I also pray, Father God, that as this study, it challenges our heart, Lord, whether we 00:42:26.260 |
want constantly our circumstances, life situations to fit our own benefit. 00:42:32.700 |
I pray, Father God, that we will recognize our greed. 00:42:35.140 |
I pray, Father God, that we will repent of our selfishness. 00:42:38.860 |
And all the more abide in your plan for us to cause us to be strong in you. 00:42:44.740 |
That, Father God, we would walk with the kind of power that doesn't come from having life 00:42:50.420 |
set for us, but rather, God, having a strength that comes from having Christ and the power 00:43:01.300 |
And we continue to pray that you would help us to have a fruitful discussion.