This is a rush transcript.

[00:00:00] I invite you to open the Bible and turn with me to the Book of Philippians, and we are getting towards the end of Phillip in two Philippians here as we come to Chapter four. And one of the verses we're going to study together tonight is Philippians, Chapter four, verse 13. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It's a famous verse and it's especially used by athletes these days. Maybe, you know, a famous athlete who had the little black lines under his eyes as he was getting four ready for a game and he put Phil 413 in white on his on his black lines there under his eyes.

[00:00:42] Maybe you've seen it like a basketball player. Write it on his shoe or on his sweat band. Maybe you've seen somebody have it, like, tattooed across their body is they're getting ready to compete in sport. It's become like the verse that athletes use. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Let me just tell you that any time you see an athlete using this verse, they are taking a completely out of context. All right. I believe Jesus can do all things. I will never be able to dunk a basketball and I get no man from anybody on that. All right. If you ever hear me announcing a swimming to Catalina Island ministry, don't be a part of it. All right. You cannot do all things. That's not what this verse is saying. It's not talking about Jesus giving us physical strength so we can do all things. We we we do. Bunny Ron. Every year around Easter, whether it's a five K, five K to me is seems like a long distance. We're not going to turn it into a 50 K because Jesus is with us. OK. So if you hear somebody say that now listen, if you're an athlete and they want to say that Jesus Christ gives them life and breath and all things, is that a true statement right there if they're doing it for the glory of God? Is that good for them to do it? If an athlete is praising Jesus because he helped them. And should we rejoice with them in the glory that belongs to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone? A man, I would say, whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Just when you win something. When wait. When Pastor Daniel coaches his AYSO girls soccer team to victory today on the fields of the local elementary school, give the glory to Jesus Christ. But just don't quote Philippians 413.

[00:02:28] That's all I'm asking. All right. Because that's not what it's talking about.

[00:02:32] It is not taken saying that physically you have strength because of Jesus Christ. So what is it talking about? That's what we want to get into. We want to keep the verse in context. Let me read our passage, Philippians, for 10 to 13, and you'll see that versus the punch line at the end of it. But let's think through what Paul is saying here. This is Philippians four, verse ten. 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.

[00:03:12] Not that I am speaking of being in need for I have learned 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 him who strengthens me.

[00:03:40] So what you can see here as we get to the end of Philippians and remember, we started this back in the month of June and we have this summer of joy. And then as we came into the fall, we studied how Jesus is better. And as we come to the end of chapter four, look at verse 19. Here's just a glimpse into where we're going next week, as will conclude Philippians next weekend, verse 19. And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. What he's talking about is the provision of God and specifically the context of Philippians. And I can just tell you, this was not what I was thinking when we started the Book of Philippians. I wanted to go through this book because it's beloved by so many, and I wanted Joy to be the theme for our church through the summer.

[00:04:32] But the reason Paul wrote this letter from jail to this church is because they sent him money.

[00:04:40] That's the context.

[00:04:42] And now when he says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that you have revived your concern for me. He's saying, I'm rejoicing that you guys sent me a financial love gift through a powerful diocese. That's what he has received.

[00:04:57] And now he is writing this letter in response because they have been generous to support him and meet his financial needs.

[00:05:07] And so what he's getting into here tonight is contentment with where you're at financially, and then that next week, as we go to the end of the letter, how you can have confidence. God is a generous, loving heavenly father who will provide everything that you need in this life. And it's talking about money is what it's talking about.

[00:05:30] That's the context.

[00:05:32] So what happens way too often is we just pull one verse out and we just make this first. I can do all things through him who strengthens me and we don't read it in the context of which it was written.

[00:05:46] You can't just pull verses out and make them mean whatever you want them to mean. A verse only means one thing what the original author intended when he wrote to the original audience inspired by the Holy Spirit.

[00:06:00] And you either get the right interpretation of the verse or you get the wrong interpretation of the verse.

[00:06:06] And if you're an athlete saying, I can do this through Christ, who strengthens me, that is a true statement that Jesus Christ is the Lord. Who enabled you to do that? Give him the glory.

[00:06:17] Just don't quote this verse because his verses about money is what it's talking about.

[00:06:23] So let's just go through our our passage here together. Verse 10. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly. So the whole theme has been joy throughout the letter. But part of the joy.

[00:06:36] The reason he is rejoicing in the Lord and in his partnership in the Gospel with the Philippians is because they have revived your concern for me and revived. Here is the idea of something that has blossomed. Some kind of plant, some kind of tree that is blooming, some kind of flower that's just beautiful there. The time is right. That's what he says. You guys have revived your concern for me.

[00:07:05] And the word that's translated concerned two times there in verse 10 is just the verb. The verb for the word, for mind, not mind that we've read that Greek word throughout this whole letter.

[00:07:17] I want you to be of one mind of the same mind. You need to come together and agree together all of that. Hey, you had a mind for me. You were thinking about me. You were considering me. And I know you guys are always thinking about me. But then there was this opportunity where you sent me this gift through a Pafford dieties and just that flower blooming at that beautiful moment as God makes everything right in its time. Yeah. That's when you guys sent me this gift and I rejoiced when I got your gift. Now, but then he uses, like Paul does so many times, he uses something that's going on as a teaching moment to explain something. So he says, hey, I want to respond and tell you how much joy I have because of your gift. But then he says in verse eleven, not that I am speaking of being in need. OK. Paul doesn't want to sound desperate here. I thank you for your generous gift. I rejoice in it. He's sincere in his Thanksgiving and appreciation to them. But hey, that's just clarify.

[00:08:21] I wasn't I wasn't in need. For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. And sometimes that's translated there. I've learned the secret to being content.

[00:08:37] And the language there is almost one of like a stoic philosopher who's saying that I've been enlightened perhaps, or I've been introduced into the the club of special people is kind of the idea here in this language, like, hey, I want to rejoice in your gift. Thank you. But I didn't need it because I have basically reached the secret of self sufficiency. That's what he says. OK, so the word here, when it says content there in verse eleven, it's not just the normal Greek word for content. That means sufficient or enough. It has a little compound word. So it's like he is sufficient or self sufficient.

[00:09:24] So that's you've got to realize to the Philippians to say that you're self-sufficient. That's going to sound very stoic, like some kind of philosopher acting like he's been enlightened. So for Paul to say that that would be a statement of intrigue, people would be like, wait, we sent you the gift, but you didn't need it because you're self-sufficient. What do you mean by that, Paul? And then he goes on to define it. Verse twelve. 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.

[00:10:00] I've been introduced into the club that knows what contentment is.

[00:10:04] So I can be with a lot or a little. I can abound. Or I can have barely anything. Play plenty and hunger. Abundance in need.

[00:10:14] I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

[00:10:18] And when you hear that, I imagine the first time they read that, or maybe when I just explain that, hey, Paul is kind of acting like he's self sufficient. That might kind of rub you the wrong way when you hear. What do you mean you're self sufficient? That sounds like a proud Stephen who's really sufficient in and of themselves. We'll see. His statement continues.

[00:10:38] That he he's experienced the highs. And he knows the lows. The pantry has been full and the cupboard has been empty. And you want to know the one who's been sufficient is sufficiency. He is sufficient in me. That's what he's saying about Jesus Christ. I can do all things. I can be rich or I can be poor. I because I have Jesus.

[00:11:00] That's what he's saying.

[00:11:01] So the context of saying that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you is when you're balancing your budget and when you're bouncing your bank account, you're going over your budget, you're crunching the numbers. You're you're realizing that you lack or you're realizing that you have plenty. You know who you need to think about when it comes to financial provision in your life.

[00:11:24] Jesus Christ, he is your sufficiency. It's self-sufficiency because it's the power of Christ in you. That's what he's saying. Point number one. Let's get it down like this. The secret to living independent of circumstance. I want you to write this down. The secret to living independent of circumstance is being dependent on Christ.

[00:11:48] If you would like to be free from the burden of financial stress and worry, if you would not like to worry about money anymore in your life. Well, if you want to be independent of those high and lows in any and every circumstance, you need to be dependent on Jesus who will be your sufficiency. You will meet all your financial needs throughout your entire life.

[00:12:15] So to be independent of circumstance, we need to be dependent on Christ that we have now corrected people using Philippians 413. Out of context and some kind of physical, athletic way. And we have put it back into context in a financial way.

[00:12:35] Now, let's get real here for a moment. You live in Orange County. Well, maybe you don't live in Orange County. You're at a church right now in Orange County. Who actually lives in Orange County? Let me see a show of hands right now. Who here lives in L.A. County? Let me see. Are our friends from the north here? Who here is just visiting from some other county that you live in right now? Welcome. Welcome to you. Yes. Welcome. You're here with all the rich people who live in Southern California. All right. OK. We live in southern California. Now, let's think about that for a sec.

[00:13:11] Some of us have maybe lived in this part of the world, right for our entire lives, who's basically grew up in California and you're still here. You've survived the great leaving to Texas and Idaho. You stuck around. All right. All right. So a lot of us, a good, good number of us have lived here since day one. Turn with me to first, Timothy, Chapter six. Everybody go to first Timothy, Chapter six. I grew up on the mean streets of San Juan Capistrano. That's where I grew up. I went to Ambuhl Elementary School. My dad's name was Bruce. My mom's name was Berta. I had a brother named Billy. Another brother named Ben. And we lived on Brookside Lane. We were the Blakey. So that's who we were. We were one of those families. We had a dog named Boomer and a cat named Bunkie who liked the neighbors more than us. And so ditched us because the neighbors gave her better food. OK. So that's I grew up in Orange County and I have been thinking while I've been praying about and studying the secret to contentment.

[00:14:15] And I have realized while praying about this and thinking about this, I have never been in need in my entire life live in here where we live. I can't remember any memories that I have of wondering if there would be food to be or if there would be clothes to wear.

[00:14:32] Now, the shoes that my mom got me from Payless Shoe Source were of much discussion with my friends in junior high when they mocked me openly for wearing turn tag sneakers to school. But I knew I always had what I needed. Look what it says in First Timothy, chapter six, verse six. We got to think about this. All right. We got to try to get outside of our own perspective and see our us from the rest of the world's perspective. It says here and there's there's there's two other places where this self-sufficiency Christ sufficiency in US idea is used in scripture. This is the second one right here. First Timothy six, verse six. But godliness with contentment is great game, kids.

[00:15:18] It's talking about false teachers. And one of the things that false teachers are in for is they're in it for the money. Fuge, if you can tell that some preacher of the word is in it for the money, that's the sign of a false teacher.

[00:15:33] They think that godliness is a means of gain.

[00:15:36] He says, no, it's not a means of gain, but godliness with contentment is great gain.

[00:15:45] If you have a relationship with God through his son Jesus Christ and because of Christ in you, you have this sense of sufficiency that he has your sufficiency, that you don't need anything because you have Jesus and he is with you.

[00:16:00] And he promised that you didn't need to worry about what you're going to eat or what you're going to wear for the heavenly father knows you need all these things and we'll give them to you. You trust in Jesus to provide everything you need. That's great gain in your life.

[00:16:16] But then he says this like a verse seven four.

[00:16:19] We brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world.

[00:16:25] But if we have food and clothing with these, we will be content.

[00:16:36] If we have food and clothing, that will be enough for us. We've got Jesus. We've got daily bread. We've got something to wear. We're good to go.

[00:16:50] Now, that is not our standard where we live.

[00:16:54] We are not saying, hey, I got food and clothing, I'm good. I can be generous with everything else I've got. My needs are met and everything else is just bonus time. It's just extra. It's God's goodness in abundance to me. And I'm ready to share it. Give it.

[00:17:10] I'm ready to help other people in need because I've got what I need. So who else has needs? Let me go help those people. That's not how. Orange County, L.A. County, Southern California.

[00:17:19] People think. Not right now. Not where we live.

[00:17:23] I remember those shows, I saw some of them when I was growing up, the shows like Lifestyle, The Rich and Famous, and you might remember that show some celebrity.

[00:17:31] And I think there was this show, MTV Cribs, I saw one time right where you go into some big celebrities house and they start taking you. And here's their ride. You know, they show you their ride with the rims and everything's decked out. And then they take you in their house and you're just like, whoa. How many pools do they have? Right. Right. It's kind of like. Yeah. It's kind of like Hearst Castle, but a TV show, basically. Right. And they take you around and you're looking in their kitchen where they've got, like, their chef cooking up something, you know, and then you go in their room and they've got like this walk in closet. And as I was reading these passages about self-sufficiency in Christ, that Christ gives us everything we need. And really what we need is food and clothes. And with that, we should be content.

[00:18:15] I was thinking about that this week when I was driving in my car.

[00:18:19] I was thinking about that this week when I opened up my closet to figure out what to wear and I looked through all the plaid shirts that were there to figure out which one I was going to pull out. I was thinking about it when I opened up my refrigerator. That keeps my food cold for me. So I only have to go to the market or the store every once in a while so I can just have it right there at my convenience. And I realized that most people on planet Earth, if I gave them a ride in my car, showed them my closet and showed them my fridge. They would think I should be on one of those TV shows.

[00:18:52] I realized I'm a rich person. I mean, I have a source of refrigeration for food in my personal dwelling place. I mean, I. I could not do laundry for a long time and still have clothes to wear every day. I've got a car that can take me anywhere I need to go.

[00:19:14] You live in Southern California in the year of our Lord. 2019. You have to understand that compared to most people on this planet, you are rich.

[00:19:26] You are not wondering if you have what you need.

[00:19:32] Even compared to many people in America, they are moving away from California in record numbers. Yes, because of our politics and things like that. But everybody knows and makes fun of us and the rest of the nation because of our cost of living and the price of our gas. That is news for the rest of America all the time to make fun of those people in California paying so much to live. And you and I, if we're comparing ourselves to other people in Orange County or L.A. County living the same lifestyle as us, we may not be able to say that we'll see that we are way beyond our needs. It says food and clothing. You got that? That's enough. That's sufficient. Jesus Christ, he's gonna keep you right there with food and clothing. He's going to meet your needs. And then it says this. Look at verse nine.

[00:20:27] But those who desired to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

[00:20:43] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.

[00:20:51] It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. Point number two, let's get it down like this, you need to understand the difference between need and greed. Understand the difference between need and greed. And first, Timothy six is throwing down the definition here. The need level is food and clothing.

[00:21:19] Everything above food and clothing might just fall into the category that it describes inverse nine. Those who desire to be rich.

[00:21:29] And that it says if you desire to be rich, you have fallen into temptation.

[00:21:37] In fact, the love of money, not just the actual dollar bills or in your in your bank account, but the love of money, as in all the things that it can buy for you.

[00:21:49] The love of money. That's the beginning of all kinds of evil in your life. Some people have fallen away from faith in Jesus Christ because they desired the things of this world, material possessions. Other people have really hurt themselves and their family and their loved ones because they were too caught up in possessions. These are strong warnings that Paul is writing to Timothy here, that there is a desire to be rich.

[00:22:18] I mean, think about what is being said here and now. Take this and apply it to our lives and start thinking about things like cable is not a need. Is that a radical concept for anybody? Air conditioning would not be a need in this department here.

[00:22:36] How many things are you and I calling needs like we think we have to have them, when really that could be us desiring to be rich and falling into temptation?

[00:22:52] For a long time, when I would read Matthew, Chapter six and Jesus would say, do not be worried about what you shall eat or what you shall drink or what you shall wear. For the father in heaven knows all the things that you need. I had a really hard time relating to that because I never was worried about what I was going to eat or drink or wear, which should tell me that I'm one of the rich people.

[00:23:15] Now, I understand what you're thinking right now. Yes, there are neighbors that we have people that live in certain cities around here that might have more money than you. But let me ask you to think about it like this. Do you have more than you need?

[00:23:30] Be careful if you have more than you need. Like Paul saying, I've learned the secret to contentment.

[00:23:36] I can be content in any circumstance. If you give me a lot of money or I have no money and I'm just at a place where I'm wondering how I'm going to have food and clothing, I can be content anywhere because he is sufficiency in me. And that produces contentment. And Paul saying he's got the secret of contentment figured out. And I have to admit to myself, I don't know what it's like to be in need.

[00:24:04] I haven't personally experienced that, I would imagine that some of us, some of us who've raised our hands here, that we've lived here the whole time in our lives, we haven't really experienced wondering where's my next meal?

[00:24:15] Where's my next piece of clothing coming from?

[00:24:20] Go down with me further in first Timothy, chapter six, look at verse 17, a quote it says Here in First Timothy six, verse 17. It says, As for the rich in this present age. Mm hmm.

[00:24:35] I wonder if that's talking about me and you right there. As for the rich, in the present age, I don't know how much he you've really looked into how much money the rest of the world has compared to how much that you and I have.

[00:24:51] But you and I might have spent more on lunch today than most people are spending in a whole day or maybe even a week of their lives.

[00:25:00] I don't know if you're thinking about things like that.

[00:25:03] But as for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be Hoddy. Don't let the pride of material possessions be a sin in your heart.

[00:25:15] Nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches. Don't think you're set because you've got a lot of money in the bank because you've got the strong Forell one K.

[00:25:28] Now, set your hope on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

[00:25:34] They the rich in this present age, they are to do good, to be rich in good works.

[00:25:40] To be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

[00:25:55] Jesus Christ commanded in Matthew, chapter six, verse 19. Do not store up for yourselves treasures here on Earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures and where.

[00:26:12] That's a command from Jesus Christ because he says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be. Also, you cannot serve God and money.

[00:26:24] Do you find your sufficiency in your finances or do you find your sufficiency in Christ? The secret to contentment is he is are sufficiency in all circumstances.

[00:26:37] But I wonder where you're at here today. And I wonder where your treasure is really stored up. Because it's saying, I hope you're not being proud about what you've got. I hope you're not set in your hope on the uncertainty of riches. I hope your hope is in God to be a generous provider and that you realize everything you've got is a gift that's been given to you by your father in heaven. And your father expects you, especially those he's given a lot to. He expects you to be a good steward of what he's given to you.

[00:27:11] And it says here, really inverse a.T.M, the definition of what storing up treasure in heaven looks like. How do you store up treasure in heaven? What does it mean to invest in eternity? It says it. Four different ways here in verse 18, that the people who are rich in this present age, which I'm submitting to you, is everybody who lives in Southern California in the year of our Lord 2019. If we are rich in this present age than we are here to do. Good to be rich in good works. To be generous and ready to share. You would think that someone who is rich or has in abundance would be generous and ready to give to those who don't have as much.

[00:28:00] This is a common thought among people. Perhaps you've even thought it before.

[00:28:05] As you've heard about some famous athlete or you've heard about some celebrity that, you know, is millions of dollars rich and you hear about some charitable thing that they do and they try to get a lot of attention for given some of their riches away. And you think, yeah, if I was rich like them, I'd give stuff away to.

[00:28:27] But you are rich. Maybe not like them. But you've got more than you need. So let me ask you, do you do good?

[00:28:36] Do you try to do as many good works for other people as you can? Are you generous with your finances? And when you know that a brother or sister or is in need, when you see somebody who's poor and broken hearted and downtrodden, are you ready to share with them? Because when you give what God has given to you, to his people to help somebody else who is in need, it says right here you're storing up treasure for yourself as a good foundation for the future, as in your stored up treasure in heaven. See, the more you give away here on Earth, the more treasure you've got in heaven. That's basically what this versus saying. So those who are rich in this prison age. Should learn the secret of being content that all we really need is food and clothing and our confidence that for provision for our finances is in Jesus Christ. And then all of the abundance that we have. Well, here it is. Do good. Be rich and good works. Be generous and ready to share. That's how you really secure a future for what is really life, eternal life outside of space and time where we're going to live forever with Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said things like this. If you give anybody a cup of water in my name, you will by no means lose your reward. Jesus Christ is keeping track of how generous you are, how ready to share you are. And there will be a treasure stored up for you in heaven that corresponds with your generosity. Here, Honor.

[00:30:21] So do you have the secret of contentment where you can really see that Christ is meeting all of your needs and you're content with your needs met, or are you really stepping into the territory of greed?

[00:30:34] And are you desiring to be rich? And do you actually have maybe you've never admitted this until right now going through the scripture together that you love money.

[00:30:45] And it's leading to all kinds of evil in your life.

[00:30:50] So the Bible is is very careful that that being rich is a dangerous thing.

[00:30:56] And you don't have to be rich to desire to be rich. You don't have to be rich to love money. And Paul Sand, hey, thank you for your generous financial gift. I just went from from being low to abounding because of you guys. Thank you. But let me tell you, that's doesn't change my attitude because I know the secret of being content to, you know, the secret of being content. Can you watch the bank account go up and down and still know that you can do all things through him, who strengthens you?

[00:31:30] That's what it means.

[00:31:31] Now go with me to Second Corinthians, Chapter nine. The other place that Paul uses this idea of self sufficiency. So it's used three times at the word content is used more often. But where he puts the he sufficiency that the self sufficiency work, Second Corinthians, Chapter nine versus one day eight here. And this is going to actually lead us now and where he's writing a letter to the Corinthians Church.

[00:32:01] And he's actually encouraging them to give. So once you start looking for it, the idea of Paul writing about churches giving money, churches taking a collection.

[00:32:14] Churches giving the abundance of what they have generously to help other believers in other places or meeting the needs of the believers even in their midst. Once you start looking for that, the church actually talks a lot about money.

[00:32:32] Now, clearly, it's warning that when false teachers are in it for their own self, that's evil. That's not what it's about. But when God's people are being generous to give see, it's talking about that all the time.

[00:32:46] Actually, once you start looking about.

[00:32:49] That's the whole reason there is a letter of Philippians is because Paul's saying you guys have partnered with me. And when he says you fellowship with me, you've shared with me what he means is you gave me money. Now here he's going to tell the Corinthians that they're going to collect money before it happens. Second Corinthians, chapter nine, verse verse one. Now, it is superfluous for me to write to you about the Ministry for the Saints. I know your readiness of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia saying that a Caixa has been ready since last year and your zeal has stirred up most of that. Now, when he says in chapter nine, verse one, that it's superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry of the St.. The Ministry for the Saints. What does he mean by Ministry for the Saints? Anybody gonna want to guess?

[00:33:44] Giving money to other believers.

[00:33:47] So let's just picture what he's saying here. Hey, guys, you are in IKEA. I was over in Macedonia and I was speaking to some of the churches in Macedonia. And I said, hey, you guys, when we take this collection right now, you might want to really be generous, because when I go over to quarantine a Kenya, I know they're going to be extremely generous. And so you guys might want to be generous so you don't look lame next. I mean, that's basically what he's doing. This is like at the elementary school where everybody's bringing in their change. Right.

[00:34:17] And it's like first grade has this much money. Second grade has this much. But third grade. Right. And the kids are just like you. Have you seen one of these things before?

[00:34:27] That's what he's doing with churches here.

[00:34:31] He's saying, hey, let me just tell you, I told Macedonia that you guys were really ready to bring it. Wink, wink. What is he saying? You guys better show up because I've already talked up a good game from you guys.

[00:34:43] Wow.

[00:34:43] So polls not like a poll is warning all over the time. Hey, watch out for the false teachers who are in it for the money. But he has no trouble telling God's people who's ready to give some money around here. I mean, that's what he's saying. He says verse three, but I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter. Financial matter.

[00:35:05] So that you may be ready, as I said, you would be otherwise if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready. We would be humiliated to say nothing of how you would feel for being so confident. I mean, he's literally saying, guys, I told them you were going to bring your A game. I'm showing up pretty soon. Some of them might come with me. Bring me a game, guys.

[00:35:31] Be generous. That's what he's saying here.

[00:35:34] So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.

[00:35:47] The point is this whoever so sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give, as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency and all things at all times you may abounds in every good work.

[00:36:24] There's been so much false teaching, it's like we've lost the real teaching and I understand there's been a lot of name and and claim it, if you give to this, you're going to get this. If you give to this, you'll get more. If you give to this. You'll get health. But let's not miss what the scripture actually says about your money.

[00:36:42] All the money that you have. That is all been given to you by God. Listen to what your father, who has given to his children and the allowance, he says you want to be stingy.

[00:36:54] Expect me to be stingy. You want to be generous. Expect me to be generous. That's what verse six just said.

[00:37:01] You're going to so sparingly. You expect you're going to reap sparingly. You're going to sow bountifully. Well, then expect. You're going to reap bountifully.

[00:37:11] God is being generous with his children. And when when we give in response to God giving to us, when we understand how generous our father really is, that everything we have, every good and perfect gift comes from the father of lights in heaven above whom there is no shadow or variation or turning. Everything you've ever got was a gift given to you by God.

[00:37:35] And when you give generously in response, God loves that about you. God loves a cheerful giver, God loves it with one of his kids, act like he's acted to them and they pass it on to other people. God rejoices when his kids are generous. I'll tell you what. One thing that'll really get me going as a father to my three kids is when they will not share with one of their siblings. Can I get any men from any other parents in the room right now? I mean, I could tell you, I have thought the thought in my child's bedroom. I have looked around. I have surveyed it here. And I was like, what in here? Have I not given, you know what I mean? I mean, maybe grandma grandma gave you that one. But other than that. Right. I mean, what do you have that you have not received, child. Right. And I wonder how many times my father in heaven has thought that same exact thing about me.

[00:38:34] I wonder how many times he started about you.

[00:38:37] I wonder how generous he has been over and over and over to give you the blessing of abundance that you have now. And your response is to be selfish and stingy with what God has given.

[00:38:52] God doesn't love that. God loves it when people love to give. Do you love to give? God loves that.

[00:39:01] That's what it's saying right here. And the reason that you should give verse eight. I need everybody to look at verse ACRS. This is when it talks about the sufficiency, the enough that says God is able.

[00:39:13] Let me tell you how rich God is. Let me tell you how generous he is. God is able to make all grace abound to you when it says the word grace there, specifically in context the goodness of God, the undeserved favor of God. In this context, it's talking about finances.

[00:39:34] God is able to make all grace abound to you. So that having all sufficiency. There it is. The Jesus is enough. The reason that you can be generous is because you know that you can do all things through Jesus who strengthens you. It's his power in you. You've learned the secret to contentment. You don't need more than you need. And so you can be generous because you know that God is able to make all grace are bound to you. So that having sort of all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

[00:40:12] You're not going to have a little bit left over to maybe do a good work. You can be abundant in every good work because God has been so abundant in his grace to you.

[00:40:24] That's what it's saying.

[00:40:26] That I believe in my father to provide for my needs, in fact, I think many of us should give thanks to God and we should worship him in our hearts right now that God has given us way more than we need.

[00:40:39] Can I get a name from anybody on it? I mean, I've been given way more than I need. I have been blessed. I have received grace upon Grace. God's goodness has never run out in my life. Now, one time and now we're looking to the future. I should have confidence that God is able to always be my sufficiency when it comes to money. I'm going to have what I need in all things at all times so that I can abound in good works, not be stingy with what God's give it to me. See, with the way that you should learn to think about money and maybe we have to repent of the way we've been thinking about money, maybe we need to change our minds. Maybe no one's ever taught you from the scripture how to think about money. But the way you should start thinking about it from tonight on is it's not your money.

[00:41:30] And you can't out give the giver, OK? You can't give God he's given it all to you. OK, yeah.

[00:41:38] Maybe you went and worked at the job. And let's think about that when you worked at that job. By whose strength did you work at that job? Right.

[00:41:46] Who gave you those life and breath and all things? Did you work hardly as until the Lord. Did he provide for you? OK, we'll take that generosity that you've received.

[00:41:57] And now the response here is Rand Paul saying, I'm coming. I'm there's going to be a collection. Get ready, everybody. I'm coming to you. And hey, are you going to be a cheerful giver like Godspeed to you? Or do you really believe that he's able to make all grace around to you?

[00:42:13] Is Jesus your sufficiency? Basically. Hey, Orange County, do you really know contentment? Because if so, you should be one of the most generous places on planet Earth.

[00:42:24] That's what he's saying.

[00:42:27] Point number three, trust God is more generous than you. Trust God is more generous than you. See all the gods giving you up to this point? How do you respond to that?

[00:42:41] You think? Well, if I give a lot of it away, I won't still have it stored up. I won't have it for a rainy day. I won't have it in case I need it if I'm really generous and I give it away.

[00:42:51] How do I know it's coming back later? Because Jesus is your sufficiency.

[00:42:58] Because God is able to make all grace are bound to you so that you can abound in every good work. It's like saying, Father, thank you for everything you've given me. I just need to hang onto it because I don't trust you. Give me more tomorrow. Why you've been so generous with me, God, you've been so good to me, to blessed me with my family and the place we get to live. And the food and the clothes and the cars and all the things that we've got, all the stuff that we have.

[00:43:25] You've been so generous and I better haughty and guarded and protected because tomorrow we could all go away.

[00:43:32] That's saying you've got no faith in your father. It's saying you don't trust your dad to be good to you.

[00:43:40] And you need to trust that God is more generous than you.

[00:43:47] Now, I didn't plan this. All right, we got it. Can I make that very clear? I didn't expect us to be talking about money at the time that we're doing a building project. All right, everybody, that's just me. Can I just get that out in the open? Okay. We started doing. We were already doing Philippians before we ever got the Compass Circle building. Let's just make it very clear this wasn't some elaborate plan that I had. No, this was God's plan.

[00:44:11] The God wanted this church to talk about giving, and he wanted this church to talk about money, and now's the time he wanted us to talk about it. And he wanted us to see that this is something the church has talked about and we need to talk about it here at this church.

[00:44:26] And so if you go back to Philippians Chapter four with me, I'm just going to give you a preview of where we're going in this secretive contentment that you and I need to learn that what we're talking about is he is my sufficiency in all things financial. That's the actual context of I can do all things through him who strengthens me, that there is this secret of knowing that you have everything you need in Jesus that Paul has learned that he's passing on to the Philippines and and yet he wants to say thank you for your gift. I don't really need your gift because I trust in Jesus. But then look at verse 14 and this is a preview of where we're headed next weekend here at this church. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.

[00:45:13] 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.

[00:45:30] So here's something that I learned from studying Philippians every week for the last however many weeks we've been going through it. Something I did not know about Philippians until we started this study together here at this church. Is that when he says it was kind of you to share my trouble? And when he says in verse 15, no church entered into partnership with me. That is the word koinonia.

[00:45:54] I don't know how many times we've quoted the Greek word koinonia, which means fellowship, which means to share life. And I did not know that you could use the word koinonia in a way like this where it meant money.

[00:46:09] Where it referred to finances.

[00:46:12] So when it talks about the fellowship of the believers, that very word that you and I, we would share life, the life of Jesus, that we would do it together here at this church. That word is used to refer to money.

[00:46:28] And so I got to ask you, do you share your money with the Church of Jesus Christ? Do you reach out to brothers and sisters who are in need? Do you give generously, as your father has given to you, to your church? And I mean just warning, if you come back next week, we're going to go through that passage and we're going to talk about money here at church. Like, it's something that the Bible says churches should be ready when they hear that money conversation, when they know the collection is coming, the actual encouragement of scripture is everybody better show up.

[00:47:04] That's what it actually says. And that's not the attitude the people have today in the church, and I understand there's false teachers who are greedy for gain. I understand that many churches have misused people's money, but we got to see what the Bible says about money. And it says we need to live content even in Orange County, because we can do all things through Jesus who strengthens us. Can I get any man from anybody on this? Let's pray about Father in heaven. We come to you. And God, this is a hard thing for us to talk about here tonight.

[00:47:40] Father, we want to confess to you that all of us are a little bit jaded, a little bit cynical about churches talking about money. Because we've seen the false teachers, we've heard about how people have been taken, even some of us maybe have been mistreated and bit taken advantage of by churches in Jesus name, misusing money. Now, we also need to confess to you that we don't understand how rich we are here in Southern California. That we have way more than food and clothes, and yet we think we need so much more than what we already have.

[00:48:18] We need to confess to you that we might be in the category of people who are rich. We might even desire to be rich. And we weren't thinking about ourselves that way. And so can we ask that you would renew our minds through what we heard from your word tonight? We asked that your spirit would teach us that you are a God of all sufficiency, that you have promised that you will richly provide for our every need in your son, Jesus Christ, and that the next time we're looking at our money, our bank account, our budget, whatever it is that we can boldly say, I know how to be content because Jesus Christ strengthens me in all circumstances.

[00:49:02] And I pray that you'll really teach us that. God, I pray that people would know here at this church that your people are generous because you are generous. I pray that people would know here at this church that we give because we know we can't. I'll give you that.

[00:49:18] You are a loving and gracious heavenly father, that everything we have is from you.

[00:49:25] And so thank you, Father, for being so good to kids like us and father, help us to remember as we worship you at the response here of our worship time tonight that you freely gave your one and only son. Jesus Christ. And if you gave him, how will you not also freely give us all things? God, please let us trust that you are generous and let us be like you. We pray this in Jesus name. A man.