Rev. David Holwick Book of Philippians series
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
June 21, 1998
Philippians 4:14-23
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I. Coordination test.
A. Rub and pat at same time. Hard due to mental process.
1) Hard for Christians to be spiritual and practical at
same time.
B. Paul received Christ's provision (4:13) but he is also
appreciative of provision from Philippians.
1) God usually uses ordinary human means to do his will.
2) He wants you use YOU!
3) When we share with others, God is using us as a channel
for his blessing.
C. Four principles of Christian sharing. [from Stuart Briscoe]
1) Point of sharing.
2) Persistence of sharing.
3) Profit of sharing.
4) Price of sharing.
II. Share at the point of people's needs.
A. "You shared in my troubles."
1) They were the only church to share with him. (4:15)
2) They could have said, "Let God take care of him. There's
nothing like starvation to test your faith."
B. The Philippian church was God's way of taking care of Paul.
1) They shared at the point of his need.
2) There is also sharing that is not at point of need - having
friends over for dinner.
C. Three stages in sharing in someone's need.
1) Identify the need.
2) Show an interest in the need.
3) Get involved in meeting the need.
Example of Good Samaritan. Luke 10:30-36
1> Priest identified need.
2> Levite showed an interest in the need.
3> Samaritan became involved in the need.
III. Be persistent in sharing.
A. "You sent me aid again and again."
1) They were habitual in it.
2) He used them as an example for the Corinthians. 2 Cor 8:1-5
a) They were poor, persecuted, yet they insisted on giving.
b) Literally, they begged Paul to take their money.
1> Usually it's the other way around (TV ministries).
2> When Paul talks about persistent giving, he always
means giving that is voluntary and not forced.
B. Many are uptight about sharing with religious programs.
1) Over the years three different people have asked me if
becoming a member of the church meant we took their
offering directly from their employer, like taxes.
It's called garnishing your wages.
The answer is "no."
But the more I think about it, the more it sounds like a
great idea.
No fumbling with envelopes and loose change.
We'd just skim 20% off your paycheck and you'd never
miss it.
If we just focus on those at Picatinny, AT&T and Archway
Cookies, the rest of us won't have to give a thing!
2) Seriously, though, persistent and regular sharing is the
lifeblood of Christian ministry. Don't neglect it.
IV. The profit of sharing.
A. Greco-Roman friendship was based on mutuality.
1) Friendship was evidenced by giving and receiving.
a) Financial terms used to describe mutuality back then.
1> We like to say friendship is all free. We lie.
b) Christian love can be one way, but genuine friendship
is always a two-way street.
2) Reason Paul may seem strained, because he was on the
receiving end and had nothing to give in return.
B. "Not that I'm looking for a gift, but credit to your account."
1) Imagine someone saying, "Friends, we are going to give
you an opportunity to share with us.
Not for our benefit - we're only thinking of you!"
That's about as hard to believe as when your Dad whipped
out his belt and told you,
"This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you."
2) The background.
a) Two "not that"s make it sound as if Paul is ungrateful.
1> They have finally gotten around to showing concern.
2> But he doesn't need it anyway.
b) Actually, he is denying that their friendship is based on
"usefulness", which is the lowest form of friendship.
1> God's love for them all, and their ministry together,
is the basis of their friendship.
2> This is the strongest glue any friendship can have.
3> Their gifts were a symbol of the reality of feeling.
C. Mutuality also works on higher level - our relationship with God.
1) Christian sharing is never one way.
a) When we give, we can expect something in return.
b) Now, you have to be careful with this or it can get a
little crass.
Like a kid who prays, "OK, God, I put a dollar in the
offering plate. So where's that bicycle I want?"
2) Guaranteed returns?
a) Any preacher who says you're guaranteed to get back 100
or 200 or 1000% on your offering is engaging in
wishful thinking. [Rev. Ike in 1970's]
b) But the general principle is very Biblical - sharers
get back more than they give.
1> Luke 6:38.
Picture is of a grain marketplace, with grain heaped
in your lap.
When God is in charge, there is no settling of
contents due to handling.
You get the full amount and then some.
3) There is profit in sharing because God's character is
oriented that way.
D. Our God can deliver.
1) "My God will supply all your needs according to his
glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
a) "According to" is different from "out of".
b) The billionaire who gives $20 to a charity is giving
out of his wealth, but not according to it.
He is certainly $20 poorer, so it must have come out
of his wealth, but what difference does $20 make
to him?
c) God is never skimpy or stingy, but always acts
according to his generous character.
2) A striking example of God's provision.
I received a letter from Nancy Bartolec, a Campus Crusade
Missionary on the campus of Indiana University.
I put it in the newsletter, but I know a lot of you missed it.
It's too good a story to pass up.
She entitled the letter, "God is just so ... Nice!!!!"
A week before Valentines Day, some of her friends called from
Kentucky and asked Nancy to come down for the weekend.
It was a spontaneous trip and she needed to think about it.
They told Nancy if she'd drive down they'd pay for everything
once she got there.
When Nancy got off the phone and began to figure out how much it
would cost in gas to get down there and back, it came to $40.
Then she began to realize not only did she not have money to
play with when she got there but she didn't even know where
the money would come from to get down there at all!
Nancy began to pray and ask God to provide the money.
After a while she just decided that she'd have to swallow her
pride and tell her friends she couldn't afford it.
That night Nancy got a phone call from Visa.
They called to tell her they wanted to communicate to her that
she's a valued customer...
(Immediately her cynical side figured they just wanted to coax
her to use the card more often!)
But they made their appreciation a little more concrete.
To show their sincerity they sending Nancy gift certificates to
the gas station of her choice for the amount of $40!!!!
Not just plain gift certificates to be used anywhere, but
specifically for gas.
And not for $25 dollars or $50 ... but $40!!!
Nancy was so thrilled she told the Visa guy he was part of a
miracle.
She concluded her letter by saying God is very, very personal
and wants to be involved in every area of our lives.
#4342
V. The price of sharing.
A. Sharing is described as an acceptable sacrifice.
1) Sharing is profitable in the long-run, but in the short-run
it can involve a difficult sacrifice.
2) "Giving till it hurts" is not a Christian cliche.
a) The most beneficial sharing always costs us something.
1> King David - 1 Chronicles 21:24
2> Do you support God's work on principle, or as an
afterthought?
b) Not just money - if you share your life with others,
you are setting yourself up to get burned.
B. You cannot out-give God.
1) When God shared his Son with the world, he ended up paying
the ultimate price.
2) What have you given him in return?
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Study Notes
Gordon Fee, "Philippians"
=========================
I. Letter ends on same theme it began with - their mutual partnership/
participation in the gospel. [below from Fee]
A. Purpose for letter.
1) To thank them for their gift?
a) Reason he puts it last in letter?
2) To deal with their situation before Timothy arrives.
a) Placing thanks at end puts emphasis on it.
II. The sociological framework of "friendship".
A. Ancient friendship was based on mutual giving and receiving.
1) Three matters intertwine:
a) His genuine gratitude for their gift.
b) The framework of Greco-Roman friendship:
1> Based on mutuality and reciprocity.
A> Financial terms used, often describes mutuality of
friendship. Thielman
2> Evidence by giving and receiving.
A> Reason Paul may seem strained, because he was
on the receiving end and had nothing to give
in return.
B> Mutuality also carries some idea of patron/client
(Paul being an apostle)
3> The reality of friendship is totally subsumed under
the greater reality of the gospel.
2) All in all, he is saying "thank you" to them for their
long-term friendship and to God to whom all glory is due.
III. Qualified gratitude.
A. Two "not that" qualifiers has opposite impact on modern readers.
1) Sounds like the Philippians had finally gotten around to
showing concern for him again, and then he tells them he
did not need it anyway.
2) Reality is opposite.
a) He is denying that their friendship is based on
"usefulness", which is the lowest form of friendship.
b) He is saying his joy lies not in the gifts - these he
could do with or without - but in the greater reality
expressed by the gifts.
1> Their gifts are a tangible evidence of their
friendship.
2> It also signifies that they continue to be partners
with him in the gospel.
A> This is why he sees it as their sacrifice to God.
B. Passage must be read in light of 2 Cor 8:1-5.
1) Unsolicited, lavish praise of Philippians.
2) Thoroughly Christian equation of:
"affliction + poverty = abounding in prosperity."
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