God's Supply Line
Gods Supply Line.doc SD20
October 28, 2007 File E
The Joyful Christian part 11
The Promise of God’s Supply
Philippians 4:14-19 (read later)
Joy in giving!
Christmas will soon be upon us—some look at it as an opportunity to renew relationships with family and friends…give gifts to cherished people—Others see it as an opportunity to get whatever they can—hoping that they will get the item on their wish list…
Jesus said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive…”
Was He just pulling our leg or is there a central truth that we are missing in our culture...where the most important thing is the big “I”
There is a verse here in Philippians that brings us up short…
we glory in the words and claim them as our own…a promise from God…But then we come up against life’s difficulties…financial worries and relationship shortages…and we doubt…if God promised to supply all my needs…how come all my needs are not met???
How come I suffer financial set-backs
God's promise to meet your needs is v. 19 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
God says, "I will meet all your needs." Then why do people have needs? A lot of Christians have tremendous needs. Why aren't they being met? Is God a liar? Is His promise not valid?
The answer to the question is that this promise is not for everybody. It is not applied to every person, even every Christian. With every promise there is a premise. There is a condition that
God says, "If you do this, I will do that." People want to take the v. 19 promise and apply it to their lives while avoiding the premise of v. 14-18.
You cannot claim v. 19 unless you're doing what v. 18 talks about. The context is Paul is talking to a group of Philippians saying "Thank you. You have given sacrificially. And because you have given sacrificially, God is going to take care of your needs."
This is Paul’s Thank you note as he ends this great letter…on Christian Joy---and the most joyful people in the world are Christians who have learned the joy of giving…
The Philippians were an example…
(Lest you think I am trying to get bigger offerings I was sure to take the offering before this message)
The Premise found in vv.14-18 is this: I must be generous to others.
Proverbs 11:25 "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."
When you're generous to others, God is going to be generous with you.
Luke 6:38 "Give to others, and God will give to you...The measure you use for others is the one God will use for you." You be generous and God will bless you.
It is the principle of looking out instead of looking in---it is seeing what you can do rather than what can be done for you
It is the principle of lifting others…being a generous soul…
Ella Wilcox (poem)
“There are two kinds of people on earth today,
Just two kinds of people, no more, I say.
Not the good and the bad, for tis well understood
That the good are half-bad and the bad half-good
No! the two kinds of people on earth I mean
Are the people who lift and the people who lean”
If you expect God to meet your needs you need to be responsive to Him in using you to meet the needs of other people!
God wants to use you!
The Philippians had been generous with their giving to help Paul in his mission…and both the giver and receiver were benefited…
Paul Gives three reasons for being generous:
1. My Giving Encourages Others vv14-16 (read it)
When you give: (reslts of giving)
1. You broaden your scope of influence
Philippians 1 tells us that they had become “partners with Paul in the ministry” Whatever you give to without motive or return you become a partner with…
Giving allows me to broaden the influence of my life beyond myself…and extend it through the ministry of others…
2. Giving makes us like Christ—he is the greatest giver in the universe—God so loved that He gave…Christ gave sacrificially!
The Philippians had a reputation for generosity. 2 Cor. 8, Paul calls them an example for the rest of the world. They gave out of their extreme poverty. They gave more than they could give. The church had such a reputation for giving that 2000 years later we still know about them.
God loves to bless those kind of people!!! This was a church tat overflowed with a joyful heart…I just bet their gatherings had a lot of laughter in them…because God loves a cheerful giver…
2. My Giving is an Investment in the Future v.17
“It brings forth fruit that abounds to your account…”
Jesus told us to store up treasure in heaven…
You know how yo do that? By not hording it on erath…
Because what you get here you lose there and what you lose here you get there!
What you give you get and what you grasp to yourself you lose!
What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?
When you give you invest in the future of your life and the life of everyone you influence: your children and your grandchildren and the people who God has placed in your life!!!
Invest your time and money in the lives of people---people who are going to heave and invest in getting people to heaven…
They will be waiting for you…use your money and influence to get the message out to many people…the economy of the Kingdom of God is not measured in balance statements…it is measured in souls…
The measure of your gift to the Lord—financial or otherwise cannot be measured by the scales of earth…there is an account in heaven and it has your name on it and you are investing in your future by how you live life today…
Do you live life generously—or stingy! Tightfisted!!!
Hold loosely to this life!!!
He who would gain his life must lose it and the one who loses it for His sake will gain it and all of heaven too!
Do you believe in heaven???
You would never know it by the way we hold so tightly to the things of this earth
3. My Giving is a Sacrifice to God v.18
"I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God."
The most pleasing thing you can do for God is sacrificial giving. It is done in faith and without faith it is impossible to please God. Jesus Christ was a total sacrificial giver. When you are most like Christ, you are sacrificial in your giving, generous, sharing. And it pleases God.
Paul says the gift the Philippians sent to him is a fragrant offering and acceptable sacrifice to God.
The gift they sent to Paul is equivalent to a gift to God. How could he say that?
Because Jesus said it. "In as much as you have done unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto Me."
It's just like doing it to God.
Every act of generosity in your life can be done as a sacrifice to God.
(IMarriage—illus, so grateful to God and he says show yoru gratitude by giveni it all to your spouse)
That's why Paul said it's so important to become a giver.
There are only two kinds of people in the world: givers and takers. The happy people are the giving people.
Philippians is about joy and giving -- the two main themes go together. Misers are miserable.
That is the PREMISE—the condition! You cannot claim v.19 until you are practicing v.18 --- I must be generous toward others!
Generous with my words of encouragement and praise
Generous with my time and efforts
Generous with my money!
Now here is the PROMISE---v. 19
My God shall supply all your need! According to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!
Look at the Source: My God
“My” it is personal---Is He YOUR God????
Or are you still relying on someone elses experience and relationship—your wife? Your daddy? Your mommy?
It is built on a personal relationship with God!
A personal commitment and a personal resolve to serve Him first!
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Look at the Scope: “…all your need.”
God will meet your needs…don’t look to Santa Clause to do it
Don’t look for some big win to make it a reality…look to Him and live!!!!
If you met the premise, count on the promise. If you are a consistent, generous giver you can count on the promise. God is going to take care of your needs.
People often misuse this verse: there are two categories of people this doesn’t apply to---you might be generous and a giver but if you are lazy…this is not your promise…
First: This is not for lazy people—This is not an invitation to quit your job and goof off…God expects you to work when and where you can…
I Thes. 3:10 -- People who are unwilling (not unable) to work should not be given handouts. "Let him who does not work not eat."
Secondly—this does not cover all your wants…it does not cover the area of your discontent…There is a big difference between needs and wants…
There are two false ideas about money:
One, that God wants everybody to be a millionaire.
The other, that God wants everybody to be poor.
They're both wrong. God is interested in your having your needs met. Our needs have a way of getting exaggerated.
The Bible does not say, My God shall supply all your greeds.
This verse therefore doesn't include consequences of laziness. God doesn't say You go out and waste your money on luxuries then when you don't have enough money to pay for your needs, I'll supply them. God hasn't agreed to do that.
If I blow all my money in some area and my needs aren't being met and I say, God, Your promise isn't true!
That's not God's fault.
What has God promised???
TO SUPPLY ALL YOUR LIGITIMATE NEEDS!
Look at the SUPPLY—“according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Here is God’s promise---
You can trust Him to do His part
He has the resources…He is as good as his promise!
You serve Him first and He will take care of you!
This message is especially for me today—sometime I wonder if I am putting enough away for retirement someday…But here God says…you put me first…I will take care of you…
David said, “I have been young and now I am old and I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed begging for bread.”
Let me close with this parallel verse from 2 Cor 9:6-8 It is the same truth…a way of life with the promise of God
2 Cor. 8 is what Paul said about the Philippians to another group. He compares one church to another church. v. 1 "And now brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has
given the Macedonian [Philippi] churches. Out of the most severe trial their overflowing joy and in their extreme poverty welled up rich generosity. for I testify today the Philippians gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability entirely on their own. They urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service of the saints. And they did not do as we expected. They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. ... But just as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us, see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I'm not commanding you but I want to test the sincereity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich yet for your sakes He became poor so that you, through His poverty, might become rich. ... For if the willingness is there then the gift is acceptable according to what one has not according to what one does not have."
Giving is a matter of willingess, not wealth. God couldn't care less about the amount that you give.
What He cares about is the attitude of giving. It's the willingness not the wealth.
Some of you haven't learned the joy of giving yet. You give but you don't get any joy out of it. It is fun to give, because you know that you cannot out-give God.
He more than blesses us back. I challenge you to practically discover the power and principles of this promise. Become a faithful, generous person with everybody and watch what God does in your life.
This applies to churches as well as persons. The church that gives itself away and is interested in others (missions) God takes care of their needs.
GOD'S SUPPLY LINE
The Joyful Christian – Part 12
PHILIPPIANS 4:14-19
"And my God will meet all your needs
according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." v. 19
I. THE PREMISE (vs. 14-18):____________________________
"A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Prov. 11:25
"Give to others, and God will give to you ... The measure you use for others is the one God will use for you." Luke 6:38 (GN)
The Value of Generosity
1. MY GIVING ______________________________ (vs. 14-16)
"It was good of you to share in my troubles ... as you Philippians know, in the early days ...not one church shared with me in the mater of giving and receiving, except you only, for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need." Phil. 1:3+5
2. MY GIVING IS _______________________________ (vs. 17)
"Though I appreciate your gifts, what makes me happiest is the well-earned reward you will have because of your kindness." vs. 17 (LB)
3. MY GIVING IS _______________________________ (vs. 18)
"I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, and acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God."
II. THE PROMISE (vs. 19): ______________________________
- The Source: "And my God will ..."
- The Scope: "... will meet all your needs ... "
This doesn't include
__________________________________ (I Thess. 3:10)
__________________________________ (James 4:3)
It does cover:___________________________________
- The Supply: "according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."