Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:19-4:20, part 1)

What do we mean when we say, “Glory to God?” A lot of people will walk around saying “Glory to God!” or “Praise God!” when they have been delivered out of some dire circumstance. And yet if you look at the other 99.999% of their lives, they want nothing to do with God. Question: Can a person who does not know God, glorify God? They can with their lips. I've been trying to slog my way through Jonathan Edward’s masterpiece “A Treatise on the Religious Affections.” In one section of one of his chapters, he makes the case that even though a person may glorify God with their lips, this is no proof that they are saved:

[P]ersons, without grace, may have high affections towards God and Christ, and their affections, being strong, may fill their mouths and incline them to speak much, and very earnestly, about the things they are affected with, and that there may be counterfeits of all kinds of gracious affection. But it will appear more evidently and directly, that this is no certain sign of grace, if we consider what instances the Scripture gives us of it in those that were graceless. We often have an account of this, in the multitude that were present when Christ preached and wrought miracles; Mark 2:12, "And immediately he arose, took up his bed, and went forth before them all, insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion." So Matt. 9:8, and Luke 5:26. Also Matt. 15:31, "Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel." So we are told, that on occasion of Christ's raising the son of the widow of Nain, Luke 7:16, "There came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people." So we read of their glorifying Christ, or speaking exceeding highly of him: Luke 4:15, "And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all." And how did they praise him, with loud voices, crying, "Hosanna to the Son of David; hosanna in the highest; blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord," a little before he was crucified! And after Christ's ascension, when the apostles had healed the impotent man, we are told, that all men glorified God for that which was done, Acts 4:21. When the Gentiles in Antioch of Pisidia, heard from Paul and Barnabas, that God would reject the Jews, and take the Gentiles to be his people in their room, they were affected with the goodness of God to the Gentiles, "and glorified the word of the Lord:" but all that did so were not true believers; but only a certain elect number of them; as is intimated in the account we have of it, Acts 13:48: "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed." So of old the children of Israel at the Red Sea, "sang God's praise; but soon forgat his works." And the Jews in Ezekiel's time, "with their mouth showed much love, while their heart went after their covetousness." And it is foretold of false professors and real enemies of religion, that they should show a forwardness to glorify God: Isa. 66:5, "Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word. Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified."

It is no certain sign that a person is graciously affected, if, in the midst of his hopes and comforts, he is greatly affected with God's unmerited mercy to him that is so unworthy, and seems greatly to extol and magnify free grace. (Jonathan Edwards, "A Treatise on the Religious Affections", 1997 ed., pp. 94-95).

A person who does not know God can give Him glory from their lips, even while their hearts are far, far away from Him. “Praise God, He healed my momma! Let’s go get a case of beer and celebrate!” BEEN THERE—DONE THAT. And even our president--our quote-unquote "Christian" president--signed a proclamation declaring June 2010 as “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.” This man who claims to be a Christian, who ends many of his speeches with the phrase “God Bless America”—glorifying God with his lips, while his actions do anything but glorify God.

BUT!! We’re going to look at what it means to truly “give glory to God.” I'm gonna do my best, but I know there’s no way that I could ever do justice to this subject. To start, we’re going to examine just what we mean by the phrase “the glory of God.” Then, once we understand that, next week we will look at (1) how we glorify God here on earth, (2) how God is glorified in Heaven, and (3) we will even talk about how He is glorified in Hell. That’s something we don’t like to talk about—how God is glorified when someone winds up in Hell. God doesn’t want to send anyone there—but when He does, He is glorified.

Philippians 4:19-20—19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Let’s start out by defining some terms here. First, the word “glory.” The Greek is δοξα (doxa). We get words like “orthodox” and “doxology” from the Greek. At its very core, it means “opinion” or “reputation.” And when it is used of God, it takes on the meaning of “The honor resulting from a good opinion.” We give honor and respect to men who are in positions of authority and power. And we do this, many times, for no other reason than the position they hold. They may be the most rottenest rapscallion in the room, and use their title and power for selfish reasons—but we still honor them because of their position.

And even if that ruler is rotten to the core, and is the most incompetent rube on the planet, keep one thing in mind--God put that man in power (for whatever reason). John 19:10 (NASB)—“You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above.” Romans 13:1 (NASB)—Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Colossians 1:16—For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All rule and power and authority on earth (thrones, dominions) and in Heaven (principalities, powers) were established by God. And they do what God tells them to do. Even if a president approves of homosexuality, or a king takes Israel captive, and even if a Roman emperor slaughters Christians in some of the most horrific ways possible—that ruler’s heart is in the hand of God. 1st Peter 2:13-15--Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. Proverbs 21:1—The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; and He turns it wherever He wishes. Daniel 2:37-38—"You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all." Whether that person is a scoundrel or a righteous man, we are to respect them, in their office, because they were put their by God.

However, the honor that God deserves is not only because He is in a position of not a little power—He is, after all, King of kings and Lord of lords. But, as opposed to men who abuse the power they have over, let’s face it, relatively small portions of this tiny little planet, God rules over not only this planet, but also Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Neptune, and all the gazillions of stars and over every square inch of however many trillions of light years this universe is in size—but He does so with love, with righteousness, with justice, and without partiality. Deuteronomy 10:17—YHVH your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. Acts 10:34-35—Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.” Romans 2:11—There is no partiality with God. If God were like men, and had all the power in His hands to do whatever He wanted—I don’t know if that’s something I even want to think about. Because if men will abuse the power they have, in the ways they have, in their short lifetimes—imagine what an infinite God could do if He was predisposed to acting like a man.

BUT—the glory of God—another fellow defines it as “The kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler; majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity.” God’s glory far exceeds man’s glory because His rule is perfect in every way. He does not use His rule and authority for unrighteous purposes. That stupid movie a few years ago, “Bruce Almighty”—that was blasphemous on so many levels. But it also painted a very skewed picture of man. Because if a man had all the power God had—without God’s righteousness, justice, and love—Earth would be destroyed in a day. We would be hopelessly enslaved to Satan, and every evil that you could think of—and many that we can't—would take over in an instant. But God rules perfectly because He is righteousness, justice, and love. Deuteronomy 32:3-4—“For I proclaim the name of the LORD: ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” Ezra 9:15—O YHVH God of Israel, You are righteous, for we are left as a remnant, as it is this day. Here we are before You, in our guilt. It is because of God’s righteousness, justice, and love that He rules as perfectly as He does. Psalm 115:3—Our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Good thing for us He only wants to do what is righteous and just. Titus 1:2—God, who cannot lie… Hebrews 6:18—It is impossible for God to lie.

To God be the glory, great things He has done
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin
And opened the life gate that all may go in.

What man would ever do that? If God were like man, He would never send His own Son to pay for our sins. But God did. To Him be the glory.

Question: What was the first manifestation of God’s glory?
Answer: Creation!

Psalm 19:1 (NASB)—The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. The “telling” and “declaring” are in the present tense—the heavens “ARE telling” and their expanse “IS declaring.” I think we would all agree that it is impossible for us, in these bodies and with these minds, to grasp how glorious God is. In Exodus 33:19-23, Moses was on Mt. Sinai, receiving the Law from God. He was pleading with God to not simply give him this Law, but to go with the people that they may fulfill it. Moses wanted to see God in all His glory. Don’t we all? But, God’s glory and His perfections are so glorious and so perfect that if we saw Him in all of His glory and perfection, we would die. Exodus 33:19-23—God said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you…But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

Any time God displays His glory, He always shrouds it in something. He has to. If He didn’t, it would kill us. Kiel and Delitzsch:

“When God talked with him face to face, or mouth to mouth, he merely saw a ‘similitude of YHVH,’ a form which rendered the invisible being of God visible to the human eye, i.e., a manifestation of the divine glory in a certain form, and not the direct or essential glory of YHVH…What Moses desired was a sight of the glory or essential being of God, without any figure, and without a veil…YHVH granted his request, but only so far as the limit existing between the infinite and holy God and finite and sinful man allowed…No mortal man can see the face of God and remain alive; for not only is the holy God a consuming fire to unholy man, but a limit has been set…between the infinite God, the absolute Spirit, and the human spirit clothed in an earthly body…which, so long as it lasts, renders a direct sight of the glory of God impossible…As our bodily eye is dazzled, and its power of vision destroyed, by looking directly at the brightness of the sun, so would our whole nature be destroyed by an unveiled sight of the brilliancy of the glory of God.”

Suppose I climbed into a spaceship and headed directly for the sun. My ship would probably start to disintegrate before I got a few hundred thousand miles away. It’s inapproachable. And to an infinitely greater extent, God in all of His unveiled glory cannot even be looked upon by us in these unredeemed bodies. We can glimpse at the sun for a second or two. But if we were to even look out of the corner of our eye and catch a glimmer of God’s pure glory—we would die. PERIOD—PARAGRAPH. 1st Timothy 6:16 (NASB)—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

Immortal, invisible, God only wise
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Some more manifestations of the glory of God. After King Solomon finished building the temple, he consecrated it through prayer, and in 2nd Chronicles 7:1-4 (NASB)—Now when Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of YHVH filled the house. The priests could not enter into the house of YHVH because the glory of YHVH filled YHVH's house. All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down and the glory of YHVH upon the house, bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave praise to YHVH, saying, “Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.” And as glorious as this temple was, God promised through the prophet Haggai that one day He would inhabit an even greater temple. Haggai 2:6-9--"Thus says YHVH of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says YHVH of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says YHVH of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says YHVH of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says YHVH of hosts." This was of course telling about Christ, who Himself said, John 2:19, 21—“Destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days”…He was speaking of the temple of His body. And of course the closest we have to someone seeing the full glory of God is Isaiah 6:1-4--In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is YHVH of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. And when the prophet saw this, how did he respond? Isaiah 6:5--So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, YHVH of hosts.”

When we say we “give glory to God,” we don’t mean that He does not already have glory, and we give Him more. His glory is eternal. He has always had it, and He will never lose it. When we say that, we are simply acknowledging what is already true. BUT—we don’t just do it with our lips. We live our lives as if we believe it.

Fathers—when you tell your kids something, and you ask if they understood what you said, and they went right out and did what you told them not to do—Did they really get it? And did they give you the respect they should have? But when they say, “Yes Daddy”—and they do what you said—then you realize they get it. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. May we ascribe glory to Him, may we acknowledge and confess that He deserves our worship—and may we give Him that praise and worship He deserves in this body, on earth, and for all eternity in Heaven.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.

Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:19)

Philippians 4:19-20—19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

We saw last week that we are to always have an eye toward helping the poor—but not helping to their detriment. That if someone goes out to the club on Saturday night, and they’ve got $2 left until payday, then maybe they need to think about where their money is going before they spend it. BEEN THERE—DONE THAT. It’s not wrong to help that person—don’t misunderstand me. If you are lending in order to show true Christian charity and to perhaps witness to them and show them how Christ is so much better than their current lifestyle—that’s great, and God will reward that. But listen to King Solomon’s advice to the lazy person, the one who can work but won’t. Proverbs 6:6-9—Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? But for that brother or sister who is in serious, actual need, then if we have it in our power we should do all that we can to help them. And above all, whatever we give we should do so with the right attitude—not looking to puff ourselves up, but to bring glory to God. Today we’re going to continue our look at giving with the right attitude, and the reward we receive from our Father in Heaven. Turn with me to Matthew 6. A passage many of us are familiar with. It speaks of God providing all that we need whenever we need it.

Matthew 6:25-32--"25 Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."

Verse 25. What’s the first word? "Therefore". When you see the word ‘therefore’ you ask yourself “What is it there......for?” The word ‘therefore’ is always used to link the previous thought with the next thought. What does the verse prior to verse 25 say? Matthew 6:24—“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Again, the verse divisions are helpful, but they also tend to interrupt the flow of thought. “You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or put on.” The phrase translated “do not worry” (KJV—“take no thought”) is one Greek word that comes from a root that literally means “to be torn apart.” He’s saying, “Do not be torn apart about these things.” Around here, we would say “Don’t get all tore up about it.” The implication Christ is making is this: if a person’s thought life consists entirely of what they will eat, drink or put on, then they are trying to serve God and mammon. And you can't do it. A person will either love God and hate the world—or hate God and love the world.

Period—Paragraph.

James 4:4—Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 1st Timothy 6:9-10—But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. And that is the most correct way to translate that passage. Proverbs 28:20-21—A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. To show partiality is not good, because for a piece of bread a man will transgress. And, as Job said, Job 1:21—“YHVH giveth, and YHVH taketh away. Blessed be the name of YHVH.”

When we begin to worry about food/shelter/clothing—when our thinking is consumed with, “If I don’t wear the right clothes, and drive the right car and if I don’t live in the right neighborhood, my life will be worthless”—when our thoughts are consumed with these things—we take our eyes off of God, we set our eyes on our circumstances, and we become like Simon Peter, when he was walking on the water. He was walking right toward Christ, and he takes his eyes off of Christ, starts looking around at the wind and waves, and what happened? He starts sinking. Christ was telling Peter to come to Him, but the wind and waves were saying he needed to sink. But what does Jesus tell us to do in Matthew 6:33-34--"33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Where do all things come from? God! Does God last forever? Yes! Does money last forever? Eh, not so much! Proverbs 23:5—Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven. BUT!! Matthew 7:7-11--"7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" Before we got saved, did we know how to give our kids what they needed? Yes. Were we evil before we got saved? If you answer “No”, then we need to talk. We were evil. Yet we gave our kids what they needed. And we’re talking earthly things—food, shelter, clothing. Which is more important—the things we need in this life, or the things that pertain to eternal life? The greatest gift we could ever get is the gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. To be freed from slavery to sin, and be made slaves to God. Will a good master give his slave the things that slave needs to do the master’s will? Albert Barnes once said:

“The promise is, that what we seek shall be given us. It is of course implied that we seek with a proper spirit, with humility, sincerity, and perseverance. It is implied, also, that we ask the things which it may be consistent for God to give—that is, things which he has promised to give, and which would be best for us, and most for his own honor. Of that God is to be the judge. And here there is the utmost latitude which a creature can ask. God is willing to provide for us, to forgive our sins, to save our souls, to befriend us in trial, to comfort us in death, to extend the gospel through the world. Man “can” ask no higher things of God; and these he may ask, assured that he is willing to grant them.”

Now, what does that mean for our text today? That God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. God does not simply give to us out of His riches in glory—but according to His riches, or in proportion to His riches in glory.

Our pastor has used this illustration I think about 8000 times: Imagine you're walking down the street. You look down, and you find a wallet. You open it up, and there are fifty $100 bills. You take out the driver’s license and lo and behold this wallet belongs to Bill Gates. You take it to the police station, they call him, and he comes knocking on your door to thank you and give you a reward. He gives you a reward of…$25. You’re glad to have it, but it'd be nice if it was more. He has given you a reward out of his riches. BUT—suppose he gives you $25,000. That would be a reward according to his riches—that will probably be a lot more pleasing.

Now, when God gives us food/clothing/shelter, He is giving to us out of His riches. I forget who it was, but one of the fellows at Together for the Gospel said that there is not one square inch in all the universe that does not belong to God. Amen. As it says in the Psalms, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He doesn’t just want to give us a hamburger—He wants to give us a whole stockyard. And if we are faithful in helping the poor, He will! Flip over to Matthew 25. Another passage many of us are familiar with. Let me set the scene for you. This is one of the last long sermons from Christ that we have recorded in the gospels. It is part of what is called the “Olivet Discourse.” This was about two days before His arrest-trial-crucifixion-burial-resurrection. He gives this discourse in response to His disciples asking Him “What shall be the sign of Your coming at the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3).

In this particular passage He is teaching about the two great judgments—the Judgment Seat, or Bema, where those who are saved will be given their rewards, and also the Great White Throne, where the lost will be read their final verdict and cast into the Lake of Fire. And really, that passage in James 2 that talks about faith needing works to be complete—that was simply taking this long statement and boiling it down into a few verses. Matthew 25:31-40--"31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’"

What He’s saying is that if you have the kind of faith that spurs you on to do good works, and to give to the poor, and to consider others before yourself—then you have done those things to Christ. Much like that proverb we read last week, Proverbs 19:17—He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given. Kinda sounds like what Jesus just said, doesn’t it? That when you help the one who is hungry or cold or naked or in prison—you are doing those things to Christ, and He will reward you.

Now, what about the person that simply believes facts and doesn’t have any fruit to show for it? Jesus says of them in Matthew 25:41-46--"41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Just like James said, James 2:18-19—Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! Talk about an indictment on many people’s faith! That the faith they profess isn't any better than the faith the demons have. In fact, the demons fear God more than many people sitting in church pews this morning. When you neglect the one who is hungry or cold or naked or in prison—you are neglecting Christ, and He will neglect you. What were the first words that the risen Christ spoke to Saul of Tarsus? "Saul, Saul; why are you persecuting Me?" (Acts 9:4).

When God rewards us, He doesn’t simply give us some trifling little pittance. If we are faithful, He will reward us according to our faithfulness and according to His riches in glory. BUT—it may not be material wealth. What He does give, however, will be far better than anything we could ever ask for. He gives good gifts. James 1:17—Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights. Ephesians 3:20-21—Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Next week, we will discuss that glory of God, and what it means to give glory to God.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.

Matt Chandler--"Jesus Wants That Rose!!"

Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:17-4:18)

A few weeks ago we looked at the question, “Did Paul quote Jesus?” And the answer was, of course, “Yes.” We saw how Philippians 4:13 was really the flip side of John 15:5. That whereas Jesus said, “Without Me you can do nothing,” Paul said I can do all things through Christ. Paul may not have directly quoted Jesus’ words, but he did repeat many of the principles Jesus laid out. Today we’re going to look at another such principle in today’s text. In these verses, Paul will wrap up this section of his letter that is devoted to praising the Philippians’ generosity, and commending them for the fact that they did not give to his needs in order to gain worldly recognition. Rather, they gave out of a sense of love and kindness. And we will see today the results of such generosity, as well as the results of doing a “good” thing for the wrong reason.

Philippians 4:17-20—17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul was delighted for the gift—but more than the gift, he was delighted at their giving. And even more than their giving, he was delighted that they gave with a pure heart. They were not going around saying, “I gave 100 denarii to Paul’s cause!” Or, “Oh yeah? Well, I gave 150 denarii!!” They weren’t giving in order to move up in the social rankings—in fact, their giving may very well have been quite detrimental to their social standing, and may have even gotten them into hot water with the Roman government. And Paul tells us that this gift was indeed given from Christian love, when he says in verse 18 that it was a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And because this gift was an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God, he goes on to say in verse 19, And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Today, we're going to look at this pasage in light of Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount. The Gospel According to Matthew, starting with chapter 5, and beginning at verse 46. Let me set the scene. When we read the gospels, it’s important to remember something: Mark, Luke and John, when they wrote, they put everything in chronological order (with a couple minor exceptions). Matthew, however, in the first half of his gospel, grouped things according to themes. And when we read Matthew’s gospel, because the Sermon on the Mount is recorded so closely after Jesus’ encounter with Satan, and Jesus calling His apostles, we may tend to think that He delivered this sermon in the earliest days of His ministry. That is not quite true. He had already spoken with Nicodemus and with the Samaritan woman. He had already had many run-ins with the Pharisees. In fact, Jesus had been preaching and teaching for at least a year, and had gained many followers, before He gave the Sermon on the Mount. He had walked among the self-righteous and seen—I guess you could say “first-hand”, although God sees everything “first-hand”—He had been preaching repentance and the kingdom of God for better than a year, and now the time has come for Him to refute the self-righteousness being taught by the Pharisees.

Matthew 5:46-48—"For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Ever hear the phrase, “You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours?” The Pharisees were experts in that principle. They were more than happy to bend over backwards, to do something for anybody—who could do something for them. If you didn’t have anything to offer in return—sorry, buddy, you're out of luck. Now, what is the right kind of attitude to have towards others? Hold your place here and turn to Luke 6:32-36. Luke gives us some of the details that Matthew leaves out. For example, he records the woes that Jesus prescribed after He gave the Beatitudes. And here, he expands on what Matthew writes. I've underlined the words that Luke includes in addition to Matthew. Luke 6:32-36—“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” That word “merciful” literally means “pitiful, compassionate for the ills of others.” What He's saying here is, basically, “Have pity on others, just as your Father also pities you.” Can you imagine being a Pharisee and hearing that? “What do you mean God pities us? Why, look how righteous we are! We’re so much better than this riff-raff! God is proud to have us serve Him! Why, He should be so lucky!”

Also, the phrase “be merciful” doesn’t mean simply “give”—it means to possess a desire to help others when they need it. Proverbs 22:9—He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor. These Pharisees, who thought that they were doing so good at keeping the Law, had been neglecting much of that very Law they thought they were keeping. Listen to Deuteronomy 15:7-10—“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren…you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs…You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.” This was what Jesus meant when He said, “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” And this is what Paul was getting across to the Philippians—that because they gave a sacrifice that was acceptable to God, He would bless them in all their works in Christ.

Back to Matthew 6:1-2—“Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” That must have been like cold steel through the intestines to the Pharisees. “What do you mean we have our reward? Why, didn’t you see—we gave!” And God sees and says, “So? Even heathens give.” What was the problem? They didn’t give out of a genuine compassion for the poor—they gave because they wanted the “attaboy!” Guess what? If they want an “attaboy”—then that’s all they're gonna get.

Not just Pharisees, either. Notice, Jesus says we are not to be like the hypocrites. Another example of Paul quoting Jesus—not word for word, but principle for principle. 1st Corinthians 3:12-15—Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. So if we do some good deed just to get praise from men, we also will “have our reward.” And when we stand at the Bema to get our reward, He will point to that and the conversation will be something like this:

“Remember when you gave this to the poor?”
“Yes I did, Lord.”
"You have no reward for that deed, because you didn’t do it for My glory; you did it to be seen by men."

BUT!! He goes on to say in Matthew 6:3-4—“But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” In other words, do everything you possibly can to make sure no one sees what you are doing. Proverbs 19:17—He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given. Listen to that again. If you give to the poor, you are really lending to God. Hebrews 13:2 (KJV)—Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. That family that needs groceries. That fellow that just needs something in his stomach to live another day. Be careful, because that might just be an angel. Notice what Jesus says—“When you do a charitable deed.” "When"--not "if". We are expected to do charitable deeds and help the poor. We are told many times to help our brothers in need.

I read from Deuteronomy a minute ago. The familiar passage in James chapter 2 where faith is declared to be pretty much useless unless it shows some kind of fruit, and the kind of fruit that James emphasizes is giving to those in need. James 2:14-19 [NASB]—What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works”—and I want to stop right here. It is vital to understanding this passage that we put those quotation marks in the right places. I tend to agree with the NASB on the text itself, but I disagree with where they put the quotation marks--they should end here. Open quote, You have faith and I have works, period, close quote. Then James answers by saying show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. In verse 19, you could almost read it as saying You have faith that God is one. You do well; the demons have the same faith, and shudder. It’s not enough to simply believe that God exists, or to even just believe the fact that Jesus died for our sins. If our beliefs do not spur us on to do good for our neighbors, then believing those facts is not enough to save us.

If our faith does not move us to do good things—for the right reasons—Big deal. That’s no different than the “faith” that the demons have. James 2:14-16 is an almost direct quote from Proverbs 3:27-28—Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, and tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it with you. If we have it in our power, we are to give to help others—but in the right way. Because there are many people who would not lack food or clothing if they wouldn’t spend their money on sinful things. Been there—done that. If you see someone walk into their house with a 6-pack of beer, then they come knock on your door asking to borrow a loaf of bread because they're broke—you are not necessarily obligated to help that person. If they’ve got money for beer—they should have money for bread. In fact, our pastor has pointed out this fact in a sermon series he gave recently. He said,

“When we indiscriminately give to anyone and all who have an apparent need, we actually have the potential of harming some people by affirming an unbiblical lifestyle. It may be that they are in poverty because of laziness, an entitlement mentality, unwise use of funds that would have been sufficient to meet their basic needs…Sometimes in our culture, basic needs aren’t being met in those who are most aggressive in their asking for help because available funds were spent on drugs and/or alcohol. When we step in and give to meet those basic needs, we are simply making more funds available to them for sinful purchases.” (Phil Jones, First Baptist Church [Powell, TN], "The Bible Speaks to Poverty", delivered 11/22/09. Online Source).

If you want to hear more from that series, Click here.

Listen to this part again: “Sometimes in our culture, basic needs aren’t being met in those who are most aggressive in their asking for help because available funds were spent on drugs and/or alcohol.” I've had it happen; many of us have it happen when we minister in the projects. Someone will walk up to you, giving you a sob story about how they don’t have any food, or they haven’t eaten in a couple days—but you can smell the whiskey or the beer on their breath, or the smell of pot lingering on their clothes. Here's the thing--You are not obligated to help that person.
Proverbs 10:4-5—He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a wise son; he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.
Proverbs 12:11 [NASB]—He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.
Proverbs 20:13—Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.
Ephesians 4:28--Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
1st Thessalonians 4:10-11--But we urge you, brethren, that you increase more and more; that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.
2nd Thessalonians 3:10-12--For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

That said, if someone is in truly dire straits, then we should do what we can to help those needs, that we may give a sacrifice that is a sweet aroma, well-pleasing to God.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.

Jonathan Edwards taught "Salvation by Works"

Yes, it's true. All those people in the "easy-believer®" crowd were right. Jonathan Edwards was a "Closet Catholic®" who taught "Salvation by Works." Here's the evidence, from one of his own writings!

Prayers for the persecuted church (10/8/10)

10/7/2010 Islam (WND) Report Finds That Islamic Numbers, Influence Surging-

“The situation is really bad for Christians in some areas where Muslims are now in the majority in Europe,” said Jonathan Racho, a Regional Manager for International Christian Concern. Many European Muslims, especially those who live in areas where they outnumber Christians, are beginning to flex their muscles. In fact, there are some parts of the UK that are considered “no go” areas. These are areas of a town where non-Muslims are not allowed (or advised) to “go” or enter. Furthermore, UK Christians are being attacked in their Muslim-dominated neighborhoods and evangelists are being stopped by Muslim police officers. Some say that the United States is not far behind. Full Story

Pray for the safety of Christians living in Muslim-dominated neighborhoods.
Pray that the UK will start protecting its Christians citizens.



10/5/2010 Algeria (CDN) Algerian Christians Acquitted of Eating During Ramadan-

On August 12, 2010, Salem Fellak and Hocine Hocini, were arrested while eating lunch. Why? These two Algerian men were detained for consuming food during the Muslim month of Ramadan. According to reports, officers at a nearby police station walked up to the two Christian men and confronted them for not fasting. When Salem and Hocine explained that they were Christian, the angry officers accused them of insulting Islam. Yet, this explanation was not good enough. Salem and Hocine were arrested, interrogated for two hours, and then dragged to court. “I have the right not to fast. I am a Christian,” said Salem Fellak while standing trial at an Algerian court. Fortunately, the case against Salem and Hocine was dismissed! Full Story.

Praise the Lord that the case against Salem Fellak and Hocine Hocini was dismissed!
Pray that the Algerian government will not force Christians to follow Islamic rules.
Pray that the court’s dismissal of the case will not cause Salem and Hocine to be persecuted by Algerian Muslims.





9/30/2010 China (ChinaAid) House Churches Raided, Two Foreign Pastors Missing-

In the past few weeks, two house churches have been baselessly raided in China—one in Sichuan and one in Henan. Yet, the word “raided” does not adequately describe the way Chinese police officers took it upon themselves to smash objects, confiscate books, and arrest church members. In fact, two foreign pastors, one from America and one from Russia, were also detained and arrested. The whereabouts of the pastors are still unknown. Many of the arrested believers have been threatened with labor camps where they will be re-educated. Full Story.

Pray that the two foreign pastors are found and released.
Pray that the arrested church members will be set free and all talk of labor camps will be forgotten.
Pray that the Chinese government will stop raiding house churches and allow them to worship the Lord.




10/5/2010 Pakistan (MNN) Christians Endure More Attacks in Punjab-

On September 23, 2010, a mob of Muslims attacked dozens of Christians in the Punjab Province of Pakistan. According to sources, a mob of 40 militants fired shots at homes and into the streets—wounding and killing many innocent believers. It has been rumored that three powerful politicians instigated the attacks, but this rumor has yet to be confirmed or substantiated. Full Story.

Pray for the families whose loved ones were killed in this vicious attack.
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Pray for the swift physical and mental healing of those Christians who survived the attack.
Pray that the rumors are false—that politicians were not involved in this deplorable act of Christian persecution.

10/4/2010 Pakistan (Coshocton Tribune) Pakistani Bishop: "It Requires Great Sacrifice" to Be Christian-

President Obama has called the northernmost province of Pakistan "the most dangerous place in the world." This area, which measures 29,000 square miles, is home to 20 million Pakistani citizens. The northernmost province is infamous for smuggling, arms dealing, and kidnapping. Yet the people who are in the most danger in the northernmost province are the Christians. Many Pakistani believers are killed, tortured, and arrested for their faith in Christ. To make matters worse, citizen rights are based on religion in Pakistan. Thus, Christians are at the very bottom—they are seen as the “slum of the earth.” Yet, even though these brothers and sisters in Christ are looked down upon, they still feel blessed to be part of the family of Jesus Christ. Full Story

Pray for the peace and fortitude of the Pakistani Christians.
Pray that the Pakistani Christians know that they are not the “slum of the earth” but beautiful children of God.
Pray that the Lord will place a huge hedge of protection around the Pakistani Christians.

9/30/2010 Pakistan (AllVoices) Attacks on Christians Persist in Pakistan-

Since September 8, 2010, Christians in Mohalla Kalupura, Pakistan have been attacked more than 10 times by fundamentalist Muslims. Just last week, these faithful believers were attacked again. According to sources, 40 Islamic extremists barreled through the streets of Mohalla Kalupura firing their guns and swinging their axes. It is still unknown just how many Pakistani Christians died or were critically injured in this merciless onslaught. To make matters worse, local police have yet to find and apprehend the culprits. Full Story.

Pray for the swift mental and physical healing of the Christians who were attacked in Mohalla Kalupura, Pakistan.
Pray that the Pakistani government will protect Mohalla Kalupura from any future attacks.
Pray that the Lord will pierce the hearts of Pakistan’s Muslims.




9/28/2010 Egypt (DailyNewsEgypt) Mother of Christian Twins Seeks Azhar Fatwa-

Last March, Kamelia Lotfy Gaballah tried desperately to change her twins’ religion on their birth certificates from Muslim to Christian. Unfortunately, the Egyptian courts refused her request. Sixteen-year-old twins, Andrew and Mario, were raised as Christians, but are documented as Muslims because their father is Muslim. Knowing that her sons will be “forced” to convert to Islam if something isn’t done, Kamelia has begged the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar to issue a fatwa allowing 15-year-old children to “choose” their religion. If the Grand Sheikh refuses Kamelia’s request, Andrew and Mario will forever have the word “Muslim” stamped on their national I.D. cards. Full Story.

Pray that the Grand Sheikh will grant Kamelia Lotfy Gaballah’s request.
Pray that Andrew and Mario will not be persecuted for their decision to be seen as Christians in an Islamic country.
Pray that Andrew and Mario will be shining lights for their Muslim father.

Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:14-4:18)

As I've mentioned before, the chapter and verse divisions that we have in our bibles were not there when this letter to the Philippians was written. When Paul was dictating this letter to his scribe, he didn’t say, “OK, now we shall begin chapter 2” and so forth. This letter—and, for that matter, all of the epistles and gospels in the NT—were written in much the same way we would write a letter today. Now, these chapter/verse divisions do help in finding a particular statement. But they can also, sometimes, cause us to separate ideas that are actually one continuous thought. An example of this is 1st Corinthians 13—which probably should not end with verse 13. It should keep going into chapter 14, probably verse 5. Furthermore, some translations do break up sections of text into paragraphs. Most of the Bibles published today do this, and sometimes put headings above the different sections of text. For example, in Ephesians 1, the text in verses 3 through 14 is all one long sentence that is part of an even bigger paragraph, which probably runs to somewhere in the first part of chapter 2.

The reason I bring all this up is, sometimes these divisions—while they are helpful—sometimes we take these two verses, and sometimes we forget that there is one idea that is being expressed. Which is why, even though we may only be focusing on certain verses, I will put the verses surrounding that section in your notes—so you can see the context. Like today. We will read verses 14-19, but we will only be focusing on verses 17-18. That said, we come to today’s text.

Philippians 4:14-19—14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. 15 Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Verses 10-19 are all one paragraph. And to kind of summarize what we’ve seen thus far, and to put it into a more conversational style, this is what Paul has said so far, from verse 10 through verse 17:

“In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I am so blessed that you have stirred up your love for me again. Not that you didn’t care about me before, but I know there was something that hindered you from sending me help. But that’s OK, because I really don’t lack anything. I have learned that, no matter my circumstances, I am happy being the man God has made me to be. I know how to be faithful in serving Him as the lowest slave, and I know how to serve Him faithfully as the leader of men. No matter where I go, no matter what I do, I have learned the secret of being happy when I am hungry, and when I am fully fed. I will not be ruled by material wealth, and I will not complain when I have nothing. I can do everything I need to do, because Christ gives me the strength to do it. Now, don’t get me wrong. I do greatly appreciate the gift you have sent. If you think about it, when I first started preaching the gospel in these here parts, you were the only people to send help my way. In fact, during all that time I was in Thessalonica, you sent me help—not just once, but twice! That was all well and good, but what really gets me excited is the fact that your account is gonna profit from your giving!”

Let’s look at verse 17. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. As we have made plainly clear, Paul wasn’t all about getting the gift—his joy came from their giving the gift. The last thing I'll say about that is this—fathers, if you wake up on Christmas morning, and your wife got you that new fishing pole you wanted, or a new watch, or whatever else. You are just so happy that she got you those things, right? And then you open up the box from your kids. And you look inside and you see some crudely drawn picture, drawn with crayons, and it’s supposed to be the family, and it's just a bunch of, kinda round, kinda oval figures with sticks for arms and legs. And your little one climbs on your lap and asks, “Do ya like it, Daddy?” And you look them in the eye and you say, “It’s beautiful!” And it is, isn't it? And even after the watch is tore up, and you don't fish anymore, that picture will still be in a frame on a wall somewhere in your house. Because that was your child that made it for you, with their own hands, from their heart!

That’s what Paul is saying here. He didn’t care if they sent him a big bag of gold or two drachmas. They gave. And that giving was going to bear fruit to their account. He didn’t send someone to say, “Hey, guys, you need to send something to Paul. I mean, how about showing a little gratitude?” They sent the gift without him even asking. That’s what he meant when he said Not that I seek the gift. That word “seek” means “to actively go out and look for or try to obtain.” He didn’t go bugging them for a gift—he didn’t want the gift, he wanted to see their account grow. That word “fruit”—the NASB translates it “profit.” There’s one other translation, and I can't remember which, but one translates it as “interest.” He’s looking for their account to gain interest from their giving.

The writer of Hebrews uses the same Greek word to describe our growth after we stumble and after we receive our chastisement from God. Hebrews 12:11—Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. After we slip and trip and fall, we get a whoopin’ from God, which yields righteousness, which leads to obedience. It’s the same word Paul uses in Galatians 5:22-23—But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. If a person is saved, they will have the Holy Spirit living within them, and the result of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them will be that they possess—and display—love, joy, peace, patience… Romans 6:21-22—What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. In other words, when we were still our old, sinful selves, what possible good came from doing the things we are now ashamed of?

BUT!! If a person is in Christ, we are free from sin, and we produce fruit that glorifies God and separates us from the world, moves us closer to God, with the end result being eternal life. John 15:4-5—“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” This was the fruit Paul wanted to see from the Philippians. The fruit that came from a life lived in Christ and for Christ and through Christ; a life that would bear fruit to righteousness and holiness and godliness. So that when they got to the Judgment Seat of Christ, they would receive reward for the deeds done in the body. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

Now, we’re gonna spend the rest of our time looking at the next verse, because we’re going to see the difference between doing good with good motives and doing good with bad motives. And yes, there is a difference.

Verse 18. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. We’re going to look at wrong motives first. Is it possible to do the right thing for the wrong reason? Absolutely! Of course, the poster children for this principle were the Pharisees. The Sermon on the Mount was not a warning shot; it was not a shot across the bow of their ship. It was a broadside attack against the Pharisees and their self-"righteousness." Let me dispel one myth, however—Jesus did not “rebel against authority” just for the sake of rebelling. He WAS the authority because He was God. What He did was to show these men that everything about their religion was going against the Word of God. He should know—He was the Word (John 1:1).

They were doing those things that were commanded in the OT Law. They were keeping the feasts, they were keeping the Sabbaths, they were keeping the holy days. BUT—they were not keeping them for the right reasons. And the biggest mistake of all that they were making was this: they did not understand that righteousness did not come from doing things—righteousness comes from within. In fact, Jesus makes this distinction in Matthew 15:7-11, 18-19—“Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” He said to His disciples, “Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man…those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” They did all the right things. They did all the things they were supposed to do. In fact, just to show everybody how godly and religious they were, they took and they added many more things to the commandments of God.

But they still had a problem. They were clean on the outside--but Jesus saw through to their hearts. Jesus tells them again in Matthew 23:25-26—“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.” Does it make us righteous when we do “good things?” There are plenty of lost people, ungodly people, heathens, who do things that most people would call “good.” One of the five pillars of Islam is to give alms to the poor. Does that save them?

Even in the OT, the people of Israel could offer all the right sacrifices, at all the right times, and it would have seemed to God to be an abomination. Listen to Isaiah 1:11-16—“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts? Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies—I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.” But God told Moses that if the people brought their sacrifice, that would cover their sins. Why would God not accept these people’s offerings?

We find the answer, actually, a few verses before this, in Isaiah 1:3-5—“The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider. Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, they have turned away backward. Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment.” The problem was, they thought that they could buy God’s favor by bringing their lambs and bulls and goats to be sacrificed and by burning incense. But God calls all this stuff and abomination. He said, “I've had it with you people and your sacrifices. If I smell one more roasted bull or pile of burning incense I'm gonna puke!” Basically. That’s not much of an exaggeration. God had delivered them from their enemies, brought them out of Egypt, He was always ready to save them—but this generation did not know Him. So they did everything God commanded, but for the wrong reasons. They thought that because they did something God would be pleased. If our “good deeds” made us righteous, Paul would not have had to write in Ephesians 2:8-9 [NASB]—By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

The Philippians sent aid to Paul when he was in Thessalonica, and they were sending him help now. They did not do it to try and make themselves righteous. They did it because they were righteous. Listen to how Paul describes this gift: A sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. In the OT Law, all of the sacrifices—the freewill offering, the grain offering, the peace offering, sin offering, etc—God referred to them as “an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the LORD” on what condition? If it was made with a pure conscience and a true remorse and conviction over their sin. Psalm 51:17—The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise. The people Isaiah wrote about—they didn’t care. Their attitude was “Oops, I committed adultery again. Oh, darn! I guess I'll have to bring a ram to the priest for a sacrifice. If I do that, I'll be righteous with God!” Did the Philippians give in order to become righteous? No. What was their motivation for giving? Love! What is the first quality of the fruit of the Spirit? Love.

They gave—but if they just gave because they felt guilty, and with no love behind it, 1st Corinthians 13:3—If I give away all I have…but have not love, I gain nothing. 2nd Corinthians 9:7-8 (ESV)—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 in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. God had given these Philippians plenty. For whatever reason—maybe they didn’t have a way to get the help to him, maybe they didn’t know where he was, maybe they had had everything taken away by the Roman government because they wouldn’t worship the Caesar. Whatever the reason, they could not get help to him. But now, they have an opportunity to do good, their care for him has flourished once again, and they are giving out of a pure love for him, to see the work of Christ continue, which is why he can say at the beginning of verse 18, I have all and abound. He has the gift—and he has their love.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.