Permalink: Verse-by-verse through Philippians (Chapters 3 and 4)

1) Philippians 3:2-3:7
2) Philippians 3:7-3:10a
3) Philippians 3:7-3:11
4) Philippians 3:8-3:11
5) Philippians 3:11-3:14
6) Philippians 3:13-3:16
7) Philippians 3:15-3:16
8) Philippians 3:17-3:19
9) Philippians 3:20-3:21
10) Philippians 3:21-4:1
11) Philippians 4:2-4:4
12) Philippians 4:4-4:5
13) Philippians 4:5-4:6
14) Philippians 4:5-4:7
15) Philippians 4:8, part 1
16) Philippians 4:8, part 2
17) Philippians 4:8, part 3
18) Philippians 4:8, part 4
19) Philippians 4:8, part 5
20) Philippians 4:9, part 1
21) Philippians 4:9, part 2
22) Philippians 4:9-4:10
23) Philippians 4:10-4:12
24) Philippians 4:10-4:13
25) Philippians 4:11-4:14
26) Philippians 4:14-4:17
27) Philippians 4:14-4:18
28) Philippians 4:17-4:18
29) Philippians 4:19
30) Philippians 4:19-4:20, part 1
31) Philippians 4:19-4:20, part 2
32) Philippians 4:19-4:20, part 3
33) Philippians 4:21-4:23

Verse-by-verse through Philippians (Conclusion, 4:21-4:23)

Four chapters, 104 verses, 65 lessons. We’ve seen that even though this was a very personal letter that Paul wrote to this one church, what he said can be applied to any church, even to this day. Just to kinda speed-dial through the first 103 verses, in chapter 1 Paul starts out showing his affection for this church that he loved so dearly. He lets them know that the one and only desire of his heart is that Christ be preached. In chapter 2, He exhorts those of us in the church to be united as one body, and to be humble and to consider the needs of others as being greater than our own needs. Then he launches into one of the most well-known doxologies in Scripture. The word “doxology” means “speaking of the glory of God.” And he uses the example of Christ—the eternal God who became a slave—to encourage us to serve one another so that we may show the world the glory and grace of Christ.

Chapter 3 warns us to avoid those who would teach salvation by works. And for this he uses himself as the example, that he was a man who was well-known, well-respected and admired by all of Jewish society. But he looks back and sees that all of his earthly accomplishments were a pile of rubbish, and that the only thing he desired now was to go forward, reaching for the prize that Christ has laid up for all the saints. Chapter 4 shows us a disagreement between two ladies in the Philippian church, and he tells them to, basically, “Knock it off and get along with each other.” We don’t know what the fuss was about because, quite frankly, it doesn’t matter—whatever the dispute, it was bringing reproach upon the church. Then, we find what so many people are searching for today—the secret of true contentment. PSST—It’s in Christ Jesus.

So now, we come to the last few verses in Philippians, and when we get to the last few verses of a book in the Bible like, for example, Romans 16, I commend you to Phoebe…receive her in like manner…Greet Priscilla and Aquila…Andronicus, Julius…Tryphaena and Tryphosa… "OK, that’s done!" But when we actually get down into the text—knowing that these words were given to Paul by the Holy Spirit—when we see the background it shows why these words are important.

Philippians 4:21-23—21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. 22 All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar's household. 23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

When we talk on the phone to our family who may be living a long ways off, how do we usually end the conversation? “Tell everybody we said ‘Hi!’ You remember Johnny Smith? He says ‘Hi!’” Paul ends many of his letters in this manner. 2nd Corinthians 13:12-13—Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. Romans 16 is full of greetings from the saints to the saints. 2nd Timothy 4:19—Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Titus 3:15—All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith. And here, Philippians 4:21—Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. Paul is urging us here to make every effort to, basically, speak to one another.

What happens to a church when no one speaks to each other? And what happens to someone who happens to drop in to visit that church? Well, in the case of the little church mom took me to when I was a child, the congregation gets split up, you have this little clique over here and that little clique over there—what happens to the people who don’t join any of these little cliques? Then, on the other hand you have those people that are always looking for pennies. What do I mean by that? They're checking the shine on their shoes. They keep their eyes glued to the carpet, thinking, “Don’t look up, don’t make eye contact. Someone might see and want to talk and—oh drats! Pastor saw me! Hey Pastor, how ya doin!” Then you have the people who shake your hand, they talk and laugh with you, and once they turn around they tell their wife/husband “Can you believe that person? I heard that one time they…” That’s not greeting people.

On the other hand, our friend in the front row here, for example. Have you ever seen him not shake someone’s hand? You’d think you were standing on the San Andreas Fault. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus.

Then Philippians 4:21b-22—The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar's household. Now, you can call me Lucy—because I've got some ‘splainin’ to do. If you recall, when we started this study, we started in Acts 16. We looked at the start of the church in Philippi. The first convert was a woman named Lydia and the ladies who were with her. The next convert was…anybody? The Philippian jailer. Philippi—and I promise, this is the last time you will hear me say this for a long time—Philippi was a colony of—who? Many military officers who retired were encouraged to settle their and flood it with their Romanism.

So this Philippian jailer probably—and I ain't gonna take a bullet for this—he probably had some military background. If that is the case, then he probably heard about The events recorded in Acts 16 took place around 52 AD. The story was still going around about that group of crazy soldiers who couldn’t even guard the tomb of a dead Jewish rabbi in the land of Palestine, and that fell asleep and let the disciples of that dead Jewish rabbi steal the body (Matthew 28:11-15). What dead Jewish rabbi am I talking about? And here is this jailer in Philippi, guarding some of the newer followers of this dead Jewish rabbi, and suddenly, at midnight, what happens? This jailer sees the power of the God that these guys worship.

Now, let’s consider this also—Paul wrote Philippians during his first arrest by the Roman government, about 62 AD. During this confinement, he was chained to either one or two Roman soldiers. Now, when the Philippian jailer got saved, chances are he continued his employment as warden of that jail. Do you think he might have led some of his guards to Christ? And do you think that when a soldier brought a prisoner to that jail, that either the jailer or one of his guards may have shared the gospel with that soldier? Now, the soldier(s) that Paul was chained to, they became Christians at some point—either by Paul’s preaching or by hearing it from the jailer or one of the guards at the jail. Either way, these guys wanted the church at Philippi (specifically, the employees of the jail) to know that they had a bond—that bond was Christ. And it is significant that these soldiers guarding Paul became Christians.

As I said before, Paul probably wrote Philippians in about the year 62 AD. At the time, the emperor of Rome was Nero. It was during Nero’s reign that the first persecutions of Christians took place. Adam Clarke says,

“Nero was at this time emperor of Rome: a more worthless, cruel, and diabolic wretch never disgraced the name or form of man.”

It wasn’t always like that. In fact, during the first few years after Christ’s death and resurrection, the church was pretty much ignored by Rome. Furthermore, Tiberius, who was emperor at the time of the crucifixion, received a report from the governor of Palestine—a fellow by the name of Pontius Pilate—that Pilate had ordered the crucifixion of a local rabbi, and that this rabbi died within hours of being crucified, and that a band of soldiers charged with guarding the tomb of this rabbi reported seeing a great being roll the stone away from the tomb, and that this rabbi got up and walked out of that tomb. Hearing this, Tiberius went to the Roman senate and said, “Hey, let’s make this guy a ‘god’.” The senate—which had the final say on who was named a ‘god’—said, “Eh, not so much.” The fact that we have written history of Tiberius receiving this report from Pontius Pilate is a very strong piece of evidence for the historical fact that Jesus Christ was a true historical figure.

Now, I tend to think—and this is simply my opinion—that it was God who persuaded the senate to deny this request. For this reason—God did not want His Son to be lumped in with a bunch of false pagan ‘gods’. Besides, Christ would have probably been relegated to the lower class of ‘gods’ that were known as the ‘minor gods.’ They may have made Him the ‘god of gardens’ or something. Think about how different history would have been if this had been approved. There would have been no persecution of the church; there would have been almost no way to distinguish the true worshippers of Christ from those who simply worshipped Him A ‘god’.

So early on, the Roman government was not really too concerned about this little movement called “The Way.” It was just a silly bunch of Jews following the teachings of their dead rabbi. To Rome, they didn’t seem to be too much different than any of the other religions that Rome tolerated. They had their little teacher, they believed some things that were kinda strange—you know, humility and self-sacrifice and so forth—but this “Way” didn’t seem like that big of a deal. We see this fact in Acts 25:14-19—When they had been there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying: “There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix, about whom the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him…when they had come together, without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed, but had some questions against him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.” What Festus was saying here is that the only “crime” Paul was being accused of was simply about words and disputes about religion. No serious crime in the eyes of Rome.

Nero was emperor at that time, but he had not yet become the wicked, depraved wretch that we read about in history. In fact, Nero allowed Paul to preach the gospel openly when Paul arrived at Rome (see Acts 28:16-31). But, eventually, this movement called “The Way” started growing and gaining more influence, causing Nero to become much more hostile to those of “The Way.” So, to make sure that these people understood who the “real ‘god’” was that they were to worship, Rome would send troops from one city to the next, and bring together all those of “The Way,” and order them to burn incense to the Caesar. They kept getting the same response. “No.” Nero didn’t cotton too well to that. And it was at this time that Nero went around the bend, so to speak. The historian Eusebius, in his most famous work, The History of the Church, says this about Nero’s turn:

1. When the government of Nero was now firmly established, he began to plunge into unholy pursuits, and armed himself even against the religion of the God of the universe.

2. To describe the greatness of his depravity does not lie within the plan of the present work. As there are many indeed that have recorded his history in most accurate narratives, every one may at his pleasure learn from them the coarseness of the man’s extraordinary madness, under the influence of which, after he had accomplished the destruction of so many myriads without any reason, he ran into such blood-guiltiness that he did not spare even his nearest relatives and dearest friends, but destroyed his mother and his brothers and his wife, with very many others of his own family as he would private and public enemies, with various kinds of deaths.

3. But with all these things this particular in the catalogue of his crimes was still wanting, that he was the first of the emperors who showed himself an enemy of the divine religion.

4. The Roman Tertullian is likewise a witness of this. He writes as follows: “Examine your records. There you will find that Nero was the first that persecuted this doctrine, particularly then when after subduing all the east, he exercised his cruelty against all at Rome. We glory in having such a man the leader in our punishment. For whoever knows him can understand that nothing was condemned by Nero unless it was something of great excellence.”

5. Thus publicly announcing himself as the first among God’s chief enemies, he was led on to the slaughter of the apostles." (Eusebius, The History of the Church [Book 2, Chapter 25, sections 1-5], G.A. Williamson translation, page 104).

So when we see Paul tell us that all the brethren greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household, this is no small thing. These folks—whether they were family or servants or soldiers under Nero’s command—were risking their lives and their livelihood and even the loss of everything they owned—by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord, rather than declare "Caesar est dominus"—“Caesar is Lord.”

Finally. Finally!! Philippians 4:23—The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Some translations say The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. The difference between these phrases, in the Greek, is very small and it could be either one. The grace of God is a curious thing. When we consider the holiness and the perfection of God, and when we realize that we deserved nothing less than His holy eternal wrath because of our many rebellions against Him—the fact that he sent His own Son to die for us is the most wonderful display of His grace.

One of my favorite passages in all of Scripture is Romans 5:6-9 (NLT)—When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's judgment. It’s like this—suppose I break into your house. I come in with a gun and a knife and baseball bat, smash out your windows, tear up your furniture, hold you at gunpoint and terrorize your family and smack your kids around and kill your brother right in front of you. I get arrested, go to jail, sentenced to death. No retrial, no appeal, no overturning the verdict. All of a sudden, you stand up and say, “Judge, I've talked to my son, and he will sit in that gas chamber so that fellow can go free.” Everybody would call him a lunatic. They'd shout, “Are you out of your mind? You're gonna let your son die for that blankety-blank that did that to you and your family?” Everybody would be in an outrage!!

It wouldn’t make sense to us, would it? We’re human, we need to get revenge. Well guess what? That’s what God did when He sent His Son to pay the price for all the times you killed someone with your words or committed adultery with your thoughts or worshipped other gods by your actions. We committed a countless number of crimes against God, and we deserved death. But the Son of God stood up and said, “Father, I'll die so they don’t have to.”

I found these words that were written by a lady named Frances Havergal. They're from a hymn she wrote called “Light After Darkness.” She wrote it in 1879, and it is based on Psalm 46:10, but I think the words apply to this whole letter that Paul wrote to the Philippians.

Light after darkness; gain after loss.
Strength after weakness; crown after cross.
Sweet after bitter; hope after fears.
Home after wandering; praise after tears.
Sheaves after sowing; sun after rain.
Sight after mystery; peace after pain.
Joy after sorrow; calm after blast.
Rest after weariness; sweet rest at last.
Near after distant; gleam after gloom.
Love after loneliness; life after tomb.
After long agony, rapture of bliss –
Right was the pathway leading to this!

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.

Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:19-4:20, part 3)

We saw last week that, although it is a very hard thing to imagine, but God is glorified, and is seen to be a true and righteous God, when He commends sinners to eternal punishment in Hell. We talked about the fact that while we live on earth, while our court systems are overseen by humans—humans judges sitting on the bench, humans sitting in the jury box—we will never see pure justice be done. Guilty men will go free, and innocent men will go to prison. Another thing is, if you go from city to city, and even from state to state, you will see that what may be legal in one place may be illegal in the next. You can't buy fireworks in Knoxville. But if you go just a little ways up Rt. 33, you can buy all the fireworks you want. But God, being the perfect Judge that He is, will not only punish all sinners, but He will punish them according to the same standard—the Laws that He laid down, to be obeyed by ALL men.

Now, when I say “The Law,” or “God’s Law,” these are not necessarily laws that are enforced by the various criminal law departments in our country. Stealing, and murder—yeah. And until just a few years ago, adultery was still a punishable offense in many states. But a person can, unfortunately, blaspheme the name of God or they can worship Allah or Buddha or even their own self, and not run afoul of KPD or Knox County Sheriff or even the THP or TBI. However, God requires punishment for those sins. And unless the person has accepted the payment that Christ made on the cross for their sins, that person will, necessarily, be punished for all eternity in Hell. And because all sins will be paid for—either by the person, or by Christ—God will be seen to be the just, righteous, and glorious God that He is. So that’s the bad news. That’s how He will be glorified in Hell. Now, for something a little more joyful. The good news. Today we’re going to see the glory of God in Heaven, and we will see how we glorify Him on earth.

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.

A couple weeks ago we read one of the most beloved passages of Scripture, in 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 the LORD 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. Now, let’s read as the apostle John gives us a more detailed peek into Heaven in the Book of Revelation First, we see God the Father glorified and praised. Revelation 4:8-11--The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” Six wings—just like the angels in Isaiah 6. They also utter the same praise as the angels in Isaiah 6.

Not only does John show us that God the Father is praised in Heaven, but also God the Son, Jesus Christ. Revelation 5:1-4--And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. God the Father holds, in His hands, a scroll. It is a very important scroll, so much so that it is sealed with seven seals. What this scroll contains—men who know a whole lot more than I do have debated this for years. Suffice it to say, all the creatures and the angels realize that no one in Heaven or earth has the authority to open this scroll.

There is One who steps forward and possesses the authority needed to open that scroll. Revelation 5:5-14--But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:“Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

So we see God the Father and God the Son being the objects of worship in Heaven. And this is before the Great Tribulation, the rise of the Antichrist—this is when God is getting everything ready to be judged. Then comes the judgments on the earth—all the plagues and the natural disasters that we read about in the next 12 or so chapters. But then, once all those plagues have come about, and after Christ judges the living and the dead, when Death and Hades and all sinners have been cast into the Lake of Fire—then He makes all things new in Revelation 20:13-21:4. How many of y’all always thought that the Book of Revelation was nothing more than death and destruction and the Apocalypse and Armageddon? Those are major events in Revelation—but when we see those things for what they are, we see just how blessed we are that God has saved us, and we will be spared of all those things! Revelation 20:13-21:4--The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Once Death and Hades and sin have been judged and destroyed, we will see God in all His glory. We cannot see that glory now, because we are in these unredeemed, sinful bodies. 1st Timothy 6:15-16—The blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. Philippians 3:20-21—For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body. Then, once we have that new body, once sin and death are done away with, there will be a new temple in New Jerusalem. This will be the final fulfillment of the words that God spoke through the prophet Haggai, in Haggai 2:6-9—“For thus says the LORD 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 the LORD of hosts…‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts.” How great and glorious will this temple be? I'm glad you asked.

Revelation 21:22-27--But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. God the Father and God the Son will be the temple. There will be no darkness, not even shadows. Think about sunlight for a moment. The sun only gives light in a direct, straight line. If something is in the path of that light, there will be darkness behind that object. In Heaven, the glory of God will fill every square inch, and even if you stood directly in front of the throne, there will be no shadow behind you, because it is the glory of God that will fill every square inch with light. These people who think that when we get to Heaven all we’re gonna do is sit on a cloud and pluck a harp—they have no idea!

One final thing: look at Revelation 21:25—Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). Would you ever go anywhere without shutting and locking your front door? The gates of this new city will never be shut—know why? Revelation 21:27—But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie. Nothing sinful will ever get in. We won’t have to worry about locking the gate—anybody we might have ever been afraid of will be in Hell, and the only people in Heaven will be those who will never sin ever again! God glorified in Heaven.

So, what does that mean for us while we walk this earth? I'm glad you asked. See, a lot of people think that once they say a little prayer and go to church for a while, they can just put it on cruise control for the rest of their lives and just wait for ol’ St. Peter to stamp their ticket when they get to the pearly gates. WRONG!! You see, God has a reason for keeping us alive after we get saved. What is that reason? If I were to mention the Westminster Confession of Faith, that may not mean a whole lot to some people. But it was a statement of beliefs drawn up by the Church of England and the Church of Scotland back in 1646. And it is still used by many Presbyterian and Southern Baptist churches to this day. It’s made up of several Q&A’s that help to outline our beliefs.

Question 1: “What is the chief purpose of man?”
Answer: “To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

Philosophers have devoted their lives to the question “Why are we here?” The answer has been around for thousands of years. We exist to glorify God. We find that answer in several Scriptures. Titus 2:11-14—For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that…we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Jesus told us in Matthew 5:14-16—“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” If someone is going to claim to be a Christian, then their life has to square up with that claim. Sadly, there are many people walking around claiming the name of Christ on their lips, yet they go out and get drunk or do drugs or they're sleeping around—they are glorifying God with their lips, but their lifestyle actually brings reproach on His name. Romans 2:23-24—You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written. When we openly defy God while claiming to be His child, we give His enemies a reason to blaspheme against Him. And we bring shame to Him.

BUT—when we do what He commands, and seek His righteousness, and wake up every day with a heart that says, “I'm going to serve Him today,” and if everything we do is done with an attitude of thankfulness, then we bring glory to God—that is, we make His fame and His righteousness known to a world that does not know Him. Peter told us pretty much the same thing in 1st Peter 2:11-12—Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Philippians 2:14-15—Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.

Finally, friends, it is not only through our lives that we glorify God. The day may come when we may have to give up our earthly life in order to declare the name of our God. Listen to what Paul told these Philippians in the first part of this letter. Philippians 1:20-21—My earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness…Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. To the apostle Paul, it did not matter if he ever got out of prison, or if he spent the rest of his life chained to a Roman soldier—or if they took his head. Which they eventually did. If he went on living, that meant he could preach the gospel to more people—and we’ll see in a couple weeks the outcome of that preaching. If he died, he got to go home to be with Christ. It was a win-win situation! And that’s how it is with us, too. If we live, we get to keep showing the world our faith in Christ is real, we show them what a life looks like when it is devoted to God. And if we die, we go to Heaven! I'll take those odds any day.

And last, listen to these words written by the apostle John concerning the last recorded conversation between our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostle Peter. John 21:17-19—Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. Dr. John MacArthur cites certain historical sources that say this about Peter’s death:

“Peter had to watch as his wife was crucified, but encouraged her with the words ‘Remember the Lord.’ When it came time to for him to be crucified, he reportedly pleaded that he was not worthy to be crucified like his Lord, but rather should be crucified upside down. Tradition says he was in ca. A.D. 67-68.”

About 33-35 years after Christ’s crucifixion. If these sources are correct, then this was a fulfillment of Christ’s words. One way or another, Christ’s words were fulfilled, whether it happened this way or some other way. Whether by life or by death, may God be magnified in our bodies.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.

Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:19-4:20, part 2)

Last week we talked about the glory of God, and what exactly that means. And we saw that the word “glory” refers to one’s honor, reputation, and fame. And when we take the word “glory” and apply it to God, that it takes on a greater meaning of “The honor resulting from a good opinion” and “The kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler; majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity.” We saw that all rule and authority, in Heaven and on earth, comes from God, and that if a person is a president or a king, they were put there by God. Then we compared God’s kingship over all of creation with those men who abuse the power that is given them by God, and gave thanks that God possesses all the attributes necessary to rule this universe without destroying it—attributes like righteousness and justice and love. Today we’re going to see what it means to “glorify God.” That even though there are many people walk around saying “glory to God!” while their lives do anything but glorify Him.

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.

There are three particular groups that we are going to talk about today, and we’re going to see how each one of these groups brings glory to God. First, we will see how God is glorified in Hell. We don’t like to think of God being glorified by sending someone to Hell. But He is. The clearest Scripture on this subject is found in Romans 3:5-6—But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? The argument made by the skeptic—as well as the theological liberal who doesn’t like to think that Hell is real—is this: “If God is love, then how can He send people to an eternal, fiery Hell?” Look at what Paul says here. God inflicts wrath—and He is not unjust. Therefore, this wrath that God inflicts must be a righteous wrath. So, is God righteous in sending people to Hell? Well, in Revelation 16:4-7, God is preparing the seven “Bowl Judgments” that will be poured out upon the earth during the Great Tribulation. First, those who worship the Beat and take his mark will be covered with painful sores. Then the seas will become like blood and all the creatures in the sea will die. Then, Revelation 16:4-7--Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Then, in Revelation 19:1-3, after Mystery Babylon, the world government set up by the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation, has been destroyed, and God has avenged His saints and done away with sin on earth—for the time being—so that Christ may return and set up His 1000 year reign on earth. Revelation 19:1-3--After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” All sin must be punished.

What is the most common criticism of our criminal justice system? “Why do they keep letting criminals back out on the streets?” Can the police and the sheriffs and the THP be everywhere? There are many more criminals than there are peace officers. So not every crime gets punished. Not only that, there are many people sitting in prison for crimes they did not commit. It’s a sad fact. BUT!! When the day comes that all men will stand before Christ and be judged, no one who is guilty will be pardoned—and no one who is justified will be punished. 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.” Deuteronomy 10:17—The LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. Before we go any further, let me say this: I'm going to be using phrases like “no sinner will go unpunished.” And I want to be clear, that we are all sinful, and that if we have accepted Christ as Savior and confessed Him as Lord, and are surrendered to Him, then even though we are sinful, He has already taken our sins and God’s wrath for those sins upon Himself on the Cross.

Question: Is a person saved by keeping the OT Law? Well, what was the purpose of the OT Law? It was meant to point us to Christ, and also to show us how we are all guilty before God. But this is not to say that the Law was not good. This is God’s Law, and His Law is perfect. Psalm 19:7-8—The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 1st Timothy 1:8—But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. Not only was the Law good and perfect—it declared the glory of God! 2nd Corinthians 3:7-11 [NASB]--But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. The Law “came with glory”—it showed us how perfect God is, and how sinful we are. If a person does not believe they are breaking a law, are they going to stop doing what is unlawful? If they don’t put up speed limit signs, and I go flying down Alcoa Hwy at 80 MPH—oh wait, everybody does that anyways. A sheriff’s deputy pulls me over and gives me a ticket. “Hey, I didn’t know it was against the law to drive 80 MPH!” But it is. And now that I know that it is against the law to drive 80 MPH down Alcoa Hwy, if I get another ticket, the punishment is going to be even greater.

The same is true for the Law of God. The more a person hears the truth of God’s word, and the more they are taught about their sinful condition—if they do not turn away from those sins they know are sinful, then the more they continue in sin the greater their punishment will be in Hell. “Well, I was gonna stop next week!” Doesn’t matter—you should have stopped yesterday! Romans 2:1-5--Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. If someone KNOWS that committing a particular act is a sin, and they keep on doing it, they are simply heaping up wrath for themselves. Those who were judges in matters pertaining to the OT Law were not beyond the scrutiny of that same Law. If a judge of the Law broke a commandment of the Law—not only was he guilty, but he was subject to an even harsher punishment than those people that he determined were guilty of breaking the Law. This is another example of Paul quoting a principle laid out by Christ.

John 8:1-9—Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”…So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Isn't that another verse that even the ungodly and wicked can quote verbatim? “Let him without sin cast the first stone!” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. So now we see it much more clearly, that the Law is a mirror that we hold up in front of us, and when we start going through each commandment, we see ourselves as being guilty of each one.

“Thou shalt have no other Gods besides Me.” Well, didn’t we all have something we worshipped more than we worshipped God at one time? If nothing else, we worshipped ourselves.
“Thou shalt not murder.” Knowing that even hatred is murder, I think we can all put a check mark next to that one.
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Lust equals adultery. Let’s skip that one!

And because this is true, then God must punish sin, or He is not a righteous Judge. If I'm standing before Richard Baumgartner, and I've still got a victim’s blood on my hands and my clothing, and I just stand there and say, “Sorry judge! My bad!” And Baumgartner says, “Well, I believe you. You’re showing remorse. Case dismissed.” Imagine the outrage! Has justice been done? NOW, if all mankind is subject to the same Law of God—and we are—then if even one sinner goes unpunished—if even one SIN goes unpunished—then is God a God of justice? Romans 3:19-20--Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Again, the Law does not make us perfect. Why? Because by the law is the knowledge of sin. The only thing the OT Law did was to show us how sinful we are, and to show us how far from God’s majesty and perfection we really are. Listen to Romans 7:7—I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” Galatians 3:19, 22—What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made…But the Scripture has confined all under sin.

Is even one sinner, or even one sin, going to go unpunished? And we see that, as we finish up in Revelation 20:11-15--Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Every person, who dies apart from Christ, will be standing before this Great White Throne. Whether it’s Johnny Down-The-Road, or Adolf Hitler or Joseph Smith or the men of Sodom and Gomorrah. The ledgers that contain the accounts of all those who did not know Christ as Savior AND LORD will be opened, the dockets will be called, the charges will be read, and the guilty will be punished. No appeal, no technicalities. Every single person will be judged by the Law of God, no one will be able to say, “No fair!” Romans 3:19—Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped. There will be no exceptions. Everyone will be held to the same standard, and judges by the same Law.

God will be seen to be the righteous Judge that He is, and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ IS Lord to the glory of God the Father—that is, that God sent His perfect Word into the world, that Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That Word declared the fame and majesty of the Father, and all the world will be judge by being compared to that Word. John 1:1—And the Word was God. Romans 2:16—God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ. God must do away with and punish all sin and separate it from Himself and from His kingdom before the holy city of Jerusalem can open its doors. Revelation 21:1-2--Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Skipping down to Revelation 21:23-24, 27--The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it...But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We’ll go further into that next week when we talk about God being glorified in Heaven.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.

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.

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.