Open: A preacher died and found himself waiting in line at the Pearly Gates. Ahead of him was a guy dressed in sunglasses, a loud shirt, leather jacket and jeans. Saint Peter addresses him, "Who are you, so that I may know whether or not to admit you into Heaven?"
The guy replies, "I’m Joe Cohen, taxi driver, from New York."
Saint Peter consults his list. He smiles and says to the taxi driver, "Here. You take this silk robe and golden staff and go on in."
Now it’s the minister’s turn. When Peter asked his name, he replied, "I am Joseph Snow; and I’ve been preacher at the Church of Christ for the last forty-three years."
Saint Peter consults his list. Finds his name and he says to the preacher, "Take this cotton robe and wooden staff and you go on in."
"Just a minute," says the preacher. "That man was a taxi driver and he gets a silk robe and golden staff. And all I get is a cotton robe & wooden staff. What’s going on here?"
“Well,” says Saint Peter "Up here, we work by results. When you preached people slept; when that guy drove… (pause) PEOPLE PRAYED."
APPLY: Have you ever thought of heaven as a place that “works on the basis of results?”
Heaven judging us on the basis of results? That goes against everything we’ve ever been taught from Scripture. We know from the Bible that you can’t buy your way into heaven and You can’t earn your salvation, and our forgiveness is not based on how “good” we are. INSTEAD it is a free gift (we could never buy it or earn it, or be good enough to deserve it).
But while salvation cannot be obtained by merit, other passages of Scripture indicate that God does notice what we do for Him on earth once we become Christians, and that (when we do those things) He desires to reward us.
· Matthew 6:6 “…when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” When we do them right, our prayers so please God that He desires to reward us.
· Matthew 6:17-18 “… when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Fasting, when it’s done right pleases God so that He seeks to reward us.
· Luke 6:35 “… love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Loving our enemies is so important to God that when we finally master this part of our faith, He looks for ways to reward us.
IN FACT: Matthew 16:27 “… The Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”
Here in his letter to the Philippians, Paul is telling the church there that something they have done has gotten God’s attention. Something that He desires to reward.
I. What did they do that pleased God so much?
Read Philippians 4:14-16.
Of all the letters that Paul wrote, Philippians is the ONLY one that is completely a letter of encouragement. There are no harsh words… no problems in the church that have to be addressed… no bad doctrine to be corrected… no sins to be rebuked. It’s almost like a love letter.
The reason for this devotion on Paul’s part may have had to do with the fact that the Philippian church had faithfully supported Paul’s ministry. Even when no one else did, Philippi was always there for Paul.
And Paul so loved this church he wanted them to understand how much their offerings had meant not just to him – but to God. IN FACT – Paul was telling them that their offering wasn’t really for him (vs. 18).
1. It was fragrant offering
2. an acceptable sacrifice,
3. something that was pleasing to God.
4. AND IT WAS A GIFT TO GOD & a gift that God would reward.
Why would the gifts of the Philippians so impress God?
ILLUS: There was one church where one of the Elders did an unusual thing with the offering:
After the ushers had brought the plates back down the aisle the Elder took the plates from them… (pick up offering plates) and held them up in the air and he gave a prayer:
"Lord, regardless of what we say about you, this is really what we say about you, this is really what we feel about you. Amen."
That was what Paul was saying about the Philippians – their financial support of him was such a powerful statement of what they thought about God & what they felt about God that God was suitably impressed.
Have you ever noticed how impressed Jesus was with how people gave to God?
Luke 21:1-4 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others.
All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on."
Why would Jesus be impressed by that? BECAUSE, in her gift, this woman was telling God what she thought of Him.
(Still holding the offering plates) “regardless of whatever else we say about God, this is really what we say about God, this is really what we feel about God.”
Jesus said: “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6:21. The Philippians had their heart in the right place
II. Now, because Philippi had been so faithful to God in giving, they had certain rewards coming to them.
They had shown in their gifts what they thought of God and (Paul was telling them) that God wanted to show them what He thought about them. So how did God regard the church at Philippi?
1st – As far as God was concerned Philippi’s gifts made them partners with God in Paul’s ministry. Through their gifts they had made it possible for Paul to carry on his ministry.
Did God need their offerings? NO, of course not. God owned the cattle on a thousand hills. But because they were willing to give, God considered them His co-workers.
ILLUS: They were kind of like the professional basketball player who was not known for his high scoring ability – but he had once shot two free throws the night that Michael Jordan had scored an eye popping 69 points.
Several weeks later a newspaper reporter interviewed this basketball player and asked him what he considered to be the highlight of his career.
The man grinned as he said: "Well, that would have been the night that Michael Jordan and I scored 71 points."
Michael Jordan didn’t need that basketball player on his team to win games, but Jordan would have regarded him as part of the team, a co-worker in his success.
So, first God regarded the Church at Philippi as His co-workers, AND 2ndly – (because they were willing to share with God in this matter) – God was putting away riches in their heavenly IRA. (vs. 17).
One man once said: “I know being rich won’t make me happy – but I’d sure like the chance to find out for myself.”
Wealth is an alluring prize. It has such appeal that Paul wrote Timothy “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”1 Timothy 6:17
Instead, Paul advised that the rich should “lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.” 1 Timothy 6:19
How would they lay up these treasures? By “… do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18
WHEN WE GIVE TO GOD – we lay up treasures in heaven. Or, as Paul wrote the Philippians – “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account” (Philippians 4:17).
Just a few years ago, many people thought they had a sure path to financial security. There were people were cashing in all their worldly possessions to ride the wave of Wall Street. It was hard to resist yearly returns of 20% and more. BUT THEN what happened???
One man wrote that he when he received his last report from the stocks he’d invested in. When he opened it up he found that he’d lost 26% on his investment during that year.
Just like Paul wrote: “don’t put your hope in wealth” it’s so uncertain. Or as Jesus said: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (or where a tumbling stock market can melt it away). But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:19-20
When we give to generously to God – we have invested in Heavenly IRA’s
When the church at Philippi gave to God, they become His partners; they laid up treasures in Heaven… and lastly, when they gave to God… they had the promise from God that He would supply all their needs: “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” Philippians 4:19.
I’ve heard people say: “Yeah sure.”
BUT REALLY – this is what it’s all about. As Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he REWARDS THOSE who earnestly seek him.”
No wonder a person who’s faithful in giving gets God’s attention. This type of person NOT ONLY believes that God exists BUT they believe that He actually does something. No wonder God’s is impressed!!!
Every time this type of person gives money to God they’re declaring they actually believe God does things!!!
The impression I get from Scripture – God is watching to see what we’ll do with the little we have before trusting us w/ true riches As Jesus said: "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? Luke 16:10 –11
CLOSING ILLUS: This past week, I had the occasion to talk with a man who shared with me how he came to this point of faith in his walk with Christ. He told me that when he 1st became a Christian, he and his wife had been very good managers of their finances. All bills were paid on time, their credit was great… but then they were convicted by a sermon the preacher gave that they should set aside a 10th of their income as a matter of faith.
But then things went bad for them. They fell behind in their bills, money was short. After a few weeks, they were in danger of losing their home, their car, and their was little if any food in the house. But that Sunday, as the offering plate came passed, they faithfully placed their check in the plate.
When they got home that day, they found 20 bags of groceries on the table. During that coming week, they received two separate totaling $1700. And when he went to return his car to the bank, he washed it and cleaned it up in side and drove it there. When he went into the President’s office, he offered the keys to him and the other man said “no, you keep the keys. Someone came in today and paid off your loan.”
He shared that he has never believed in the “prosperity Gospel” where you give in order to get wealth. But he has become convinced that when he is faithful to God, God supplies his needs.
