GIVING MOTIVATED TOWARDS CHANGE
PHILIPPIANS 4:15-23
Years ago The Chaplain magazine told how the noted preacher Charles Spurgeon and his wife were called miserly because they sold all the eggs their chickens laid and wouldn’t give any away. Because they always made a profit on their butter, milk, and eggs, rumors circulated that they were greedy. The Spurgeons, however, took the criticism graciously, and only after the death of Mrs. Spurgeon was the truth revealed. The records showed that their entire profits had been used to support two needy, elderly widows whose husbands had spent their lives in serving the Lord. Yet because the Spurgeons did not want to call attention their giving (Matt. 6:3), they had refused to defend themselves.
One pastor had a rather crude layman who liked to go out visiting people. But he was rather crude, so the pastor gave him a list of delinquent church members and some church stationary and told him to write letters to all those who haven’t been coming.
Several weeks later the church secretary received a letter from a lawyer with a check inside for $1000. And enclosed was this note:
“To whom it may concern. I received your letter and I want to remind you that there is only 1 “T” in dirty and no “C” in skunk.”
In Huntsville, Alabama in the city’s oldest and largest church, a small girl and her mother were attending services when the little pre-schooler announced, “Momma, I feel sick.” Momma told her if she was going to throw up to leave quickly and to go down to the little garden area behind the church. Hurriedly the child left. When little Peggy returned, mother asked did she get there in time? And Peggy said she didn’t have to go that far. Peggy said she found a box right alongside the front door which said “For the Sick.”
A very wealthy religious little old lady was a soft touch for any panhandler she happened to meet on the street. One day she met a very shabbily dressed man and impulsively pressed a five dollar bill into his hand, smiled warmly and whispered, “God speed.” The next day the shabbily dressed man knocked at the door of her house and said, “Here’s your hundred dollars. Godspeed came in first and paid twenty to one.”
INTRODUCTION: Not a week goes by when we are not receiving some sort of request for financial consideration. There is not a week that goes by when we are not assaulted by our own financial priorities. Everywhere we look, it seems that we are be motivated – good or bad towards some specific financial call – personal or otherwise.
TRANSITION: So then the question comes up, “What should be both our motivation towards financial requests, and what should be our motivation in giving?” In addition, “How do we motivate ourselves correctly in this area of giving?”
As we approach the final SALT step, we also approach what is the last area in many of our minds where we will choose to make a difference – the area of our finances!
So let me set the context of the passage
Philip. 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
As Paul begins to address financial concerns, he lays the groundwork. This area of our lives, just as in ANY area of our lives, has the capability to come under the power of God’s control. Moving from a control limited and affected by my personality, ability, and nature, to a control rooted in the perfection of God Himself. By expressing my finances through Christ, not apart from Christ, I can affect this world for Him!
Philip. 4:15
Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;
POINT #1 – EVERY CHURCH HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO GIVE
ü Churches are people not buildings – so every believer has the responsibility to give.
ü Most churches were not concerned with their greater purpose.
o There is a local purpose
o There is a global purpose
o Ultimately there is a gospel purpose
ü Communicate/shared – Take part, or participate
o It is the job of a church to take part in the ministry
o Taking part involves a “whole” attitude
o When a church fails to take part in ministry
§ The church fails corporately
§ The church fails individually
ILLUSTRATION: Dr. Harry Ironside has said, “For the saints to be so callously indifferent to the temporal needs … is to show themselves out of touch with Him who has given to them the privilege of being in this way fellow-helpers to the truth.”
ü The focus of giving is towards ministry.
POINT #2 – GIVING IS AN ACT OF SHARING IN THE MINISTRY
ü Paul is commending them for their active participation in ministry
o The church gave from the beginning, and continued to support Paul.
Philip. 4:18
I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
ü Paul focuses on two things
o The act of meeting the needs of the ministry
o The act of offering to God – financial SALT is achieved when I realize that my giving is a sacrifice to God, not a commitment.
ü Paul was not interested in their financial part. He did not hope to gain from their generosity.
o Text says “I have” (NIV). KJV is better here – “BUT I have”
o “BUT” contrast everything that was before it with what comes after it.
o Paul talks to them about giving, BUT it is not for him. IN contrast there giving is for God!
o Paul says, “I am full”. What he means is – “I am FILLED full”
o Paul says that there giving is an offering to God – one of pleasing aroma
ILLUSTRATION: When our family visited Branson Missouri, we took a side trip into Arkansas. While we were there we stopped at a BBQ place for dinner. I cannot remember the name, but they did sell shirts there. Jon got one. Emblazoned on the shirt was the motto of the place – Walk in Waddle out! When you have to waddle out of a place you are not just full, you are FILLED full!
ü Paul saw their giving as the evidence of the Spirit of God working in them!
POINT #3 – GIVING IS CONSISTENT ACTIVITY
Philip. 4:16
for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need.
ü The Philippian Church was the only church to support the ministry of Paul.
ü No other church involved itself
ü Paul commends the church on its consistency
ü Paul commends the church that they started EARLY in their support for the missionary effort.
o Acts 16
o Paul goes through Philippi
o Paul goes to prison
o Paul gets out of prison
o Paul goes to Thessalonica
o The church is already supporting him!
POINT #4 – FRUIT IS THE ISSUE
Philip. 4:17
Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.
ü Paul says he is looking for credit to our accounts
o The word “looked” means to seek after or to look diligently
ü Paul wants us to have “credit”/”abound” – to have an overflow
o Until this area of finances is in the hands of God, our spirits will never “overflow”
o What I treasure is where my heart is.
SALT GIVING AFFECTS CHANGE
SALT GIVING IS WHAT THE PHILIPPIAN CHURCH WAS DOING
ü We are here to produce produce!
ü We do not give towards building, or vehicles, or missionaries, or anything else. We give to produce fruit, and that fruit is produced through those things and people!
ILLUSTRATION: I read this somewhere …
I have never known a generous person to complain about how much money it takes to run a church. Poor givers gripe about how much it takes; generous givers express concern that they don’t do more.
I have never known a family who tithed for any length of time who quit.
I have never known a generous family that was not generally happy.
I have never known a stingy, miserly family that was not generally unhappy about many things.
I have never known a person who was critical of most things, mad about many things, who was generous.
I have come to believe that most people who feel we talk too much about money, never really want to talk about money at all. Generous people enjoy talking about it.
I have come to believe that there is a direct connection that exists between a person’s faith and a person’s generosity. Those who give generously tend to become more faithful; and the reverse is true in both instances. (copied)
POINT #5 – SALT GIVING PRODUCES GOD’S PROVISION
Philip. 4:18-19
I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
ü One of the greatest of God’s promises to us is found RIGHT here!
o I shall supply all your needs
§ I response to your sacrifice for me
§ Based on my riches in glory
ü The GREAT PROVIDER Himself has promised to provide for us!
ü The phrase Paul uses for himself – “amply supplied” (stuffed full) is the same word “meet all your needs”
o What God has done for me – God promises to do for you!
o The response of God to SALT giving
You have in your bulletins today a final card – a final SALT step, a financial step. As with all other the other steps – this too is a matter of both prayer and action.
We have before us this morning a symbol of the greatest act of SALT giving – Christ on the cross.
Paul wanted us to understand the magnitude of what we are doing with our giving – Giving to affect change
Paul wanted us to understand the effect of our giving – it is pleasing to God
Paul wanted us to understand the result of our giving – God’s work get done
Paul wanted us to understand the provision of our giving – our needs are met by God.
ILLUSTRATION: Thought I would pass this on – not sure where I got it, but it seems appropriate:
I’M GLAD MY CHURCH NEEDS MONEY! If it didn’t it would mean it wasn’t supporting missionaries and preaching the Gospel in other places and has no missionary zeal.
I ‘M GLAD MY CHURCH NEEDS MONEY! If it didn‘t, it would mean it wasn’t doing anything to support the homeless and needy and had no compassion.
I’M GLAD MY CHURCH NEEDS MONEY! If it didn’t, it would mean it wasn’t interested in providing wholesome activities for our teenagers and had no concern.
I’M GLAD MY CHURCH NEEDS MONEY! If it didn’t, it would mean it wasn’t interested in teaching children in those impressionable years and had no future.
AS YOU SEARCH THE MIND OF GOD – TAKE A MOMENT TO MARK WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR GIVING FROM TODAY ON.
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