The joy of giving to God Philippians 4:10-19   Philippians 4:10-19 “10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. 14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.

 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; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 

18 I have received full payment and have more than enough 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. 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. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Key Verse: Philippians 4:18b-19: “They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Why do we come to church? The Christian life is to be filled with joy. We come to church and study the Bible and participate in many activities as members of our church to be happy, joyful and peaceful. We do all these to enjoy life in God. Today let’s try to discover how to experience the Joy of our Giving God. 

Purpose of Philippians: For smaller chapters composed of only a limited number of families with a few children: Parents can teach their children at home and they may partner with local Christian churches that provide solid youth programs to further support their children’s spiritual education. Purpose of Philippians: The book of Philippians was written for two reasons. First of all, it was written as a letter of Paul’s expression of joy. In this letter Paul expressed joy in numerous situations. Second, the book of Philippians is a thank you letter for the gift – the offering that the Philippians gave – as they supported Paul’s ministry. Paul wrote to the Philippians to thank them for the gift they had sent him.

Philippians 4:15-19 say, “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; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. 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. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

God’s Promise In this paragraph, we may find one of the greatest promises in the Bible: It is found in verse 19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” God has made us a promise to meet our needs. God says, "I will meet all your needs. I will take care of you." 

Why then, do people still have needs? Why aren’t the needs being met? Is God a liar? Is His promise not valid?

The answer to the question is simple: Many of God’s promises are conditional. With many promises there is a condition that you must meet before you can claim the promise. In other words, God says, "If you do this, then I will do that." The Bible is full of conditional promises.

Take for example the promise found in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” God makes the promise that He will hear them from heaven, forgive them, and heal their land "if" they humble themselves, pray, and seek God’s face.

Romans 10:9: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” God promises salvation– but only to those who confess and believe in the resurrection of Jesus – that is a conditional promise.

In Philippians chapter four we find that Paul praises them for their generosity. Paul commends them for their giving. Then he says in verse 19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” What Paul is saying is: “Because you gave – God will give to you.”

The Condition: I must be generous The Bible tells us: “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25)

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 tell us, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

The principle is this: When we are generous to others – God is going to be generous with us. This is the principle of sowing and reaping. “WE WILL REAP WHAT WE SOW.”

Paul gives us three reasons for being generous: 1. Giving is an ENCOURAGEMENT Look at verse 14: “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.” Paul is telling the Philippian church that they helped him when he was in time of need. 

The Philippians church was not a wealthy church The Philippians church was not a wealthy church. In fact they were quite poor. Yet they were big hearted – generous in their giving. Paul said their gift encouraged him and it helped him. When you give – both the giver and the receiver get a blessing. Both of them are encouraged by giving. In Acts 4, we can see that Barnabas was named as a son of encouragement because he was a very generous giver for the ministry of God.

two results of giving: Giving widens our ministry In Philippians chapter one, Paul says they are: "partners in ministry". They were supporting him financially. Whatever you support you are partners with. Not all of us can go to the mission field but we can become partners with them. We can pray for them and support them by giving to their efforts. Giving allows me to be involved in our ministry.

B. Giving makes me become more like Christ. Jesus was a great giver B. Giving makes me become more like Christ. Jesus was a great giver. 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” The most Christ-like thing you can do is give. Jesus was a giver and He was sacrificial. To give is to become more Christ-like.

<Another reason to give> 2 <Another reason to give> 2. Giving is an INVESTMENT When the Philippian church gave, Paul said in Philippians 4:15b: “…not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only” Here pay attention to the words “giving and receiving”. Giving brings a blessing to both the giver and the receiver. When you give, you receive a blessing from God. Giving is a heavenly investment.

However, here is a word of caution: When you give financially it does not mean that God will bless you financially in this world. Don’t think that because you give money, God will bless you with money. Could God bless you with money? Yes. Will He bless you with money? That is up to God. But We do know that He expects us to be cheerful givers.

We also know that God pays attention to our giving. Mark 12:41-44: “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

God pays attention to what we do. God keeps track of what we give – it is an investment in a heavenly future. 

3. Giving is a SACRIFICE Paul said in Phillippians 4:18: “I have received full payment and have more than enough. 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.”

Jesus was a total sacrificial giver Jesus was a total sacrificial giver. When we are most like Christ, we are sacrificial and generous in our giving and it pleases God. Every act of generosity in our life can be done as a sacrifice to God. Anytime we have a spirit of generosity – the spirit of giving – it is an encouragement to others – it is an investment in eternity – it is a sacrifice pleasing to God. That’s why Paul said it’s so important to become a giver. Happy people are giving people.

So far we have looked at the condition. Now let’s look at the promise. II. THE PROMISE – God will supply all my needs  Paul says in Philippians 4:19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

Please remember, there may be a big difference between our “needs” and our “wants”. God does not promise to give us everything we “want”. He does promise to give us what we “need”. James says in James 4:3: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

God has not guaranteed us to provide us with all our luxuries God has not guaranteed us to provide us with all our luxuries. He is not going to promote our selfishness. But He has promised to give us what we need. The Bible does not say, “My God will supply all our greeds.”

The principle is this: If we become a cheerful giver – God will take care of our needs. That principle is taught all through the Scripture. Giving guarantees God’s provision. Become a generous person who helps those in need and those who are doing the work of God. Let’s become a cheerful giver and experience the Joy of giving.

Chicago UBF Giving Examples: Tithe (We call it “World Mission Offering”) - The history of tithing goes back to the time of Abraham. In Genesis 14, Abraham rescued his nephew Lot and regained all the goods stolen from Sodom. On the way back a mysterious figure named Melchizedek, called priest of the Most High God met Abraham and blessed him. Verse 20 simply says, "And Abraham gave him a tenth of everything." Abraham responded to God who had just fought for him and given him victory and great blessing.

The next time we hear of tithing is in Genesis 28:22: Abraham's grandson, Jacob, had a dream at Bethel in which God promised to be with him and give him a great land and many descendants (Genesis 28:13–15). Jacob responds with a vow in verses 20–22 which climaxes with this promise: "And of all you give me I will give you a tenth." Notice here that Jacob recognizes everything as a gift from God. His tithe seems to be a symbolic statement that all we have is from God. At the time of Moses, tithing was made part of the law which governed the people of Israel.

Countless UBF members have offered their tithes (many offered more than tithes) very faithfully and sacrificially as a commitment to God for the world campus mission and the gospel work in the world. We thank God for their absolute commitment for our ministry. Even though we may not be able to participate in the world mission directly by going to an unknown country and preach the gospel, we can participate in world mission by offering world mission offerings as Phillippians did.

2. Thanksgiving offering - Special occasions, conferences, Christmas, etc 3. Special Offerings – Relief work, Support medically ill members, Bible house construction, Support mission fields with specific purposes, etc.

If you would like to participate in the world mission offerings as a new member, please talk to our treasurer Birgit Pierce, or Elders. Members can participate in Members’ Meetings on a regular basis and informed of the finances of Chicago UBF ministry.

Thank you for your participation!!! God bless you all!!!!

Group Discussion Questions: 1. Based on the lecture today, share what we learned in giving & offerings. 2. What are the issues we have in our church regarding offerings and what can we do to improve? 3. How can we involve more young people (Millennials) to participate in tithing, offerings, etc?