The Secret of Generosity

Generosity.  When I think of generosity I think of giving above and beyond what’s expected.  Giving with extravagant joy.  However, generosity is a rare characteristic in our world today where people feel increasingly entitled to receive.  But Generosity has always been one of the hallmarks of God’s people.  Why is that?  Because we are a people who have been blessed by the extravagant of grace of God with all we have in Jesus.  God sought us, found us, saved us, forgave us and then gave us everything we need in Jesus.  God has given us freedom from guilt, the hope of eternal life, a peace that surpasses understanding, a love that transforms our hearts. God has given us His presence to be with us, His Spirit to comfort and teach us, and His Son to show us a new way to live.  And one of those ways to live is to become generous just like our God.  That we might become people who give above and beyond what is expected – to give with extravagant joy – to give to the work of the gospel, to the needs of God’s people – and to give willingly and sacrificially.

And so as we come near the end of this letter to the Philippians, Paul once again returns to the subject of giving, but this time to commend the Philippians of their generosity to him.  His commendation is found in Philippians 4:14-20, and it’s from this passage that God’s Word shows us how God’s grace helps us see giving in a whole new light.  So, if you have your Bible with you, let’s look at these verses together today and to see how God’s grace to us can change how we see giving. And starting in verses 14-16, the first thing we see is this:

God’s grace helps us see giving as a means to partner in the gospel Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 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. Philippians 4:14-16

Paul begins by commending the Philippians for sharing in his needs.  He says, “It was good of you to share in my troubles.”  Again, he is referring to the gift he received from them through Epaphroditus.  But he also reminds them of how he’s never forgotten their support from the first day until now.  On that first day, Lydia, (in Acts 16) was the first to open her heart to the gospel and was the first to open her home to Paul and his team.  But even after Paul left to minister elsewhere, this church continued to support Paul. In fact, no other church, not even his sending church had given to Paul in this way.

This is one of the first signs of the gospel’s work in a new believer’s heart.  God’s grace to us opens our hearts to help others.  Since the Philippians had received God’s grace through the ministry of Paul, they had a special love for him. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says of this relationship: “They love this man because he has brought them something that is of greater value than the whole world.  Here is a man who has brought them peace with God and a new love and understanding and joy… They owe everything to him, and therefore, when they realize he is in need and is suffering, they must do something about it, their very Christian love makes them do it.” 

That’s what the gospel of God’s grace should work in us.  The Philippians knew they deserved nothing, but God had given them everything in Christ.  So they’re not just grateful for the message of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, but they’re grateful for the messenger.  So, from the get-go, they were eager to help him in the work of the gospel – so they gave willingly, they gave often, and they gave generously.  No one had to tell them to give.  For it was God’s grace to them that taught them to give.  They wanted to give because God had already given them so much in Jesus.

That’s why one of the core values of new churches like ours is to give to help new churches or start new churches.  And that’s what I love about our Church.  God led us to adopt Regeneration Church and the ministry of Mark Porter.  We’ve been supporting them for about five years now.  And even in the midst of this pandemic, God has moved many of you to give above and beyond what we are giving as a Church simply to help that ministry.  God’s grace has moved us to partner in that work through our giving.  And that’s great evidence of God’s grace actively working right now in our midst.  God’s grace moves us to see giving as a means of partnering in the gospel.  But that’s not all God’s grace does. God’s…

God’s grace helps us see giving as an investment in eternity Now look at verse 17, Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. Philippians 4:17  Once again, Paul is quick to point out that he isn’t fishing for another donation.  Instead he wants them to know the results of their giving.  He wants to encourage them.  He wants them to know their hearts are in the right place.  He’s telling them, that not only did their gift completely meet his needs, but that they were literally doing what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21

So every time the Philippians gave to support the gospel work, Paul says, that their gifts were investments that paid dividends that were being credited to their heavenly account.  Paul’s use of financial language was meant to remind them that their hearts were in the right place. Every time they gave to the gospel work they were building up treasures in heaven.  I think that’s pretty awesome.

This is the impact that the gospel should have on us.  Doctor Lloyd-Jones seconds this when he says, “If we really believe the gospel, then we must believe that nothing is more important in the world today than the propagation of that gospel; that should be our greatest concern.”

I love the fact that most of you who call Rock Springs your church family understand this.  We give to the work of the gospel here in Robson, we give to the work of the gospel in Ocean Beach, CA and we give right off the top 5% of all our offering to the Great Commission Fund.  A good portion of every dollar you give is an investment in eternity and your giving means that the gospel is being preached and lives are being changed for eternity, not just here but around the world.  God’s grace helps us see giving as an investment in eternity!

Do you see your giving that way?  If you do, then chances are, you’ll wont’ just be faithful in giving, but you’ll become more and more generous in giving.  Because as Paul alludes to here: when we give we are bearing the fruit of the gospel.  That’s why the ESV translates this verse: “I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.”  So if you’ve been blessed by the grace of God through Jesus, that grace will begin to bear fruit in your life by making you a generous giver.  And laying up treasures in heaven will soon take precedence over storing up treasures on earth.  That’s what God’s grace births in us.  It gives us a new perspective on giving – now as an eternal investment. But there’s even more to it than this; and that’s the next thing Paul reminds us of here in his letter to the Philippians:

God’s grace helps us see giving as an act of worship 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. Philippians 4:18

Let me ask you a question: Have you ever considered that every time you give an offering that you are actually giving to God?  That’s what Paul is teaching us here. By calling their gifts, “an acceptable sacrifice” this means that their very gifts were acts of worship, and God was the true recipient.

And what made these gifts “a pleasing and acceptable offering” is this:  They were under no obligation to give but did so willingly.  And it is this willingness that pleases God.  You see, anyone can give out of duty or even guilt.  But when we give because we want to give to a Church, to a missionary, to a gospel work – we are giving to make possible what God wants to see happen in the world.  And when we do that, God takes great delight in our faith and love! That is why Paul wrote to the Corinthians about our motivation for giving: 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. 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

God loves a cheerful giver.  God is pleased when we give willingly and sacrificially because when we give this way, our giving honors God, and expresses our faith in God.  And what I love most about this, is that our giving is a fragrant aroma in the nostrils of God.  Think about this:  What scent attracts you?  I’m attracted to the scent of a grilled rib-eye, to freshly brewed coffee, and the baking of bread.  But God is attracted to the aroma of your sacrificial gifts!  This is why we should want to give – to honor God, worship God and make God smile!  For when we give, there’s no better aroma in the nostrils of God.  God loves a cheerful giver.  God loves a sacrificial giver. God loves a willing giver. For when we give this way, God is worshiped!

So far we’ve seen how God’s grace helps us see giving as a means to partner in the gospel; how God’s grace helps us see giving as an investment in eternity; and how God’s grace helps us see giving as an opportunity to worship God.  But there’s one more thing that God’s grace teaches us about giving, and it is this:

God’s grace helps us see that we can’t out give God   Paul wraps up his commendation of the Philippians now in verses 19-20 saying: And my God will supply all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:19-20 God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ teaches us that there really is no need that God cannot meet.  And that means there is no demand God cannot supply because there are no limits to God’s riches to us in Christ Jesus.

Now let’s break this down a bit.  When Paul says, “My God will supply all your needs” the Greek word translated as ‘supply’ is the word which is translated in the previous verse as “I am full.” So what Paul is saying is this: my God shall satisfy to the full all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  God will fill you to the very brim with everything that He sees you truly and really need.  And this is HIS promise.  It is a certainty. Not a maybe. You can count on God filling what you need.  Now Paul doesn’t say how God is going to do it, and we don’t know either. But it is certain because we are in Christ.  For if we are “in Christ” then we must remember that God is our Father.  And this is what Jesus said about our Father: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Matthew 10:29-30, He cares for even the smallest details of our lives. And he also said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”  Matthew 7:11

God’s promise then, tells us that our Father is fully able and fully willing to meet whatever need you may have as His beloved child.  Now, unfortunately this truth is widely misunderstood today to refer to just physical needs.  And so this verse has been abused by the prosperity gospel movement to teach people that God is a spiritual sugar-daddy who exists to give you a life of everything you ever wanted.  But this is not a promise about fulfilling our earthly wants, but OUR ACTUAL NEEDS. And we have a lot of needs:

We need peace when we are anxious, so God promises to surround our hearts with His peace when we pray.

We need encouragement when we are down, so God encourages us through His Word or the presence of other believers.

We need hope when things look bleak, so God gives us hope every time he reminds us that we belong to Jesus.

We need forgiveness when we sin, but God’s mercies are new every morning.  There is no sin to horrid that he won’t forgive.

We need comfort when we are grieve, so God gives us His saints to stay by our side till the pain of loss loses its grip.

We need wisdom when we are at a loss for what to do, and God gives wisdom to us whenever we ask Him.

We need strength when life is hard, and God promises to always be there to give us His strength in Jesus!

Shall I go on? This is what the grace of God teaches us.  There is no limit to God’s grace to us in Christ Jesus.  God has an endless fountain of grace to pour out on us in Christ.  Like we learned last week – Jesus is sufficient for us.  Jesus is all we need.  For it is in Jesus whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, grace and mercy, life and peace, hope and glory.  That’s why David could write: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want!”  So let me ask you today:  Do you believe God can supply all your needs in Christ?  Do you believe there are no limits to His riches to you in Christ Jesus? Do you believe your God has the power and desire to meet your need?

Those who have experienced the grace of God found in Jesus, believe this.  But sometimes we need to take God’s promise of grace to us in Christ by faith!  We must learn to say like Paul, “My God will supply all my need.”  And then call on Him and trust in Him to supply whatever you need.

If you are lonely today, My God will supply that need better than you ever will.  If you are single, divorced or widowed, God knows your need.  And He can fill the hole in your heart. There are no limits to the intimacy of God that’s available to you in Christ.

If you are sad today, My God will supply that need better than you every will.  If you are thinking of medicating your sadness or even thinking of ending it all, God knows your need. There are no limits to the riches of Christ’s hope, life and joy available for you.

If you are anxious today, My God will supply that need better than you ever can.  God knows your worries.  He says,  “Don’t worry… Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or stow away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?” Matthew 6:25-26  If you are anxious there’s no limit to the peace He wants to give you in Christ.

Do you believe God will supply all your need?  That’s HIS promise to you.  There is no limit to His grace to you in Christ Jesus.  So ask Him to meet your need.  Then wait on Him to meet it.  You see the only condition He makes on us is this: That you believe He will meet all your needs according to His riches in Jesus.

So come to Him, not as a Celestial Sugar Daddy, but as your loving heavenly Father who promises to satisfy your deepest needs. For there are no limits to His grace to you in Christ Jesus.  That’s the secret to generosity.  That’s what changes us and makes us generous like God.  For God gives us all we need, and we can’t out give God. Let’s pray.