A Sermon about Generosity

Giving Is a Gift

I think we all appreciate it when people are generous to us. When someone gives their time to serve the disadvantaged, or donates money to drill clean water wells in Sub-Saharan Africa, or when someone gets you a thoughtful birthday present – we consider generosity like this to be a virtue. Because it is. Jesus Christ himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). And, of course, Jesus didn’t just say it. He lived it. He gave himself – he laid down his life – to save us from evil, death, and Hell, and to give us eternal life. And he continues to give – giving His Holy Spirit and giving prayers on our behalf to God the Father.

And I’ve seen it in many of you – you are deeply convinced that generosity is something good and excellent. You want this beautiful giving of self to be pictured in how you lay yourself down for your family, how you serve Christ’s church and your community – how you give your resources for the good of others.

But this free, open-handed, big-heartedness – it’s not natural to us. Ever since the first man and woman rebelled against God, and the human race fell into corruption, the human heart’s natural impulse has been to prioritize self: self-preservation, self-indulgence, self-advancement, self-help. And because of this, many people aren’t involved in giving to others. Even for those who are, they might give time and money for wrong reasons – to draw attention to themselves, to put their names on buildings – or maybe to feel a smug sense of personal accomplishment, or to try to suppress a guilty conscience.

But the sort of generosity that the Bible identifies as good and virtuous, isn’t a generosity that comes from focusing on self, but that which comes from faith in God. If we’re content – as we discussed last week – if we have all that we need in Christ, and in his strength – then it frees us to give without feeling like we need some sort of kickback in return. It transforms us to be the sort of people who enjoy giving, because we enjoy God.

This morning, we’ll give our attention to the goodness of generosity as we wrap up our sermon series through the book of Philippians. If you haven’t already, please grab a Bible near to you, and turn with me to Philippians, Chapter 4. If you’re using one of our church Bibles, you can find the text on page 923. For context, I’ll start at verse 10, where we read last week and I’ll read through the end of this letter to the Philippians. But before I read our text, please pray with me:

[Pray and Read Text]

You’ll notice that there are two main sections in our text this morning. The first section is the longest – verses 10 through 20. The servant of God who wrote this letter – a man named Paul – he encourages the Philippians and commends them for their generous financial support of his ministry. And then there’s a shorter section at the very end, verses 21 through 23, where Paul gives some final words of greeting, and entrusts the Philippian church to the grace of Christ. This morning we’ll be focusing on that first, longer section of text, dealing with the generosity of the Philippian Church. And as we reflect on how good the generosity of the Philippians was, we’ll see reasons why it’s good for us, too, to eagerly give our money and resources to support the work of ministry.

But before we jump into the text together, I want to clear the air a bit, so that we can be undistracted as we consider what God’s Word here has for us. First, I want to acknowledge that talking about money in church can be a sensitive topic. It makes sense why this would be the case. There are church leaders out there who have no real concern for Christ and his people. Instead, their primary concern is just money. Maybe you’ve even had a personal experience, being manipulated or hurt by a pastor like that. And it’s right that this should upset us. It’s a scandalous wrong that brings dishonor and shame upon the name of Jesus, and the reputation of His Church.

So let me just make it clear here – if you ever see indications that I’m in love with money instead of Jesus, then please come tell me. Be a faithful brother or sister, and pull me aside. Warn me. And if I’m not listening, then reach out to the elders of other PCA churches in Michigan and let them know, so they can confront me – and if necessary – so they can kick me out of the ministry. It doesn’t matter how good my preaching might be, or how much you might like my personality – if I’m a servant of money instead of a servant of Christ, I have no business being a pastor.

I hope you can see, I’m not preaching on generosity this morning for financial gain. I don’t have a hidden agenda in preaching this text today. I’m not preaching about Christian generosity because I’m concerned about the finances of the church. I’m not getting ready to kick off some sort of big project that will require new donations. But we’re spending time on this topic because this really is one of many practical, evergreen issues that God brings up in the Bible, to train our hearts in true faith and godliness.

And even though talking about money can feel awkward or sensitive, if I’m going to be faithful as a pastor, I have to talk about the things that God talks about. If there are parts of the Bible I’m avoiding because I’m concerned about what people will think, then I’m not being a faithful messenger. I hope you can see this. I hope that this helps to put aside some distractions, so that you’re freed up to see this morning – I simply want to give you the Word of God this morning.

And as we work through the text, I’m not going to demand that you and I need to be generous. Because, you’ll notice, Paul doesn’t do that, either. Instead, he encourages us in our giving by showing us why Christian generosity is good. He aims to stir up greater generosity in us, by showing us how right and noble it is. So as we work through the text, I’d like to point out four reasons here why Christian generosity is good – four worthwhile things that happen when we give our money to support the advance of the gospel.

First, when we give, we bring joy. Second, when we give, we accrue a reward. Third, when we give, we meet important needs. And fourth, when we give, we express worship.

In Our Generosity, We Bring Joy

So we’ll start with the first observation: when we give, we bring joy. You’ll see (back) in verse 10 that this is what the generosity of the Philippians produced. Paul says, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.”

Now, Paul’s words here might seem a little vague. But he’s affirming that the Philippians gave him a financial gift – he received that evidence that they were concerned about him. And their concern for him is propelling him to rejoice in the Lord. As Paul points out, he isn’t rejoicing in the money. He’s rejoicing in the Lord – that’s what he says in the text. There’s something about seeing the Philippians’ concern for him, that’s giving Paul a deeper, fuller enjoyment of God.

And so this raises the question for us – why is the giving attitude of the Philippians, causing Paul to have joy in the Lord? Well, to answer the question simply, it’s because Paul recognizes that the Lord God is the cause of the Philippians’ profound generosity.

You have to remember, it wasn’t too many years before that most of these Philippians – they took their money to pagan temples, to politicians, to gambling houses, to brothels, to bars, and to their open-air shopping centers – because those were the kinds of things that they loved – that they were living for. But now the Philippians are totally different. They’ve been radically transformed in how they’re living, and in how they want to use their resources.

The Philippians actually become such a model of Christian generosity, that Paul speaks about them in another one of his letters – in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 8, Paul says, “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia” That includes the church of Philippi. And why does Paul want them to know about these churches? It’s because, “in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints – and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.”

And this helps us to understand just how stunning and incredible the generosity of the Philippians was. They didn’t give because they were wealthy – but they gave even in their extreme poverty. They didn’t just give because Paul, or somebody else, was twisting their arm, or telling them or reminding them – but they gave of their own accord. They were begging earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. This isn’t how people naturally think. The Philippians weren’t begging for the opportunity to receive, but for the opportunity to give.

And the only one who can work this sort of attitude in the human heart is God himself. Having a generous heart is, itself, a gift from him, that reflects his grace and goodness. So as Paul’s thinking of his brothers and sisters in Philippi – about the meals they skipped, or the possessions they sold, or the things they sacrificed in order to support him in his ministry, he’s overwhelmed with the beauty of it. In verses 14 through 16, he’s recounts that in the beginning of His gospel ministry, no church entered into partnership with him in giving and receiving except those brothers and sisters in Philippi only. Again and again, it was the Philippian church that stepped in to fund his gospel initiatives. They could have made excuses. They could have insisted that it was somebody else’s turn – someone else’s job to support Paul. But instead they made themselves partners with Paul, in his gospel ministry. They “shared with him,” not only in his triumphs, but also in his troubles.

And this is why Paul’s filled with joy. As he considers the Philippian church, he sees more than just a financial gift. He sees tangible, visible proof of the Lord’s transformative power and goodness.

And in a similar way, you and I have the opportunity, whenever we give, to build up the people around us with joy, as well. It’s true that people may not know when you’re giving, or how much you’re giving. They probably won’t know how much it costs you. You may not receive any earthly recognition for what you’re doing.

But see, that’s just the point. The fact that you’re giving, even when there’s no earthly prize for it, simply because you love the Lord Jesus, and because you love His gospel and his people – that’s evidence of God’s ongoing, life-changing work in your heart. It’s an encouragement to the whole church body. It’s especially an encouragement for elders and pastors in the church who are praying for you, and seeking the vitality of your faith – and for missionaries who can easily feel forgotten and intimidated by the bigness of their task. Our generous giving brings a joyful reminder that God has transformed human hearts – and that’s a work that he’s still doing.

In Our Generosity, We Accrue a Reward

But Paul also points out, that when we give, it will ultimately result in gain. This brings me to the second reason why we should view generosity as good. It’s because when we give, we accrue a reward.

Paul has been joyfully reflecting on the generosity of the Philippians in verses 14 through 16. But he seems to become concerned that the Philippians might start to think that he’s just trying to flatter them or butter them up, so that they’ll send him additional money in the future. So Paul wants the Philippians to understand that he doesn’t care about the gift. Instead, his genuine concern is simply to encourage the Philippians in their generosity – even if he’s not the recipient of it.

He clarifies this in verse 17. He says, “not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.” Or in other words, he’s saying, “I’m not looking for your money – but I do want to make sure that your faith continues to produce the fruit of generosity.” And the reason why Paul wants this is because he wants their generosity to increase to their credit” – or to their account. He encourages the Philippians in their giving, because he wants them to gain.

On the day when God punishes evil and rewards the saints – Paul doesn’t want the Philippians to have remorse, that they loved earthly comfort too much, and loved their eternal king too little. Instead, he wants it to be put down in the record books that these Philippians, who are poor in the eyes of the world – have been rich toward God. When Jesus Christ comes a second time, in the fullness of his glory – Paul wants the Philippians to receive a great reward for their faithful generosity. The Bible doesn’t give us a simple, specific list of what this reward will look like – but the Christian’s reward is often described in terms of abundant resources, an everlasting inheritance, a dwelling place, a new city, access to the Holy Presence of God, unending peace, security under the kingship of Christ, fullness of joy, and being dressed in immortal glory. I’m sure there are countless other descriptions we could find.

But the point here is that God – who sees your heartfelt giving, who supplies you with resources for giving – he wants to assure you that in your giving, He won’t leave you empty. His reward is better than any reward we could give ourselves. And it honors God for us to believe this. It isn’t wrong or selfish for us to look to God, and to trust in his future provision of good. This actually glorifies God, when we insist that we want the enduring reward he supplies more than the trophies and medals of this world. So the fact that God is keeping record of our giving, and that he’s preparing a lasting reward for us – that’s one more thing that makes it possible for us to give cheerfully and confidently to the Lord.

In Our Generosity, We Meet Important Needs

The text also points out that when we give, we meet important needs. This is a third reason why our generosity is good. (When we give, we meet important needs).

In verse 16, Paul tells the Philippians, “Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs, again and again.” And he affirms in verse 18, after receiving the gift from Epaphroditus, “I have received full payment and more, I am well supplied…”

Paul affirms in the text that the financial gifts from the Philippians were useful for meeting his needs and supplying him for ministry. Even though he’s content in Christ, and the strength he provides – even though he isn’t craving more money – he wants the Philippians to know that their gifts over the years practically made a difference in advancing the gospel. In verse 22, he reminds them that even in his imprisonment, he’s had a unique opportunity to spread the gospel to people in the household of Caesar, the Roman Emperor. And more than that – every sermon that he preached, every letter that he wrote, every conversation that he had, every young man he raised up to be a leader in the church – the Philippians were partners in that, because they paid the bill for it. They freed up Paul’s time so he could devote himself to the Lord’s Work.

It’s not unspiritual to admit that God works through our resources – our money – to make ministry happen. Because God himself is the one who established this principle in the first place. In the Old Testament (in Numbers 18:21-24), God made the ministry of the priests and Levites dependent on the physical gifts of his people. The assembly of His people were to support the ministry of the Levites by giving them a tenth part of their produce and livestock – 10 percent, often called a tithe. And in 1 Corinthians 9:13, Paul wants the Corinthian church to understand that the same general principle applies today. He says, “Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.”

So this means that the way we use our material resources – it has spiritual significance. By God’s design, physical things like money have a role to play in the spread of Christianity – a necessary role. In his letter to the Romans, in Chapter 10, Paul announces that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But then he helps us see what’s practically needed to make this happen, by asking, “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?”

And his point is that if we aren’t sending people out for ministry – if we aren’t equipping them, if we aren’t supplying them, if they can’t afford to put food on the table – then we’re quickly going to run out of preachers. If the world is going to have any teachers, pastors, and missionaries who are given fully to their work, who understand and preach the Bible, who guide disciples in making disciples, who lead God’s people in worship, who pray for the sheep under their care – if we want men like this who are free to devote themselves to ministry, God’s method for making that happen is to work through our generosity. There’s something ordinary we can do to advance the special work of God in the world. We can give.

And when we give, we’re not just meeting the important needs of the church workers, or the missionaries – but we’re meeting a critically important need of perishing people. Through our giving, people dead in their sins are being raised to life! Those enslaved to their selfish desires, are being set free. Children of wrath are being welcomed, adopted, into the family of God. God is pleased to do his supernatural work through ordinary people like us, and through our generosity. This is just one more reason why our generosity is good.

In Our Generosity, We Express Worship

But there’s a fourth reason why our generosity is such a good, worthwhile thing. When we give, we express worship. (When we give, we express worship).

Because Paul clarifies in verse 18 that the gift that the Philippians sent – it wasn’t about him. Their giving wasn’t a way of paying Paul back for his religious services. It wasn’t correlated with Paul’s performance, or how worthy they believed Paul was of their money. But this gift of the Philippians was a gift made to God. That’s why, at the end of verse 18, Paul describes what the Philippians gave as “a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.”

Of course, the Philippians weren’t literally putting their money on an altar and catching it on fire. But Paul uses this sacrificial offering language as a metaphor. For Jews like Paul – and for many of the Greeks and Romans, too – sacrificial offerings were a standard way of expressing worship. And that’s how Paul classifies this financial gift of the Philippians, too. By giving money to support servants of Christ – Paul says that they’re functionally offering up their money to God, as an acceptable sacrifice to God.

And by that sacrifice, they’re confirming that they value God more than their money. They’re offering up proof that they revere God’s authority over their whole lives. They’re showing that their possessions are from God and for God rather than themselves. And Paul wants to encourage the Philippians here – this is a form of worship that God finds acceptable and pleasing.

You’ve probably noticed that we have an encouragement to generosity each week in our order of worship. And there’s a reason for this. It’s because the Bible confirms – here and other places – that giving to the Lord is a real part of Christian worship. It’s a form of worship that God delights to receive from his people. Some people make the mistake of thinking that worship is just about music and singing. That’s certainly a part of what worship involves. But as your pastor, I take very seriously that one of my main roles is to help lead our church into understanding what true, biblical worship looks like. And it’s plain here that God delights when we give, by faith. This is a way that God himself desires to be worshipped – it’s pleasing in his sight. This should effect how we think about worship, and how we express our love for God.

All From Jesus. All For Jesus.

In closing, though, I just want to make a couple comments here to help wrap up our sermon series through Philippians. Over the course of this letter, Paul has given a variety of practical instructions and encouragements – about humility, anxiety, and following the right example – about mastering our thoughts, about contentment, about generosity. And because of this, it could be tempting to think that Philippians is just focused on us, and how we behave. But Paul’s whole point hasn’t been to focus the Philippians eyes on themselves, but to direct their attention to Christ. In whatever trials may come, he wants to make sure that they are enjoying Christ, and that, out of that joy, they’re eagerly seeking progress, in being more like Christ.

So even here, toward the end of the letter, in verse 19, Paul reminds the Philippians, “And my God will supply every need of yours, according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Paul knows that the Philippians are poor, persecuted, dealing with conflict, and distracted by a number of other issues. They’ll be tempted to turn away from generosity to self-pity, self-preservation, and self-indulgence. But he wants to remind them you can give, because you have a God who gives. We can live for him, confidently and freely, because we have a Savior who has given himself to take care of our biggest deficiencies and problems.

Jesus descended from heaven to deliver us from Hell. He obeyed, so that we’d be counted as righteous. He suffered so that we could be comforted. In Jesus’ death for our sins, we find forgiveness. Through his resurrection, he gives us new life. By ascending, he reserves a spot for us in God’s presence. Because of Jesus’s greatness in all these ways – in his imperishable majesty, we are given the promise of “riches in glory in Christ.”

And the strength to live out our faith – to put off our old selfish passions, and to live as saints, as people who have been set apart for God in Christ – this strength comes from Christ. Paul affirms this at the very end of his letter. He doesn’t just charge the Philippians to work harder, or to see to it themselves that they implement all his instructions. But in verse 23, he points his brothers and sisters to Christ: “[May] the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” That’s where the Church finds her strength. That’s what enables us to continue on in Christ’s mission. That’s what frees us to give our time, our money, and our hearts to the Lord. It’s Jesus’s generosity toward us – his kindness – his grace. So let’s humbly seek to walk in the strength of his grace together – as a people who have been set apart for God. Let’s pray: