Paul had been writing to the Philippians encouraging the church that his trials and imprisonment were being used to advance the Kingdom of God. He discussed his mission in life, to glorify God with everything he was, and every breath. He said to live is Christ, to die is gain. He told them to rejoice in the Lord Always, and he kept repeating that command. Rejoice always, rejoice in the Lord, rejoice in our union with the Lord. We are reconciled, we were enemies, but have been given peace and are now friends. We were alienated and far off, but now we have been adopted and made near. Our citizenship is heaven, and our eyes and minds should be focused heavenward. In Chapter 3, There is a promise of an ultimate transformation of our bodies into heavenly glorified bodies, but we also have a promise to be made more christlike during our time on earth. In the first half of chapter 4 he says our time on earth should not be marked by anxiety or fear, but be spent in prayer and petition with the spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude. He said that the peace of God would be with us as we prayed. And that peace would transcend all human or worldly understanding. When our hearts and minds are working together, praying in a continual meditative fashion, in every situation regardless of how it initially appears to us, our spirit and heart and mind are guarded in Christ Jesus. Instead of thinking of the worst, We train ourselves to think of whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Those things that are excellent and praiseworthy. The types of things that give glory to God and point our thoughts towards the cross, towards the obedience of Jesus, towards the holiness of God, towards the power and work of His Holy Spirit. Paul says to emulate him and the mature church leaders, and to put these things into practice, and the God of Peace will be with us. We will have a communion, fellowship, and unity with God; a relationship that is marked by peace, instead of conflict and judgement or wrath. Paul continues.
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.
Paul admits he was so happy to hear from them, and to learn that they were concerned for his wellbeing. He mentions more about this in verse 17 and 18, but the wording indicated that he hadn’t heard from them for a while, but received some message and type of gift or care package from them via Epaphroditus. Even here, we see Paul giving them the benefit of any doubt. As Christians we would be wise to follow Paul’s lead in this way. It’s easy to jump to a place of judgement, or make assumptions about other people’s motives for things. We naturally like to assume we understand other people’s selfish motives, and tend to think the worst when presented with a situation. Someone hasn’t called, texted, or written to me in a while. They must be angry with me, or I am low on their priority list, maybe they are too busy for poor little old me. All of a sudden when faced with this reality through a cloud of sinful judgement we project all sorts of negative imaginary thoughts onto another person who maybe we just miss them. We should work on assuming the best of people, and minimizing any judgement or editorializing our opinions. If we want to put a microscope over sinful motivations, we should start with our own actions and thoughts and examine our own hearts, since we know ourselves better than anyone else. Meanwhile, we should withhold that type of judgement on others, unless they are actually asking us for counsel and seeking out your help to hold them accountabe in some area. Paul writes to the church without any tone of “Finally you wrote! it took you long enough, not one of you in the whole church of Philippi thought to reach out?” but assuming that they had been concerned for quite some time but had no opportunity or means to keep in contact as much as all parties would have liked. There is no projection of guilt onto them or expression of disappointment from not hearing from them. He was just happy to continue the correspondence, and his tone, like it has been for the entire letter is warm and appreciative and encouraging them to continue to live out Christian lives and emulate those who are mature in faith.
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
His note of thanks is not one where he is asking for more, or even saying that their gift was pivotal or crucial in his very survival. He’s almost saying don’t worry about me. I am not in need at all. You can tell that what he had written in the first half of chapter 4 about the peace of God has impacted him personally, and he has put his own advice into practice. Peace of God means no longer being an enemy of God, it means freedom from sin and the gift of salvation on one spiritual level, but on the the human level, peace of God means freedom from worry or anxiety. The word for what remains after you remove worry is contentment. That contentment Is something that Paul explains he has learned. Since he had to learn it, we understand it doesn’t always come naturally, but is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and takes some practice, some failures and successes. It also takes experience, as he writes in verse 12.
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.
Paul says he learned contentment. How does that happen? Life experience. If you only know hunger, or if you only know plenty, you have no measure of the opposite side. And what you learn through experiencing all these different situations is that what’s here on earth is not enough. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon writes that everything is vanity. It’s funny, but all situations leave you wanting more in some sense. If you are hungry, your physical body is naturally in a position to appreciate what it means to be hungry for God’s righteousness, Thirsty for God’s eternal life. Jesus liked to use these types of human analogies to describe heavenly or spiritual things. The danger with living in hunger mode all the time is you may be deceived into thinking, “once I get this, everything will be ok,” and in that case you might end up on a never ending treadmill to try and acquire or get the next big earthly thing. Focusing entirely on trying to figure out how to acquire earthly things may leave you productive and driven but it will also leave you dissatisfied. Jesus spoke of a man who had a great crop, and he got in this loop, where he tore down the barns and built bigger barns. The man didn’t achieve contentment, regardless of how many crops he’d stored up, or how large his barns had gotten. Which brings us to the opposite end of the spectrum, and the dangers of being in a state of plenty. Paul explains that he also knows what it means to have plenty. And when you’re in the state of plenty, it’s obviously a safer and more prosperous place from a worldly perspective. There isn’t this constant fear of not having enough. Once a certain level of stability is achieved in this world, great things are invented, discovered, studied, and developed. In places where people fear for lack of food or water, or fear for their safety or the safety of their possessions, there is no incentive to save for future needs. No Incentive to study or invest time and effort in learning for the future. Paul recommends that people should work hard so they are in a position to give and share what they have. But when you are in the place where you have plenty, you might be tricked into thinking that you have everything you need. It’s dangerous to have everything you need from an earthly perspective, but leave no place for God in your heart. You can be the richest person on earth, but be the most spiritually bankrupt. Those types of people may ask What can God give that I haven’t gotten on my own? Jesus’ story about that man who built the bigger barns and stored up all those crops ended with the man in a very prosperous state. He was at his most bountiful phase, and did something that appeared like he was content. But he was content only in his possessions, he saved no place for contentment in God. So he decided that he wanted to stop and relax, but that very night his life was demanded of him. No matter how rich you are you still need God, and no matter how poor you are, God knows you personally and treasures you, so much so that he sent his Son to die for your sin. Paul has experienced both ends of the spectrum and he has learned through those experiences the secret of being content. In Verse 13 he explains it:
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Be careful not to take this verse out of the context of what he’s writing. Some translations say Paul is writing he can do all things through Christ which is ok as long as you’re understanding the context. He isn’t saying he can do all things through Christ who gives him strength to mean he has some sort of superpower and can outrun cheetahs and overpower lions. He’s talking about his secret for contentment. The secret of contentment is that he can do all this through Christ who gives him strength. It takes strength to be able to experience hunger and not be dissatisfied with God. It takes strength to experence plenty and not be tempted to forget about God. The strength that it takes is spiritual strength, and the spirit of Jesus Christ given to us by God through his Holy Spirit is how we’re able to face hunger or fullness alike. Both situations require us to remember God and his Provision. There may be different parts of God’s word that edify us, different aspects of God’s character that speak to us more in different phases in life, but whether or not we have plenty, whether or not we have hunger, feast or famine, we can be filled in our relationship with God. It takes strength, which is a gift from God; and God allows us to build that strength through workout tools like prayer, meditation, studying his Word, and demonstrating his love to one another. There’s a particular type of demonstration of Love which is linked with contentment. To build contentment, Paul says it’s good to give and share. Let’s continue.
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.
Yet it was good. Paul was saying that he is fine in plenty or in want. God provides the strength in all of these situations. Paul has learned to be content. Yet. Even still it was good of the Philippian church to share in his trouble. Sharing with others helps to build that strength that God gives us. I believe these few sentences give Paul a true joy to write. He’s acknowledging here that many of his Philippian friends get it. They shared in his troubles, not because they NEEDED to or because they thought Paul was in trouble without the gifts, but because they were sharing in the same mission. They were teammates on the same side. Paul’s troubles were their troubles. Paul’s difficulty was theirs. He went into poor areas in Macedonia, and the Philippian church gladly shared their plenty with those who were in want. They did it, not to make Paul’s journey more comfortable, but because they knew that the Gospel was worth it. It’s worth it to share the truth with people who were in no position to repay the work. Paul wasn’t doing it for the gain, but he also didn’t want to burden people who were already in a place where they had little. This church alone was involved in giving and receiving, and Paul acknowledged that it was the spirit of the givers of the gifts more than the gift itself. Paul wouldn’t accept gifts from just any church, either. He wrote that God loves a cheerful giver, and I’d like to think that churches wouldn’t want to receive a gift that was given under compulsion or guilt or some sort of misguided motivation. When our church collects tithes and offerings, we do so with the understanding that you aren’t attempting to buy your salvation, or working for acceptance in heaven. We also are assuming that you are doing so with a cheerful heart, and a desire to help advance the kingdom of the Gospel. Sharing in the work of the ministry of Jesus Christ and his Cross.
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. 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.
Paul writes that he doesn’t desire the thing the they are giving. He is not soliciting more. There are good organizations out there who do great work, and send letters to solicit funds. Sometimes they will say, your help is urgently needed, or they will explain the great work they are doing and explain how your funds help to achieve their mission. I was just reading the news and there’s a pastor out there named Jesse Duplantis who is trying to raise $54 million dollars for a private jet. According to the washington post, this guy already has 3 other private jets, but the goal for this one is to have a plane that doesn’t need to stop to refuel. Jesse said if Jesus were alive today, he wouldn’t settle for riding on the back of a donkey, He would be on an airplane preaching to the whole world. I guess Jesse Duplantis doesn’t think the prophecies that Jesus fulfilled riding on that donkey were that important. I guess Jesse never took to heart Jesus message that we should be on the lookout for all kinds of Greed, and that life doesn’t consist of an abundance of possessions. What’s important to Jesse Duplantis is popularity, and of course luxury and prosperity. The “gospel” that Jesse preaches is not the Gospel at all, it’s a prosperity gospel, which is no surprise. And it is no surprise to me that it doesn’t look like he’s read Philippians. Jesse hasn’t really tried to emulate Paul’s behavior, like Philippians 3 said, and I would be shocked if Jesse ever preached this verse in Philippians 4 on contentment. Now I hope all of you are savvy enough to see through all the holes in false doctrine like the gospel of Jesse. But let’s get back to Paul. So Paul is saying, I don’t desire your gift. He desires that they give gifts and that those gifts are credited to their heavenly account. It’s like he’s saying, I don’t need to be the recipient of the gifts, but it’s good for your relationship with God that you are giving them to somebody, and I am honored that I was on the receiving end. He wants them to give tangible things for an intangible Kingdom; he wants them to feel the ownership of the ministry. Where your treasure is, there is your heart also. He likes that they are sharing their treasure on earth for a mission with a heavenly goal. If you’re giving to the church, your heart should be with God in Heaven. Your heart should be to share the message of amazing grace. The undeserved gift that was given to whosoever believes that Jesus came to earth and lived a perfect life and died for the ungodly, in order to make them sons and daughters of the Almighty God. When you are giving with the heart to share that message, the gift itself is no longer the goal, and giving or receiving a thing is not the end of the transaction, because it just becomes part of a tool of doing God’s will, and sharing his message, and building up His kingdom. Gifts like those, which are given with the heart that Paul is talking about are fragrant, acceptible, and pleasing to God. This type of sacrifice or offering isn’t done in order to pay penalties of sin, or to atone for sin. That sacrifice was already done. This type of acceptible sacrifice and fragrant offering are given to promote fellowship with God, both for those of us who already believe, and if the Gift is being used the way Paul was using it, to continue the mission of bringing fellowship with God to people who don’t already know the truth or share that fellowship.
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
When gifts are given with a cheerful heart, they are acceptable and pleasing to God. Sometimes gifts are given with the wrong heart, like guilt or compulsion. It’s possible to give for the right reasons, but be left with a nervousness or anxiety about whether or not the donation was too much, and left the giver with sufficient funds left over. That residual feeling that maybe you gave too much, or maybe you should have saved or kept more for yourself and your future needs. Kind of like a buyer’s remorse. Paul is explaining that there doesn’t need to be any of that fear or worry. When you give to God and you give to the advancement of his kingdom, you are giving to the creator of everything, You are actually not giving, but returning to God what is His. And when you do that, you should feel confident that the same God who originally provided that thing to you will continue to provide things to you, and all of your needs will be met. It’s noteworthy that those needs are met not according to what you need or according to the minimal bare bones requirements you have. Paul is saying that God will meet your needs according to the riches of his glory. There’s not a promise that if you give X dollars God will give you 2X or 10x or even 1x back. You might receive back 0x, but you will have your needs met according to riches of God’s Glory. It’s an exchange but what you get back isn’t necessarily the same form or kind of return that you gave. You give something tangible, countable, measurable. You could get something similar back, but you also could get back something totally different. You could reap something intangible, uncountable, immeasurable. You could reap something that is rich in Glory. You could reap something that has infinite value in Chrst Jesus, which means we really can’t put a price tag or estimated value on it. The return on the gift is Glory. And the Glory is in Christ Jesus. The Bible tells us that we become Glorified as well (john 5:44 says we should seek glory that comes from God, Romans 8:29-30 says those who were foreknown by God were predestined to conform to the image of God’s son, and those he predestined, he called, those he called he justified, and those he justified he glorified), which when I read that almost seems incorrect, because on this Earth it’s easy to mistake the receiving of Glory and the goal of receiving glory as some sort of idolatry. We should watch our motivation when we do good works; we do things not for our glory, but for God’s. As an example, if I do something good, I should do it to give God glory. The motivation isn’t to do something so I can look good, In that case I am working to give myself Glory. When you work to give God Glory, he is Glorified, and Jesus is Glorified, but in the end, God will glorify us, the bride of Christ, his church, as well. In one case, we are working to direct glory to ourselves, in the second we direct glory to God and he directs it back to us. Ronald Reagan said it’s amazing what can be accomplished when you don’t care who gets the credit. It’s a similar idea here, if your goal in doing works is credit, you will do little, but if your goal is to glorify God first and foremost, and humble yourself, you can do amazing things for God’s Kingdom and in due course, God will exalt you and glorify you according to his riches. In Verse 20 Paul ends this thought by reminding them, to God be the Glory forever and ever.
21 Greet all God’s people in Christ Jesus. The brothers and sisters who are with me send greetings. 22 All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
In the final verses, Paul is closing his letter to the Philippians, and sending his Greetings in Christ Jesus from the brothers and sisters in Caesar’s household to the all God’s people at the Philippian church. This note about Caesar’s household gives scholars some interesting ideas about when in Paul’s ministry this was written, from where it was written, and gives a bit more context and clues on the general place that this fits in historically and geographically. Some letters have specific instruction which may shed light on the church environment and social backdrop, but the letter does continue to speak to churches a few thousand years forward, and will continue to be timeless since it is the word of God. His closing remark is a blessing that the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with their spirit, which is a good thing to meditate upon. How does the Grace of God differ from the Grace of Jesus Christ? God’s grace involves forgoing wrath and allowing the unbelievers to experience common grace, while providing time for the elect to receive forgiveness, and giving his Son to die for us. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is also an undeserved gift that we receive but the Grace of Jesus; Jesus’s gift was that he would come and live a perfect life of holiness and righteousness, taking up punishment of our sin on himself, a propitiation; doing the right thing, but allowing someone else to reap those rewards of God’s love and mercy and redemption. Paul is praying that the Grace of Jesus Christ be with their spirit, which is a form of grace that is consistent with his instruction to share the mindset of Jesus Christ, and to continue in obedience to God by doing good works for God’s glory and their encouragement to follow his lead.