Our Sermons

Bible Passage: Philippians 4:14-20
Pastor: Pastor Berg
Sermon Date:  February 24, 2019

Why couldn’t God have just made it easy? Why did he have to make this so difficult? Have you ever had that thought? Maybe it was a relationship that you were working on and struggling to maintain? Maybe it was trying to go back to school while still raising a family and holding down your job? Maybe it was that conversation with your neighbor where it never seemed like the right time to share Jesus? Whatever the case, I think we’ve all been there a time or two.

The same can be true when it comes to joyful generosity. Last week, Pastor Schlicht talked about putting God first and being proportional in your giving. But he was very careful not to tell you how much to give. In fact, he went out of his way to not give the impression that we do that. But you know what, in some ways it would be easier. It was easy for the Old Testament believers to know what to give. God made it abundantly clear. They knew exactly what was expected of them. So why doesn’t God make it easy for us in the New Testament? Why does God put the choice in our hands? It can be very difficult to decide what to give when I have a family to provide for, taxes to pay, and all those other responsibilities that come with being an adult. Why didn’t God just make it easy and demand 10% like he did in the Old Testament?

It’s because we’re free. We are free in Christ and so we have been given the privilege of wrestling with this freedom. When we wrestle in our hearts and count our blessings and have to think about and pray about this, then it’s more than just money. Then God is receiving joyful generosity. And in this last area of focus, we want to see the importance and the blessing that comes from our giving when it’s regular and intentional.

One of the reasons that Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians was to thank them. The Philippians had been overwhelmingly supportive of Paul’s missionary work. And maybe not in the way you might expect. It’s not that they gave the most money. In fact, the Philippian congregation was monetarily poor. But rather, it was the way they gave, the attitude they displayed, and how intentionally they gave. Paul talks about the Philippians in his second letter to the Corinthians. He says,  “In a severe test of trouble, their overflowing joy and their deep poverty overflowed into an abundance of their generosity. I testify that of their own free will they gave according to their ability, and even beyond their ability,  pleading with us with an urgent request for the gracious privilege of joining in this service to the saints. And they did this not as we had expected, but in keeping with God’s will they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us.”

And this wasn’t just a one-time thing. What did we hear in our lesson today? “You sent me aid again and again when I was in need.” Why would Paul bring up this example to the Corinthians? It seems as though the Corinthians had good intentions, but had a hard time being intentional. They were eager to do something, but had a hard time actually getting around to getting it done. Paul even gave them a plan that you heard about last week, yet it seems that they struggled to carry it out.

Aren’t we sometimes guilty of that same weakness in our sinful nature. Whether it comes to setting aside time to read our Bibles or to pray or to exercise or to eat right, if you aren’t intentional about doing those things, they very likely aren’t going to get done. We’ll only be left with good intentions. How many New Year’s resolutions are now in the good intentions pile? We struggle, even with a good plan, to have the discipline to carry it out. Why? Because we are fighting against a sinful nature that doesn’t want us to be close to God in his Word. We’re fighting against the Devil who will do whatever he can to distract us from our goals.

The same is true of joyful generosity. Do we have a plan? Does that plan not only include how much, but when and how? Does that plan take into account the times when you’re not going to be able to make it to church? Remember, you’re fighting against your sinful nature all the time, and the Devil doesn’t want you to give to the Lord and his work. The Devil doesn’t want Eastside to have the resources we need to do the Lord’s work. He’d much rather have us cut corners and scale back than expand gospel ministry. He will always be tempting us to spend more than we can afford and then have nothing left to give when the opportunity arises.

Yet, we can be thankful that God has not treated us as our sins deserve. Where we have been stingy, God has been generous. Where we have been inconsistent, God has been regular and faithful. The sun still rose this morning, and with it God’s mercy, new every morning. It’s just like we confess in the explanation of the Third Article, “In this Christian Church he daily and richly forgives all sins to me and all believers.” Isn’t that what keeps us going? Isn’t that what allows us to sleep at night, knowing that God has forgiven our sins. God’s forgiveness is both regular and intentional. It’s why we can trust in him and not be afraid.

When we follow the example of the Philippians and give as they gave, we are reflecting God’s abundant grace, his faithful grace, his consistent grace in our lives. And we in turn become a blessing to God’s church. Paul said, “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 again and again when I was in need.” Think of the impact the Philippians, regular, consistent gifts had on Paul’s gospel ministry. It allowed Paul to spend more of his time preaching the gospel instead of having to provide for himself.

Eastside is blessed when we support the ministry of this congregation with regular and intentional gifts. And just as Paul thanked the Philippians for their regular support of his ministry, I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you. Not only are you a blessing to this church, but your regular and intentional giving is a blessing to you as well.

Paul writes, “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 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.”  Maybe this sounds a little strange? Maybe initially we have a hard time understanding what Paul is saying here. When we give, we give out of thankful hearts. Our gifts are a grateful response to God’s grace. So what can Paul be talking about when he says they can be credited to our account?

Maybe we can look at it this way. When you go out and buy gifts for your grandkids or your nephews and nieces, it’s pretty likely that you’re going to get a thank you card in the mail. Maybe it’s a picture they drew themselves or a short message scrawled out in their own handwriting with misspelled words. When you get those cards, even with the spelling mistakes and the inferior artwork, you don’t care about any of that. No, you can see the heartfelt expression of thanks that went into that card. You might even put it up on the refrigerator. And when the kids come by and see that, they know that you have accepted their thanks with joy.

The point is, God notices regular, intentional, heartfelt gifts. They don’t contribute one iota to our salvation, but they bring joy and pleasure to our God. Paul calls them “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice.” When we give in this way, we are blessed. It’s why we can say “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.”

There’s yet another way we are blessed by our regular gifts. Paul writes, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Why would Paul say “my God” and not “your God”? Paul wanted to provide an extra assurance. He had personally already experienced this in his life, how God keeps his promises. It’s why he says in the verse just before our lesson that he had learned the secret of being content in any circumstances.

We heard a similar promise in our first lesson this morning: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” The children of Israel were trying to bring God the leftovers, the things they didn’t really want, crippled and diseased animals, skimping on the tithe. God challenged them to do bring the whole tithe, to put God first, to be regular and intentional about what they were giving and look what God promised–blessings overflowing.

That same promise is true for us. I’m sure you can think of examples where you didn’t know how you were going to make it, but the Lord provided. Eastside has made it more than 90 years because of God’s blessing, and by his grace we’ll continue to be blessed. May God give us all the spirit of joyful generosity, that all our needs will be met as we regularly and intentionally give to his glory. We have that promise! I pray that through that joyful generosity, you will be a blessing for your church and that you will see God’s blessings in your life as well.  Amen