Book of Philippians XIII, Secrets of Unexpected Joy

David came out and said, well, the music's just going to knock us out tonight. And you know, it did. And I appreciate it, David. Thank you, and Susie, and everyone. You know, but mostly, I want to knock the Lord out with that. I mean, is that possible? Yeah. Although it's sometimes hard for me to conceive of a guy who would look and say, wow, they're good. I mean, he's got a lot of it. Well, yeah, he probably would. Yeah. Yeah. Thanks. Oh, great. By the way, while you're turning the flippings for the ushers, we want to give any of our visitors today a little welcome packet. And because it's summer, everything's changing all the time. And so we may have someone who's free now in the summer that wasn't free during the year, and school, or whatever. We just want to give you one of these packets. And we're going to give you a better round of applause than we just gave the worship. I promise you that. If you're visiting tonight, thanks for coming. Just wave your hand out. We want to welcome you. Any visitors tonight came in with us? I want to welcome you. Welcome over here, man. Thank you. Anyone else? All right. It's a good time for me to mention that I hope you'll bring some visitors on Sunday, especially if they're fathers. I'm going to have some very encouraging and challenging words to speak to dads this Sunday. So be thinking about that. Maybe your dad has never been in a church. Last Father's Day, we had several people who brought their dad for the first time. And of course, they were afraid. His dad wasn't religious. And it's amazing how the Lord used that in a number of lives last year to open doors and to just bring walls down to talk about God. So you pray about it, won't you? And that's this Saturday evening at 7 and Sunday at 9 and 11. All right. Philippians chapter 4. I'm going to go ahead and read the whole passage. So if you have your Bible, follow along. And if you don't, listen real carefully, because I think it's important to hear the word of God tonight. Verse 10. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I'm not saying this because I'm in need, for I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need. How many can identify with that? And I know what it is to have plenty. How many can identify with that? 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. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. 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 for 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. Not that I'm looking for a gift, but I'm looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment, and even more, I'm amply supplied, now that I've received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They were a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. All the saints send greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. You know, this is a message about contentment, and you won't be content if you're driving a Chevy wagon, WYS 917, because another car just smashed into the side of it. And no, I'm just kidding. You left your lights on. OK. You left your lights on. I thought you'd go ahead. We won't look. All right, well, please feel free to not take care of it. You know, we're finishing a 12-week study in Philippians. And let me just talk as your pastor just a little bit. One part of me is so thrilled with the diligence and the hunger that some of you exhibit for the Word of God and how much you want to be where the Word of God is going to be taught or shared, because you know that there's a life-changing power there. How many of you know one thing, now listen, just one thing that you hear tonight can change your life forever? I mean, it's really true. I make a goal of coming out of every message just taking one thing. And when I preach, oftentimes I realize that people phase in and out. I mean, believe me, folks, you send great messages with your faces. I watch when the commercials come on and stuff. And I understand. But if you can leave with one thing that's really in your spirit, it'll be worth it. The other side of me tonight, of course, is kind of like saying, well, Lord, I just pray that we don't lose that passion for the Word. I pray that our brothers and sisters in Christ and many friends that we have who have kind of given up on studying the Word, that they realize that there's power to change lives and to set the course of destiny in the Word of God. And Philippians is one of my favorite books. And I suppose it's understandable, and you'll forgive me. I've chosen Romans and Philippians. They're probably my two favorite New Testament books. I don't know where we'll go next, because I'm running out of favorites. But I've got 24 more to choose from or so. But when we get to the end of Philippians, it's interesting to me that Paul doesn't do a theological treatise. He doesn't end the book with a summary of everything he said. Now, remember this, this, this, and this. He doesn't go back and highlight the fact that he's talked about such grand things as the incarnation of Jesus Christ. He doesn't talk about the fact that he said once or twice in the book that for him to know Christ was everything and to die was gain. But rather, he ends the book, the letter, literally was a letter, on a very personal, very warm, almost emotive note of pastoral love. And so we're going to look at this tonight just kind of comfortably in the same sense in which Paul wrote it. And that is just saying, hey, I love you folks. I love you. That's what he's saying. But it came out in a very practical way. Now, you know, sometimes my life gets going so fast that I don't realize how important it is to remember these kinds of things. And it gets very complicated. Does your life feel complicated now and then? I mean, do you have so many balls in the air sometimes you don't know which one to let drop next? My life reminds me an awful lot of like programming a VCR. How many of you have VCRs? 75% of Americans do. Most of you do. I mean, have you ever tried to program something like for next Friday at 8 PM on Channel 40? Try that sometime, OK? It is really, I mean, it takes more smarts than I have. But somebody had more smarts than everyone else. And they designed one of these little gizmos. Have you seen these? This isn't one, but it looks like one, OK? You've seen these, haven't you? Where you push four numbers that are right alongside in the TV guide what program you want to see. You just push four numbers, like 1-9-6-2. And that show then comes on your VCR. I mean, somebody's thinking. You've seen that, haven't you? Oh, you're with it. This is a with it church. You've seen it, haven't you, Henry? And you're Mr. Electronic. $59, you can program your VCR. I said, Lord, now that is a tremendous invention. Because they only make one of these for my life, you know? Just four numbers, and everything gets uncomplicated. And I know exactly what I'm supposed to do. And just get right down to what's really, really important. Without being cute about it, I really believe that what Paul wants to give us in these final verses of this book of Philippians is what is really important in the Christian life. And if you're here tonight as a new Christian, you're going to be really blessed because you're going to find out something I wish I had learned a long time ago. But I'm really only learning effectively in recent years. And that is that there is just two important things in the Christian life. Just two things you have to come to terms with. And you'll have it simplified. And the two important things are these. And if anyone's taking notes, get your pencils out and do it right now. Get your pens, get your paper. The only two things that really matter are the Lord and people. God and people, that's all that really, really matters. Every offense, every inadequacy, every struggle, every uncertainty, every problem will eventually vanish if you put those two things first in your life. And I'm going to share with you tonight specifically how you can do it. First thing I want you to realize is this. And this is number one in our outlines. Paul says, I rejoice that you have expressed your concern for me. Number one, Paul said, have concern for others. Isn't that a great word, concern? A couple days ago, David came up to me and he said, how's your back? I mean, I'm really concerned about you. And he was really genuinely asking me these questions. There's something about real concern that you feel. You don't just like hear. You know what I'm saying? I mean, real concern sends a message that's like this person is really sharing what it is that you're dealing with. I was fascinated to find out that the Greek word now, phroneo, means to be like-minded. So that really, when you're concerned for someone, you're literally thinking about the same thing that they are. It also means to set your affections. In other words, you're feeling it the same as they are. And Paul begins by saying, I rejoice in the Lord, verse 10, that you have renewed your concern for me. Now, what was this that they did to renew their concern? Well, folks, get ready, because here at the end of the book of Philippians, of all things, and I'm sure it makes us mad, but Paul talks about money. Everyone's favorite subject in the church. Paul talks about money. He said, you showed your concern for me by sending me a gift and caring for my needs. And dear ones, I'll tell you what. This was really quite something. I lifted out of 2 Corinthians. Let's put that up, shall we? Read with me what Paul says about this church. This is one of the churches in Macedonia. Read it with me out loud, would you? And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. They gave a sacrificial offering to the apostles. Paul is saying in this, I was so touched by this. He was saying, it's as though you really cared for me. It's as though when I was about down and ready to go out, you really showed that you loved me. You didn't just say it, you showed it to me. And that meant so very much to me. Isn't it just something else when people tangibly show that they care and they come through for you? How many of you had somebody come through for you at one time in your life or another? I mean, really come through. Several years ago, there was a man and his wife in our church, they had three kids. And this man had come out of a very difficult background, heavy into drugs and dealing drugs and lots of crime connections and all. And he was so deep into stuff that no one really knew the way out. But when his back was against the wall, when the authorities wanted to keep coming after him, when the people he owed lots of money to and the underworld kept coming after him and putting contracts on his life, people in this church came through for him. Some people in this church spent months helping to rebuild a little place where he could hold his business and make a living. Others made a way for him to slowly pay off debts that he accumulated. And over the next several years, this man and his wife and family emerged out of a terrible situation. To this day, he goes around and tells everybody. And he's been in front of judges and magistrates and people in courts and said, these people, they came through for me. They showed concern and they meant it. His life will never be the same. But interestingly, as it says later in the book of 2 Corinthians, everyone he tells can't get over it either. And so the Bible says that others will give thanks and other people are saying, wow. I mean, that's really something that people care that much about you, that they came through for you. Don't miss this, however. Look down here, notice what Paul says all the way down in verse 15. Who else came through? Oh, who? What? Who else came through? Boy, you can be wrong. I won't get mad at you. Who said it? No one else. No one else came through. Now, isn't that the truth? There isn't a whole lot going on out there when you need it to be. And folks, if there's just one that comes through for you, count yourself blessed. Paul's saying, and keep in mind here, I mean, Paul, I mean, this is Paul, the greatest motivator of people, probably. And I mean, next to Jesus, Paul led tremendous movements and all. Paul was a tremendous communicator. But one church came through. Boy, that really struck me. But they did come through. They showed their concern. And Paul realized that they were special in doing so. Just imagine the pain that he felt from the number of people that didn't come through. Have you ever been disappointed by someone? How many of you, on the other hand, have had people that didn't come through? He said, but what really matters in life is that you show concern for people. Show concern for them. Make them your priority over stuff. And Paul says, the reason why this is so good is that it's gonna get credited to your account. Look at verse 17. Paul's saying, it wasn't that I needed, I mean, I did, but that wasn't the issue. Verse 17 says, but what I'm looking for is what you're gonna get credited to your account. He said, in other words, folks, because you were willing to give to me, it's as though God said, now, I'm gonna be given to you. And I'm putting this on the credit side. You have a credit now in the bank of heaven. Now, forgive me if this, I'm making this up, and it may not be from the Lord, but to me, how many of you ever saw those chain letters that used to go around? He said, you do this, and then you pass it on to this person, and they do this, and if it happens, I don't know, in six months or something like that, you'll be a billionaire, right? And if you break it, of course, there'd be some awful thing that would happen, but all of us got those letters, and of course, the principle is that you do this, and for this many, and it keeps multiplying. I started thinking, though, in a way, the way God's people show their concern is almost like that. It's as though something circular starts to happen, you see? I mean, I, I'll use Jim. I see that Jim has a need, and I show concern for Jim. And I come out, and I, you know, whatever I can, I move to meet that need somehow. Well, that maybe, that creates a deficit in me. But now Jim sees a deficit in my life. And so he moves, and gives something of himself, and that creates a deficit in him. But now Betsy sees a deficit in Jim's life, and pretty soon, you see, and all along, who's supplying these things to the people? I mean, it's the Lord, see? So now I'm blessed because the Lord, I mean, Jim's blessed because the Lord's used me to supply to him, and I'm blessed because Jim supplied to me. And you know, see what, you see what I'm saying? Do you? Okay, I mean, I know it's complicated. This is, I just made, I told you, I made this up, but you see, do you see what I'm saying? And so blessing starts to flow, because this one blesses this one, blesses that one. Now, I want to say something to you. Don't break the chain. I mean, allow God to use you, even if it means to your deficit, because then God, that means he's just about to raise up someone else who he's gonna bless so they can bless you, and on and on it will go. And folks, how many of you have ever discovered it's wonderful to see God supply something in ways you didn't expect it? I mean, I really wrestled with the idea, well, maybe we ought to just make this testimony now, and let you march up here, take this microphone, and say, God supplied for me in ways I just never could have imagined, and he used people to do it. And it wouldn't be difficult to use the whole time. I mean, notice what the Lord says through Paul down here. He says, when those offerings come, they are a fragrant offering. In the Greek, the word means sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord. So I just liken it this way. Every time you give, whether it's into the offering, or you give to a person in need, or you send some money to a mission, whatever, every time, it's like you splash on some cologne for the Lord. Is that far? That's realistic, isn't it? I mean, so tonight, in just a little while, you're gonna get to splash on some cologne to the Lord. A fragrant offering. I think that's wonderful. We'll come up with a name. Heaven's, no, I couldn't. Okay. Yeah. But there's only one way you could do this. I mean, everyone, showing concern is wonderful, and I know that all of you, in spirit, support what I'm saying. But why don't we? Why is it hard for us to show concern for others? Why, yeah, because we have so many concerns for ourselves. Oh my gosh, I've got all these problems and bills and people looking to me and responsibilities and things I don't understand, right? And we go on and on. Let me say that the second thing that's most important, and actually, in terms of priority, it's the most important thing, is confidence in God. Concern for people, confidence in God. Confidence that in every situation, no matter what, God will provide. God will provide. Look at these two verses, underline them in your Bibles if you haven't. I have them, you know, the paper's ripping on mine, because I've underlined. Verse 13, I can do, let's say it, all things through Christ who strengthens me. And then verse 19, and my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious resources in Christ Jesus. Now, think about it for just a moment. Let's just go down one of those at a time, please. Has the Lord supplied all your spiritual needs? Has he, I mean, look at your life. Has he supplied all your spiritual needs? I mean, has he supplied you a glorious relationship with the Father? Has he told you that you're adopted as a son or daughter of God, that when you want to communicate with him, you can? Has he told you that you matter to him and that you have gifts to contribute in your life? Has he given you guidance when you've needed it? Has he taken care of you in times when you felt alone and put his arms around you and loved you and let you know that he was there with his presence? Has he given you peace about life? And most of all, peace about, hasn't he? I mean, has he supplied all of your needs, spiritually speaking? I think it's wonderful the way the Lord does that. Has he supplied your needs relationally? Honestly now, look, relationally. I mean, has he supplied for you? Certainly a relationship with God himself, but how about people around you? Husbands and wives and fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers and uncles and aunts and brothers and sisters in Christ and friends. I was talking with a single gal in our church the other day. I don't think she's here tonight. Usually comes Wednesday night. And we were talking about singleness and she's probably 31 or two years old. You know, no prospects on the line. I was saying, well, you know, how are you doing? In life, I didn't talk about how you doing being single like it was a disease or something. I said, how are you doing in life? And she said, you know, I'm doing great. She said, you know, I've got all these friends. I can't even keep up with them all. I have more people to pray with than I've ever had in my life. I've got more projects going. I'm having a great time. She said, now, if God sends a man in my life, I'll make room for him. But I'm having a great time. I said, what a neat attitude. You know, that's just the way, that's the way God would have it. And how about your material needs? I mean, I noticed, I couldn't help but notice when I asked how many knew what it was to be, what was it, to have a lack or to be in need? A lot of hands went up. How many knew what it meant to be in plenty? Let me define plenty for you, can I? You have a full stomach? You have a roof over your head? You have a, you know, I mean, some kind of transportation. Most of us have automobiles. I mean, there's maybe a few who can't afford that, but most of us have. Statistics will tell you if those three things describe you, full stomach, roof over your head on a consistent basis, and an automobile, you're in the top 2% of the whole world's population. Now, can I go back and ask the question? I mean, I didn't say you could ever want. Probably not. But do you have plenty? You say, well, but, you know, I'm getting out of work and I'm really struggling. Yes, but do you have the basic needs of your life? Are they met? Well, of course they are. You see, God wants us to know that he'll never let those things go unmet in our lives. And, you know, I don't always have my wants met or my dreams of stuff, but the Lord really checked me. I'll just say something real personal. I think Carol's here tonight, and I get caught up like you do in the stuff that I don't have and say, you know, I'm doing all this thinking now and then. And just today, and this is, of course, how the Lord works. Just today, I mean, I was getting ready to come in to work in this message, and we had this little exchange in the kitchen about stuff. Have you ever had one of those stuff exchange discussions? And we're snarling a little bit back and forth about stuff. If I told you what it was, you know, I'd get a letter from my wife. But anyhow, you know, and I left. You know, we kind of did, you know, we just massaged it away a little bit and left. We didn't resolve it. We just, I just left because I wanted to get in here. Of course, I'm studying this passage, and oh. This is, you know, this is like a, you know, and in my heart, the Lord said, do you have what you need? I said, oh, Lord, I have more than I need. I said, forgive me for just, you know, squabbling about this. These were just want type things, really. I mean, Lord, help me to remember that you've supplied all my needs and that you say you always will. And please don't let me get upside down on this. And you know what I've discovered about wants, folks? Sometimes God gives us our wants. But when he withholds them, it's because he knows in advance that the fulfilling of those wants would probably be destructive for us. Those wants might take a role that's just a little too important in our life, something that preoccupies us or becomes sort of a theme that we hold on to in place of him in times. I know people with wants been fulfilled, and now some of those wants have become a little God. And I told the Lord a long time ago, don't give me anything that's going to displace you, Lord. I hope you've told him that. And here's the other thing I've found. Have you found this? Sometimes when I get what I want, it doesn't really matter that much. Sometimes that, I don't know how it's nice. But I mean, why are people climbing on top of each other just to get this? I don't understand. And it always brings me back to remembering one thing. All that I need is you. I mean, you're really the source of my fulfillment, God. You're the one that satisfies me now. I can look out and see a few people, probably in their 20s tonight, maybe some very ambitious young men and women who don't believe this quite yet. And you've got to get out there. And you're going to have to bloody your head a few times, trying to get all your wants met until you realize, as Solomon said, it's all vanity. Let the Lord satisfy you. Let him be the one that supplies all of your needs. Let him be the one that fills in the gaps in your life, because that's the secret to contentment. Remember that the Lord is Jehovah Jireh, your provider. He provided for the Israelites all the way back in the old covenant times. He provided all the way through in the life of the early church. And he's certainly going to supply for you. You know, people have a real difficult time. As soon as he said this, I know we didn't talk about the message, so she didn't know this. But she said something like, do we really trust the Lord? Remember that? Do we really trust him? And I have to ask you that question tonight. I mean, do you really trust him? I have discussions with people now and then, it goes something like this. Oh, I'm really having a struggle with my boss. And he wants me to compromise. I mean, nothing big, you know, but just stuff I know I'm not supposed to do. And then they say something like, and if I don't do it, I'll probably lose my job. And if I lose my job, and then I kind of wait, what are they going to say next? Because the next words out of their mouth are going to reveal where their values really are, where their heart really is. I mean, what I want him to say next is, and if I lose my job, because I've taken a stand for righteousness and done what God told me to do, he'll take care of me. He'll provide. I mean, that's what I want him to say. But you know what they usually say? And if I do this, I'll lose my job. And if I lose my job, it's all over. I'm through, washed up in the tank, down the tubes, deep weeds, out of luck. I'm history. I say, wow, that is bad. You know, is that what you really think is going to happen if you stand for righteousness? No, the Lord will provide. Now, you're saying, yeah, I've tried that, and it didn't happen the next day. No, it may not. It may take a while. I don't know why. But God allows us sometimes to go through those, what we called them a year or two ago, the tunnel of obedience. Remember that? And for some of us, it's like going through the Rocky Mountain tunnel. And it's just a long tunnel. But on the other end is fulfillment and contentment, because you've obeyed the Lord. You see, one reason so many Christians struggle in this matter of receiving from the Lord is that they give without any sense of understanding how to give. I think it's very important, and I wish the whole church could hear this tonight. I think it's very important to learn to give systematically, because then you learn to trust systematically. When you give just kind of sporadically and impulsively, you learn to trust sporadically and impulsively. That's why it says in 1 Corinthians 16, to lay up for yourselves on the first day of the week in accordance with how the Lord has blessed you. This is preference. I can't say the Bible says you must do this. I think it's wisdom to us to give our offerings once a week to the Lord. Not once a month. You say, I only get paid once a month. Yeah, but you really, every week you accomplish something. And I think it just reminds us every week that the Lord has supplied. And systematically, as we give, then systematically, our faith can reach out and say, no, Lord, as I'm giving this week, I'm looking for you to supply all my needs. I mean, I've got a couple of bills hanging on here. I've got a couple of creditors who are wondering. You know, I've made some commitments, Lord. Maybe a faith pledge or whatever. And that's when this Christian life, folks, gets exciting. I mean, sometimes it gets white knuckle-y, doesn't it? I mean, when you're really trusting the Lord, you're going to come through a knock. Please don't be one of the ones who just doesn't know if God can be trusted or not. One thing I found is people who trust the Lord with their finances can trust him with anything. People who don't trust him with their finances can't figure out why they don't get anything else to fall in line. So important. I mean, we want to divide them and separate them, and you know, well, I'll take care of it. No, no, the Lord says it's all one. And I wonder how many of us tonight miss the most exciting part of the Christian life because we haven't learned to trust the Lord with our finances. There's other ways this happens. You know, four of our people, Jean Yannakis is one, Joyce Reed, Charlie Beck, and Norm Friedrich are leaving the next two days, tomorrow and Friday, to go to Hong Kong. And they're leaving jobs, and they're leaving responsibilities, and they're, you know, I don't know if they're forfeiting any income or not, but they all knew they made a choice, and they said this, even if it means that I'm going to have to give up something, it's what the Lord wants me to do, and I know that he will provide. And he's a wonderful God. He wants to provide. He wants you to know that he's not going to, you know, he's not going to dry up. Christians get into trouble many times because they want to provide for themselves. What does it say? God helps those who help themselves. What verse is that? Does anyone know? Would you turn in your Bibles and find that one for me? See, if you're a newer person to North Way, newer Christian, you may think, oh yeah, I heard that verse. Well, it's in Hezekiah. Look in Hezekiah 16.3. Neither of which exists. That's the point, isn't it? Okay. The Lord says, I'll take care of you. You just learn to trust me. Don't go out and make things happen on your own. You know, how many times, folks, have we gone out to, you know, fulfill our want list on credit, and then say, now Lord, I've got this, I mean, I've got this bill that I went out and indulged myself with, and now it's your problem. I don't think so. God would much rather from time to time bless you with something if you'll just learn to wait on him, learn to respond to him, and learn to give in accordance with how he prompts you. Well, let me bring this to a conclusion tonight. Why does God want us to learn these things? To trust him, to be confident in who he is. And especially as it comes to money. People, you know, I've had people say, you know what we ought to do at this church? Now we're thinking about building a new building and all that. We ought to go out and play the lottery. I mean, imagine if we took 10% of our weekly income and went out and bought lotto tickets, and we hit the big one. I mean, one hit on the big one and we could build the whole building. That's a great idea. Why is it that that's not what the Lord wants? Do we have this on the overhead, this last quote? The reason is that God is much more concerned with raising up his children than he is raising money. All right? This is the whole point behind giving. The Lord wants you to know him, to learn to trust him, to learn to enjoy him, to learn to be confident in who he is, not because he needs money. You know, you think the Lord is, I mean, you know what he could easily do? Very easily. He could have this enormous oil reserve in the back acre of the property we want to buy. I mean, if he wanted to do that, we'd go back, whoa, look at this, you know, pump up a million barrels a month or something and probably handle our bills. No, God won't do that because why? Because he wants to raise up his children to learn to understand that he can be trusted and to grow in their confidence. What are the two most important things in all of life? God and people. Confidence in God, trust in God, and concern for people. You know, you may have a complicated summer ahead, lots of ins and outs and responsibilities and projects. You may be in the midst of a very confusing time in your life. I can't help it, I do know some of you tonight are right in the midst of job changes. Some of you are in the midst of marital struggles. Some of you are in the midst of trying to figure out what to do with your life. Keep those two things as the highest priorities, won't you? Confidence in God and concern for his people. If you do those things, it's like punching in God's will and the program's gonna come up in your life and you're gonna be a success in God's eyes. And that's what life's about. That's the secret of contentment. Let's stand together,