Bryan Craddock - Rely Upon God's Riches

Have you ever heard the expression, “It’s the thought that counts”? That’s the kind of thing we say to our kids when some distant relative sends them a gift that they have no interest in—clothes they’ll never wear because they’re the wrong size or an outdated style or some obnoxious color—toys that are far too young for them. It’s the thought that counts. Then again, there are times when you’re discouraged that the thought behind even the simplest gift can be a huge encouragement.

That seems to be the case with the Apostle Paul as he writes his letter to the Philippians. Paul’s main reason for writing was to acknowledge a gift he received from the Christians in Philippi—a church Paul himself had founded. Here’s what he has to say about that gift as he concludes his letter in Philippians 4:10-23:
  

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen. Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
 

This morning we conclude our 12 week study of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. Throughout this study we’ve heard Paul speak repeatedly about genuine Christian joy. As we’ve seen, what makes this so amazing is that while Paul writes this letter, he is in prison in Rome. He has probably been in captivity for two years, including a dangerous journey from Palestine in which he was shipwrecked. He had not done anything wrong, yet the Roman authorities kept him in prison to pacify the Jews who wanted Paul to die for his preaching of the Christian gospel. Each week in our study we’ve gleaned a key lesson as to how to experience true Christian joy.

Receiving God’s grace
Loving people with God’s heart
Focusing on God’s evangelistic mission
Living on God’s schedule
Enduring by God’s strength
Acting like God’s children
Serving with God’s concern
Striving to know Christ
Waiting for God’s transformation
Remembering God’s presence
Resting in God’s peace

As Paul speaks about the Philippians’ gift to him in these closing verses, we learn that to experience joy we have to rely upon God’s riches. I draw that lesson from verse 19 where Paul says: And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

What does Paul mean when he speaks about riches in glory in Christ Jesus? That’s one of those religious sounding expressions that rolls off our tongue but doesn’t really register in our minds. Yet the concept of these riches is central to Paul’s life. This morning we first need to make sure we understand God’s riches. Then we’ll see how God’s riches enabled Paul to be content with some very frustrating circumstances. And as we conclude, we’ll see how those riches enabled the Philippians to endure personal sacrifice in order to send money to help Paul.

God’s Riches

What riches does Paul have in mind? To grasp what he has in mind, we have to deal first with the word glory.  To do that, it helps to go back to the 4,000 year old story of the life of Abraham.  Listen to what the New Testament letter to the Hebrews says about Abraham:

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.… All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16).

Abraham was promised a valuable inheritance – a land, a city built by God, a heavenly country, a kingdom. But it’s not just a physical plot of real estate. It’s a type of existence that radically differs from life as we know it. And yet he died before he ever received it. In fact, he is still waiting today.

But there’s a problem. Sinful people can’t enter into this kingdom. Abraham sinned. Everyone has sinned, and sin makes us unclean. It disqualifies us from entering the kingdom.  Something has to happen to us in order for us to be a part of that heavenly country.

God addressed this need to the prophet Ezekiel: For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. (Ezekiel 36:24-28).

This spiritual cleansing that God revealed to Ezekiel was brought about when Jesus Christ was crucified.  Jesus lived a perfect life without any sin. His death on the cross was planned by God in order to cleanse those who believe in Jesus. After Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to indwell believers. Ezekiel’s prophecy anticipated this too.

Paul believed in this promise of a kingdom. His life revolved around it. He preached that through faith in  Jesus Christ people could be cleansed and enter God’s kingdom. Once people had begun to believe, he encouraged them to, “walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess 2:12). So that’s what glory is—it’s the kingdom of God, that same heavenly country that Abraham was looking for.

But as we have said, glory is not just a place. It’s also a state of being. Glory is a characteristic of God. It’s the sum of who He is expressed in brilliant, shining light. The glory of God appeared like a fiery cloud in the Old Testament. It demonstrated his perfect purity. 

In the New Testament, we learn that when you become a Christian Jesus works in us through the Holy Spirit to change us to be like God, to be increasingly pure. Paul explains, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).

Do you see what glory is?  It is an existence apart from sin and impurity.  It’s a state of being that’s true of God.  It’s a state of being that should be increasingly present in our lives.  Glory is also the ultimate destination for all those who follow Jesus Christ. 

Do you know what the opposite of glory is?  Darkness.  Destruction. Hell. Every person who has ever lived will either spend eternity in glory or in hell. There’s no middle ground.

So what are God’s “riches” in glory? Paul uses this terminology often, particularly in his letter to the Ephesians. When Paul prayed for people, he would say, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph 1:18).

Paul not only prays for that, but as he writes Ephesians he speaks of those riches:
Ephesians 1:7—In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.
Ephesians 2:4-7—But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 3:8—To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ.

In the Old Testament we learn that there is certainly a physical inheritance, but here in Ephesians we see that the true riches are the spiritual blessings of salvation—of having a relationship with God and having a part in his kingdom. As Paul says, these riches are unfathomable. We really can’t comprehend how good it will be.

To be honest, I can’t even comprehend the material wealth that some people possess today. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be Bill Gates and have millions of dollars at your disposal. I can’t imagine what it would be to have the freedom to purchase any object you wanted. Compared to our riches in glory, Bill Gates fortune is nothing. Why?  Because no matter how much money you possess, it cannot address the burning issues of your heart and soul. No amount of money quiets a guilty conscience. No amount of money sets you free from the fear of death.

Jesus Christ made all of this possible.  I love the way Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 8:9. He says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Do you possess these riches? Have you claimed them by believing in Jesus Christ?

In Christ, God has granted us riches in glory. Now having laid that groundwork, we can go back to Philippians 4.  Having this incredible inheritance in glory has major implications for how we live now. Paul identifies two implications here: (1) God’s riches enable us to be content, and (2) God’s riches enable us to give sacrificially.

Enabling Contentment

Remember Paul is acknowledging this gift that the Philippians sent to him, but he launches into this discussion of contentment.

Beginning in the middle of verse 11 and moving into verse 12 he says, “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.”

How could Paul do that?  How could he be content with humiliation, hunger, and need?  How could he fail to be consumed by prosperity and abundance?  His answer is simple.  He says in verse 13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.“

This is one of those verses that must be kept in context.  Paul is not claiming magical powers here. He is not claiming that he can do anything he wants to. His focus here is contentment. He can endure any circumstances and remain content because of Christ’s strength.

I think it’s safe to say that this strength flows from the riches in glory that we just talked about. Listen to how Paul prays in Ephesians 3:14-19: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

On the basis of our riches in glory we can be strengthened by the Holy Spirit so that we will comprehend the Christ’s love for us.  As we do, the result is that we are “filled up to all the fullness of God.” That is the kind of contentment that Paul has in mind back in Philippians 3. It’s not a stoic, grunt and bear it, kind of mind set. Paul is content because his heart is flooded with spiritual blessings. 

I picture it this way. Earlier this summer when we were having a lot of rain, and my lawn was starting to look pretty nice. All of the bare spots from the previous owner were starting to fill in.  But then the rain stopped, and it got hotter and hotter. My lawn became dry and even dusty. I don’t think I’ve ever seen grass become so brittle. Then it rained on Thursday and it’s already started to green up again. Other people in my neighborhood didn’t have that problem. They don’t have to depend upon the weather to water their lawn. Do you know why?  They have sprinklers.

That’s the way it was for Paul.  It didn’t matter whether he was financially watered or financially running dry.  He possessed a different source of satisfaction in life: the Lord and His riches. That’s what enabled him to be content through every circumstance.

Where do you look for your satisfaction in life?  What’s the basis for your contentment? Is it Christ and his strength?  Do you rely upon Him?  Do you seek after Him, to know Him more?  Do you pray for this fullness that Paul speaks of?

I believe this takes a conscious effort on our part. God has provided the water. We have to turn on the sprinklers. We have to remind ourselves of the riches that are ours in Christ. We have to dig into them and explore them in the Scripture.  That’s what we do when we gather together on Sunday mornings: we celebrate these riches together and it gives us strength to be content with our circumstances.

Enabling Sacrifice

We really could stop at this point. Paul’s contentment is a powerful example to us.  But there is another side to all of this. God’s riches enable us to receive contentment, but they also enable us to sacrifice on behalf of others.

To expand upon my sprinkler illustration—it’s not enough to water your own lawn.  Help out someone else. The Philippians were an example of this.  Paul says in verse 14 that they have shared in his affliction. They gave of themselves to help Paul as he faced his imprisonment.

This wasn’t new for them. In verse 16 he speaks of them providing for him while he was ministering in Thessalonica. They not only provided financial help, they sent one of their key leaders, Epaphroditus, to minister to Paul personally. To us that may not seem like a big deal, but for them it was. 

Back in Philippians 2:25-26, Paul says, “But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.” I think they’re relationships were probably much deeper than ours. They were deeply concerned about Epaphroditus.

I think it’s also safe to assume that these people were devoting significant time to praying for Paul.

This takes up back to Philippians 4:19.  Paul knew that God was supplying all the Philippians’ needs. God enabled them to be content whatever their circumstances. God was also enabling them to sacrificially serve Paul. This doesn’t mean that they had a lot. We really don’t know whether the believers were financially rich or poor.  But we do know that they were spiritually rich, and that’s what made all the difference. They were more than willing to give to help Paul.

We see the same thing in the book of Acts.  Many of the early Christians were so filled up in their own soul, that they gladly sold their possessions to help other Christians who had nothing.

But you see there is a grand triangle here.  God provides for the Philippians, both spiritually and to whatever degree materially.  Then the Philippians provide for Paul’s need. And as they do provide for Paul, what they’re really doing is celebrating the riches of God.

Paul describes their gift to him as “a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God” (v. 18). This terminology is taken from the Old Testament. That’s the way the Old Testament speaks about the animal sacrifices that were required back in that time period.  It’s not just that these people were being generous to Paul. They were worshipping and thanking God for His blessings in their lives. They were responding to God’s riches.

Are God’s riches overflowing from you?  I’m not necessarily speaking in financial terms here.  I’m talking about the focus of your heart. Do you pray for people?  Do you serve people? 

What happens to water when you dam it up and stop it from flowing?  It begins to grow stagnant.  I think the same thing happens to us spiritually.  If we aren’t giving of ourselves to those around us, then even the riches of God can begin to seem stale to us. If you lack contentment, perhaps it is because you’re not letting God’s spiritual blessings flow out of you into the lives of others.

Conclusion

True joy is found as we rely upon God’s riches to enable our own contentment and to enable us to serve and sacrifice for others.

The best example of this lesson is Jesus.  Listen to these words in Hebrews 12:1-3. Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice. Truly, he was able to rely upon God’s riches, and even in facing the suffering of crucifixion and death, he did so with joy.