Today’s message is from Philippians 4:10-23. It’s Paul’s closing remarks to the Philippians. The HCSB translators gave the passage the title Appreciation of Support, but it’s really not about Paul’s appreciation of the help that they had given him, but rather about the joy that Paul had received because they were willing to sacrifice to help someone in need and to help advance the gospel of salvation—really, to love and to serve Jesus. Paul also talks about the secret of being content in every circumstance.

¹⁰I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last you have renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me, but lacked the opportunity to show it. ¹¹I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. ¹²I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. ¹³I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. ¹⁴Still, you did well by sharing with me in my hardship.

¹⁵And you, Philippians, know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone. ¹⁶For even in Thessalonica you sent gifts for my need several times. ¹⁷Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that is increasing to your account. ¹⁸But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided—a fragrant offering, a welcome sacrifice, pleasing to God. ¹⁹And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. ²⁰Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

²¹Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. Those brothers who are with me greet you. ²²All the saints greet you, but especially those from Caesar’s household. ²³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. (Philippians~4:10-23)

Let me summarize: Paul is really happy that the Philippians have helped him with his material needs (and I think also that they have encouraged him—remember, he is a prisoner in Rome). But his joy is not that he has received some relief. Paul says that he has learned the secret of being content in all circumstances, so he really doesn’t consider himself to be in need. His joy is really because they are following Christ who was willing to sacrifice himself on behalf of others—in fact, on behalf of the entire world.

As I have already mentioned, the words in today’s passage are Paul’s closing remarks to the Philippians. They are what he chose to put last. It’s the conclusion, the final result of everything else. It’s something he wants people who read this letter (not just the Philippians, but us too, for example) to remember.

The apostle Paul started out his letter to the Philippians by saying that he gave thanks for them and prayed for them with joy because of their partnership with him in the gospel. He said, “I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you can determine what really matters and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ.” (Philip. 1:9, 10) The day of Christ is the day when Jesus comes back to judge the world—the great and glorious day of the Lord. All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:21) “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Paul talked about the importance of the partnership that the Philippians had with him in the gospel, the partnership they had with him to spread the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. What could be more important than to save people from hell? (I know we frequently think that our immediate situation is the most important. But, in reality, the salvation of others is most important.)

And Paul talked about who Jesus is. He is the one who, though in his very nature was God, emptied himself and took on the nature of a slave. He humbled himself. He became obedient even to the point of death on a cross—the most painful and degrading form of death. Therefore God raised him from the dead and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Philip. 2:6-11) Paul told the Philippians (and us also) that we must do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but humble ourselves and consider others to be more important than ourselves—that we must do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but humble ourselves and consider others to be more important than ourselves. That’s what Jesus did.

The apostle Paul talked about his own life—really, how in the past he had done everything out of selfish ambition and vain conceit—how he could boast about all his great accomplishments in his religion as a Pharisee—and how he now considered these accomplishments to be less than worthless compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus.

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶Don't worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things. ⁹Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians~4:4-9)

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! In the first verse of today’s passage, verse 10, Paul says, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last you have renewed your care for me. You were, in fact, concerned about me, but lacked the opportunity to show it.” Paul wasn’t rejoicing because his needs were met by the Philippian church, but because they wanted to help him. Paul really said that he didn’t have any needs: “I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”

In verse 8 in lasts week’s passage Paul said, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.” What the Philippians had done was beautiful and lovely. They were showing their love. Paul was rejoicing. What they were doing to help Paul made him know that they loved Jesus. They were loving him and helping him to spread the gospel.

By the way, last week I realized when I was talking about whatever is lovely, I talked about how rare it seems to be to hear something that is lovely reported in the news. We mostly hear bad news. Anything good you may hear about gets overwhelmed by the all bad news. But there’s one thing I don’t think I emphasized enough. It’s that it’s Jesus who is lovely! Jesus is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable. He is morally perfect and worthy of all praise. He is our perfect example of what is good. Jesus sacrificed himself to help us—really to save us. The Philippians sacrificed to help Paul. That made them like Jesus. Paul rejoiced. Do you think Jesus rejoices when we sacrifice to help others who are in need? There is much rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents. (Luke 15:7)

Paul says that he isn’t speaking out of need because he’s learned to be content in whatever circumstances he may be in. (He happens to be a prisoner.) And, you know, when we, we in this present day, speak of need, frequently what we really are talking about is something we want but don’t really need. Paul was talking about his physical needs: “I know both how to have a little, and I know how to have a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need.” We read this and say, “Oh, yeah, I know what he’s saying. We have to trust God to provide all that we need (and it may be much less than we think we need)—and then we go on to the next verse and don’t think much more about it.” But have we really learned the secret of being content in every situation? And by the way, just what does it mean to be content?

I looked up the word “content” in one of the dictionaries that came with my Bible study program. Here’s what it said: “a state of mind in which one's desires are confined to his lot whatever it may be. It is opposed to envy, to avarice (that’s greed), to ambition (and that’s not wanting to work hard, but wanting to climb over everyone else in pursuit of worldly success and status), it’s opposed to anxiety and to repining (that’s complaining because you don’t have something you want). Contentment arises from the inward disposition, and is the offspring of humility, and of an intelligent consideration of the rectitude (rightness) and benignity (that’s goodness) of divine providence (and divine providence is God’s providing).” (You have to use a dictionary to figure out what the dictionary says. I feel like I’m back in the 3^rd grade.) But how many of us are able to live up to being content in every situation? Have we learned the secret?

Paul had had much and he had had little. Have you ever had quite a bit more than you have now? Do you long for the “good old days”? Or do you just long for better circumstances. Paul was probably well to do when he was a Pharisee. He probably had had more during his Christian ministry than he had at the present time—certainly more freedom. Paul says that he learned the secret of being content in every situation. That means he learned how to put it into practice. What is the secret? Of course it’s trusting God—trusting in his benignity and providence. We tell people, “Be satisfied with what you have. Trust God.” It’s a rebuke. But if you really believe that God loves you and provides for you and that what you have, really, really, is what you really, really need, you will be content.

You know, I complain when it’s too cold (I get cold very easily) or when I don’t get enough sleep. Paul suffered those things much more than I ever have. And he suffered much more—many imprisonments, severe beatings, near death many times, shipwrecked, in danger from robbers, from his own people, from false brothers and without food or clothing in addition to being cold and hungry and thirsty. People suffer those things because of Jesus today, too. Have we here learned the secret of being content in every situation? (I’m really speaking for myself in this. You guys apply it as it fits. Do as I say, not as I do. That what Jesus said about the Pharisees. Pray for me. Let’s continue to pray for each other.) In verse 13 Paul says, “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Have we learned the secret and are we putting this into practice?

Paul goes on: “Still, you did well by sharing with me in my hardship. And you, Philippians, know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone. For even in Thessalonica you sent gifts for my need several times. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that is increasing to your account.”

Do you think Paul is being 100 percent honest—that he really doesn’t need whatever they sent to him, but his sole concern is that the Philippians are storing up treasure in heaven. Do you think Paul had mixed motives (not that I think there would be anything wrong with Paul’s being grateful for the gift), but do you think his only concern is for the Philippians to do what is pleasing to God? Paul says so, and what he is writing is the word of God.

Do you think the Philippians would have been disappointed when Paul told them that he really didn’t have any needs, but essentially, it was the thought that counted. (If you give someone a gift and that person says, “Well I really don’t need it, but the thought was good,” are you disappointed?)

Let’s look at verse 18. Verse 18 says, “But I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am fully supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you provided—a fragrant offering, a welcome sacrifice, pleasing to God.” Well, the gift the Philippians sent to Paul really did supply his needs after all. But what Paul has been telling them is that their love is far more important than his having his needs supplied.

All the way through his letter to the Philippians Paul talked about Jesus. Without Jesus, nothing else really has any meaning. Paul talked about humility, too. You can’t come to God without humility. But the desired final result is love. You remember Paul’s prayer back in chapter 1: “I pray this: that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you can determine what really matters and can be pure and blameless in the day of Christ.” What is it that really matters? “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13) “Above all, keep your love for one another at full strength, since love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter~4:8) God’s fundamental nature is love. When we love, we are being like him.

I believe that if you help people who are really in need, God will provide you with the means of doing so. God will supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory through Jesus Christ—and not just your material needs but also your spiritual needs—especially your spiritual needs—and you will store up treasure in heaven. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen!

Now, let’s look at the last three verses: ^“Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. Those brothers who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, but especially those from Caesar’s household. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

It’s very important for us to stay connected with each other and to let each other know what’s going on in our lives—to pray for each other and to let others know how we are praying for them. We need to confess our sins to each other and all that we are struggling with, both sickness and spiritual struggles. We need to pray for each other so that we may be forgiven and strengthened and healed. We need to encourage and build each other up in Christ. We need to learn to do it.