Provision Series: Promises of God Philippians 4:19 September 6, 2020

Welcome again to worship. I invite you to turn to page 5 in your bulletin, or if you are online, grab a pad of paper, or maybe establish a spiritual journal where you can keep your sermon notes to review them later. Today, we are continuing of series “Promises of God.” We are looking at seven promises of God that we can rely on as the dawn of a new day. This week is week 5. We’ve looked at: 1. Presence: God will be with you. 2. Protection: God will protect you. 3. Strength: God will be your strength. 4. Answer: God will answer you. Today, we will look at God’s Provision. Write down “Provision. LECTIONARY PASSAGES We are going to look at one of those passages that is not in the lectionary. Philippians 4:19: And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ .1 The book of Philippians is a tremendous epistle in the . Writing from a prison cell, Paul gives the people of , a town in Greece, some incredible truths. If you are using your own , I’m sure you have several verses in chapter 4 underlined. • Verse 4: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!2 • Verse 6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.3 • Verse 7: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.4 • Verse 13: I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me.5 Now in verse 19 we have this magnificent promise: And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.6 When Paul was with the Philippians, they had supplied his needs, and now Paul assures them that God will supply all their needs. There are six things I see here in Philippians 4:19: First, it is personal. “My God.” MATT AND HIS NEW BED

1 Philippians 4:19 (NRSV) 2 Philippians 4:4 (NIV) 3 Philippians 4:6 (NIV) 4 Philippians 4:7 (NRSV) 5 Philippians 4:13 (NRSV) 6 Philippians 4:19 (NRSV) 1

There were plenty of other people Myra could have promised to provide bedding for, but with Matt, it is personal. We have a relationship. There were plenty of people who knew Jesus in His day. Plenty. There are plenty of people today who know (head knowledge) of Jesus. But a personal relationship is required. You must give your life to Him, must have a personal relationship with God. Otherwise, you are not His child, and why should He provide for you. Second, it is complete. “will fully satisfy”. I don’t know, but I’m sure I can assume that there is something, some food, that you just love and can’t stop eating. When I was a kid, my mom would make meatloaf for dinner, and you all know how much I love meatloaf. I would eat so much and get so full that my mom said she could see it in my eyes. I get so full that I have to go a lay down on the couch. I didn’t know what that was called until I lived in Georgia for a few years. After a big meal, you have to have a “sinkin’ spell.” Go lay down. The Greek word for “will fully satisfy” is play-ro'-o7. It literally means to cram as in a net or a bag, to level up as in a hole, and thus figuratively, to furnish.8 God will cram into your life; He will fully satisfy. Third, it is your needs. “every need of yours.” When I started learning about personal finance, I discovered that there are three classifications for stuff in our lives. There are needs, wants, and desires: Needs: the things we must have. Dave Ramsey teaches there are four categories of needs. He calls them the 4 walls to provide for your house: 1. Food 2. Shelter 3. Transportation 4. Clothing People get themselves in financial trouble when they buy other things before they have provided for these four things. Second, there are wants. These are the things we would like to have and are in reach or close to it. BLUETOOTH HEADSET. That’s a want. Finally, there are desires. These are the things we dream of doing, but have to work hard to achieve. It might be a degree or a skill that requires a lot of hard work. It might be a dream trip. HOLY LAND These are desires. Here’s the thing. We have a tendency to classify our desires and our wants into needs. I need a brand new car. I need the latest television and all the streaming content available. I need shoes in every color of the rainbow and more. And how do you know that you have transferred “wants” to “needs”? Talk to an impartial person. Tell them, “I need an airplane,” and see what their response is. But tell them your need – “I need food, I need shelter, I need transportation, I need clothing” – and they will agree with you.

7 πληρόω 8 Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary, #4137 2

Paul tells the Philippians “my God will fully satisfy every need.” I can pray, “Lord, give me an airplane. I need it.” You know what He will say to the angels? “That’s a funny one.” No, I don’t need an airplane. But pray, “Lord, I need help, I need guidance, I need assurance, I need peace and comfort” and God will supply your need. God doesn’t promise to provide for your greed; only your need. That mattress that Matt finally threw out; it was purchased from a gift from my home church when I was in seminary. They didn’t know what I needed; they just felt the Lord telling them to give. Fourth, it is plentiful. “According to his riches.” The Greek word here is kata.9 It means inasmuch, in proportion to. Romans 11:33 reads: Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge!...10 My dad used to like to quote Psalm 50:10, that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. We tend to think in scarcity, of limits. We say, “There is only so much to go around.” But we are human; God is God, and His resources are plentiful. He has what you need to deal with your upside down world crisis, and more. He has what you need when you are seeking His will, plus so much more. He has what you need to be the Christian He wants you to be, in proportion to His riches. Fifth, it is infinite. “In glory.” There once was a young couple who served in youth ministry in seminary. The couple was living on a meager salary. On one particular night, they were down to 13 cents in their bank account. They were getting paid the next day, but they were out of lots of supplies, including toilet paper! After a period of frustration, they decided to pray for God to provide. That night, their youth group did what many youth groups do—they “TPed” their home. That means they threw toilet paper all over their house, yard, and trees. But this group didn’t really know what they were doing, so they only used one roll. They left the rest of the package on the doorstep, knocked on the door, and ran off. When the young couple opened the door, they found that their prayer was answered! Paul says: And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.11 “In glory” could be translated “in a glorious way.” God draws from the source that is the wealthiest source known to humanity. It is the bank of heaven. Thus, the source will never be depleted; it will never dry up. Finally, it is reliable. “In Christ Jesus.” This is the same Christ who lived His entire life without sin. Can you make it a day, a week, without sinning? It is through Christ, whose followers we are, that God will dispense every requisite blessing of providence, grace, and glory, to you. Christ provides our means of salvation, and we rely on that. Christ provides the truth of the Father, and we rely on that. Christ provides the Holy Spirit in our lives, and we rely on that.

9 κατά 10 Romans 11:33 (NLT2) 11 Philippians 4:19 (NRSV) 3

Christ is the means of all our blessings. We can trust that God will always meet our needs. Whatever we need on earth, He will always supply. Whatever we need in heaven, He will supply. The Psalmist wrote: The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.12 2 Corinthians 9:8 says: And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.13 You can trust God’s provision.

12 Psalm 23:1 (NRSV) 13 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT2) 4