Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayerful attention to Philippians chapter 4 and
reading for our text verse 19. But my God shall supply all your
need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Paul's epistle to the Philippians
chapter 4 and verse 19, God supplying our every need. Now the Apostle Paul, he was
at this time in Rome, and from what is said in the very start
of this epistle, we gather in bond there. For three times we
have, from verse 13 in the first chapter, a mention of his bonds. He says, so that my bonds in
Christ, in verse 13, are manifest in all the palace and in all
other places. And then in verse 14, and many
of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by my bonds are much
more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ,
even of envy and strife, and some also of goodwill. And then
in verse 16, the one preached Christ of contention, not sincerely
supposing to add affliction to my bonds. And so the picture
is said that he is writing there from Rome, from the position
where he was in bonds there. Now, the occasion was that those
in Philippi, the apostle was very dear to them. He was the
first preacher of the gospel to them. You can read that in
Acts, how the apostle was prevented from going to Asia or Bithynia,
but then given a vision to come over into Macedonia, of which
Philippi was the chief city and going over to them, finding those
that were by the riverside, where prayer was wont to be made. Lydia,
whose heart the Lord opened, then the Philippian jailer, in
jail and all his household, the beginning of that church, he
was their first preacher of the gospel and also the means of
their conversion. It is no wonder that they were
very fond of him. And it's a good thing where the
Lord so blesses his servants and gives a real union to them
because of how the Lord has used them. And this is what the apostle
had here. And he not only had the token
of how the Lord had used him, but the expressed and practical
love to him as well. So hearing that he was a prisoner
in Rome, they send their minister, Epaphroditus, and he visits him. But they don't just send him
empty, they send a present to support him under his afflictions
and circumstances. And when he came, Epaphroditus,
their minister and pastor, he related to Paul, what the church
was doing, how they were getting on there at Philippi. And so when he departed and he
went back then to Philippi, the Apostle then sends this letter
with him. And the letter has several reasons
for it. He expresses his love and his
affection to them. He gives account of his bonds
and the things that were happening, even the usefulness of them and
how he was supported under those bonds, and to encourage them
in their own sufferings and afflictions and the things that they were
going through, and also to caution them against false teachers,
and then to exhort them to holy life and conversation. of course to return thanks for
the present that they had sent and that is what is in the chapter
and it goes before the apostle had said how the lord had supplied
his every need but then he says in verse 14 notwithstanding ye
have done well that ye did communicate with my affliction and the thing
that was so encouraging to paul was not so much the gift, but
that it was fruit, that it was a sweet savour. He says in verse
18, But I have all and abound, I am full, having received of
Epaphrodite as the things which were sent from you, an odour
of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to
God. He had been given through their
care, through their love, a real sweet evidence of the reality
of the work done in them. Not only had it been begun, but
it was continuing, and it was bringing forth fruit. Wherever
the love of God is, it will always bring forth fruit. In the very
early church, the effect there was to loosen their hand of their
goods as those that had lands, those that had plenty they sold,
they gave to those that had little. Often you have the Church of
God going in other parts, sending back to Jerusalem and to minister
to their needs, being mindful the gospel went out from Jerusalem,
mindful of the Lord's people in adversity, and helping them,
communicating, with them in their needs. And this is the fruit
that the Apostle saw. May we never neglect that. May we never pass over that. May we have the effect that these
Philippians had, a real evidence that they loved the Apostle for
the true sake. The Lord had really blessed them,
and it had affected and touched their lives. That is always an
encouragement. It's encouragement to hear that
the Lord has blessed the ministry. And it's a real encouragement
as well when he uses those blessed to supply needs. And the encouragement is more
the fact that the heart has been opened through the word than
even that which is sent. And this is what the apostle
says here and speaks here. But then from that which they
had given him, then he says to them, and this is the word of
our text, that my God shall supply all your need according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Some would think, well, if we
have needs, if we are poor, if we have there is needs, then
wait until they're supplied and then we can supply others. But you often find this, that
it is those that have needs themselves that are sympathetic to others'
needs and help them and pray for them and practically supply
their needs. And so the apostle here He is
mindful of this, even though they'd supplied his need, they
had needs as well. And so he wishes this, desires
this of them, and you can either look at it as a desire, or as
one of the beautiful shells in the word of God. Not my God might
supply, but my God shall. supply all your need, and I believe
he knew this from how their hearts had been opened. He wouldn't
leave them to come short, he wouldn't leave them wanting because
of their helping others. The Lord's people are not impoverished
by communicating, helping, praying for, supporting others of their
brethren. I want to look with thee Lord's
help this morning, firstly at the supplier, my God shall supply. The supplier is Paul's God. And then secondly, that supplied
is spoken of as all your need, not just some, all your need. And then thirdly, the measure
of that supply. It is according to his riches
in glory by Christ Jesus. But firstly, we have the supplier. The Apostle Paul had received
blessings through Epaphroditus, But he looks beyond the means
used, and he looks to the supplier. And it's good for us to be able
to trace this as well in everything in our lives. Whatever means
has been used, whoever has been used to convey these things,
all things come forth from God. David, when he had made provision
for the temple that Solomon should build, he says that he had given
also his own proper wealth, but then he acknowledges that all
of that also had all come from the Lord. He was only giving
back to the Lord what the Lord had given. But we might say,
well why does the apostle Say, my God shall supply all your
need and not your God shall supply all your need. Really, it is one in the same.
It's not two gods, the God of the Apostle and the God of the
Philippians. They're the same, same God. But right through Scripture,
there is a looking back to the blessings of a former generation
And quite often you have the phrase, the God of our fathers. Peter, when he is speaking to
the Jews, when he in Acts chapter three, we read of him, the God
of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers. hath glorified his Son, Jesus,
whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate,
when ye determined to let him go." So, Peter, he directs back
to the God of those who had gone before, a link to the past, a
link to those whose blessings from that God were recorded,
were already established. And you have that as well in
Acts 5, Peter, after or before the Jews at the council, he with
the other apostles, he says, we ought to obey God rather than
men. The God of our fathers raised
up Jesus whom you slew and hanged on a tree. And you see the link. The Jews were trying to think,
well, Jesus is contrary to Moses, contrary to the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. But they say, no, it is the God
of our fathers. And the Apostle Paul had a personal
reason why he would do that as well. When he was blessed, And
he records this in Acts 22, when Ananias was sent to him to receive
his sight after God met with him on the Damascus road. And he says this in verse 12,
1, Ananias, devout man, according to the law, having a good report
of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me and stood And said
unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sign. And the same hour I
looked up upon him. And he said, that is, Ananias
said to Paul, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that
thou shouldest know his will, and see that just one, and shouldest
hear the voice of his mouth. And so when the Apostle says
to the Philippians that, My God shall supply all your need, he
also bring before them that his needs had been supplied. He is
in the former part of this letter described how the Lord had helped
him both in adversity, in prosperity, supplying his need, helping him
through persecution, through bonds. And having stated that,
he says to them, my God, the God that has helped me will help
you. He will supply all your need
as he has supplied my need. And so they could look upon him
as an example. as one that was able to testify
his God was a good God, even though he was in bonds, even
though he had to suffer, need it sometimes, he said, I have
learned in whatever state I am there with, be content. And so
his word is to point them to the same source, to the same
God. It's a good thing when we can
do that. You know, we've had some times
in the past, neighbours that have come, worldly neighbours,
neighbours that have not known the Lord, and they've come to
us just to unburden or to seek for help, and we listen to them,
sympathise with them however we can, but then say to them,
we'll bring you to where we go, where we get our strength and
our wisdom and help from, And we bring them to the Word of
God, read the Word of God to them, and pray with them and
for them. And it's a good thing where we
are not silent about the source, where our help comes. The psalmist
is very clear. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall
not want. He says, my help cometh from
the Lord, which made heaven and earth. And he gives that glory
and honor to the Lord. And so the supplier is my God,
shall supply all your need. Maybe help to look, look past
the means. And no doubt with the Philippians
receiving this letter, and when their needs were supplied, as
no doubt they were, to have that token that their God was Paul's
God, that they had the same God, the same supplier. Now, sometimes
the Lord's people, before they know they're the Lord's people,
they look upon the Lord's people, and they see them as the excellent
of the earth, they might hear of some things that the Lord
has done for them, and they see how God has blessed them and
favoured them. And as the time goes on, the
Lord then visits them and blesses them in the same way. And at
first they may not realize it, and then the Lord brings to remembrance
what they viewed of others and how they looked upon them as
the excellent of the earth and how God had blessed them, and
then realized that they had been partakers of those same blessings,
those same helms. I wonder how many of us can think
back to those of God's dear people who we've had a godly jealousy
for, we've seen how the Lord has helped them, and then realised
when the Lord has shown what he's done for us, that we also
know the same blessings, the same hallmarks of the eternal
God, the same blessings through our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a good thing. when we think,
well, the blessings that we have, we are not unique. We are not
the only ones that shall receive such blessings. To be able to
say, and especially to those that we can clearly see the Lord
has begun to work in, that they shall receive the same blessings
as us. To think upon our children, to
think upon grandchildren, to think upon those following generations
they will know the same blessings, helps, the supply of need as
what we have had. Sometimes a parent, we can get
very concerned, very worried when we hear perhaps the things
that our children are going through. But the apostle here, may we
be like him and be able to say to them, or feel persuaded in
our own hearts that our God will also supply their need. May that
be an encouragement to us, to the supplier, my God. But secondly, that supply which
we have set forth by the Apostle as all your need. Often thought it was a very sad
word that Esau said to Jacob. And Jacob came and he tried to
appease his brother's wrath by sending grove after grove and
presents of an earthly nature. And although he did receive them
in the end, Esau said to Jacob, I have enough. He had no need
of that which Jacob said, I have enough. Now you might say, well
yeah, he had enough earthly things. But I think the solemn thing
is, with Esau, he didn't know the Lord, and he didn't fear
the Lord, and he didn't need those blessings. He was very
angry at first, very upset, because he thought that the blessing
had gone to Jacob, indeed it had, but that he would then miss
out. But then when Jacob comes back,
and of course it was the Lord's blessing that brought peace between
them, but Esau realizes, actually he still has had blessings. earthly blessings, temporal blessings,
but he was happy with them. He felt he hadn't missed out
on them. So when we have this all your
need, what a great blessing this is, if we don't just have needs
of health, of strength, of food, of raiment, that which all have
need of. Remember our Lord cautioned in
his ministry about being anxious and careful. What shall we eat? Wherewithal shall we be clothed? He says that, the Lord knoweth
that ye have need of all these things, but seek ye first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be
added unto you. So when the apostle says, all
your need, and he's already expressed of what a sweet savour and odour
their present was to him, he has a view not just for temporal
things, though like he'd received from them, he had received temporal
things, but he has an eye to spiritual blessings and favours
in the soul. The needs of the people of God
is life. The Lord says, I give unto them
eternal life. He had given to these Philippians
eternal life. But then when we think of the
parable of the vine, I am the vine, ye are the branches. The
branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine. These Philippians, they needed
that supply, you and I. Need that supply from the Lord
as a constant union and constant supply. That is our vital need. The Lord says, without me you
can do nothing. That is a need of all the people
of God. The Apostle Paul, he had valued
grace. Remember when he had the thorn
in the flesh, the messenger of Satan, to buffet him, even in
this chapter. He says, I know how to be a base,
I know how to abound, everywhere in all things I am instructed,
both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer
need. I can do all things through Christ,
which strengtheneth me. They needed strength, the same
as He needed strength. They needed grace, as He needed
grace. My grace is sufficient for thee. And the apostle says, by the
grace of God, I am what I am. And so, when he says all their
need, it is supplying that spiritual name. Man shall not live by bread
only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
the Lord. They needed that food. Give us
this day our daily bread. That is, for the people of God,
the manna from heaven, the spiritual food that is to be had day by
day. We need that keeping, kept by
the power of God through faith unto salvation. The Philippians
needed that. He'd already warned them about
false teachers, about errors. We need keeping. We have that
need ourselves. No man can keep alive his own
soul. the Lord can, the Lord can deliver
and does deliver his people from errors. He gives that wisdom
that is from above, that is where Solomon got his from, that's
where all the people of God get their wisdom from, is from our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It's a blessed thing, and though
it may be a painful thing to feel our need of prayer, our
need of spiritual gifts and helps, and feel to be very poor things
spiritually, but it's a blessed thing if we feel our need of
that. The ungodly, the unregenerate
do not feel their need of that. The dead, they know nothing,
and many of us Before we were called by grace, we had no need
of any of those spiritual things. We may ask ourselves now, why
is it that now we have need of things that many years ago we
did not? We did, but we didn't feel it.
We didn't look to God for it. We didn't acknowledge his hand
for it. Who's made that difference? Have
we that new nature? Have we that new life? needs
spiritual food, that needs things that the world does not show
any evidence of a need of at all. There's a real token for
good in that. In effect, the apostle is saying,
you as the Lord's people, you that are laid upon my heart as
the Lord's people, I know that you will have needs, but God
will supply those needs. but you will feel those needs.
Sometimes we think if we're gonna be a good Christian, we will
never feel our need, we'll never feel our lack of grace and our
poverty of spirit and our unrighteousness and never feel the strength and
power of sin or the pull of the world and have the need for the
Lord to give us help to overcome it. But we will, we will feel
those needs. And the Apostle, he's very clear,
he did have those times when he is hungry, when he did suffer
need. But in the Lord's time and way,
he does supply that need. He does provide what is needed. We live in a world that wants
everything straight away, doesn't want to wait for it. and think,
well, if we don't get it straight away, then our needs are not
being supplied. But God supplies a need in his
own time and his own way. I think of those of Jacob and
his sons when the famine was in Canaan in Egypt. Then they were brought into need,
and they had to go down to Egypt where God had provided for them
to provide that need, but they had to feel their lack. And their
need was what drove them, in spite of the hard man that they
thought was in Egypt, to go again and again. And their need was
what drove them. And so it's not a mark against
us to have these needs. And in fact, it's a blessed thing
to have this promise that not some, but all of our needs be
supplied. We might say, how are those means
supplied? Well here, one was through this
pastor being sent and bringing temporal things to the Apostle. He looks past him and he sees
God moving them and supplying. We have another where the Spirit
is given, the Holy Spirit. He shall receive it, mine shall
show it unto you, though I am with you all way, even to the
end of the world. The power of God brings the helps
to the people of God. The Word of God is the means.
that is food for the souls of the people of God, to those in
Thessalonica, the word came not in word only, but in demonstration
of the Spirit and of power. And then the angels, they also
are sent to minister to them that are heirs, according to
salvation. So we cannot see them. We deal with principalities and
powers, spiritual wickedness in high places, but also spiritual
powers and blessings and angels, like Elisha proved as he had
the host of the Syrian army round about him, and his servant said,
alas, master, how shall we do? And Elisha said, there are more
with us than be with them, but the servant, he couldn't see
that. And then Elisha prayed that The Lord would open his
eyes, and then he saw round about the mountain, the Lord's host,
chariots of fire, unseen, and yet there, the angel of the Lord
encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them. There's many things we do not
know. We think of how Peter was delivered
out of prison. And Paul, he knows. He knows
that his God is able to supply not just some, but all their
needs. What I find is very beautiful
with this and with our God. In temporal things, So if we
had, with our home, if we had something go wrong with the electrics,
and we had a friend that was a good electrician, he'd be able
to supply our need and fix those electrics. But then if we had
something wrong with the plumbing, and we said, well, this man has
been so good with the electrics, we're gonna go to him. And you
went to him and you said, I haven't got a clue what to do with plumbing.
I can't help you, you've got to find someone else now. And
you think of many things like that in our lives, they're specialized. But when it comes to the author
and the one that is ordering all of these needs, whatever
they be, it is one source, one great physician, one great supplier,
the cattle upon a thousand hills are his. and he has all men's
hearts in his hand. He is like the builder, and we've
had work done in this chapel in the past where we've had a
builder, and that builder then, he calls for the roofer, he calls
for the electrician, he calls for the bricklayer, he coordinates
all of those trades. We don't go to each of those
trades, we just go to the builder, and he orders them all. And the
apostle here, he directs the path, The Lord is the one that
is ordering all of these that shall supply the needs of the
Philippians, and our needs. And this is a good lesson to
us. The Lord is over all, all men's hearts. Everything is in
his hand. He opened his hand. He satisfies
the desire of every living thing. It is the Lord, and great comfort,
encouragement, assurance can come to the people of God when
they look past the means, and that they see the Lord who has
ordered these things, and especially when it has been in answer to
prayer, or when these Philippians had received the needs, they
would have said, this is what the Apostle said would happen,
this is The supply that He said, my God, which shall supply all
your need, and He has. Apostles God is our God, because
we have had this need from Him. So what is the measure? That
is our last point. And in our text it says, according
to His riches, in glory by Christ Jesus. In the book of Psalms, Psalm
104, we read this in verse 24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them
all, The earth is full of thy riches. And throughout the Sámi
traces, where all the riches of the Lord are, in the sea and
on the earth, all of the creation of God, all belongs to the Lord. He has made it, he has formed
it, all of these things. When we first read this word,
it looks like riches in glory as in the glory of heaven. And
of course we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in heaven. He is our Advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the Righteous. He is there, but in the original
it is pointing more in this way, not the place of glory, but that
which is glorious, that which is to the honour and praise and
worship of God, all exalting the Lord Jesus Christ according
to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. In the Lord Jesus Christ,
what is given is to His praise and glory. You know, if we had
someone that was very rich here below, and they helped out someone
that was poor, and someone saw what they'd given, and they may
be given something that was inferior or secondhand, you look at that
gift and you say, that doesn't give glory to the giver, because
it's rather impoverished. It's not what you would expect
from that person. But what is set forth here is
as the supplier is God, and as these riches are being supplied
by the Lord Jesus Christ, they are glorious. They are things
to be looked at, and when we look at them, they reflect His
goodness. They are gifts as coming from
Him. When one king on earth goes to
visit another, we have heads of state come to our king, they
bring gifts, but what do they bring? Do they bring something
just ordinary? Or what you and I could afford? Or do they bring things that
are studded with silver and gold and precious stones, things that
are worth thousands of pounds as one king to another. You think
of Queen Yeshiva going to Solomon and all what she brought to him. It reflected who she was. The gifts that she was giving
reflected. And we should be able to see
the same in that measure that the Lord gives. It returns that
glory and honour unto the Lord. especially when we think of our
needs in a spiritual way. The fullness in the Lord Jesus
Christ. It hath pleased the Father that
in him should all fullness dwell. Every grace, every favour, it
comes to us through Jesus' precious blood. It has the answer of the
Lord's handiwork on it. It is precious and that is what
The Apostle, when he receives this food, this help from the
Philippian church, he is not just looking at this, what he
has received. He's looking at it and he describes
it like this, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable,
well-pleasing to God, because it comes from God. It is the
effect of the work in their hearts flowing forth. This people have
I formed for myself, they shall show forth my praise. Our goodness,
it extended not to God, but unto the excellent that are in the
earth. The Lord says that one that gives
a cup of cold water in the name of disciple shall not lose his
reward. Those that receive a cup of cold
water in the name of the disciple, they are seeing this as from
the Lord, from the Lord's hand, that which the Lord has done.
And when we see providences, and be able to say this is the
Lord's doing, is marvellous in our eyes. To say like Laban,
Beth, you said, when Abraham's servant came for Rebekah, the
thing proceedeth from the Lord. It doesn't just proceed from
Abraham and his servant and the providence. No, they trace it
right from the Lord and they give glory to the Lord. And this is the measure. This
is how the apostle viewed that God would supply the need of
the Philippians according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus. We should not have small thoughts
of the provision in God and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord
has suffered, bled and died, put away the sin of his people. He has appeased the wrath of
God. It is his wrath-ending sacrifice. He has made a way that God can
be just. and yet the justifier of the
ungodly, He can give, and yet justly, righteously, give to
those that deserve it not, show mercy to poor sinners, that which
is not earned, but that which is given by grace, and that which
reflects the goodness and kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ to His
people. One aspect will always be, and
I trust we've known something of it, that we are not deserving. Now many of the saints have testified
of this, I am not worthy of all of the favour, of all of the
good, of all of the kindness that has been shown unto us. We view ourselves, we view our
sins, but the way that it's been given has not been according
to our worthiness or what we've deserved, but according to His
riches, according to His goodness and kindness. You think of on
the cross, our Lord suffering, being crucified, maligned by
those around about Him, They really deserve wrath and condemnation. But what does the Lord say? Father,
forgive them, they know not what they do. What happens at the
Day of Pentecost, they are pricked in the heart by the Spirit. He
sends that spirit of conviction through Peter's ministry. And
then they are blessed, they are forgiven, they are pardoned.
Those riches, that comes from the fullness, grace and mercy
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. So this is what this
Word means. This is what the Apostle is sending
to the Philippians. And may we view this Word as
to ourselves as well, because this Word is part of the inspired
Word of God, and is that which The Lord supplies not just to
Paul, not just to the Philippians, but to all of his blood-bought
people. He is good to all. He supplies
the need of all his living family. He is the supplier, not just
some, but of all their need. And that supply gives glory and
honour to the Lord. And may we be of those who do
give the honour and glory to the Lord. But my God shall supply
all your need according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus. Amen.