Let us turn again to God's Word
in that portion of Holy Scripture we were reading Philippians chapter
4. I'll read again the portion from
verse 15 to verse 18. Now ye Philippians know also
that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia
no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving
but ye only For even in Thessalonica he sent once and again unto my
necessity, not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that
may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound, I
am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from
you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable while
pleasing to God. and centering especially on those
words that we have in that last verse, verse 18. And to say something with regards
to the spiritual sacrifice of the Philippians. Paul writes,
I have all and abound, I am full having received of Epaphroditus
the things which were sent from you. an odor of a sweet smell,
a sacrifice acceptable while pleasing to God." There then
at the end of that 18th verse he speaks of their spiritual
sacrifice. It's interesting how that previously
at verse 15 he makes mention of the beginning of the gospel. The beginning of the Gospel is
referring to the time when the Gospel first came to them, and
of course we have the record of it there in Acts chapter 16,
in the opening chapter of this epistle. Verse 5, he speaks of
your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now. From when he first went amongst
them and preached the Gospel to them, there were those who
did embrace that Gospel. those women who were with Lydia
of course and then subsequently the remarkable conversion of
the jailer there at Philippi and how the church was established
and from the very outset they were a people who were very thankful
and they manifested that they manifested their gratitude in
the way in which they sought to minister to the Apostle Paul
and those who were associated with him. Immediately with faith
we begin to see in those Philippians something of the fruit of faith. It was from Philippi there in
Macedonia, the northern parts of Greece, that Paul subsequently
moved on and went to Thessalonica also there in those northern
regions and then moving south he comes to Corinth. and doesn't
he speak here of how even after he had departed they were concerned
for him and they continued to seek to minister to him. In verse 16 he says, even in
Thessalonica, ye sent once and again to my necessity." And then
as he moves further south and goes into the region of Achaia,
the southern parts of Greece, and is to be found there at Corinth,
they're still concerned and they're still ministering to him. And the Apostle reminds the Corinthians
of that support that came from Macedonia, from the Philippians. When I was present with you,
he writes in 2 Corinthians 11 9, and wanted, I was chargeable
to no man, for that which was lacking to me, the brethren which
came from Macedonia supplied." Oh, there were those who came
from Philippi that they might minister on behalf of those Philippians
to the Apostle who had there moved on to exercise his ministry
in Corinth. and they were continually then
interested in his well-being. There was certain communication
between him and those whom he had left behind at Philippi. And he, here as we come to this
last chapter of the epistle, is thankful that they have opportunity
again. to minister to him. In verse 10 he says, I rejoice
in the Lord greatly that now at the last your care of me has
flourished again wherein you were also careful but ye lacked
opportunity. or they would minister to him,
it wasn't that Paul was constantly looking for this supply of his
needs, he had learned something of the grace of contentment as
he says in the 11th verse, not that I speak in respect of want,
for I have learned. in whatsoever state I am therewith
to be content that blessed grace of contentment and yet a thankfulness
when they were concerned to minister to his particular needs. Now there is that necessity then
of contentment and Paul knew it because he was living the
life of faith and that life of course is a life of many changes In the 55th Psalm, the Psalmist
speaks of the ungodly who have no changes. Therefore he says,
I fear not God, but God has so appointed things with regards
to the godly in this world as they seek to walk in that narrow
way, as they live that life wherein they are continually looking
to the Lord and trusting in the Lord, they will have changes. And Paul says here in verse 11,
I have learned in whatsoever state I am, whether he's abounding,
whether he's suffering need, whatever, he will be content
as he looks to the Lord who will supply his every need. And where did he learn this contentment?
Well he learned it from the Lord Jesus Christ. It's interesting
what he says here in verses 11 and 12. and observe the verbs that he
used he says I have learned I know I know I am instructed I have
learned in whatever state I am therewith to be content I know
both how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and
in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry
both to abound and to suffer need Now we have to learn these
things. But isn't that the great promise
of the New Covenant, that they're all going to be taught of God? The language that we have there,
particularly in the book of the Prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 31-34, They shall teach
no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord, for they shall all know Me. from the least of
them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord. For I will forgive
their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." The Lord
is the one who is the teacher, the instructor of his people. And this word that we have, particularly
in verse 12, I am instructed, he says, both to be full and
to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. And that
verb, to instruct, interestingly, it's the root of the word mystery
that we have in 1 Timothy 3.16. Without controversy, great is
the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit. You know the verse, it's a great
text of scripture that we have there in 1 Timothy 3.16. the
mystery of godliness, the mystery of godly living, that life that
is continually feeding upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, that
word mystery is derived from this verb that we have here in
verse 12, I am instructed, and I wouldn't normally commend the
rendering in one of the modern versions, but it's interesting
in the Revised Standard Version that the verb is rendered, I
have learned the secret. I have learned the mystery. I
am instructed in the mystery. He's been instructed in the mystery
of contentment. He is content as he lives the
life of faith. as he's looking to the Lord Jesus
Christ and he knows that God will supply all his needs according
to those riches in glory by Christ Jesus as he says here at verse
19. He had to learn this contentment
then from the only one who was able to teach it and that is
the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And so this contentment that
he speaks of at the end of verse 11, is such as will continually
lead him to Christ. He is always looking to Christ.
What does he say in verse 13? I can do all things through Christ
which strengthens me. And as this contentment causes
him to be looking to the Lord Jesus Christ, so it leads to
prayer as he says in verse 6, be careful for nothing. But in
everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgivings, let your
requests be made known unto God." This is the life then that is
to be lived. But coming to the actual text
that I announced, having made some remarks with regards to
the context here, let's turn to verse 18 in particular, and
to that theme of the spiritual sacrifice. that he commends in
these Philippians. Then at the end of the verse
he speaks of an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable
while pleasing to God. But first of all as we come to
the verse to say something with regards to the ministry of Epaphroditus. As he says at the first part
of the verse, I have all and abound, I am full, having received
of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you. Now, Epaphroditus is mentioned
previously here in the second chapter and there at verse 25
following. I suppose it necessary, he says,
to send to you a Patroditus, my brother and companion in labor
and fellow-soldier, but your messenger and he that minuted
to my wants, for he longed after you all and was full of heaviness
because he had heard that he had been sick." He was one of
Paul's companions, he'd obviously continued with the apostle after
he'd been ministering there amongst the Philippians but he'd been
sick and now we see him here very much as Paul's companion
even Paul's amanuensis because it seems likely that this epistle
was actually copied out by Epaphroditus. We have that note at the end.
Now I'm not saying that's part of the inspired text but it's
an ancient note. It was written to the Philippians
from Rome by Epaphroditus, it says. He was certainly the bearer
of the letter. He carried the letter from Paul
to the Philippians and it seemed very likely that he was the one
who had served Paul in that capacity. as an amanuensis. He'd written
out the letter for the apostle. But he is the Philippians' messenger. That's how Paul describes him.
There in chapter 2.25 He says, My brother and companion
in labor and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that
ministered to my wants. The interesting thing is that
the word that we have there, messenger, is actually the word
that is usually in the New Testament translated apostle. Apostle is simply a transliteration
of the of the Greek words. But if we render it into English,
the obvious translation would then be a messenger, an apostolism
messenger. And of course, there in chapter
2, it's a word that's being used in a very general sense. He was a messenger. He was sent
on a mission by the Philippians. And Paul speaks of others in
2 Corinthians 8.23. He speaks of those who were messengers
of the churches. There were these various ones
who were obviously moving from place to place. Paul is continually
on the move as he exercises his great ministry as the apostle
to the Gentiles. And we have the record there
in the Acts of all his missionary journeys. But there were some
who were obviously taking messages from one place
to another, and Paul often replies to them in these various epistles. But we're not to imagine that
Apatrodysseus was an apostle, he was a messenger. Paul does
use the word quite deliberately in a more technical sense with
regards to his own office. in the opening verse of the epistle
to the Galatians and again in the opening verses of 1st and
2nd Corinthians he very much announces himself to be an apostle
not of men but of Jesus Christ. He is using the word in a very
technical sense and of course with the Corinthians he has to
constantly assert the truth of his apostleship because they
were false teachers who had crept in, who were seeking to undermine
the confidence of the Corinthians with regards to the ministry
of Paul. And so there in chapter 9 of 1 Corinthians, Am I not
an apostle? he asks. Am I not true? Have I not seen Jesus Christ
our Lord? Well that was one of the marks
of the apostles, they were witnesses to the truth of the resurrection.
And he asked those Corinthians, Are you not my work in the Lord?
If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you. For
the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord. And then he can say again in
the second epistle, Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought
among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty
deeds. He uses the word then sometimes
in that very limited sense, that particular and specific sense
of those who occupy the office of an apostle, but sometimes
it's used in that more general sense, simply referring to those
who were messengers. And this is what Apatroditus
was. He was a messenger. from the
church at Philippi but how dear he was unto Paul and how concerned
Paul is for the well-being of those Philippians because this
man who was their messenger had been very sick but Paul says
I sent him therefore the more carefully that when you see him
again you may rejoice and that I may be the less sorrowful Receive
him therefore in the Lord with all gladness and hold such in
reputation. He was a man highly regarded
by Paul and much loved by the Philippians. And so Paul says
here at the beginning of the verse, I have all and abound,
I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which
were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice
acceptable while pleasing to God. Well let's come in the second
place to the sacrifice of the Philippians, the spiritual sacrifice
that they make. And observe here that they're
not only ministering to Paul, but they're also ministering
to God himself. It's an odour, says the Apostle,
of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable while pleasing to
God. God takes account of it. God
recognizes it for its great worth. It's a sacrifice. What are they
doing, these people? They're ministering to the saints
of God. They're ministering to the apostle.
And remember what the Lord says concerning that final judgment
when he speaks of it there in Matthew 25. And we have that
word, that lovely word, inasmuch Inasmuch as ye did it to one
of these, says the Lord, ye did it unto me. That passage there in Matthew
25, 37. Then shall the righteous answer
him, saying, Lord, whence were we thee and hungered and fed
thee, or thirsty and gave thee drink? Whence were we thee a
stranger and took thee in, or naked and clothed? Or whence
were we thee sick or in prison and came unto thee? And the king
shall answer and say unto them, Verily, I say unto you, Inasmuch
as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
ye have done it unto me. How the Lord takes account then
of what His people do as they seek by His grace to be ministering
to the needs of their fellow believers. It's a sacrifice.
and it's acceptable, it's well-pleasing. It's interesting how even in
the Old Testament the sacrifices are recognized as being such
as we have in the words of our text. The sweet smell, a sacrifice
acceptable after the universal floods in the days of Noah when
again Noah is brought onto the dry land and God's judgment has
passed. Remember there in chapter 8 of
Genesis, Noah makes a sacrifice. It was a bloody sacrifice, of
course. And what are we told concerning that, that he presented?
It says, the Lord smelled a sweet savor. The Lord smelled a sweet
savor. It was a sacrifice. It was an
expression, doubtless of thanksgiving by Noah, how he and his family
had been preserved when God had visited a terrible judgment upon
the evils of that antediluvian world. God had destroyed them. Now, Noah, of course, is the
father of the race, the human race. All descends from Noah. All initially descend from Adam
and Eve, but there's the destruction of all, and all are now All of
us descended from that man Noah who presented that sacrifice
in which the Lord smelled a sweet sacrifice. But all those bloody
sacrifices in the Old Testament are leading up to and pointing
to the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And how Paul speaks of Christ's
sacrifice there in Ephesians 5.2 He says, walk in love as
Christ also has loved us and has given himself for us an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. And in the context here in the
end of Ephesians 4, the beginning of Ephesians 5, what Paul is
doing really is reminding the Ephesians, reminding us that
this is a real motivation to good works he says at the end
of chapter 4 let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor
and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and
be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as
God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you be ye therefore followers
of God as their children and walk in love as Christ also hath
loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet-smelling savour, but fornication, and all uncleanness,
or covetousness, let it not be once named among you as becometh
saints, neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting,
which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks." What
is the motivation to godly living? It's because God hath forgiven.
And why has God forgiven? Because Christ has presented
a sacrifice that is well-pleasing, a sweet-smelling savour to God.
There's a motivation. It's always in the Lord Jesus
Christ. And of course, we know that all
believers are to be priests offering sacrifices. All of us, we are
a royal priesthood. That's what Peter says. 1 Peter
2.9, you are a chosen generation, he says, a royal priesthood,
and holy nation, a peculiar people that you should show forth the
praises of him who hath called you. All believers are those who are to present sacrifices
continually to God. What is Peter speaking of there
when he speaks of a royal priesthood? He's speaking of all believers.
All believers. Not just the Roman Catholic priesthood. How the Roman Church divides
into the clergy and the laity. The Pope and all his priests
and then the mass of the people. What are they? They're insignificant
compared with the priesthood. It's a priesthood, they say,
of a bloodless sacrifice upon the altars of their churches
when they say they're masses. But poor Peter isn't speaking
of anything of that. He's speaking of believers. who
are that holy priesthood. And what do they present? They
offer the sacrifices of praise and of good works. Isn't that
what we have mentioned there at the end of the epistle to
the Hebrews? how that the priesthood of the
Old Testament has all found its fulfillment, its accomplishment
in the Lord Jesus Christ. There are no more any priests
to make sacrifices to God. But there in the last chapter
of the Hebrew Epistle, Paul says, verse 15, chapter 13, by him
therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. that is the fruit of our lips
giving thanks to his name but to do good and to communicate
forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased this is what
the Philippians had done they communicated to Paul in all his
needs and they had presented then that sort of sacrifice that
Paul is speaking of there in that 13th chapter of the Hebrew
Epistle. A sacrifice of price. A sacrifice
of good works. Well, there is a place for good
works. Good works that follow justification. It's interesting, in the 39 articles
of the Reformed Church of England, article 12 speaks quite specifically
of those good works. Not good works before justification,
not good works to earn any blessing, any salvation, but there will
be those good works that follow where the sinner is saved and
justified in and by the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
And we think of the words again there in Ephesians 2, verse 8,
following, By grace, i.e. say, through faith, and not of
yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should
boast. For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus unto good works. All the believer, you see, in
Christ Jesus will bear fruits there will be that evidence that
mark that the believer is one who is truly a child of God by
their fruits ye shall know them don't in a sense those fruits,
those good works justify our justification that's what James
is really saying in his epistle. Justification is seen to be genuine
by the works that follow justification. There in James 2.17, Even so
faith, he says, that is justifying faith, if it hath not works,
is dead, being alone. And then how he goes on, at verse
21 to speak in particular of Abraham. Abraham the father of
all them that believe, the great pattern of the believer, the
one who as justifying faith was not Abraham our father justified
by works. When he had offered Isaac his
son upon the altar see how faith wrought with his works and by
works was faith made perfect. Here is the evidence is the evidence
of the faith being the genuine article because there will be
that evidence in fruit in good works and this is the believers
calling as a priest the chosen generation says Peter a royal
priesthood that he should show forth the praises of him who
hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. I was thinking of what the Lord
says himself in the Gospel concerning how it's the altar that always
sanctifies the gift. Remember there in Matthew 23,
again he's dealing with these these Pharisees and their twistings
and pervertings of the Word of God. And what does the Lord say?
Matthew chapter 23, verse 17, He says, He fools and blind,
for where there is greater the gold or the temple that sanctifies
the gold. And whosoever shall swear by
the altar, it is nothing, But whosoever sweareth by the gift
that is upon it, he is guilty, he falls, and blind. For where
there is greater the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the
gift? This whoever therefore shall
swear by the altar sweareth by it, and all things thereon. And whoso shall swear by the
temple sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. And
he goes on, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees! You see what the
Lord is saying, it is the altar that sanctifies the gift. Think
of that in terms of the believer as a priest. The priest who sacrifices that
great offering of praise and good deeds. It all flows from
the Lord Jesus Christ who is the altar himself. as well as
that that is offered upon the altar. All that we do flows from
Christ's sacrifice and that great salvation that is in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And so Paul can say there in
that last chapter of the Hebrew epistle, we have an altar whereof
they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. He's speaking
of we, the believers, over against the Jews, the unbelievers. What
is the altar? The altar is Christ. And all
that we present is in and through Him. All is by His grace and
His grace alone. And how the Lord takes account
of these things. Think of the Lord Jesus there
as he was in the temple and watching those who were casting into the
treasury and he beheld the widow who had nothing really and he
makes specific mention of her as she cast in her mind she cast
in everything, all her living and this is how believers are
to live, they are to live to the honor and glorifying of Christ
they are to sacrifice their whole lives to his service an odour
of a sweet-smelling sacrifice, acceptable, well-pleasing to
God. All the sacrifices of God are
broken. Spirits are broken, and the contrite
heart he does not despise. And so here we have Paul speaking
of what these Philippians are doing as they seek to minister
to him in this way they are exercising their ministry as those royal
priests, those spiritual priests they are behaving as believers
ought to be like, they are caring for him but they are caring also
for those who are his associates, they are ministering one to another
but Paul assures them I have all and abound I am full having
received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you,
an odour of a sweet smell of sacrifice, acceptable while pleasing
to God." Well, finally, having said something with regard
to their spiritual sacrifice, the sacrifice of praise, of thanksgiving,
the sacrifice of ministering to the necessities of the saints,
Let me say something with regards to the satisfaction of Paul here. He says, I have. Literally, I received. He says,
I received all. In a technical sense, what Paul
is doing here, he's sending this letter to them, and he's sending
it by the hand of Epaphroditus. And it's a sort of receipt, we
might say. I received. I received that that
you sent to me. Epaphroditus brought it. Epaphroditus
has faithfully discharged his duty. You sent him as a messenger. He's your messenger. And he has
done the very thing that you desired of him. And so he says,
I received all. I received it all and I abound and I'm full. Now it was not a lavish gift
Paul wasn't looking for lavish gifts when he gives instruction
to Timothy there in 2nd Timothy the last of all his epistles
Remember what he says at the end of 2nd Timothy, he asks for
the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest
bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments,
he says. Now, maybe the parchments were
some of those New Testament scriptures that had been written by himself. He'd written many epistles. He's
at the end of his ministry there when he's writing to Timothy,
and he wants He wants the parchments because he is aware that this
is the inspired word of God. But he's quite content, he's
not looking for great gifts. And that's what he says to them.
I have all and abound, I'm full. Why is he so full? Because he's
so pleased with the evidence that he sees in their conduct
that his ministry there at Philippi has not been in vain. That their
fellowship in the Gospel is real. Your fellowship in the Gospel
from the first, he says here in the opening epistle. Oh, how
these early believers loved one another. How they ministered
to one another. And we see here that the apostles
chief concern was the spiritual good of these people. What does
he say in verse 17? Not because I desire a gift,
but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. It's not so
much the gift, it's the givers. He wants them to be ever more
and more established in all the blessed truths of the Gospel.
We see the same when he writes in that lovely first epistle
to the Thessalonians. There in chapter 3 verse 6 he says, Now when Timotheus
came from you unto us and brought us good tidings of your faith
and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always,
desiring greatly to see us as we also to see you. Therefore,
brethren, we were comforted over you all in our affliction and
distress by your faith. For now we live, if ye stand
fast in the Lord." Well, this is what he wants to see these
believers, be they there at Thessalonica or be they at Philippi. He went
of course from Philippi to Thessalonica then he goes on to Corinth but
wherever he goes he wants to see these Christian believers
more and more established and he is well pleasing with what
he has seen of the evidence of the grace of God in the lives
of these believers in the church at Philippi. In the words of
our text that I have all and about I am full, having received
of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour
of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, while pleasing to
God. And they have not ministered.
Oh, they have not ministered in vain. He goes on, doesn't
he, in verse 19, But my God shall supply all your need. They were
ministering to him. They wanted to supply his need. My God shall supply all your
need according to his riches. in glory by Christ Jesus now
unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. May the Lord bless to us His
Word.