Alright, if you'll turn with
me now to the book of Philippians. Philippians chapter 4. The lesson
this morning is about Christ our strength. Look down here
at verse 10. We'll begin there. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly,
that now at last your care of me has flourished again, wherein
you were also careful, but you lacked opportunity. Now the lesson
has to do primarily this morning with the care of God's messengers.
Paul was commending this church for their care for him. And he
was telling them that this was a good thing to do, but that
it gave him peace of mind because it was fruit. He didn't desire
of them. He didn't pressure them to do
it. He didn't ask them to do it. They did it on their own.
And they did it with love in their hearts. And He commended
them for it. And He said, this gives me joy
because I see this fruit in you. So that's the lesson. It has
to do with the care of God's messengers and the hearts of
God's people who love them and struggle to do the best they
can to support these men in the ministry. Now, there must have
been a time when they didn't support Paul, because now he
said at last, at last, that you do these things. Now, who knows
why this is, you know? Maybe they thought somebody else
was taking care of it or felt sure that somebody else was taking
care of it and put their needs somewhere else, or else maybe
they had their own problems and began to try to take care of
that. It doesn't say in the text here,
it just simply says, he said, you lacked opportunity. Opportunity. Now the word opportunity speaks
to me of God's providence. God's providence. God's providence
had taken away the opportunity for them to support God's missionary. That's where Paul laid it. He
said you lacked opportunity. Well, how does opportunity work? How does this, in God's providence,
how does opportunity work? Well, some of you have been hit
pretty hard by this economic climate that we're suffering
today. That's God's providence. Not accidental. It's God's providence. And it's taken away some opportunity. Some opportunity. And some of
you, because of things out of your control, have just bankrupted
you. That took away your opportunity.
Brethren, giving is a privilege. And if you have to give, and
you give with a cheerful heart, God has blessed you with a great
opportunity. It's part of this saving fruit,
this fruit of the Holy Spirit, to give. And it is a great privilege. Always remember where your living
comes from. And I know you work hard, and
I know you sit down and plan, and sometimes needs arise, I've
heard the story about the grasshopper and the ant. I know how that
works. I know one of them was careful to lay up and careful
to do this and careful to do that, and they had when the other
one didn't. But we're all saved by the grace of God. And let
me tell you something. The only reason you knew to put
up was because God in his restraining grace gave you the wisdom to
do it. And so it all comes back down to this. God gives us whatever
it is that we have. So always remember where it comes
from. Who maketh thee to differ from
another? I'm not going to argue you're
not different. You are different. Everything's different. Your
incomes is different. Your education is different.
Your looks is different. You're different. But who made
you different? That's the thing. Who made you to differ from another?
Who make a thing? And I know some of you work hard. You work really hard. And you
run your business as well. And some of you are just good
money managers. But in the end, it all comes
down to this. God gave you that. He gave you
that. So let's remember that. And then
remember this, that the ministry is a whole lot bigger than Walker
Creek. This is not the extent of God's
ministry in this world. His ministry in this world is
far-reaching. I've got an article in my bulletin
this morning by a missionary from Papua New Guinea. That's
a ways from this little place, isn't it? And we've got others
who have labored for nearly 50 years down in Yucatan, Mexico,
out in the jungles, sleeping in hammocks out there in little
thatched huts and things and ministering to those people out
there. And he's bore their diseases and things in his body. He's
sacrificed much to be there. But he don't see that. What he
sees is the privilege of being there. That's what he sees. And
we need to see the privilege of supporting men like this. These men, those people out there
in them jungles, they give what they can, but they can't support
this man. He's supported by churches here
in the United States. And we've got missionaries all
over like this. And so don't ever try to judge
what you give by the needs of right here. right here. God blessed this
little group. I'm telling you, he's blessed
them. There's a check here this morning from Lincolnwood Baptist
Church down in Houston for $2,500 toward our building. We didn't
solicit that money. We didn't ask him for any money.
I didn't even hint to him that we needed any money, but he sent
it. And he knows what it is because
he built his church the same way we're building ours. And
different ones have done this and contributed to us because
they understand that the ministry is a whole lot bigger than right
where they are. So what are you saying? I'm saying
that this Scripture teaches us to give and that giving is a
privilege. And that we give to a ministry
that's a whole lot bigger than just one person or one church.
It's the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord gives opportunity. Listen
to this in Galatians 6, verse 10. I don't want you to think
it's just something I'm telling you, but this is what the Word
of God teaches. Galatians 6, verse 10. As we have, therefore, now listen,
opportunity. As we have opportunity, let us
do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household
of faith. And then back to our text here
in Philippians chapter 4, verse 11. Not that I speak in respect
of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith
to be content. Preachers are not fundraisers.
I'm not going to get up here every Sunday and say, boy, we
got a need, and you need to give to it, and you need to do this,
and you need to do that, and then get on radio and TV and
start talking about all these things. Preachers are not fundraisers,
and they don't solicit money for themselves. And any preacher
who does, he's a merchandiser of men's souls. That's what that
description means. He's a thief. He's not the ambassador
of God. God's preachers are in the hands
of their Lord who alone controls the hearts of men. Just since I've been preaching
right here, right here in Taylor, I've had a lot of needs. I've
had a lot of needs. But I've never had any needs
that the Lord has not supplied. Not one single need. And these
needs have been big at times. I remember Kathy was diagnosed
with cancer, and we needed insurance. But she was already confirmed
to have cancer, and nobody's going to sell you insurance.
Well, it just happened that this president, not too popular, had
put in place an insurance that covers people who already know that they have a
disease and made it accessible to them. And so we went and got
the insurance. And we were able to get her treated.
And then there was just overwhelming. I had to go every day from here
all the way to Shreveport and back. And of course, you're down
there all day, that means you have to eat. And so we had to
eat out. You can't fix your lunch in that
hospital. You have to go either in the
hospital or somewhere and go eat. It's expensive. I don't
have to tell you how much gas is and how much tires are. It's
expensive. I didn't hurt for a thing. I'd
go to the mailbox and there it'd be. It'd be in an envelope just
like that. Come from this one, that one,
California, Kentucky, West Virginia, all over the place. There'd be
a check in the mail. And I don't know how many times
we'd get a bill in the mail one day and get the check in the
mail the next day. I couldn't tell you how many
times. And I've got a car out here with
200,000 miles on it and I can't afford another one. But this
one runs just like it did when I first bought it. Isn't that
something? The Lord takes care of His people.
Not just His preachers, but in particular His preachers. He
takes care of them. I don't have to solicit money.
Anything I want, He supplies, and usually before I even need
it. God takes care of His pastors,
and He does so by His providence and through the faithful support
of His people. And then notice this, verse 11.
He said, not that I speak in respect of want, for I've learned
in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. Our ups and downs
are governed for our good and His glory. It's not good for
us to be on the mountaintop all the time. That's not God's will
for you to do that. It's no good for us. No good
force to always abound. But it's no good force always
to suffer either. You have to have some abounding
in there somewhere or you lose hope. Listen to this. Solomon said, give me neither
poverty nor riches, lest I be full and deny thee, or lest I
be poor and curse thee. Hold up. Put me somewhere in
the middle. Put me somewhere in the middle.
And my friend, godliness with contentment, he said, is great
gain. That's great gain. And then watch
this. Paul learned this. He said, I've
learned in whatever state I'm in to be. It don't come natural,
honey. You have to learn it. You have
to learn it. And how do you learn it? You
learn it by going through it. That's where patience comes from.
Patience will come through suffering. You suffer, and then the Lord
delivers you from it, and then the next time you go in there,
you know the Lord is going to deliver you from it, and you
have a little more patience with it. And as time goes on, you
get more and more patient. But Paul learned this. It didn't
come natural. He said, I've learned in whatsoever
state I am therewith to be content. Elijah learned preservation.
You know how he learned it? Eating from the last drop out
of the barrel. That's how he learned preservation.
We learned poverty by being poor. We learned sickness by being
sick. And in learning these things, we learned how to minister to
the poor and minister to the sick and be patient for them,
and we learned how to pray for them. You get thinking about
how you felt, laying in on that bed, and you couldn't get up,
and you couldn't get out, and you couldn't come to church.
You get thinking about that. And then somebody else is in
that condition, instead of saying that they're lazy and can't get
up and be here or whatever, you pray for them. Pray for them.
Lord, give them strength to be here. A believer's life is full
of ups and downs, and especially the preacher. Paul learned that
even in prison, God used his preacher to do what he sent him
to do. You know, probably if it were
you and I and we got through in that jail at Philippi, we'd
probably sit there and grumble all night long. You know, you
wouldn't think, you'd think the Lord would know He sent me down
here. What in the world am I doing over here in a jailhouse? You
know, we'd grumble about it all night. Not Paul and Silas. They'd
sit down there and sing hymns unto the Lord. They didn't know
why they were there. But they knew that the Lord had
put them there. And they knew that they were suffering for
His name. And so they sat down there and worshipped God in the
inner prison. And they worshipped God. And
you know what happened? He called that Philippian jailer. Sure
did. He saved that Philippian jailer.
And now Paul's down here in Rome in prison, and God's using him
to save some of the royal court of Rome. He's saving some of
them. Seeing God's providence unfold
and experiencing His hand of preservation. We learn contentment. And then look here in verse 12. I know both how to abound. He
said, I know how to abound everywhere and in all things. I am instructed
both to be full and to be hungry and to abound and to suffer need.
He knew how to be abased and he knew how to abound. He learned
that. He learned that from the Word
of God and he learned that through his own experience. And he learned
that these things by going through trials and troubles. That's where
we learn them. Going through trials and troubles.
What did he learn? Verse 13, I can do all things
through Christ which strengthens me. Christ is our strength. Where did we learn that? You don't learn that on the mountaintop. You learn that when you go through
trials and troubles and persecutions and suffering. That's where you
learn about His love. And that's where you learn about
His strength. He said, I can do all things
through Christ which strengthens me. My friend, Christ sits at
the Father's right hand. Everything He came to do, He
did. He wasn't a failure in anything. He wasn't a failure in anything. He fulfilled all that was expected
of him. He accomplished all that was
asked of him. He satisfied all that was demanded
of him. It is finished, he cried on the
cross. He finished the work God appointed
for him, and he sat down on the right hand of God, not out of
despair, not in frustration, not in disappointment, but victorious. Our seated King is victorious.
He wears a crown. He's victorious. And we have
in heaven, upon the seat of power and authority, a victorious Savior. Our redemption is accomplished.
Our righteousness is complete. Our sins have been put away.
Our guarantor has already taken possession of our inheritance.
It's guaranteed. Guaranteed in Christ. In Christ,
all the promises of God are yea and amen. From His seed and glory,
He rules over all things to guarantee the salvation and well-being
of His elect. He tells us over there in Romans
chapter 8, He said, if God spared not His Son, what else is He
going to spare? Huh? What else is He going to
spare? Is He going to spare your loaf
of bread? You can write it down. If you're suffering, if you're
going through trouble, if you're going through trials and you
belong to Him, it's for your good because otherwise He wouldn't
spare whatever it is you need. You remember Paul prayed whatever
that thorn in the flesh was. Some say it was the way his face
was disfigured. Some said he had scales on his
eyes and couldn't see real good. I don't know what it was. It
doesn't say. But whatever it was, Paul prayed for it with
all his heart, and he prayed three times that the Lord would
remove that thorn in the flesh. You know what the Lord told him?
Paul, my grace is sufficient. My grace is sufficient. You know
what he's telling him? You don't need it removed. I
put it there on purpose. I put it there on purpose. Our strength is in our sovereign
Lord. Oh, and from His seed and glory,
He rules over all things. You know, just like He watched
over and fed His disciples here on this earth, He orders and
arranges the same from glory. And we don't learn that on the
mountaintop. We learn it in trials. He taught
Paul that his grace was sufficient and that his strength was made
perfect in weakness. Listen to this verse over in
2 Corinthians chapter 12. Won't you turn over with me?
Let's read this one together. 2 Corinthians chapter 12 and
verse 10. Paul is talking to these Corinthian
people and he said, therefore, he said, I take pleasure in infirmities,
sicknesses. I take pleasure in these things.
I take pleasure in reproaches. in persecutions and in distresses
for Christ's sake, for when I'm weak, then am I strong. In weakness and sickness and
troubles beyond my control, I can lay my head on the knowledge
that I have a sovereign who sits on the throne of glory, who's
in control of the very providence in which I lay." You can lay
your head on that when you're sick. That doctor comes in shaking
his head, and he gives you the bad news. You can lay your head
on that pillow. I have a sovereign seated on
the throne of glory, and he controls the very providence in which
I walk. Peter said, cast all your care upon him. You might
as well. There ain't nothing you can do
about it. Cast it all on him, for he cares for you. And then
listen to this Scripture in 1 Peter chapter 5 and verse 10. He said,
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal
glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while,
make you perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be glory and dominion
forever. I can do all things, Paul said,
through Christ. which strengtheneth me." Christ
is our strength. He's our strength. And Peter
used all these words in the Scripture I read just a few moments ago
to you. He used this word mature, established,
strengthened, and settled. Who does all that? Christ does. Christ does. And these things
all go together. And as we grow in grace and knowledge
of our Savior Jesus Christ, we fret and worry less and less. Blessing men. Paul prayed that
God would give to the Ephesian believers. He said, give them
the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, the
eyes of their understanding being enlightened that they may know
what is the hope of His calling, and the glory of His inheritance
in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power
to us who believe according to the working of His mighty power,
which He brought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead,
and set Him at His own right hand in the heavens, far above
all principality and power and might and dominion in every name
that's named, not only in this world, but also in that which
is to come." Now listen, "...and hath put all things under His
feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church,
which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all. Who has all this been given to?
Christ. Christ. I can do all things through
Christ that strengtheneth me. Then let me read this last verse.
This is what I'm going to preach on this morning, just here in
a few minutes. Verse 19, But my God, shall supply
all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be
glory forever and ever. Amen. God is our Father as He
is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's the firstborn
and Paul said He is the beginning. And in Him we've obtained an
inheritance being predestinated. according to the purpose of Him
who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.
And in Him God is our Father. We can call God our Father. And
so Paul says, Unto God our Father be glory forever.