 Chapter 4 beginning at verse 10 and I'll read to verse 13 though we're going to conclude our study today with verse 10 to the conclusion verse 23 but let's read verses 10 through 13 and get into our study. Paul writes I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again though you surely did care but you lacked opportunity not that I speak in regard to need for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Now as we begin I want you to see verse 10 I'll just give you a few little basic things and we'll move into our study but notice with me in verse 10 how Paul uses the word rejoice. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly so again he uses the word rejoice remember when we began our study in Philippians I pointed out that rejoicing is a main theme in this particular letter and he's rejoicing he's thanking God rejoicing for the kindness that the Philippians have shown towards him. He's grateful to God because it's God who gave them the opportunity as well as the ability to give and it's God who directed their hearts to once again support him and care for his needs. He's thanking God because the church financially is supporting his ministry that's why he says in verse 10 now at last your care for me has flourished again. You see at one time they had supported him they had a previous history of caring for his needs but over time had slacked off. At one time they had faithfully financially cared for him but now they hadn't been and now they're renewing their support. It had been around 10 years since Paul had planted this church in Philippi and it's interesting when you look at the history of the Philippian church how it actually began it's interesting because the church at Philippi actually grew out of a woman's prayer meeting that's how it began it was really a woman's prayer group that that met it it's recorded in the book of Acts chapter 16 verses 11 through 15 there was a businesswoman by the name of Lydia and she had heard Paul's message and when she heard the message of the gospel Lydia got saved and and so she and her entire household had become baptized and she even constrained Paul she really prevailed upon him to to live in her home. It's interesting when you look in scripture it's interesting how often women will see the value of of being saved women see the value of investing their life in the kingdom of God we we see the widow of Zeraphot who gave her last bit of flour and oil to feed Elijah and and when she did so when Elijah was speaking to her it's found in in first Kings chapter 17 when Elijah was speaking to her and said to her to give him something to eat and she said to him listen I was about to make something for my son it's the last bit that we have and and after I was to serve him we were just basically preparing to die well we see there that the Prophet says go ahead and make it make me something to eat and as a result of that God began to bless it says in first Kings 1716 the been a flower was not used up nor did the jar of oil run dry according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by Elijah and so this widow is somebody that that trusted and and did even as she was told and and God blessed we see that Jesus was supported by a group of faith-filled women you see that in Luke chapter 8 verses 1 through 3 where it says there that certain women and many others provided for Jesus from their abundance and so we we see that happening obviously one of the most key individuals we see in scripture is the widow with her mites and how that she gave of all that she had to live on to the Lord very often when we look at that particular story of the widows mites we look and emphasize the the small amount that she gave and I think that sometimes we are actually giving people permission to to not be generous with the Lord and we're missing the point of the story it wasn't simply that she gave something that was in consequential it really added up to very little in terms of how much she gave but the fact is that Jesus is emphasizing the fact that she gave all that she had as an offering to the Lord very often we say well that means that I can tip God and sometimes we give our waitresses more than we actually give to the Lord and that's not how the Lord is he's basically saying I'm watching how these people give and they're casting their their their funds into this trumpet and it makes a lot of noise this woman's coming with two coins that make very little noise because they're so insignificant but the Lord commends because that's what she had to live on that day and she gave everything to the Lord and that's how the Lord regarded her he said this will always be spoken of because of her great love and faith in God and so you see that at the beginning the Lord was doing a work he did a work there through a woman named Lydia Paul had been their ministry and she gave her heart to the Lord she cared for him and from the beginning of the existence of the church there in Philippi Paul had been supported but it's interesting how he uses the word verse 10 again flourished he says at last your care for me has flourished again he chooses to use a word that really relates to agriculture it speaks of the fact that fruit trees will enter into times of barrenness even as a tree goes through seasons I have fruit trees in my backyard that no matter how I try to kill them they just remain and I have noticed that they go through seasons of barrenness they have their winter and and fall and all of that but when spring comes how they once again blossom and that's the term that he's using the word flourish speaks of once again their budding and producing fruit and so you have become barren for a season but once again you're beginning to bud and produce fruit and so he's rejoicing that once again they're supporting the ministry so he says even as he's doing that your care for me has flourished again but he wants to go on he doesn't want him to feel bad so he says though you surely did care you lacked opportunity it's not that he wants them to be giving through guilt or compulsion that's that's not how the Lord is I mean Paul makes it very clear when he writes to the Corinthians and second Corinthians that that God doesn't like grumpy givers it's not that you give with with a complaining spirit oh I have to give again at all God likes the cheerful giver and and that's what blesses the Lord's heart I've told you the story a thousand times I'll repeat it about the little boy who's given the dollar in the quarter and was told you give the dollar to the Lord in your offering today in Sunday school and the court is yours and and so the little boy goes and mama's doing his pants later on she's washing and she puts her hand in his pocket and finds the dollar bill and she calls her son and she said listen honey I told you to give the Lord a dollar and you could keep the quarter but it's obvious you gave a quarter and you kept the dollar why'd you do that and the little boy looking at his mother says well because the Lord loves a cheerful giver and I'm more cheerful given a quarter than a dollar you know and that's how people are very often and so he's saying I rejoice I rejoice that you're giving but I don't want to make you feel bad I don't want you to give out of compulsion you know because sometimes people you know if that bucket comes in front you ought to see them they want to faint you know I find it interesting in church when I'm sitting there next to somebody during the offering they must feel they must feel like oh I better give pastors looking at me just because I'm standing holding the bucket lay that doesn't mean you know some people feel forced to give the Lord doesn't want us to feel forced to give and and so Paul is making it very clear listen you had a desire but you didn't have opportunity and they had been going through financial stress and this particular church is in a region called Macedonia which is if you're looking at a map Greece originally was divided into two sections you had southern section where Corinth was and then you had Macedonia which is a northern portion there and Macedonia is the region that this particular church was and so they had in that region gone through some very tough times they had persecution they had suffered reproaches they had a loss of property there was severe affliction when Paul was writing in 2 Corinthians if you take notes it's found in chapter 8 verses 1 through 3 he said this he said brethren we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty when he speaks of their deep poverty that speaks of scraping the bottom they were so broke their deep poverty abounded he says in the riches of their liberality or their generosity for I bear witness that according to their ability yes and beyond their ability he said they were freely willing even though they were scraping the bottom of the barrel when they knew there was a need in the body of Christ they had a heart that was willing to be touched because they understood the value of generosity and caring for others and giving their offerings to the Lord and that's what he's speaking about it may be that they hadn't supported him for some simple reasons maybe they maybe they just didn't know where he was it may be that they were simply unaware of his needs but he rejoices because once again he says your care has flourished towards me now when we get to verse 18 which will do in about two hours when you get to verse 18 it speaks of the pathroditus there and we'll see that in a moment but he says of the pathroditus that he had arrived and had brought financial support from the Philippians and so he's rejoicing now why does he rejoice was it because once again his physical needs are being taken care of was it because Paul was so concerned about his material needs that he just rejoices over that because they were that important no he rejoices because in their support and this is an important point in their support there is a recognition that his ministry is from God in that support they're actually saying you are a genuine minister you are a true minister because a true minister is supported you see a true minister to the church while the church has the duty and responsibility to care for his needs and so their support for him was a loving demonstration of the trust that he indeed was the real thing there are some who wonder why why ministers get full financial compensation and one of the simplest reasons is because God commands it God commands it in Galatians chapter 6 verse 6 let him who has taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches first Corinthians 9 14 the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel first Timothy 5 17 and 18 that the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor especially those who labor in the word and doctrine the scripture says you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain and the laborer is worthy of his wages and so he was compensated because he's the real thing and so while in prison he still has physical needs so their support causes him to rejoice it's an evidence of their love for him their support for him and their trust that he's the genuine thing the real thing and so like it says in 1st John 3 18 my my little children let us not love in word or in tongue but indeed and in truth they're demonstrating their love by giving and supporting the needs that he has remember I've been sharing with you that he was in prison he was more than likely in a prison that is called the Mamertine prison I have mentioned to you that I've been in that prison area in Rome and it was a it was a prison cell that was carved out of rock and at the ceiling there's an opening we've been in the prison cells and you can see the opening where they would lower the guards in and out there were no windows they only had lanterns oil lanterns very often for any light at all and the prisoner was chained to a wall and because they didn't have any sewage they didn't have any latrine the prisoner would be left there in his own his own waste and unless somebody would come in and care for it and he had nothing really of his own unless somebody were to send some things to him perhaps some some clothing or something to make him more comfortable or perhaps send him some money so we could use the money to give money to a guard or somebody else to go out and buy some things for him and that's how it was the system was a horrible system in many ways and that's how Paul was he didn't have any source of income so people had to support him and therefore he's grateful because he continues to have needs even though he's in prison and so he rejoices in that because they once again are caring they're demonstrating their love now he says in verse 11 not that I speak in regard to need I've learned in whatever state I am to be content I know how to to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and suffer need I've learned through experience I have learned he says and I know you see my joy he's saying is not centered on purely physical things I'm content in the Lord he's saying I have a joy that comes that is beyond my circumstances I've shared this with you before but we speak about happiness and and the word happiness is really something that is derived by my circumstances the word happiness is actually the word happenings and the way that that's found is happiness is in my happenings what's around me what's happening in my life well it makes me I'm happy because of those things joy is deeper than that joy is deeper joy is something that comes in the spiritual sense from the spirit of God it's a fruit of the spirit is that knowledge that God's in control even though my circumstances around dictate that I had to be depressed my circumstances surrounding right now are of such nature that I probably you should be just the most sorrowful person because in many ways sometimes well bottom line the psalmist in Psalm 23 spoke the truth to all of us when he says I walked through the valley of the shadow of death and many of us do that we understand what it's like to go through the good times and the bad times and a lot of times it seems that we're in the valley more than we are on the hilltop and there we are I was walking through the valley what do you think this is called chino valley should have called it chino hills you know because on the hills man I'm in the valley but you do you walk through the valley you walk through the valley he says of the shadow of death but I will fear no evil for thou art with me that's what you learn and you learn those lessons by going through deep things you want to be deep with God you want to be deep with God you're gonna go through deep things you ever ask the Lord in the way you pray God I want to be on fire for you you ever ask God that I have I don't want to be on fire fire burns and fire consumes and when you ask the Lord to make you an on fire vessel for him God I want to have your heart well wait a minute maybe we ought to read Isaiah 53 again and look at the wounded healer there a man who was acquainted with grief a man who understood what it was to be rejected that's who Jesus Christ is and what's the Bible says happening in my life Bible says I am being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ and so what was Jesus he was broken he was rejected he was bruised and he was battered and yet he was never alone and in that I understand some things about Christianity you see when I constantly would say you know I just want to be blessed well there are also batterings and they're also buffeting that take place because that's what creates in you the likeness of Christ that's how it works and so Paul is saying here something that most people don't want to hear I know how to be abased and I know how to abound I know how to be hungry and I know how to be full I've been both therefore I understand what it means to have the hand of God on my life I've learned these things and I know these things he uses the word learned and he uses the word no I've increased my knowledge through practice and now I own that experience I've gone through life's general experiences I've learned some things but through the work of the Holy Spirit I've come to understand the way of contentment that's why in verse 12 he says everywhere and in all things I've learned both to be full and to be hungry I've learned the deep secrets of how God gives contentment I've been abased which means I've been humbled and I know how to abound that means to excel it can be spoken as being honored by men and though I've been humbled and through being humbled I can now receive man's commendation and not become proud because of that it's been said the most beautiful sound in a person's ears is the sound of his own name being pronounced by somebody else we like to hear people speak of us especially when they speak well of us Paul is saying listen through my buffettings and through my abasements I've learned to receive the commendation of man and see it for what it is the same person who today tells you I love you with all my heart can be the person who just the next day saying I never liked you and I've hated you for the longest time it's the truth and in ministry I can tell you that's very true you know I have had people say oh faster you know you speak the words of life to me and the next time they're saying I hate your guts and that's Marie I mean think about the rest of the church the rest of the church wounds me deeply but I've learned he says I've learned to to see God move in super wonderful ways I've also learned the secrets of contentment through the times that I've had really nothing except for him he said I've been hungry I've been full I've been in abundance I've had need I've had the hunger and the poverty I've also had so many good things and through all these things I have learned to be content how did you learn that verse 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me that's how I learned that the source of strength and the source of contentment is Jesus Christ is doing all things through him spiritual strength is derived from Jesus living in us because it is Jesus who supplies the spirit to us and when you're in Christ and he is giving to you of his spirit you can do all things Jesus in John 15 5 said I am the vine you are the branches he who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit for without me you can do nothing without him you can do nothing but with him you can do all things I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me I can go through whatever it is I have to go through because he provides me strength I can walk through that valley that shadow I can walk through it because he never leaves me nor does he ever forsake me I can go through the times that I go through and hold fast not because I have some incredible will or optimistic spirit but because I'm never alone because you never are alone you never are alone he is always with you he has said that I will never never never leave you nor forsake you that's why we're content in him that's why that's the secret Jesus is with you when you're in that hospital room and you're you're speaking to that one who's who is passing from this life into the next and you're realizing all they mattered to you all they meant to you all they are to you and as you're looking at them there's just something inside of you that's saying this isn't the end you'll see him again I was sharing with a friend of mine just yesterday how that when my father-in-law Marie's daddy when when he when he died I was in the room I was in the room with him when he passed and along with others and I remember as I was at the foot of the bed there and and he was in a coma and I'm watching the monitor and I was standing at the foot of the bed and there are others with me his sons and and all as I was standing there I looked at my father-in-law and I'd been in the family for a long time for a long time and as I was standing there looking at my father-in-law and it was quiet I remember I put my hand on his foot and I held on to his foot for a moment and I said to him this I said I want to tell you two things Mr. Lopez I never called my father-in-law by his first name I was raised in an era where you call him sir or you call him by his last name that's just the way I am that's the way I was raised so I never called him Ruben I never felt the the liberty to he wouldn't have minded it I just never felt comfortable doing that Mr. Lopez and said Mr. Lopez I want to tell you two things one I want to thank you I want to thank you and two I want to tell you this I want to say something I never said to you you never heard me say this until now I said I want you to know I love you and the second thing I want to thank you for the way the way you raised your daughter I want to thank you for the way you raised Marie and as I was speaking to him in that final time of my conversation with my father-in-law whether he heard me or not I'll never know I had one thing the family had one thing and that was this we knew that this wasn't goodbye forever because when my father-in-law suffered the stroke that eventually was his ticket home my son Joseph went and knelt down beside his his grandfather and my son Joseph joined in the labors of the other kids what had the opportunity to lead him to Christ and so when he had had his stroke Joseph knelt next to him and said to him grandpa are you ready and my father-in-law said Joseph I'm a good man and Joseph said to us his grandfather you are a good man but you're not good enough you need Jesus Christ grandpa and he prayed with him and brought him into the family of God and so you go through valleys you go through pain you go through the sense of loss I was driving with Marie after my father-in-law went home to be with the Lord and my dad had gone home to be with Jesus two years before my father-in-law almost to the day my dad died February 13th my father-in-law died February 15th my father-in-law died in the same hospital room my dad died in two years before when I was standing talking to my father-in-law I was looking at the bed my father died it and as I was going through that and I remember forgive me the emotions come up I shouldn't allow them to I should be like we're all tough but I'm not as I was looking there remembering those things the Lord was given to me and all of us his peace that passes all understanding we all go through tough times we all do none of us is exempt from this all of us to it depends on what is in you and what's in me is the spirit of God and that's why Paul said I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me when my dad was dying he said to me I'm going to have Marco do my funeral service and I said to my dad no you're not and he looks at me says you can do it and I looked at my dad and as a daddy I brought you into the kingdom I'm gonna send you home to be with Jesus yes I can do your funeral and some of you perhaps were with me when I did that funeral almost 10 years ago now and I gave a funeral for my father how do you do that without the strength of the Lord how do you do I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me I can go through the tough times and so can you the disappointing times when you have a child who's made a poor choice when you're going through a tough time in a job or having a difficult time with the neighbor when you're going through the pain that you can go through I'm not sure what I'm gonna do to make this house payment or to make that payment on that car when you're going through those moments that's what I have learned and that's what Paul is saying he's saying I've learned to abound I have learned to be a base I have learned to be full and man I have times when I have been so hungry and I can do all things through Christ because he is the one who strengthens me nevertheless verse 14 you have done well that you shared in my distress now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only for even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessity it's not that I seek the gift but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account indeed I have all in a bound I'm full having received from pathoditis the things which were sent from you a sweet smelling aroma an acceptable sacrifice while pleasing to God and my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus again he doesn't want them to think that their gift and their concern is not appreciated you have done well he says in verse 14 in that you shared in my distress your generous support has made my difficult circumstances easier to bear but he goes on and he says you Philippians in verse 15 also know that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed in other words when the gospel was first preached in your area you had supported me when I had gone to Athens when I went to Corinth no other church it helped defray the expenses the only one that did was was you the church at Philippi he said no church in verse 15 shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only now it's interesting and unless you look at it closely you might not even notice is it's interesting how he uses a business or commercial phrase here a giving and receiving giving and receiving our words used when doing the financial books for a business one column is used for disbursement the other is a record a record of receiving goods and Paul is simply saying that you receive spiritual care and you gave material support there's a fair exchange for those who care about spiritual things it's interesting if you take notes first Corinthians 9 11 how Paul said there if we have sown spiritual things for you is it a great thing if we reap your material things well it depends on your spiritual maturity and your spiritual viewpoint for some people they would think oh you ought not to give that person that ministry any support at all what why should I and other people say because that ministers to my soul because that ministers in my life yet a lot of people who see Christians who give as fools they see you as fools you're trusting those people with your finances you could take that money and use it for so many other things well the reason they say that is because they have no concern for their own spiritual estate and somebody who ministers the word of God well to them it matters not their charlatans I've had more than one person who has accused me of being a fake and all just trying to make it on on the generosity of others that's the way people think they think that we're manipulators and users but somebody who understands spiritual things like Paul said if I've sown spiritual things in your life then then what's wrong with my receiving enough to eat and clothe myself with what's wrong with that other people do that all the time it's interesting how people sometimes will complain say the church all the church ever does is asked for money all the church ever does is asked for money and then they leave to a restaurant I'm sure that they charge them for that food they climb into a car and they they didn't get that for free somebody charged them to buy that car I mean everything they're wearing somebody charged them for and for them that was cool it's alright I don't mind but when it comes to spiritual things for them they say oh no no that ought to be completely free everything else I'll pay for but feel my soul was with spiritual things Paul says now wait a minute you know the one who sows is also one who eats and he ought to be cared for in Paul is saying I'm grateful that you have cared for me but I want you to see his point and it's a powerful one in verse 17 not that I seek the gift but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account this is what I call heavenly investments I don't want to appear too long for your support he's saying and I don't want to look like I'm greedy for your finances because to be honest with you somebody who is longing for financial support and finances from people well really that's genuine generally the mark of a false teacher in 2 Peter chapter 2 verse 3 it says by covenants this they exploit you with deceptive words so he's saying my heart's pure and the reason my my heart is pure is because I have a genuine concern for your spiritual life I'm not using you Paul was saying for my own financial profit I'm not using you for my own personal gain when he was speaking to the Thessalonians he said in 1st Thessalonians 2 5 neither at any time did we use flattering words as you know nor a cloak for covetousness God his witness I'm not trying to make a lot of money off of you he's saying your offerings actually enrich the giver spiritually and it's entered on your account to your credit every act of Christian ministry enriches the one who performs it never forget that Proverbs 11 25 says the generous soul will be made rich he waters will also be watered himself you can never out give God you can't he owns it all anyway you can never out give God now there are people I have to be honest with you who think otherwise there was a guy who this true story by the way there was a guy who heard that if you give to God God will bless you so for a year he kept he went to a church and he gave offerings for a year and then he kept an account of how much he made that year and then sued the church for breach of promise because he said you said I'd be blessed and I wasn't and he actually sued the church in the court of law because he said you made a promise that was not fulfilled and and that's kind of how some people think you know that when you give to the Lord you your your your left hand doesn't even know what your right hand is doing it's as one of those things where you simply give out of the love that you have for God and and yet God has said I'll care for you and it goes into your account in 2nd Corinthians 9 verse 8 it says God is able to make all grace abound toward you that that you always having all sufficiency and all things may have an abundance for every good work God is able to bless you so in their giving of their gifts and support for Paul there's a fruit that's abounding to them they're actually laboring alongside of Paul through their finances and that's true in all ministries your gifts make the presentation of the message possible this church here we're meeting in this room here we're able to do that because people support the ministry that's just the way it works it makes sense to me their bills to be paid and and the reason we're able to be in here right now or in our sanctuary on Sunday mornings whatever is because people understand that and they give they support and it goes to their account indeed notice what he says in verse 18 I have all and abound I am full having received from Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you a sweet smell in aroma an acceptable sacrifice well pleased into God but he goes on to say and my God shall supply all your need now notice he didn't say my God shall supply all your greed that's different my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus my God will supply my God will supply Marie was at the kitchen table many years ago my church had just begun and I had had started this this work and we didn't have any finances and so I was looking for work and I was I believe at that time I was working for a member of the church who had a a gardening kind of business and I was learning how to do you know sprinklers and things of that nature and that's what I was doing and to be honest with you times are real tough financially when the church began I didn't receive a salary I what I did is I I said listen cuz somebody had said David you didn't receive an offering on our first Sunday morning what if we want to give to the Lord I said listen we're not even incorporated you don't have tax deductible gifts but what if we want to give to support you that I'm not doing this so you can support me but what if we want to I said well you see that macro main you see that pot hanging there put your gifts in that anything you mark for David's family will use for my family and anything that is not marked in that way we're gonna use for church and corporation and so we received for our supply for our support a hundred dollars and the rest went towards incorporation and that was pretty much the average every week a hundred dollars a week I had fifteen hundred dollars or so a month that I had to pay in bills and things at that time so you can see the difference just do the math we didn't have any finances and so at the same time I was looking at some end of the year kinds of things and I noticed that I had noticed that that our gifts were not at the percentage I really believe that we should be giving in order to to honor God with our giving and so Murray was sitting at the table and we had a nice talk about how we need to be trusting God God will supply our need we need to make sure he is he's honored in our giving and this one day she was at the table and she was crying because we didn't have the money to pay the bills when we received a gift in the mail and I was there at the table telling her all I know is this I'm doing what I'm supposed to do that's all I know I'm looking for work I'm trying to supply for this family I'm doing the best that I can do my God shall supply I remember telling my wife that you need to remember I was 31 years old at that time I was a young man and so the mailman came and I went to go get our bills because I expected bills in the mail and I came back and we began to open things and someone had given us a gift and I opened it up and I put it in front of my wife and I said my God shall supply my need God will take care of us we have to trust him I learned that lesson a long time ago my God shall supply my need not my greed but my need what is it that I need he will take care of it you know the birds of the air are cared for by my heavenly Father Jesus and not one of them hits the ground without your father knowing it he knows the number of the hairs of your head he said if the grass that today is there and then it's reaped and it's thrown into an oven if God's aware of those kinds of things isn't he going to be aware of your needs to you little you have little faith he said I've discovered something I've discovered that that my heart and my checkbook have a chain and I can talk all day long about my faith and trust in the Lord but when I sit down and I make a gift out to the Lord and I place it in that in that that box or in that basket that passes by that is one of the greatest evidences that I trust God that I have because he's going to have to supply that meal for me he's going to have to supply those things but you come first I can tell you this without any trying to get you if you don't want to give don't give if you do give that's nice too it's between you and the Lord so I can say this honestly before you the first check in our checkbook that is signed is our time the first one I give my gifts to the Lord first and everything else comes after that my God is able and he has given me all things and I trust him and I've learned to do that over the years that's what Paul is talking about your gifts are a pleasing sacrifice to God and so he says you need to understand that though you're giving to God they result in a blessing to you and I believe that that's what the Lord would have us to know there's a sin that's called covetousness and covetousness reveals a heart not set on heaven some look for material gain to provide contentment but material things never are the source of contentment the Bible in 1st Timothy 6 verse 6 says godliness with contentment is great gain but adults will say if I bought it then I can keep it it's mine and I can use it anyway that I please well is that absolutely true is it mine did I buy it with my own resources well in Deuteronomy chapter 8 verses 17 and 18 the Lord says you may say to yourself my power in the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me but remember the Lord your God for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth and so confirms his covenant which he swore to your forefathers as it is today it's been said that covetousness is broken by generosity and so when I learned to invest in the kingdom of God God blesses and then finally in verse 20 to 23 to our God and Father be glory forever and ever amen greet every saint in Christ Jesus the brethren who are with me greet you all the saints greet you but especially those who are of Caesar's household the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all amen he began in the grace of God and he concludes with the grace of God notice verse 23 the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you amen there is fruit even behind bars God does not cease working God can move because when he says in verse 22 all the saints greet you but especially those who are of Caesar's household Paul and had ministry even behind bars Paul was still leading people to Christ Paul was still being used by the Lord ultimately every one of us is going to have an opportunity to stand before the Lord and I've been saying this recently and I'll say it again as we're about to conclude there's one thing that is becoming more and more real to me that I want you guys to to maybe grab hold of too and that is this I know that I'm gonna be standing before the Lord before too long I believe in heaven and I believe that there's really a God I remember when I was when my father died and and we were inside this room as private viewing room and there was the casket with my father's body in it we call it seed that was ready to be planted I remember when I was there and my my family and my mom and my family were all in the room I remember walking up to that casket and where the my my dad's body was and I remember just standing while my brother and sisters and Marie and my mom were talking and I remember walking in looking into the face of my my father would gone home gone home to be with the Lord and I remember just standing there looking there in the face of my father knowing that that soon I'd never see his outer form again until heaven and as I was looking at him and while everybody else was talking I just had a private moment between the Lord and me some of you have gone through this I stood there looking in the face of my dad and a thought hit me is there a heaven is there a heaven because if there isn't you'll never see this man again and I looked into the face of my father and that eternity that question of eternity came up in my heart is there a heaven because if there isn't one you will never see this man again and I walked away saying I know there is a heaven and I know that I'll see my dad again and I know that it's going to be a time of joy and a great reunion and a tremendous blessing but every one of us eventually stands in that place every one of us will one day stand in that place and we need to understand that it's through the grace of God and the goodness of God that we have the ability to do all things all things for God and then one day we're going to be hearing his voice and he's going to be saying to us well done my good and faithful servant enter in to the joy of your Lord and that's going to come because of the grace of God