Whatever you need

Philippians 4:14-20

Let your legacy be generosity

• 14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress.15 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. 16 For even in Thessalonica you sentaid once and again for my necessities. 
• Remember- Paul is in Prison and he’s thanking the Philippian Church that they have helped him when he was in need
• What is interesting in this is when he says “when I started- no church helped me but you”
• We spoke about this a few months back- but here we are in the text again- this really makes me sad when I think about it- “No church shared with me”
• I don’t know which churches he’s talking about- but I wouldn’t want that to be said of our church
• Our Church- our lives should be a life of Generosity
• Acts 20:35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
• The reality is, that many people are pretty stingy
• Stingy with their time, with their resources, with their money, with their knowledge

• Here’s why people are stingy

• Weren’t taught generosity as a child
• Too empty in their own life, they are always in a ‘wanting/needing’ mode
• Selfish- Care more about their own production than someone elses
• Scared that if they give, they wont have any themselves
• Don’t agree with the scriptures that teach generosity
• Proverbs 11:24-25 24 There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. 25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself
• It’s a principle of God- giving people always have more- if you don’t get, its usually because you don’t give
• I’ve told you guys before, I don’t know who tithes- and I don’t but I’d be a pretty good guesser at who doesn’t based on your countenance and your abundance- You show people your generosity every single day
• 1 tim 6: 17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 
• Right now- the people who are generous in this room are agreeing with this message because they know it to be true
• Other people, you’re resisting the message because your heart isn’t generous. You’re living as a taker
• This is something I have had to learn throughout my life- I was always wanting as a child- I felt like so much was taken from me or not given to me, that in my adult life I wanted to hoard
• This is what you need to do to break yourself of it- You need to force yourself to do it and feel the discomfort of it and keep doing it over and over and over until you feel good about it
• How much is it going to cost me? As much as it does until you learn it-
• 2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
• I promise you- become a generous person with your Time, treasure, and talents and watch what God does with your life.
• I know so many people who struggle and its because they wont become generous- blessings will overtake you
• Do you sow sparingly? Or reap sparingly?

Seek the fruit that abounds

• 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account
• This is part of the generosity quotient in your life- you must get your heart right in regards to being generous
• This is where many people get it wrong
• Luke 6:38 says “Give and it will be given unto you” and many people get caught up on the “given unto you”
• Paul made it clear – he wasn’t seeking the gifts from the Church- as much as he appreciated them, he wanted them to become givers because he knew what it did for THEM
• Whenever a pastor talks about Generosity, they think its because the pastors wants a raise
• I can honestly say- the reason I want you to give is because of what it does for YOU not for what it does for ME- Sure, giving helps the receiver- but the REAL power according to Paul is to the GIVER not the RECEIVER
• This idea of “account”  lends it self to the idea that there’s a record of what is in it, that whatever is IN it is the benefit of the one who possesses it
• A bank account is to the benefit of the OWNER not the one who knows the owner
• God will grow great big luscious fruit in your life through your generosity. He promises it
• Psalm 37:26 ESV He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.
• What I love about this is that when a person is a continuing lending generous person, the effect of his generosity passes on to His CHILDREN- Their CHILDREN Become a blessing

• What does it mean to you?

• Care about the character that you are developing in your life-
• Look for opportunities to be generous- ridiculously generous to the point where people wonder
• I’ve never met a generous person who doesn’t have great character.
• So many people spend their lives trying to amass what will decay and not what will bring the type of Character that God desires for his people
• What are you doing to grow in your generosity and add fruit to your account?
• This Life of Christ is a life of being INVOLVED its not one that you merely sit back and watch- you have to be in the PROCESS to be able to be a part of it
• Proverbs 11:25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.

Be content

• . 18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sentfrom you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. 
• “I am full” Is such a powerful statement- especially coming from a guy who is in peril
• “I have all and abound”
• Pauls focus on what was good in his life and what made him happy was simple
• Was the Gospel being preached? Was the Kingdom growing? What Christ being glorified?
• Then- life is good. If the will of God is moving forward- then I have all I need
• Do I have the love of Christ in me? Do I know I’m going to heaven? Then I’m good! I’m on my way!
• Last week we talked about the “secret of being content” and the secret? DO IT WITH JESUS?
• Hebrews 13:5Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
• Learning to be content in the things of God is a very very difficult practice as a modern day believer of Jesus Christ
• We are by and large a discontented society. We have been trained by society to be so
• Bigger buildings. Faster cars. More technology.
• Have you noticed that the technology of yesterday is garbage to us?
• Its because we become discontent. That’s what they want us to feel so that we will buy more products and line their pockets
• I fall prey to it all the time- Why is that the best model of what ever I buy comes out right after I buy it?
• I remember my first cell phone- Nokia 6010. It made phone calls AND sent texts.
• Now if we can’t livestream video all over the world while flying in a plane its no good
• 1 Timothy 6:6-8 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain[a] we can carry nothing out.8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
• The Bible says that when we have godliness with contentment it is GREAT GAIN
• Learning to be content with the smallest of things is a huge thing
• But you can’t be generous if you’re not content, because every opportunity for generosity appears to be keeping you from buying or doing something in your own life that you feel will bring you contentment
• But when you find contentment in the things of GOD nothing else compares and you cease to long after the things of this world to bring you contentment
• This is why fasting is so beneficial. You tired of what you can’t eat? Fast for 3 days
• Don’t like your clothes? Wear the same ones for a month and then take out all your old clothes
• Usually, discontentment has less to do with what you have or don’t have its usually because of something that is in your heart that you haven’t allowed the HS to deal with

Trust God as your provider

• 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father beglory forever and ever. Amen.
• The final component to understanding a generous spirit understanding that God is our provider
• Paul says God will supply all your NEED.
• Paul understood and experienced the fullness of finding his contentment in Jesus and realizing that God WOULD supply all of his need
• The supply of your need is EVERYTHING in my book
• Food, shelter, clothing, healing, contentment, passion, direction, courage, love etc
• God knows where you are and what you need.  He brought you into this world-
• Job 37:23 As for the Almighty, we cannot find Him; He is excellent in power, In judgment and abundant justice; He does not oppress.
• God is a blesser not a destroyer. The same God that is trying to bless you isn’t the same one who is trying to kill you
• But you MUST understand and believe that everything you have has come from God
• If you don’t have a stewardship mindset- you’ll never be generous because you’ll think that all your stuff belongs to you
• Faith telling me to clean up my stuff- “its all my stuff”

• What does it mean to you?

• Trust that God is going to provide for all of your needs, so you have no reason to fear when being Generous
• If you are generous with your time, money, knowledge, God will recompense HE KNOWS YOUR NEED
• Paul commends the Philippian church for their generosity and says GOD WILL MEET YOUR NEED
• When you give out of your own NEED God will continue to meet YOUR NEED
• Our church lives this out- Often times we give out of own need- pastors wife needed treatment
• Either God is watching or he is not. If he is, he’s going to take care of what needs to be
• 1 Peter 4:10 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
• We are stewards of everything that God has given us. Tangible or intangible and we must minster it well.
• We must not hold on tightly to what WE have because we are afraid that God won’t meet our need! BE GENEROUS- and God will meet your NEED every single time.
• I’ve told this many times- Crystal and I are tithers, givers, etc. There are needs that I have that I know that God is going to meet. I’m not going to stop being generous and listening to the HS simply because I want to be the one in control
• Choose generosity over stingyness