CONTENTMENT AND GENEROUSITY

[1]WELCOME: Well good morning everyone! Glad you’re here with us and joining us online. If you’re new with us, my name is Nic Cook and I’m one of the pastors here at Cornerstone Church in Auburn IL. Today we’re finishing up our SERIES: CHOOSE JOY, then next week we’re going to be celebrating Easter together. It’s gonna be a great day. [2]We’ll be talking about how our God turns Graves into Gardens. Easter is a great opportunity to invite your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers to hear the greatest news and story ever told. It could even change their lives for eternity! So, begin thinking and praying about who you can bring with you. So, as we wrap up our series on Choosing Joy by studying the book of Philippians, we’re going to discuss…[3]

·  HOW WE HANDLE MONEY CAN HELP US LIVE WITH JOY: We’re talking about everyone’s favorite subject together: money. There are a number of things that typically go through people’s mind when this subject comes up in a sermon. There will be some who say, it seems like all the church ever does is talk about money. To which I will probably reply, the last time I spoke specifically about money was a series I did in January of 2019. So welcome back! Then there will be some who start getting suspicious, okay what do you want? To that I will say I’m glad you asked, I simply want you to experience the kind of freedom and joy that God intended you to experience when it comes to money and possessions. I want you to be content and I want you to be excited about seeing money the way he does. Then there will be some who are sitting here quietly thinking, I’m glad he’s talking about this because I have seen just how powerful it is to trust God with my finances and how wonderful it is to partner with him. It’s almost like a incredible secret they’ve experienced and are excited about others finally finding out about it.

o So, this morning, regardless of where you are, I’m glad you’re here and I don’t believe it’s an accident. I believe God wants to speak to you and help you live with a sense of freedom, purpose, and joy when it comes to your finances. If you’ll open your bibles to [4][PHIL. 4:10-23] or you can open up our app and follow along with sermon notes. Before we dig in to God’s word together, let’s pray that his holy Spirit would open  our hearts to listen and receive and that we would come to know, love, and serve his Son Jesus, well. Let’s pray…[5]

(TEACH/APP) A CHRISTIAN EXAMPLE OF WORK & MONEY

BACKGROUND: Before we dig into how to practically apply this passage to our lives today, it’s important to understand the story it is part of originally. The writer of this letter is a man named Paul. When we first meet Paul, he is named Saul and he’s killing and persecuting Christians. He was the last person you would ever expect to be a leader in the Church. Yet God had a plan for him. Jesus stopped him dead in his tracks at the peak of his career and influence and showed him how destructive his life was and that he was fighting against God. From that point forth we see someone who is radically committed to loving Jesus, following Jesus, and telling others about Jesus. He begins making these major trips all over the Roman empire telling people about Jesus and when they give their lives to Jesus, they begin meeting together to grow and follow Jesus and turn into collections of Christians called “the church.” As Paul is traveling around, it’s not like he had a massive bank account and was just able to go gallivanting around like a millionaire. He would support himself financially by…[6]

·  MAKING TENTS FOR JESUS: In [7-8][Acts 18:1-3] we hear about Paul coming into the ancient city of Corinth. When he got to a new city he would usually go into the Jewish place of worship called the synagogue and preach about Jesus. When people who were interested in what he had to say or actually became Christians, they would often invite him to stay with them. He would then go to the Jewish section of the local marketplace and set up his business of making tents. Unlike today where we have RVs that you travel and sleep in, people making journeys from city to city for business or for seeing family members far away, or even journeying to Jerusalem as a Jew for religious festivals required a tent. I believe Paul supported himself through tentmaking so that he could…

o [9]GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO WORSHIP AND WITNESS TO JESUS IN THE WORKPLACE… Work was not simply a place to make money for Paul. It was an act of worship that gave him opportunities to share the gospel. Unfortunately, sometimes we think that worship primarily happens in this building. However, in [10-11][Colossians 3:23-24] Paul says this… When Christians work hard like Jesus is their boss, when they serve well in the workplace because they are serving Jesus and not people, they are making their workplace a place of worship. They are honoring Jesus by benefitting their bosses, their business, and their community when they work hard and well. Additionally, it gave him a chance to talk to people about Jesus in his workplace. We’re not sure if Paul met Aquilla and Priscilla in the marketplace and they became Christians because he was working among them, or if they converted and then Paul began working alongside them. Regardless, by being out in the community and doing his job, it gave him opportunities to develop relationships and talk about Jesus with people as he worked. That’s why one of our core values is that “we are all missionaries.”  It was never Jesus’s intention that this building be the main place people hear about Jesus. His intention was that on Monday through Saturday, we each take the good news into our jobs, our schools, and our communities, and worship Jesus with our work and tell others about why we do what we do. I also believe Paul made tents because it…

o [12]MADE IT POSSIBLE TO BE GENEROUS LIKE JESUS… In [13-14][Acts 20:33] Paul reminds the Christians at the city of Ephesus that he wasn’t greedy and wanted money from anyone. Instead, he used his own hands and abilities to support himself, but also HIS COMPANIONS. He is saying I worked not only for my own needs, but to be able to help others. He then goes on and says especially “the weak.” Those who are vulnerable and need support. Paul was giving us an example that if God has given us the ability and he has blessed us financially, then we wants us to care for others. Finally, I believe that Paul wanted to…

o [15]PREACH BOLDLY WITHOUT STRINGS ATTACHED: Paul was aware that there were people who would use any philosophy or religious message to make a profit. A second-century writer named Lucian talked about people who would “collect tribute, going from house to house, or as they themselves express it, shear the sheep: and they expect many to give, either out of respect for their cloth or for fear of their abusive language.” Paul wanted to avoid…

§ TWO TRAPS OF MONEY AND MINISTRY: He didn’t want to fall into the trap of not saying the hard things that needed to be said because he was afraid people would stop giving him a paycheck. Listen, pastors are people too. They struggle with sin and can become afraid. There can be a fear of not confronting sin in a church because you can make people mad, lose your job, your house, have trouble supporting your family. I have had more than one pastor friend say, I wonder how much more bold pastors would be if they didn’t need a paycheck?  I tell you what, I’m not sure most of Paul’s letters would be in our bible if he was worried about rubbing people the wrong way when it came to sex, money, relationships, you name it, he addressed it. He also didn’t want to be accused of taking advantage of people and using Jesus as a get rich quick scheme. It makes me sick to hear about people who get pulled into prosperity gospel teaching. If you’ll just give money, then God will give you even more money. Like God is a slot machine and you put your money in and a fortune automatically will come out if you pray the right prayers and have enough faith. So, Paul is…

§ WALKING A TENSION HERE. He has tried to model to them the purpose of why we work and what we do with our money and how that money can be a danger to the gospel. That’s why he says things like “not that I was ever in need”[4:11] and, “I don’t say this because I want a gift from you.”[4:17] But he also wants to thank them for their hearts and their generosity. He doesn’t want to come across as ungrateful. They have been a blessing to him from the very beginning of his ministry. So, he thanks God for the way that God has been working in their lives and how that the proof of God’s work in their lives is that they are a generous considerate church. Ultimately, he wants them to know that [16]

(JC) WE HAVE ALL WE NEED IN JESUS SO WE CAN GIVE ALL WE HAVE FOR JESUS!

JESUS IS ENOUGH: Paul is giving his younger brothers and sisters in the faith a deep truth that he himself has learned over the years. He intentionally uses the word I have “learned” this secret. Personally, over time, through experience. He says I have a secret for you! Whether you have a little or a lot, whether you’re hungry or full, Jesus is enough! Jesus is enough! Jesus is enough! Did I mention that Jesus is enough?! You might be thinking, sure Paul, easy for you to say. No! Not easy for him to say. He tells us about his life in [17-20][2 Corinthians 11:25-28] He says I know personally how Jesus has seen me through all of these things. Did he deliver me from suffering? Nope! Did he walk with me through them? Yes, and a hundred times yes! That’s why Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength!” This is not a Stephen Curry I can do all things like dunk a basketball if I have enough faith kind of verse. This is a, I can take the worst this world can give because Jesus is for me, in me, and able to see me through it verse. If God can take a crucifixion and use it to save humanity, then he can take whatever I’m going through and use it too! Let me give you a personal example. There was a period in my life when…[21]

I LOST A LOT, BUT I STILL HAD WHAT I NEEDED MOST: I was separated from my ex-wife and had been essentially been homeless. I was staying on friends couches and wherever I could. I ended up staying with a friend who was housesitting for people who were out of town and trying to sell their house. [22]So, I was staying in a little girls bedroom that was purple with flower decals. Just where I wanted to be in life. Each morning I had to wake up, pack up my stuff and slide it into a closet just in case they showed the house. It was like I didn’t’ exist. My stuff disappeared in a closet all day. I was eating chef Boyardee ravioli because it’s what I could afford. Which to this day I refuse to eat. It makes me shiver to think about it. [23]I remember sitting on a concrete curb and crying out to God, I feel so alone! And I will never forget sitting under that streetlight in some strange neighborhood a voice so loud in my head “I’m still with you! I haven’t left you alone!” It was the strength that I needed. It was the peace that I needed when I had lost almost everything. I wasn’t sure I could go much further, but Christ was enough. It’s looking back on how God has been enough in more seasons that just that one that I can start to understand how Paul can say that…[24]

·  THOSE WHO ARE CONNECTED TO CHRIST RECEIVE ALL THEY NEED FROM HIM: When Paul says that he’s content, that word content means “having all the resources in me that I need.” Internal resources. That means that contentment is about having all the things we need inside us to thrive, not about having all the things around us to thrive! Need peace? Jesus is there. Need strength? Jesus is there. Need to feel loved? Jesus is there. Need to know you’re valuable? Jesus is there. Worried about tomorrow? Jesus is there. Need hope? Jesus will never leave you or forsake you. He is preparing a place for you. He has overcome the world, take heart. This is about Jesus giving you what you need internally. And…[25]

·   WHEN YOU FIND ALL YOU NEED IN JESUS, YOU WILL BE WILLING TO GIVE ALL YOU HAVE FOR HIM AND HIS KINGDOM! Paul is willing to give up his life. The Philippians gave their finances even though they themselves did not have much. Paul was reminding them that Jesus would continue to take care of them. They were grateful that Paul had brought them the saving news of Jesus and had helped them grow in their love of Jesus. So, they supported Paul even though he didn’t ask for it. People who realize just how blessed they have been, want to turn around and be a blessing to others! It gives them joy to support the work of God. They develop a deep love for other brothers and sisters and long to help them spread the good news. So practically speaking…

(NXT/INSP) [26]YOUR GIVING WILL LEAD TO JOY

Paul says in [4:10] that when Paul received their gift it caused him to “rejoice in the Lord.” He didn’t expect it, but he realized that God had prompted it and knew that the gift ultimately came from God through his sons and daughters at Philippi. Let me give you real quickly a couple more ways that your giving will lead to joy.

·  IT FREES YOU FROM SLAVERY TO STUFF: Jesus famously said “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” [Matt. 6:24] Jesus says money acts like a master and a God. The tighter you hold on to it, the more you find yourself gripped by it. A theologian named Jacques Ellul says “there is one act par excellence which profanes money by going directly against the law of money, an act for which money is not made. This act is giving.” Basically, he is saying, it’s counter intuitive. When you give it away, you control it instead of it controlling you. Another reason giving will lead to joy is become

·  IT’S FUN! It never ceases to amaze me how God begins tugging on someone’s heart to start giving and then when they do, God seems to show up more often. Struggling with money and don’t have job? Started giving, get a job. Struggling with giving to the church and then start serving and see how your giving helps change lives. Not that it always works out with getting money, but there is always a blessing to those who give. There’s something really fun about selling a car for a dollar to people who need one and you can provide it knowing that God is really the one giving the car away. It really truly is more blessed to give than to receive. There are so many other ways that giving brings joy, but the last one I can mention is that…

IT BINDS OUR HEARTS TO THE FAMILY OF GOD AND IT’S MISSION: For example, a couple years ago my family invested in saving enough money for me to travel to the Dominican Republic to see what the ministry of Christian Dominican Mission was like for 17 days. What I saw there has made me fall in love with the family of God there. The Kleins, Ernesto and his family, Jonathan Espacio, Damien, Juano, and so many more. So when we talk about financially supporting the mission, it’s not simply an organization, but brothers and sisters, people I know and love and care about seeing them thrive. When we give we fall in love with people and the kingdom that God is building through them.