Bible Study Series: The Book of Philippians
Bible Study Lesson Philippians 4:14-23 Being a fragrant aroma unto the Lord
By Fraser Gordon
Hello saints. The passage today is about giving. Paul commends the church of Philippi for sharing and caring for him in his distress.
Php 4:14-15 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.
Paul's recommendations and encouragement for the Philippian church is that they cared for him. So the context is about giving. It is so important for all Christians to be givers and to look out for the needs of others.
The fruit of giving
There was once a tramp looking for a handout in a picturesque Old English Village. This tramp was hungry almost to the point of fainting so he stopped by a pub bearing the name Saint George and the Dragon. "'Please ma'am, could you spare me a bite to eat?" he asked the lady who answered his knock at the kitchen door of the inn. "'A bite to eat?” she growled. “For a sorry, no good bum, a foul smelling beggar! No” she snapped as she almost slammed the door on his hand. Halfway down the lane, the tramp stopped, turned around and looked at the sign once again, Saint George and the Dragon. He went back and knocked again on the kitchen door. "'Now what do you want?' the woman asked angrily. "'Well ma'am, I've spoken to the dragon, may I speak to Saint George now please?”
Giving is something we should all be involved in. We don't want to be like the dragon. I read another example under the title, Determined Giving. Survivors of Nazi death camps spoke of an attitude of determined giving that distinguished the survivors from those who perished. If a prisoner was on the verge of starvation but he had a crust of bread or a scrap of a potato that he could share with his comrades in suffering, he was psychologically and spiritually capable of surviving. A survivor of Treblinka described it this way. “In our group, we shared everything and the moment one of the group ate something without sharing it, we knew it was the beginning of the end for him.” What a fascinating story, even when these people were put under pressure they shared and looked outside themselves to the needs of others. By doing so, it had a psychological and spiritual effect on them. It gave them something outside of themselves to live for. The survivor also said that as soon as someone became internal, and their only care was for their own survival and health, they knew it was the beginning of the end for that person. Fascinating.
So the act of giving is incredibly important, not only for those that receive, but also for those who give. Paul had a need and in verse 14, he commends this church for sharing in his distress. Also saying No church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.
Php 4:16 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Paul commended this church for caring for him and looking out for his needs. 17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.
The fruit of giving is what Paul was looking for. It's very nice to receive, but Paul thought that the Spirit of God working in their hearts and the fruit of the Spirit being drawn out in them was greater. They were looking outside themselves with a giving heart and attitude. He says, not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit. Paul sought what God was working on in their hearts; to look outside themselves and see the needs of others and then to give.
The principle of giving
In Mark Chapter 12 we get the same principle:
Mar 12:41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."
Jesus sat and watched as people put money into the treasury. He observed the motives and intentions of everyone who gave. The rich gave out of their riches but the poor woman gave everything she had. Jesus commended her for that.
This principle of giving is all through scripture. In Pro 11:24 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. There is this principle in scripture that if you're generous and scatter, you'll increase more. If you hold back that which is right, it leads to poverty in your soul which goes back to our concentration camp example. The generous soul will be made rich and he who waters will also be watered himself. That is a beautiful principle. Pro 19:17 He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given. Giving is a principle in scripture and God is watching what we do with what we have.
A sweet smelling aroma
Php 4:18 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. The fruit, which was the act of giving, is a sweet aroma. It is an acceptable sacrifice that is pleasing to God.
Now this is not a new idea. The Old Testament sacrifices had to be pleasing to the Lord.
Genesis 8:20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground for man's sake, although the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done. 22 "While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease."
That's a great verse for all those that are consumed by climate change. God has made His promise; while the earth remains, seed time, harvest, cold, heat, winter, summer, day and night, these things will all remain and shall not cease. The climate alarmists try to scare us that the whole world is going to fall to bits, but God has already promised that all these things will be in place while the earth remains. But back to Noah, he made his offering and the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. The offering was pleasing to God.
In the New Testament, Paul writes that the gift of giving and the fruit of giving is a sweet smelling aroma pleasing to God. In Romans Paul writes about our sacrifice as believers.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Here Paul writes that our reasonable service is to lay down our lives. Your life is not your own, you were bought with a price. The only reasonable thing for you and I to do is present our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord so that He may have His will and way however He chooses. That is the only reasonable thing to do because we have died, been buried and risen again in the Lord Jesus Christ. That is our new life. So in light of all that, by the mercies of God, we should present ourselves as one who is alive to God and dead to sin.
One more verse is in 1 Peter which is still on the theme of giving.
1Pe 2:5 You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. You are being built up into a body, a spiritual house, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God.
The act of giving by the Philippian church; that they cared for Paul, saw his need and met it, was acceptable to God. It was fruit to God and a sweet-smelling aroma to Him. This act is pleasing to the Father. This is what the Trinity is like, God is a giving God. For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only beloved Son. When the Son came into the world He gave up his life. He is the lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. So every time we give to God it reminds Him of His character and His Son's character. We are being conformed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ who gave up his life that we may live. In this way we are pleasing to God.
What do we need?
Php 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
My God, Paul says, it's personal. He's talking about this God with whom he'd come into a relationship with. He says, My God shall supply all your need. This is all your needs, not your wants. All of us are the same, there's a great amount of things we want but will they do us any good? God's supply is for our needs and it's our need He provides for. Remember when Paul wanted to be free from his thorn? But his need was for more grace to withstand the trouble he found himself in.
If God is to supply all our needs, what are they? They are certainly not our wants. First of all man is born spiritually dead. Because of our birth in the first Adam we are ruled by a sinful, fleshly nature. We've broken all God's laws and deserve judgment. What we need is forgiveness. We need the Lord Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sin. We need to be set free from sin's grip and live a life that is pleasing to God. Christ died for the unjust, the righteous for the unrighteous that we may have life. So our first need is that we are born spiritually dead and need the life of Christ to renew us, to bring us closer to the Father with forgiveness of sins and a life that is lived for Him.
Our second need is fellowship with God. We have to walk through this dirty world and we need the help and comfort of the Holy Spirit. We need Him to lead us and exalt the things of Christ. We need to walk with our God who we have come into a relationship with. We need rest for our souls. Not only do we need forgiveness but we all need rest. We need the contentment Paul wrote about in Philippians 4.11 and what Jesus said in Mat 11:28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. That is what we need. We need the rest of Christ in our lives. We also need protection. Of all the animals in the world, the bible likens mankind to sheep. What do we know about sheep? They are dumb, prone to wandering, defenseless, and they need a shepherd. We need protection and only He can lead and watch over us. We need to be corrected, we need to be tested and brought back into fellowship with Him. These are our needs first and foremost.
Then we need the things that He promised, food, clothing and shelter. There are many things that we want but what we need He has promised to supply. In Deut 29 while Israel was in the wilderness their clothing and sandals never wore out. For the forty years they wandered round and round in circles in unbelief and rebellion God still provided for them. They were His people, His children, and they received water, manna every morning, quail, and their clothing and sandals never wore out. This is the God that we serve. My God shall supply all your need. He does that for every saint. Even the weakest one. If He is Christ He is everything, He’s the treasure, and He will supply our need. Remember Elijah at the Brook Cherith in 1 Kings 17? He went there to rest and wait. God provided water for him and it was the ravens that brought him bread and meat every morning. God used an unclean bird to meet the needs of his servant and sometimes His provision will be like that. God can use the unclean to be a blessing to you and I just as he did for Elijah. He supplied Elijah’s need.
Paul commends the Philippian church by saying that their giving is a sweet sacrifice to God and then he backs it up by saying, and my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Remember that we are dealing with a Father who loves to provide. If it was up to me to supply your need, you'd better get used to living a very simplistic, no frills, lifestyle. You would often fast and go without due to my resources. Thankfully it's not me it's Him. It’s His riches in glory. He's the creator of all things with endless wealth and endless provision in Christ Jesus. Every saint has this from the weakest to the strongest. If he has Christ, he has everything he needs for it's Christ’s responsibility to look after you and I and it's the Father's heart to provide. We need to remember this saints. If you are a parent, you love to bless your kids and give them what they need. You don't give them everything they want, but you love to be a blessing to your children. In the same way, how much more does our heavenly Father? He sent His Spirit into our hearts by which we cry out, Abba Father. We are under the Father's care. We need to picture a loving Father that will do all He can to provide. In Psalm 104 it says that our Father sustains the food chain of every living thing. Think about that. Every living thing is provided for and how much greater are we than the animal kingdom to our heavenly Father? He will supply our need according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.
Final greetings
Php 4:20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. 21 Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you.
At the beginning of Philippians in Chapter 1.1 Paul wrote To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi. Now he's ending the letter with the same greeting: Greet every saint in Christ Jesus… all the saints greet you. Now this word saint means, set apart. Unfortunately, we have a perverted view of it due to Catholicism. They elevate a select group of people and name them saints but the Bible never does that. Paul addresses the weakest Christian as a saint, because saint means set apart to God. If you've been born again, you've gone down into the waters, into death and you've risen up into a living Christ, and are seated in the heavenly places. From the greatest to the weakest, you're all saints. That's your title. You're one that has been set apart to God. Paul even addressed the Corinthians, the worst church with the worst behaviour, as called to be saints 1Co 1.4.
Php 4.22 All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Caesar's household.
What is Paul talking about? Caesar's household would have included a large number of people; courtiers, judges, princes, cooks, musicians, soldiers, stablemen and more. Back in Chapter 1.12 Paul writes, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ. Paul was put in prison and he thanked the Lord that he ended up in Caesar's palace. The guards he was chained to heard about Christ and the gospel went into Caesar's household, whether it was soldiers, stablemen, musicians, or the cooks, the people who served in the palace were coming to the Lord. Paul writes that these people greeted the Philippian church as brothers and sisters in the Lord. It’s wonderful.
Php 4:23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
Paul started the book of Philippians with grace in Chapter 1.2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Now he ends with grace and the grace of God is exactly what we all need.
Fruitful in isolation
This has been a wonderful book to study. Many people say that the main theme of it is rejoicing and joy, but for me the main theme is Jesus Christ. Paul writes of him 40 times in this book and He is the central figure throughout. Christ is always the central figure. The wonderful thing about this book is that not only is Christ preached throughout, but we have it because Paul was in isolation, put to one side by God for a purpose. Paul was put in prison and left there alone but God had a purpose in his isolation. Paul wrote these prison epistles that have become a blessing to you and I all the way down through the centuries. Paul was fruitful in his isolation and you and I can also be fruitful wherever we find ourselves. It may be that God will put us aside for a time, but that doesn't mean that He’s finished with us.
A good example of this is John Bunyan who was imprisoned for 12 years from 1660. He was arrested for holding religious meetings and refusing to stop preaching and so was imprisoned. During this time he wrote Pilgrim's Progress which, apart from the Bible, has become one of the greatest sources of comfort and truth to millions down through the centuries. If Bunyan had not been imprisoned we would probably not have Pilgrim’s Progress. Because Bunyan was isolated, he had the time to write the book that's been a comfort to many. He was fruitful in his isolation.
In Paul’s isolation the Gospel went out and we have all these wonderful truths about the Christian life. The main theme throughout this book is the Lord Jesus Christ who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, Php 2.6-11. Jesus Christ is mentioned 40 times in the four chapters of Philippians. He is always the central theme of all scripture. So we thank Paul for this little book.
That ends our time in the book of Philippians.Next I'm going to do a little bit of work on the concept of the Trinity from the Old and New Testament. It's something I was asked to do for a group of Christian surfers. The Trinity in scripture is a great theme.
God bless you saints and I pray that you've been enriched in this great little book. I pray you have been blessed and I pray that you would see even more.