Comments on Philippians 4:15-23

 Today we’ll be wrapping up the book of Philippians. When I started preaching through this book November of 2024 I had no clue where the Lord would take me. I had simply wanted to remember that the joy of the Lord is found in Himself, not in anything here in this world. And as we’ve gone week by week, we’ve been reminded again and again that joy is not tied to our outward circumstances. That’s why Paul could write with such confidence from a Roman prison cell, because his joy was anchored in Christ, not in comfort or freedom. Yet, because he had “the mind of Christ” he was able to rejoice despite his circumstances. The gospel was being advanced and that brought him further joy. I also wanted to remind us of the personal nature of this letter, that Paul loved the believers there in Philippi and wrote to help them and thank them. Let’s go to our text now. 

“You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

    Again we are reminded that this is a personal letter from Paul to believers he loved and was very grateful for. He reminds them that no one else in all of Macedonia was willing or able to help him in his work except them alone. I mentioned last time the importance of thankfulness as well as Paul not caring as much for the gift itself, though I’m sure it was helpful, but for the thought that went into it. The Philippians knew that Paul was a travelling minister and, though he did work from time to time to make ends meet, he was also trusting the Lord completely for his care. They saw this and gave materially. That’s convicting, isn’t it? They didn’t have much themselves, yet they saw Paul’s need and gave anyway. Sometimes we think, ‘Well, when I have a little more, then I’ll be generous.’ But generosity is not about the size of the gift, it’s about the heart of the giver.

    Even before he had left Macedonia they had already sent him a gift while he was in Thessalonica. Reading a small portion from Acts 17 which takes place after he had been imprisoned in Philippi in Acts 16, Luke writes: “And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks, and a number of the leading women. But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These men who have upset the world have come here also; and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus.’ They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them. The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea …” (vs 2-10a). 

    So Paul had been in Thessalonica for three weeks and apparently the Philippian believers had sent funds more than once to help him while he was there spreading the gospel there. Isn’t that striking? While Paul was facing mobs and accusations in Thessalonica, the Philippians were quietly supporting him behind the scenes. That reminds us that gospel work is always a team effort, some preach, some suffer, some give, but God uses it all to advance His kingdom.

    Paul mentions next that the material gain wasn’t the important part to him, but rather that the Philippian believers were profiting by their gifts. To quote J. Vernon McGee: “The church in Philippi has been getting dividends on their contribution right down to the present time … They have stock in the apostle Paul, if you please. They still have a part in getting out the Word of God.” Those believers that were so precious to Paul, and had given to him multiple times, received a letter from him with instruction and thanks. God saw fit to include that letter in His Word, and so we, almost 2,000 years later, still get to benefit from the faithfulness of the Philippians. To quote Wiersbe now, “The Lord keeps the books and will never fail to pay one spiritual dividend. That church is poor that fails to share materially with others.”  This world and its stuff is not what should be important to us as believers. We ought to give what we have here because Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” We can easily agree with that verse, but it challenges us to ask: where really is my treasure? Do my bank statements and my time commitments point more toward earth, or toward heaven? The Philippians had already answered that question with their actions.

    Not that we should only give because of what we can get, because that defeats the purpose of the giving. As we read in 1 Samuel 16 “... for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Our motive for giving should be, as Paul says in this next verse, to be, “an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.” 

    Many times in Scripture is this “acceptable” or “spiritual” sacrifice mentioned. Starting in Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” And again in Hebrews 13:15-16 “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” And again in 1 Peter 2:4-5 “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

    We see that the authors of Scripture, since they were driven by one Author, agree on the importance of this work. We are, as we read in Revelation 5:10 a “kingdom and priests to our God.” Our job then, is to bring praise to Him. To get back to Philippians, Paul here is commending the believers there as having done well in this regard. They amply supplied Paul’s need and in doing so offered up a sweet sacrifice to God. When we give, when we praise, when we serve, those aren’t small things. They rise up before God like incense, like a sweet aroma. Think of that: your quiet faithfulness this week, unseen by most, is noticed and delighted in by your Heavenly Father.

    Paul then goes on to assure them that though they gave to him from their poverty, God would give to them from His riches. I had mentioned last time that Paul had learned to be content in all circumstances because he had found the secret of contentment was in trusting God. Here he is encouraging the believers at Philippi to do the same. To quote Wiersbe again, “Contentment comes from adequate resources. Our resources are the providence of God, the power of God, and the promises of God. These resources made Paul sufficient for every demand of life, and they can make us sufficient too.” When we remember how much God has at His disposal, how can we worry that our needs will not be met by our loving Heavenly Father? Think about what this verse says about where God’s riches are stored. They are in glory in Christ Jesus. We are reminded in Ephesians 1 that our position is in Christ as well. So truly those riches are “at hand” for us. To quote Hudson Taylor now: “When God’s work is done in God’s way for God’s glory, it will not lack for God’s supply.” We have nothing to fear, nothing to be anxious about, because we are secure in Him. That doesn’t mean God promises us luxury or ease, but it does mean He promises us enough. Enough grace for today, enough strength for the trial, enough provision to keep us walking with Him. His ‘enough’ is always sufficient.

    And where does this all lead to? What is the chief end of man? God gets the glory. He does not share His glory, because He is the only one deserving of it. Every gift Paul received, every need that was supplied, every moment of strength in weakness, all of it pointed back to the goodness and sufficiency of God. That is why Paul can’t help but break out in praise. This is more than just a polite ending to a letter; it’s the settled conviction of a man who knows that every blessing flows from the Father’s hand. And if God gets the glory for Paul’s life, then He should get the glory in ours too; in our giving, in our contentment, in our trust, in our daily obedience. Forever and ever is not just a phrase tacked on; it reminds us that God’s glory is eternal, and we will be joining in that praise for all eternity. And that’s really the test of our Christian life, when God provides, when God sustains, when God blesses, do we stop and give Him the glory? Or do we pat ourselves on the back? Paul’s instinct was always to lift his eyes heavenward and say, ‘Glory to God forever.’ That should be ours too.

    Paul starts to wrap up his letter with greetings to and from the brethren. This is an amazing reminder to us of the unity of the body of Christ. Those in Philippi were not all well off, and those in Rome were not all nobility, but none of our physical possessions or economic status matters in Christ. This is the beauty of the gospel: the ground is level at the foot of the cross. The Philippian jailer, Lydia the businesswoman, and the members of Caesar’s household all belonged to the same family in Christ. And so do we. 

    Paul ends his epistle and we end our study with a reminder of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And really, that’s the only fitting way to close. We’ve seen joy, we’ve seen unity, we’ve seen contentment, we’ve seen generosity, but all of it flows from grace. Without the grace of Christ, none of this is possible. But with His grace, we have everything.

As we close our time in Philippians, let’s not forget what this letter has shown us over and over again: that Christ is enough. Enough for joy in the middle of suffering. Enough for unity in the middle of conflict. Enough for contentment in the middle of want. Enough for generosity in the middle of poverty. And because He is enough, all the glory goes to Him. My prayer is that as we leave this study, we would not just admire Paul’s faith, or the Philippians’ generosity, but that we ourselves would live as people marked by joy, by trust, by sacrificial love, and above all, by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I came across a hymn titled Satisfied by Clara T. Williams that I wanted to share:

1
All my life long I had panted
For a draught from some cool spring,
That I hoped would quench the burning
Of the thirst I felt within.

Refrain
Hallelujah! I have found Him
Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings;
Through His blood I now am saved.

2
Feeding on the husks around me,
Till my strength was almost gone,
Longed my soul for something better,
Only still to hunger on.

3
Poor I was, and sought for riches,
Something that would satisfy;
But the dust I gathered round me
Only mocked my soul’s sad cry.

4
Well of water, ever springing,
Bread of Life, so rich and free,
Untold wealth that never faileth,
My Redeemer is to me.