This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, February 21, 1993.

This morning we are reading from Philippians chapter 4, and we begin at verse 10. Here is the word of God. But now, at the last, your care of me hath flourished again, wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Notwithstanding ye have well done, that he did communicate with my affliction Now, ye Philippians, know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For then, for even in Thessalonica, ye sent once and again unto my necessity, not because I desire a gift, but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”

But I have all and abound. I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God, that my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Salute every saint in Christ Jesus. the brethren which are with me greet you, all the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Jesus, help them, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Can we estimate the power of your word? Oh God, you spoke and it was done. We might even resist you with all the power of hell. But even that cannot resist the greatness of your word. Oh Lord, with your powerful word you have given us rebirth, and with that word now you sustain us. We bless you in that you have communicated to us your word. We pray, our God, that we may be grateful. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Believe it or not, the conclusion to Paul’s letter to the Philippians is the very best wine. You recall the remarks of the head waiter at the wedding at Cana, that the bridegroom had kept the best wine until the end of the feast? Paul, the apostle has reserved the best until now.

You might be taken back by that comment, remembering the wonderful territory that we have covered thus far in our exposition of this letter. Territory, I might say, that contain some of the very favorite biblical passages, many of which have been committed to memory by a number of Saints, a number of people here in this congregation. But that notwithstanding, I hold my ground and I am bold with respect to this claim.

The best of the letter to the Philippians is before us now. You might object. You might say, after you have heard a reading of it, this material here at the end of the letter seems so pedestrian, so common. so particular to the Philippian situation, hardly universal, hardly applicable to us in our circumstance. It seems almost dismissible, as if it were unimportant, as if the letter could very well get along without it. Yet no section, no section of this letter rivals it for its genuine charm, its gracious, biting, still loving wit, its compact expression of the apostle’s intention all along, as he has been writing this letter, and no section rivals this one for its subtle profundity.

By all means, then, if what I have said is true, we need to settle in to a bit more serious reflection on these verses. The first thing that I want you to notice, and this is what we will concentrate on this morning, is that Paul, here at the end, finally gets around to telling us what he’s been writing about. He finally gets around to addressing the occasion for this letter. Not that he hasn’t given us.

For instance, in the first chapter of the fifth verse, you may want to check that he speaks about the participation which these Philippians have had in the gospel with him since the day they first believed. What Paul meant by that was that these people were so joined to him, so united to him, that he saw them participating with him in his ministry as he went about proclaiming the gospel. He goes further in the seventh verse of that first chapter, where he speaks about this union between himself and these Philippian Christians in such a way that it seems as if he sees them actually sharing in his imprisonment and trials which he is undergoing in Rome. And not only that, he also sees them as participating in the grace in which he has glory throughout the entirety of this ordeal.

For it is only right for me to feel this way about you, he writes. because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.” But you will also note in these two verses, which we have cited from the first chapter, that the apostle fails to tell us precisely how this union between himself and the Philippians is practically, in a practical fashion, sealed.

For us now, who read the letter later, the cat is not let out of the bag until we reach that fourth chapter and this concluding section of the letter. The truth of the matter is this. The bond is sealed between Paul and these Philippian believers by the Philippians’ gift, their contribution to his ministry, a gift for which Paul, now at the conclusion of this letter, thanks these saints. proves to be a biblical thank-you note. This is the way Paul writes his thank-you notes. You might think of your own in light of what he has done here. Now, understanding this relationship that exists between the first chapter and the fourth chapter, the occasion for the letter a little bit better. We are helped in understanding the extended personal section that appears at the end of the second chapter in Philippians. in view is particularly the twenty-fifth birth.

But I thought it necessary, writes Paul, to send you a paphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, the word used there is apostle, your messenger and minister to my need. Paul here focuses upon this man Aphrodite, about whom he has nothing but good to say. You will note from this verse that Aphrodite is in fact an emissary, an ambassador from the church in Philippi. He has come from them He is one of their own. He is, as a matter of fact, the man through whom that Philippian congregation had sent their gift to Paul.

But as was the case in the first chapter, so again here in the second, the gift itself is not explicitly mentioned. The gift itself is not explicitly mentioned, and the specific mention of the gift is reserved for the fourth chapter and the closing verses of the epistle. You might note that Epaphroditus is mentioned once more at the end of the epistle, the fourth chapter, the eighteenth verse. We take stock of what we find in the verses we read this morning.

In these verses, you will note that Paul continues to keep the gift itself in the background. He will not mention it in the first chapter, even though he alludes to it. He will not mention it in the second chapter, even though he alludes to it. And now in the fourth chapter, he is very slow to speak of it directly. He builds towards a mention of the gift itself.

The gift is in view, it is implied in verses 10 through 14. In verse fifteen, the Apostle gets a little warmer, gets a little closer to the target. He does everything but explicitly mention the gift in verse sixteen, and that’s despite what the New American Standard says. The word gift does appear in verse sixteen in the New American Standard.

But you will note that it is in italics, it is not actually in the Greek text. It has been supplied by the translators. It is only when you reach the seventeenth verse that Paul explicitly mentions forgiveness, and from that point on he becomes quite profuse, quite eloquent in the expression of his gratitude.

Now, you might well ask yourself why all this cat-and-mouse business? Why does the Apostle play with these Philippians with respect to this matter of the gift? Why all of this diversion? Why this delay? Why this avoidance by the Apostle persistently, consistently In mentioning the gift, it’s as if we were dealing with something here that was deliberate, well thought out. What possible purpose does this method serve?

Now, some commentators have been so put off by Paul’s attitude at this point that they have called this section, The Apostles’ Thankless Thank You. They are amazed and baffled by his approach, which to them appears to be a bit backhanded. and even when he gets around to compliments, they seem to be qualified by negative comments. You’ll note the opening of the tenth verse, where Paul speaks about his great joy. But as you go on, it almost sounds as if the Apostle becomes tedious.

Finally, you people, you got around to giving me a thought. Do you get the force of it there? That now, at last, you have revived your concern for me. But, of course, I understand you lacked opportunity. Now, don’t think I’m complaining. After all, it’s not as if I need anything. I’m always content, I remind you. I’ve learned the great secret of life. When I’m hungry, I’m full, and when I’m full, I’m hungry. I’m both at once fat and skinny.”

These rather sharp and cutting remarks are meant to more than amuse those moved by a clever bit of sarcasm. There is that note of irony in them, there is a bit of tongue-in-cheek here, but all aside, they are offered in all seriousness. You see, Paul plays down the gift and even seems to mock the gift in the interests of playing up the givers.

He would not have these dear Philippians whom he loves focus on their gift, nor be concerned for how someone may in gratitude receive it. Paul, therefore, sets the gift in the shadows. It’s almost as if he sets it aside. He allows it to be eclipsed in the interests of the real issue, namely, the gift of these people themselves. Not the gift of money which he has received, but the gift of themselves to him. The money then proving to be merely an extension of themselves, while they are the true gift.

Do you remember how he speaks about them so endearingly at the opening of the letter, that seventh verse once more, for his right, only right, for me to feel this way about you, because I have you in my heart. He carries them about in himself. They are the true gift. They are bound to him, and he is bound to them.

It is important for us to understand the lengths to which the Apostle will go in order to make this point to the Philippians. When we get to Philippians 4, verses 10-14 and its famous lines, I have learned in whatever state I am therewith to be content. I have learned the secret of being full and going hungry, etc. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” When we get to these verses and these familiar lines, you must not miss the Apostle’s intention here. for he wishes his words to give off a distinct air of God-like, God-like self-sufficiency.

Let that settle in, as if Paul were partaking of the sufficiency that God has in himself. As if Paul, like God, were in need of nothing. There are any number of texts in the Old Testament that speak about God along these lines. Psalm 50 is one passage where you can find such language used with respect to God, and the number of prophets speak likewise. God doesn’t need the offerings of his people. It’s not as if he were hungry. He doesn’t stand in need of these things that they bring.

Nevertheless, God is pleased with those offerings insofar as they are indicative of the gift of the offerer. Paul then, like God, encourages nothing short of the gift of oneself, of which all other gifts are but a token. He even goes so far as to, quote, mock, unquote, the gifts in the interests of this true gift.

God himself will lead the way, even as it respects the matter of giving itself. God leads the way by giving to us not just things. but himself. He gives himself to us in his Son, Jesus Christ. Paul, then, like God, gives himself in his ministry. He gives himself to these saints in Christlike fashion.

And the great thing about the gift of the Philippians to Paul, as he has been reminding them throughout this epistle, is that it is communicated to him personally. It is brought to him through this man with a funny name, Epaphroditus, who was the expression of a Christ-like sacrifice. on the part of these Philippians with respect to the Apostle in his present condition, this man then being the epitome of the fruit that increases to the Philippians’ account.

What about your gifts? Is it your tendency to think the gift the end of the matter? As if it were the goal? As if it were something with which both God and others should be well satisfied? If that is your attitude, then God and the Apostle and I mock your gift. We don’t need it.

But if your gift is a sign of the gift that you make of yourself, then know that your gift is a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice. well-pleasing to God, and receive this encouragement, God will supply all your need according to his riches in glory, in the gift of himself, through Jesus Christ. Our Father, keep us from that spirit that would imagine that having given a gift, we have done what was necessary, and we have done something which inherently pleases you. O God, if we are not as well giving ourselves, our gifts are worthless. But Father, bless us in this matter, that if we need to repent about our giving, we might do so in order that we might receive of you your blessing and the assurances of those riches and glory that are found nowhere else but in Christ Jesus, the one in whom we trust. You are a great gift to us. Amen.

The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.