Letters from Lockdown

Okay. If you'd like to grab your bibles, we're going to open up Philippians for the last time. Philippians chapter 4, I'm gonna be reading from verse 10. I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.

I'm not saying this because I'm in need for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Yet, it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, When I set out for macedonia, not 1 church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only. For even when I was in thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts, What I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough I am amply supplied.

Now that I've received from our epideritis the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice. Pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father the glory for ever and ever.

Oh, man. Father is he comes to speak to us now. I ask again that you would give us ears to hear, to to consider carefully what is being said to us that we would allow your holy spirit word to be planted in our hearts and to to change us, to make us more like Christ, to make us a a fragrant offering and acceptable sacrifice. To you in Jesus name, amen. I wanna ask 3 simple questions right at the beginning.

So get comfortable, sit down, hear other questions. First question is, what is your favorite smell? What's your favorite smell? Perhaps it's freshly cut grass. Lots of people like that, freshly baked bread, frying bacon, curry, spicy chicken, bulgogi, whatever it is, what is your favorite smell?

Or perhaps it's a perfume that a loved 1 wears and it reminds you of of them. Or a flower that, you know, wafts up your nose and takes you back to memory lane because that's what that's what smells do. That they're they're an amazing and vital sense and they can evoke emotions and feelings and And as I say, take you down memory lane. You can suddenly have a smell in your your 30 years back thinking about things that happen then. So what is your favorite smell?

That's the first question. The second question is this. It's a bit more personal. What do you smell like? Well, what do you smell of?

Right now, I'm talking actually, not, you know, not when you're at your best and you got your your best suit on or your best dress on. What do you smell of right now? Perhaps some of you have only just got up and you're still in your pyamas or you haven't had a shower and you haven't brushed your teeth. Does your breath smell? What do you smell of?

We identified and we things that are foul and fresh. Through the sense of smell. Things that are attractive or repellent. They come through smell. Don't they?

We smell milk. To see whether it's off. So what do you smell like? That's my second question. Here's a third.

What smell does God like? What smell does God like? What is pleasing to God? What attracts God. What repels God, but actually more, what pleases him?

What is a pleasing smell to him? Here's Portland. He's closing the letter to this church at Philipi that we've been working our way through. Coming to the end of it, and his mind goes to smells. Now remember, he's in prison.

And I imagine that the prison that he's in didn't smell very very nice. He's also chained to a Roman guard. And as he's sitting there, chained to the Roman God, he gets a whiff of something. And perhaps he's looking around to see where that whiff is coming from. Now it's not the god that's spelt that because this wreath is a very beautiful wreath And even if this Roman god was wearing deodorants, you know, links or something, it really wasn't coming from him.

And it wasn't some flower that sent wafted in through the prison prison window. This smell is really beautiful. It's the smell of the Philippian Church miles away, but he smells it. See, Paul is talking about gifts, and he's talking about the gift that the Philippian Church had given him to help him with the ministry of taking the message of Jesus to the world. But look what he says in verse 18, the second half of verse 18.

They are a fragrant offerings, the gifts. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God. Fragrant acceptable pleasing smell. The word fragrant can be translated sweet smelling. The word acceptable can be translated welcome.

The word pleasing can be translated well good. So we have a sweet smelling welcome, well good smell. And that's what Paul is getting a whiff off in this Roman prison as he sits next to the Roman guard. The paraphrase version of the bible, the message puts it this way, verse 18 this way. Like a sweet smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance and pleasing God no end.

Her like that. Paul is saying to these Philippine Christians that their generosity is really good smell. And it's arrived in his prison cell. The the smell of their gift has caused him to rejoice and you're just wallow in the fragrance, but not only him, God loves this smell as well. Now, Paul is taking this whole sort of smelling and this whole sack professor language from the old testament part of the bible.

The old testament is full of this sort of stuff. So I don't know whether Paul was reading the book of Lipitikis, but in the book of LaVittica. So you have all kinds of offerings that are to be burnt to the lord sacrifices the the worshiper brings and they're described by the lord as an aroma pleasing to the lord. But as you read through the bible, you'll find that sometimes those those very same offerings stink to the lord. They're they're horrible.

It's like just burn awful, like a really, really badly burned barbecue. What you discover as you work through the old testament is that it's the attitude of the offerer that really counts in these offerings that pleat these are pleasing aroma to the Lord. The key to the smell that pleases God is a broken heart and a humble spirit. And that broken heart and humble spirit brings an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving to God. Offerings that are done automatically or are just brought out of religious duty or are nothing more than the leftovers that we're offered to god, you know, the animals that we didn't really need anyway or the disease or got a broken leg.

Those offerings that are just done without thought, without heart, stink. The sacrifices were to be the very best of the animals that you could afford, not cheap, not diseased. And the people that brought that type of offering were bringing a heartfelt love gratitude thanksgiving for the forgiveness that the offering was symbolizing. And they were bringing it to God. Now we've got to get this.

This is just 1 other thing before we get into the Philippians passage, and that and that is this. The the these sacrifices, we must get clear that they're not because the lord needed them. It's not like, you know, he really loves barbecues and he's really hungry. He didn't need them because everything we're told belongs to the lord. Our gifts are not sort of buying our favor.

For for god or to god, from god. These sacrifices are actually teaching us a lot of things. Of course, they're looking to sacrifice of the lord Jesus Christ, but they're also teaching us that we must be generous like the generous God that As God is generous to us in in giving his son to us, we are to be generous in our thanksgiving back to him. How we respond in our sacrifices is an indication of whether we really understand whether God is a gracious God to us or not. That's what they're teaching us.

And all of this, I think we're gonna see worked out in this final passage of the letter, Paul writes to these Philippians. Now I'm gonna divide this passage up and I'm gonna keep that that theme of smell. You know when you see those wine tastes I mean, I never get it with wine at all because I'm not a great wine fan, but you get the the wine testers and they they talk about the nose and then they talk about the note of or the fragrant of. And so they they put their nose in before they drink it. They swill it around and take a sniff and this has a note of and they're off they go with their descriptions of what the notes of the the different sort of notes of the smell of the of of the wine.

Well, that's what I'm gonna use. What are the notes that make up an aroma that pleases God. Here's number 1. On the nose then. This is what here he is in the prison, what Roman God next to him probably making all kinds of funny smells, but this this note comes through the window, on the nose, the note of share.

Share the Philippians shared with Paul. Look at verses 14 to 16. Yet it was good for you to share in my troubles. When I set out from Macedonia, not 1 church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only. For even when I was in thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.

So here's the first note of the smell, share. That word share could be translated in in some translations translated partnership or fellowship. It's an everyday word actually that describes running a business. You were in partnership with another business member. You had shares in a business.

So these Philippians had shared with Paul even in his sufferings and in his work. They had shed. They've taken shares. Look at us 15 again. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acceptance with the gospel.

So almost as soon as they became Christians, they immediately were affected by becoming a Christian and they shared. Yeah? They were they weren't following the examples of other churches, which is quite interesting because the other churches weren't giving anything. But their understanding of the free gift of God in Christ caused them to bring these fragrant offerings they shared. They received Christ freely, they freely gave.

It was spontaneous right from the beginning. See, once you become a Christian, you got to get this, you become a partner in the gospel business. That is God's great work, enabling people to go out and preach the gospel, people like Paul, to preach the gospel to others that they may come into the grace of God and understand what Christ has done for them. And so they shared instantly. But it wasn't just a 1 off gift, look at verse 16.

For even when I was in thessalom of of thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. This was a continual partnership. It wasn't just a 1 off gift. So even when Paul was in trouble, even when Paul was being disliked, even when Paul was being despised. Even when Paul was saying, well, look at him, he's imprisoned.

Is he is he really got servant? Even when there were difficulties and troubles, they were partners, they were receiving information as if, you know, this is our genuine brother on the front line. They're wanting to receive information and they were giving as they received This was going on. They were in the ministry together. It was like they were on the front line because their brother Paul was on the front line.

If he suffered, they suffered, If he was in need, they were prepared to give so that actually they would be in need because they'd given Now, what is it that makes God's people generous? It isn't just that emotional surge you get on those adverts for for charities. It's not just an appeal to the emotions. It's not because there's a great violin solo going behind as someone saying, It's not manipulation, the twisting of the arm. Jesus says this, freely you have received.

Freely give, freely you have received, freely give, the foundation of generosity. Is the grace of God. That's why Paul starts with the grace of God, his letter and ends with the grace of God. The foundation of generosity is the grace of God. God is so gracious.

That if we're in partnership with him, we have to be gracious. So how do you smell? How do you smell? Are you smelling like a sharing partner in the gospel? Of the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's the first note. Here's the second note. The WAF comes through window, remember, sniffed it in. On the nose, note number 2, credit. You see them verse 17.

Not that I desire your gifts. What I desire is that more be credited to your account. It's a funny thing to say is that not that I desire your gifts. Now I think we've got to get this right. He is not saying he didn't want their gift.

And he's not even being rude about, I guess. Just give me that for. I didn't want that. You know, he's not being rude. And he he he I think he seriously doesn't want them to think that he's writing this to get more gifts.

You know, he needs more money and he's sort of manipulating them. That isn't going on in his mind. And the officer doesn't want them to think that the work of God actually would fail if they didn't give. I mean, verse 19 sort of sorts that out. It's God who is the generous giver.

It's God who has riches at his disposal. He gives it's you know, we only give out his riches. So he's not saying those things. But what he is saying, I think, is that their giving is actually a blessing to them, that they get their account credited as they give out of their account that they're storing up credit as they give It's amazing. It's the opposite to the world.

As they give, they get more. That's what you say. Now we we we we we've got to get this because we saw this in the burnt offerings that I was trying to say in the introduction. God doesn't need the gifts. It's not that he's hungry and he needs a lamb to be sacrificed.

But the offerings are revealing us how we give Have we understood God's given us so generously? Have we understood the great gift of the lord Jesus Christ to us in dying for us? Then when we've understood that, we thankfully give the Philippians commitment to giving Paul says, actually, is crediting them. It's a blessing to them. And Paul's utterly encouraged as he sit in there next to the the God, all kinds of smells coming from him And these things oh, gosh.

And then suddenly, oh, Philippine smell. It's lovely. Because they're developing a maturity in Christ. They understand just what Christ has given them. And they freely give.

Generosity is credited to their account, but we've got to get this because we need to understand this. The Christian giving actually benefits us as a church and as individuals. Not like those ridiculous you know, prosperity gospel preachers that say to them, you always say to their audience. Give us spieth money and then you will get more money back. Like, I never understand why they why they don't do that.

Why did they give all their audience money? And then they had to be given back with it. You know, anyway. It's not saying that. It's not saying that you'll be if I give a hundred pounds, God will give me thousand pounds in my account is not saying that.

What it is saying though is, as I selflessly give, as I understand what Christ did and gave his life for me. As I give generously, I become richer. More like Christ. My account grows. Jesus said this, in Luke chapter 6 verse 38, give and it will be given to you.

And then he describes the giving. He says, a good measure, you know, so that's a lot of it. Press down, you know, so there's no air, so you can get more in. Shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap, then he says, for with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. You see that?

As we give generously, then we'll receive generously. He says, sister Peter, Peter, sit to to Jesus in Luke chapter 18 verse 29. He says, sister Jesus. You know, we've given up lots to follow you at me and the disciples. And Jesus is in verse 29.

Truly, I tell you, No 1 who has left home, or wife, or brothers, or sisters, or parents, or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, will fail to receive many times as much in this age and in the age to come eternal life. See that? Whatever you give up, and in this case, whatever makes you feel secure whole brother, sister, wife. Whatever you give up for the gospel ministry of Jesus, you're gonna receive many times here and now in this world and in the age to come, the eternal life. It's amazing, isn't it?

As you give you what you receive, you become more like Jesus. Or Paul writes in 2 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 6. Remember this, he says, whoever so sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will always or also reap generously. See, we're always in this age going on about our needs. I need this.

I demand this. I want this. And even in the church, you get people ranging on like that. I want this. I want this ministry.

I want to do this. I want this to be be poured out to me. Me. Me. I'm not gonna do this.

Well, if you're gonna be that stingy, then you will receive the measure that is that you've given out. But as you give generously, then you receive you become more like Christ, more content as we were seeing last week. Don't live in the small world of investment of me. Living the big world. Of investing as you give away.

The Philippians were being Christlike. And that made them smell great. They smell great. How do you smell? Yeah?

Well, you smell a light right now when it comes to that. You've given? Generously. Here's the third then. Third on the nose.

Spelling member comes in, wafting the window, where 2 notes is the third note, acceptable sacrifice. The word acceptable, as I I said before, means welcome. It's like a welcome sacrifice. So, yeah, there there he is. He's sitting there next to the God.

All kinds of smells coming up from that God. Yeah. And then sort of like, oh, that's welcome. That's the sort of word that's used. So welcome sacrifice.

Now the word sacrifice obviously carries with it all kinds of things. But 1 of the things it does carry with it is costly. In other words, it costs you. This isn't spare change. You don't just we're not talking about stuff that doesn't cost you.

You know, you see the beggar in in Kingston, a spare change, and there used to be a beggar in Kingston. We used to call him spare change man because he just went spare change spare change and that's all he wanted and you just chucked him a few pennies. Or it's not the busker. You quite like, you know, a busker and you just chuck him some spare change. Now under the old testament sacrificial system, It wasn't spare change for God.

It was unblemished lamb. It's the best you could get hold of. And if you couldn't afford a lamb, it was 2 unblemished dogs. Not just any old bird. It was the best you could give.

It cost you enough words. Yeah? God complains in the book of Malachi in Malachi chapter 1 6 6 2 8 listen to God's complaint. He says this, as a son, honors his father, and a slave, his master. If if I am a father, where is the honor due to me?

If I am a master, Where is the respect due to me says the Lord almighty? It is you priests who show contempt for my name. But you ask, how have we shown contempt for your name? By offering defiled food of my altar. But you ask how have we defiled you by saying that the Lord's table is contemptible.

When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? When you sacrifice a lame or diseased animals? Is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor. Would he be pleased with you?

Would he accept you? Says the Lord Almighty? You see, they were bringing sacrifices, but they were cheap. They were deceitful and they sank in the nostrils of God. Burn awful.

These sacrifices are meant to be thought through, heartfelt, generous thanks for what they actually were symbolizing. Prepared lovingly best we could afford. It's interesting when David, he's having dealings. I won't go into the whole story with with a king. Who who wants to give David the bulls for for sacrifice.

He said, I'll give them to you. And David said, no. No. No. I'll pay for them.

And the king said, no. No. No. No. I'll give them to you as a president.

And David says this, no. I insist on paying for it. Listen, I will not sacrifice to the lord my god. Burn offerings that cost me nothing. I think we'd get the blokes to put that up.

That's 2 Samuel 24 24. I will not sacrifice to the Lord, my God, burn offerings that cost me nothing. It's not spare change. And that's the smell of father's love, the father loves. That's the smell God loves.

Because that reminds him of Jesus. Jesus gave everything. To remember the central passage in Philippians is Philippians to 2. Listen to the words verse 6. This is Jesus.

Who being in the very nature of God is the best you can get? Did not consider equality with god something to be used for his own advantage, rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even the death on the cross. That's the smell the father loves, costly giving of himself the death of the son of God. The father smells and says, that's my boy. That's what I love.

That's what I exalt. That's what pleases me. Look at verse 9 of. Of Philippians 2. Therefore, god exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven on an earth and under the earth.

And every tongue acknowledged that Jesus Christ is lord. To the glory of God the Father. Generous, sacrificial, costly, giving of himself. God smells that and exalts it. And that's what the Philippian church smelled like.

They smelled great. Church smells great. God's pleased with it. It's like smelling Jasmine or some beautiful flower or your loved 1. Smells good.

So verse 20 of Philippians 4 to our god and father be glory forever and ever amen. Paul Gleason, in the last few verses. There's no distinction that's all there. He shows that he's not on his own. They're taken up with this glory of God in the spirit of the lord Jesus Christ.

Now let's just apply this very briefly. In verse 10 of this chapter which we were looking at last week, Paul rejoices in the Lord at their gift. And I can say cornerstone church. You know, it was a rejoicing thing, wasn't it? Then in lockdown, we raised 20000 grand for our brothers and sisters that we don't even know.

That was that was terrific. Absolutely terrific. Praise God for that. Do you want to smell that? Did you smell that?

Or rejoiced in that? And then we rejoiced and we we support Tariffs and Trinity Road Church in Belarus go through tough times at the moment. What an opportunity to support that brother there and that work there? Yeah. Let's keep giving.

Let's keep giving to the gospel. If you stopped, start up again. Be generous. Maybe it's not money, but maybe it's time. Maybe some of you are actually, you know, in this lockdown, you're really scared of going out.

It seems to be that there are a lot of people a bit like this, and health has become a bit of a big thing with you. I know that some people have to isolate, understand that. But some of you, well, you know, maybe you should stop thinking about health and and say, go out. Maybe you will get this thing. But we are to meet together where we can.

So let me end with these 3 questions then. What is your favorite smell? Is it Jesus? He did this for me, gosh. When I see what he did for me.

What do you smell like? You smell like Jesus? You've got a horrible b o. So what about you? Your stink?

What is it? Jesus? And does the father smell you. I said, my son. I said, my son, he said generous.

He picked that up from my son. He hasn't been spraying lint all over his body. It's not some perfume Chanel, whatever it is, 5 or I can't remember the numbers. But it's not Chanel. It's Jesus.

He's picked up a generous spirit. Or do you smell like a skunk? He's smell like a stunted person who's had generosity given to you but you freely. Give nothing. Should we freshen ourselves up with Jesus?

Should we give ourselves back to him? So that we may live for him and and have credited to our account, eternal life. With many people in the kingdom because we've given. Let's spend a moment and pray. Further God, we thank you that you are an utterly generous God.

Thank you that we can't outdo you because you've given us the greatest treasure of all the lord Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus, we thank you. You gave your life willingly as a sacrifice to buy us into the kingdom of God. Further, we thank you that you smell Jesus and it's good. It's a pleasing aroma that he fulfilled your will in saving us.

Holy Spirit we thank you, that you opened our eyes and our noses and our ears. To the fragrance of Christ brought us into the kingdom of God freely we have received, freely we have received. And we pray pleased that you would help us freely give. Out of thanks and gratitude, we would be generous. We do pray for our brother of Tariffs at the moment.

We know these are difficult days. Please, father, again, would you be with him and help us to help him in that ministry. And pray that you would save many through him. We thank you for that 20000 pounds that we raised for persecuted brothers and sisters. Please.

Please. It's It's not much money really, but would you use it for your glory as a fragrant offering? And bring many Christians to love you more, and many that are not Christians to come to know you through that. We commit our lives to you. Help us now to have the fragrance of Jesus in Jesus' name we pray, amen.