God’s Glorious Riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:1-23)

God’s Glorious Riches in Christ Jesus

 

Philippians 4:1-23

 

I got the title of this sermon from Philippians 4:19. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Apostle Paul experienced God’s riches and is testifying to the riches before the saints at the Philippian church. These riches are glorious, and they are in Christ. Today’s text Philippians 4 contains many meaningful truths about these glorious riches of God in Christ. These riches are the true source of happiness that we God’s children are expecting. People’s misfortunes come basically from “deficiencies.” There are various deficiencies undermining our happy life, not only economic poverty but also weaknesses of the body and mind, lack of ability, disharmony with others, anxiety, discontent, lack of freedom, lack of confidence, and so on. We make efforts to fill these deficiencies. With such efforts, we look forward to attaining and enjoying riches. All our efforts, whether physical, or mental, spiritual, social, technological, industrial, political, and even military, are pushing toward these “riches.” However, the riches we gain through these efforts are very limited and temporal. Furthermore, they are deceiving like soft drink giving us very short satisfaction and bringing even bigger thirst. Through our life, we struggle to get closer to riches but never reach there. We return to the ground with empty hands. But the happiness of St. Paul we hear in this chapter is “brightly shining light.” It is because he is enjoying God’s glorious riches in Jesus Christ. He wants us also to know and enjoy these riches. So he testifies, “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” 

 

How can we explain God’s riches? If I pick a keyword explaining God’s riches, it must be “infiniteness.” God doesn’t have a limit in any way. God is not restricted in love, in power, in wisdom, in life, and in his mercy and goodness. Because God’s riches are boundless, they are “glorious.” There is no darkness in God’s light, there is no death in God’s life, there is no wickedness in God’s goodness, and there is no impossible in God’s power. The only that limits God’s riches is God himself. That is God’s own will that is pleasing to himself. Therefore, only God’s good will is outstanding clearly in his unlimited riches. This is why we can always rejoice with God. In today’s text as well, we can see the boundlessness of God’s riches. In verse 13, Paul says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Verse 18 says, “I have received full payment and have more than enough,” and 19 says, “My God will meet all your needs.” In verse 6 also, Paul urges, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” In this way, God’s riches are infinite, and it is a believer’s life that trusts in God’s riches and lives on them. For us who trusts in God’s glorious riches, the right attitude that we should assume is “rejoicing always,” “being thankful for everything,” and “praying continually.” We should rejoice with God, our infinitely rich Father in heaven. We should be thankful to his provision. And we should pray to him for all our needs. That is, our entire life should be toward God. This is the right attitude of one who appreciates God’s glorious riches.

 

Another important fact that we should remember is that God’s riches are hidden “in Christ.” With regard to God’s riches, Paul says, “his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” In verse 12, Paul says that he has learned “the secret” of being content in any circumstances. This means that Paul has a secret basis of content, which is unknown to people. In verse 7, God’s peace is described as “transcending all understanding.” This is telling that God’s peace is a mystery that cannot be understood or explained by human wisdom. Verse 5 says, “The Lord is near.” The Lord’s being near is a secret of heaven that is disclosed only to those in Jesus. In Colossians 2:2-3, Paul says, “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” According to this word, Christ Jesus is “the mystery of God.” God wrapped his riches in Jesus, and sent him to the world. By doing so, God allowed the treasures of his kingdom only to those who receive Jesus. Paul is praying for “full riches of complete understanding,” and at the same time, he says that “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hidden in Christ. This suggests that our eyes are opened to God’s riches as much as we know Jesus Christ. So Paul confessed that it has surpassing worth to know Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8). We can say that Jesus is the “key” to open God’s rich treasury. Jesus himself opened the gate of heaven by obeying God’s will. Therefore, we can decrypt the secret by studying, learning, and following Jesus. Only through Jesus, the mystery of God, we enter God’s riches.

 

“Riches” are blessing, but they can rather turn into curses. Deuteronomy 8:11-14 says, “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” God worried that the Israelites might forget the Lord their God when they entered the Land of Canaan and became rich there. And he warned them that if they ever forgot the Lord their God and followed other gods, they would be destroyed (Deuteronomy 8:19-20). What we must remember is that we are enjoying “God’s riches,” not “my riches.” And the only way to enjoy God’s riches is drawing near to the Lord God. People want to “possess” riches. But God wants us to enjoy his riches by being near to him, not by possessing “my own riches.” We can hear this message all around the Bible. David sings, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1). In Psalm 84:10-11 as well, the psalmist sings, “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” That’s right. With all losses and sacrifices, we should draw near to God. The lowest and poorest man in the court of the Lord is thousands of times higher and richer than the highest and richest man in the world. 1Corinthians 8:8 says, “Food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.” This word teaches us the true meaning of “rich.” To us, being rich doesn’t mean eating good food fully, having whatever I want, and doing freely as I desire. To us, being rich means “being near to God.” This is the true meaning of “rich” to us. Therefore, if there is something that blocks our way to draw near to God, we should give it up willingly. Paul says, “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” (11-12). Paul was sometimes well fed and sometimes hungry, and sometimes lived in plenty and sometimes in want. Despite these fluctuations, he was “always” content. It was because his riches were not in himself but in his being near to God in Christ.

 

We may think that riches are “abilities to do what I want to do.” This is the typical shape of “rich life” displayed by wealthy people in the world. And this is the fundamental reason that people seek to be rich. Those with money and power enjoy the “freedom” to do whatever they want to do. In verse 13, Paul says, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” In God rich in power and strength, Paul is enjoying the “freedom to do everything.” But this freedom that Paul has is not the “freedom to do whatever he wants to do.” This freedom is the “freedom to do what he must do.” In Colossians 1:29, Paul says, “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which is so powerfully works in me.” According to this word, God lets us enjoy his riches not for “my works” but for “God’s works.” When God calls a man and entrusts a job to him, God gives him “power” to do the work. When he was about to ascend to heaven, Jesus said to his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Seeing from this point of view, “being rich” doesn’t mean “possessing power to do what I want” but it means “being possessed by God’s will and his power.” On the one hand, Jesus had everything, and on the other hand, he didn’t have anything. Only possessed by the Holy Spirit, Jesus was led to the wilderness to be tested by the Devil, and then, he was led around Galilee and Judea to preach the good news, and lastly, was led up to Jerusalem to be crucified. On the cross, he uttered the last word, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus’ riches are not “having and enjoying everything he wanted.” His riches are “finishing all he must to do.” And Jesus lived such a rich life as he was possessed by the Holy Spirit and served God’s wills through the power of the Spirit. There is not impossible to the one who is possessed by God’s will and God’s Spirit. As Paul professes, he can do everything through him who gives strength. 

 

As mentioned above, Jesus is the key to open God’s rich treasury. More precisely speaking, Jesus is the “lock” at the gate of God’s treasury. And we unlock the lock, and open the gate. How can we unlock the lock?  Every lock has its right key. When we put a right key into the hole of the cylinder in a lock, the key clicks inside and the key and the cylinder become one body, and we can turn the key and the cylinder together smoothly and the lock opens. In today’s text, St. Paul says to the saints in the Philippian church, “My brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!” (1). There are two kinds of people in the world. One is those who “stand in Jesus,” and the other is those who “stumble at Jesus.” Those who stand in Jesus enter God’s riches, but those who stumble at Jesus go through God’s stern judgement and enter eternal destruction. In Philippians 2:5, Paul says, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (KJV). The mind that is in Christ Jesus is “humbling himself and obeying God to death on the cross.” Having the same mind of Jesus is the meaning of “standing firm in Jesus.” And this is how we click into Jesus, like a key clicking into the lock, and open the gate of God’s riches. On the contrary, those whose mind is high and proud cannot be one with Jesus. They are ashamed of Jesus and his words (Luke 9:26), and they keep themselves far away from Jesus. As a result, they fall and never reach God’s riches. Today’s text contains many petitions and encouragements about the believers’ mind and thought. Verse 2 says, “Be of the same mind in the Lord” (KJV), and verse 4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Verse 8 also says, “Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.” In verses 6-7 as well, Paul encourages that if we do not be anxious about anything but present our requests to God by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, the peace of God will guide our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Truly our mind and thought are a vessel containing God’s riches. Therefore, we should stand firm in Jesus so that our mind and thought is kept whole and peaceful, not broken or distorted by worldly worries, discontents, and tempts. Then, God will fill the vessel with all kinds of good things out of his riches. 

 

God and his riches are inseparable from each other. Infinite riches are the very nature of God. And these riches were given to us in Christ Jesus and through Christ Jesus. God’s riches are infinite. Mathematically, half of infinity is still infinite, and a tenth of infinity is still infinite, and a tiny portion of infinity, as small as a mustard seed, is still infinite. Jesus says, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will be move. Nothing is impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20). How can this be possible? It is because God’s riches are infinite. And even if our faith is as small as a mustard seed, the God dwelling in our tiny faith is the same God of infinite riches and he is our Father. With this, we are already rich, and this is the only true rich we have. And with this, it is right for us to be joyful, thankful, peaceful, and gentle always. May the Lord help us to see what we have in Christ and to know how we rejoice with it!