In Newton Chilingulo's sermon titled 'God Supplies our Needs', he explores the profound promise found in Philippians 4:19, which assures believers that God will supply all their needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. The sermon highlights the context of Paul's message to the Philippians, who supported him sacrificially despite their own poverty. Chilingulo emphasizes the theology of contentment and giving as acts of spiritual worship, and assures that those who give generously will be specially cared for by God. He draws parallels between God's promises and the certainty and sufficiency of His provision, distinguishing between needs and wants. The sermon stresses that God's promises are accessible through faith in Christ, and encourages believers to trust in God's faithfulness and to participate in His mission with joy and assurance of His provision.

So Michael and I have both stayed in Newton's wonderful house with his wonderful wife Vanessa and I've been with their their church in the long way Malawi has Two major cities the long way has two million people Blantyre has close to two million people Then the third largest city is only a tenth of that And so there's lots of Going back and forth between the two largest cities. And these two churches actually have a lot of going back and forth between their two churches. People who grow up in the Long Way go to school sometimes in Blantyre and Mollie gets them for four years and then they go back to Newton and vice versa and they're starting to have marriages between the two churches so there's no end in sight to that but Newton is a dear brother and a dear friend and a helpful preacher. So I've actually come with a lot of anticipation to hear from the Lord through through Newton. I've benefited from his preaching a number of times and just look forward to that today.

So let's ask that the Lord would help our brother for our sake. God, we don't mind at all praying selfishly that you would pour out your spirit upon this man for our sakes. You would anoint him for preaching for our good, for our help, for our edification, for our rebuking, for our instruction. Pray that in your kindness to us you would give this man words that would help us. Thank you for the sweetness of brotherhood that knows nothing about oceans and continents.

Pray that you would bless this time now in Jesus name, amen. Newton come. Yeah, it's a joy for me to be here and I cannot thank God enough for your pastor, my brother, my friend, Jason, and the blessing and encouragement he has been to me. If I start talking about him, then you think my time is African time. So I will just maybe stop there, but just to appreciate what he has meant to me the past few years that we have got to know each other and met the wife when he came last year.

And also met Michael when he came a few years back. So it's always a blessing to come to a place and recognize some faces. So, so, so thankful. So this afternoon I thought I should just bring to you one of the greatest promises from the entire Bible. As a church, we've been going through the book of Philippians.

I just preached at Hope on Contentment from the book of Philippians. But all I'm about to share with you is something I've never preached anywhere else. It just happens that this is what I'm going to preach at home. So when I get back home, I'll probably have jet lag. So I realized that maybe I should produce a sermon.

When we show up home, I have a sermon. But also it happens that, well at least that's what I thought. I think this can be an encouragement to where you guys are at as we're trusting the Lord to send the temperance to take it. I thought this should be an encouragement. So if you have a Bible, please turn to the book of Philippians, Philippians chapter number four, and we just focus on verse 19.

I believe this is perhaps the greatest promise in the Bible and it is great because it includes all the other promises in itself. I'll be reading from the E is V. And My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Let's ask again for his help and blessing upon the world. Heavenly Father, I pray that you grant me Lord your special grace that I can communicate simply clearly to the blessing of your people.

Lord, it's in the afternoon, perhaps the bodies are tired and my accent Lord is not what they're used to. Lord, I pray by your grace you will help me to be dependent on the power of your Holy Spirit that this you be for your people's good but ultimately for your glory in Jesus name we pray amen so a bit of context the verses before our text if you have to look at verses 10 to 13, Paul is giving us actually a theology of contentment. Theology of contentment. Here Paul is in prison, yet he is telling the Philippians after they have sent him a gift and then he is telling them, I am not actually saying thank you because of the gift. He says, I am content.

I am content. I've learned to be content whether I have much or I have plenty. So we see verses 10 to 13 giving us a theology of contentment and 14 to 18 teaching a theology of giving. I was actually tempted to teach about 14 to 18. But I'm like, man, you're just from Malawi.

These people probably have had much exhortation on giving. So spare them a bit. Just go to the next verse. What kind of giving is he talking about this is giving that is generous and sacrificial but also it is a giving that is an act of spiritual worship. So if that is the case verse 19 it seemed to be answering then the question what is the result of this kind of giving?

So this leads to our text. Will the result of such selfless, generous, and sacrificial giving lead to some anxiety? What will happen, perhaps even to yourselves, as you commit to mission taking? What will be the fruit of your labors? Will there be unpaid bills?

Do you even know what the real estate prices here are, Newton? Will there be constant uncertainty and anxiety? Paul seemed to be saying by no means the result of such sacrificial giving of such Christ-honoring, gospel-driven giving is rich provision from the God of the universe. In other words, Paul seemed to be saying those who give sacrificially will be the special object of the Father's care and compassion. He says, my God will supply all your needs.

And that's a very interesting word. The word supply is actually the same way that he has used in verse 18 when he says, I am amply supplied. It's the word that means to fill up, to fill somebody up. Like, man, since I've been here, people have been filling me up, you know. I think I've gained some kilos.

And Po is saying, just as my God filled me to overflowing through your gift, So also as you continue to give in sacrificial ways Such that you experience through need so also will God fulfill he will satisfy you to the brim to the fool Every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. My brothers and sisters, here is some news flash. God will not be out giving. I want to give you more of them this some of the verses the Proverbs 3 9 and 10 says this Proverbs 3 verses 9 and 10 honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce So your bounds will be filled with plenty and your verse will overflow with new wine. In Malachi chapter 3 verse 10, God challenges the people of Israel to taste him in the matter and he says bring the whole type into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house and test me now in this, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it what?

Overflows. Just test me. You honor me before all else in your giving and see if I do not pour out blessing from the infinite storehouses of heaven until it overflows. I can't resist but turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 9. Such a treasure chest of instruction on the matter of Christian giving.

2 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 6, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and who sows bondfully will also reap bondfully. You see, a farmer, and I just appreciate that I'm told this was a farmhouse, right? Imagine a farmer who spends a dollar on a seed for his farm, and then he's just holding on to that seed and then he's saying this is all I got and he keeps it with himself. What is the seed for? And then he's saying well I can't just keep throwing this stuff everywhere this is all I got This is all I have.

So he's gonna hide his seeds on his fingers. What's going to happen? Or he begins to say this is all I got instead of just throwing the seeds freely, he just lets just one drop and then it steps back and then one would drop in a far distant space. What kind of harvest do you think you have? But if it's more harvest, right?

But this is a foolish farmer. This is a farmer who does not understand the purpose of seed. You see, seed is not something you get to collect, like a souvenir. Is it a souvenir? What do you call it?

Some Americans will come tomorrow and buy souvenir. We don't buy souvenir because of men. But is it souvenir? Yeah. Seed is not something that you just hold.

Seed is for sowing. So the wise farmer returns to his farm. You know what he needs to do? He needs to sow bountifully, plentifully, scattering seed freely with his fist full of them over the soil. And when harvest time comes, the farmer will have an abundant bountiful crop.

You see friends seed is for what? It's for sowing. I believe the very reason God has given us resources to whatever extent he has given them to us, He has given us for that purpose. Sounds like prosperity today. So Pastor Dom brought today a prosperity preacher.

Friends, this is not prosperity gospel. This is the gospel of prosperity. There's a difference. By the way, all that was for free. Now let's look at this gigantic promise.

What is this promise? My God will supply every need of yours. Let's just divide these texts. There's some five quick points I want us to look at. Number one, let's look at the source of the promise.

The source of the promise as our first point. The source of the promise. The verse begins with Paul speaking of God the Father in the most personal terms. He calls him, and my God. He's not just a God, he's not just the God.

The Christian body declares that God is my God through faith in Jesus Christ. So God to Paul is so personal. He can speak of him possessively and every Christian can call the father my God and with this God nothing is impossible some 18 to 9 says for by you I can run against a troop and by my God I can leap over a wall now it's interesting how I don't know about your vision the open conjunction begins with an end. It is a key to understanding this promise. The Philippians were in need, Yet they neglected their own needs to supply what Paul needed for the advance of the gospel.

And it's interesting, Paul even says of the Philippians that you yourselves in chapter 4 verse 15, you yourself know that only you supported me. There was a time that nobody supported Paul. Even his sending church, Paul's sending church was not the church of Philippi, it was Antioch. But Philippi, the church of Philippi supported Paul. But why is this necessary for Paul to mention this?

Could it be that maybe the Philippians reached generosity to Paul led to anxiety? As much as this is a promise, one man says this is more than a promise, this is even an encouragement. And an encouragement is this, even for you and for me, we are not to allow the events of the day or any day to get us down. God's plan has not and will not change but most specifically God's character has not changed. He is a forever and forever God.

You know last week I was in Seattle and a friend of mine took me to the Microsoft campus. I don't know if some of you have seen it. Now, I saw buildings, when I talk about buildings, literally over a hundred buildings all belonging to Microsoft. Now the founder, Bill Gates, does amazing things in my country to fight diseases like malaria, polio, and gives generously towards research to find some vaccinations and on and on. Now, when the Bill and Belinda Foundation calls my government and say we're going to be injecting a hundred million dollars to your country to help you with malaria.

No one goes like really? Do they mean it? No one doubts that. You know why? Because of who Bill Gatt is.

You know who Bill Gatt is, right? Of course. He has proven wealth, doesn't he? He is one of the world's richest men, if not the richest. But friends, my Bible says in Psalm 24 verse one, this my God, Bill gets me help of these buildings, but my God's wealth pairs in comparison to my God's wealth.

It says the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof and the world and those who dwell therein. Did you hear that? God owns it all. To be exact, my father and your father if you're in Christ. But the question is, do you believe that?

A better question maybe, have you embraced this truth? Because if you have, it has massive implication on how you and I, we use our God given resources at this church in general and perhaps Mission Tech in particular. While Bill Gates funds vaccinations in Africa, I'm here to remind you that God's work is funded by God's people. And God will not be outgiven. And as Paul was talking to the Philippians who had given to him is telling them that you can be rest assured that my God will meet you at a point of need God will not be in anybody's debt.

A story is told of a wealthy Christian businessman who was giving generously and a concerned friend came to him and said, how come you always have much yet you give a lot? And here was his response. He says, I've shoveled it out God shovels it back and God is the bigger shovel. But what's the point here? Paul is under house arrest in Rome.

Where he's awaiting trial, we find a certain outcome. There was no guarantee that he would be able to personally repay the generosity of the Philippians. But he was confident that the living God would fully meet their every need. And I believe here's the bottom line. Generous Christians live on the promise that God will meet their needs.

After all, he owns it all, doesn't he? This is a blank check promise. More certain than Bill Gates' check. As wealthy as he is, in an instant Bill Gates can lose his fortune. But not for God.

Not my God. So first promise, the source of this promise is My God. Let's move on to the second. Let's look at the sureness of this promise. The sureness of this promise.

The certainty. Look again at verse 19. It says, and my God will supply. Stop there. Will.

It doesn't read, and my God may or could. This is not a possibility. It's a certainty. Do you see that? God is rich in grace and mercy.

He will supply the needs of the Philippians. They need not to be in despair. I like how the Americans put it God is God. He has been faithful for thousands and thousands of years. Friends, he will not stop being faithful because you are committed to mission taking.

Did you even hear yourself saying that? So will God come through for me if I give towards this mission taking? Why can the temple just stay here? Everyone will be just comfortable. Now we have to stretch each other.

God has not broken any promise, has he? And friends, God is not a battle. You are not that special, but God will break His promise. He will surprise, that's what he says here. Please turn with me to the book of Exodus chapter number 6.

Exodus chapter number 6. We see the sureness of God's promises. Promises. This is 6 to 8. Let me read verse 1 and I'll jump to verse 6.

What the Lord said to Moses, now you shall see what I'll do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. 6. Say therefore to the people of Israel, I am the Lord and I will bring out from under the burdens of the Egyptians and I will deliver you from slavery to them and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. Seven, I will take you to be my people and I will be your God and you shall know that I am the Lord your God who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

I will bring you into the land that I sow to give to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. Why? I am the Lord. Which one did not come to pass?

If you are following my reading, those are a lot of I wills. Seven in just about two verses. And God does not waste words. Moses had to believe God's promises. But we also have I will passages in the New Testament directed from God to Christians.

I know in the book of John, but in that you may, John chapter 14, verse 14, John chapter 14. John chapter 14. Says, if you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. Verse 18, I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.

Verse 21, whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me and who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and manifest myself to him. You see that? And back to our book, the promises that God will. And mind you, the wills of God precede clear commands of God. God instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh gave him clear instructions and at times Moses was trying to debate of God.

Is that not what sometimes even we do? Back in Philippians 419, but if we are not living in accordance with God's will, or not believing his promises, The truth of the matter is God can bypass us if we are disobedient to his commands. In fact God does not need you for mission taking. He can raise money elsewhere. But what a joy that God who is able to supply all needs gets to invite us to be part of this.

But Paul is saying to the Philippians, because of your generous gift, God will. He will supply. Paul assures them that God will repay them for their kindness in verse 18 Chapter 4 verse 18 Paul says their gift was a pleasing aroma in other ways the gift that the Philippians Sent to Paul it reached God's nostrils It is as if it was so sweet to God that God sent cherubim number two. Cherubim number two, there was just an offer that came. Who sent it?

And then cherubim number two comes and reports to God. It was the church in Macedonia. And if you know anything about the church in Macedonia, they were not just poor. The Bible says they were afflicted with poverty. Whatever they did, it was a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable world-pleasing to God now let's be clear not a sacrifice of atonement for no one makes atonement for sin but Christ But this was a sacrifice of acknowledgement and world pleasing to God.

Paul is assuring the generous Philippians that God will supply their needs. So I'm here again to encourage you God, God will supply your need. He has a hundred percent Record of trustworthiness. He's not a man that he can lie. He will.

And if he says I will, it's a done deal. Unlike Moses of old, when God says I will, that's a blank check to take to the bank so the source of this provision of promise is God second this is not a possibility is a certainty we looked at the shortness of this promise but let's look at the scope of the promise verse 19 again the scope of the promise my speaking too fast and my God will supply every need of yours you see this promise is all inclusive God himself will meet every need the generous Christian has. Yes, God can meet the need of sovereign grace church without you. But as I mentioned, God meets needs through other people. In Philippians 2.25, Paul says, I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow minister and your messenger and minister to my need.

And in Philippians 4.16 says, even in Fesalendica, you sent, you the Philippians, you sent help for my needs once and again, but people are only channels God is the all-sufficient source God promises to meet your need, not your greed. You see that? He promised to meet your need, not your wants. Sometimes you can confuse the two. So Newton, I've been given to this church faithfully and consistently the past eight years, but I still have financial needs.

What are those needs or wants? First, Timothy 6 says, if we have good food and clothing, we shall be what? Food and clothing. No shoes included. But be rest assured that he will meet your needs.

And I believe with all my heart, nobody has ever been bankrupt, nobody has ever been broke because he was giving towards gospel advancement. Be assured that the scope is meet every need. And in context, he's talking about their financial need, but I think it goes more than just their financial need. And as I've said already, this was not a church that was in some suburb in North Carolina. They were poor and as you know poverty is relative right.

These were poor in anyone's terms but they were begging Paul to give towards his gospel work and because of that they were now given this assurance God will supply your every need. But let's move on. Perhaps you're asking, yes, how is he going to be able to do that? We have looked at the source It's my God the sureness of it He will and the scope you meet all your needs Well, let's look at the sufficiency of the promise. How is he able to meet every need?

Look at verse 19 says, and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory. God's glorious riches are inexhaustible. There's no limit to God's riches. He's totally sufficient to meet every need that rises or will arise in your life. The Psalmist doesn't say this in Psalm 23.

The Lord is my what shepherd I shall not want God's glorious riches will meet your needs as I said again Paul is assuring the Philippians that they will not go to bed hungry because they gave towards his missionary journeys. Neither will you because of mission taking. Well, you may go through financial difficulties, maybe because of your unwise expenditures, but it will not be because you are giving towards mission-taking. But to what extent will he supply? Will he give me back only spiritual blessings?

And a day of hunger? No, no, no, no. He will supply all your needs. To what extent we are now told according to his riches You see that that's interesting according to his riches not out of his riches. I Don't know if you're picking the difference if I said to be guess Give me out of your riches.

You could give me a quarter that will be out of his riches right but if I said to him man how can you give me a quarter you found that a fair-funded fortune company that what you call them? Give me according to your riches It's gonna have to give me a 10 million dollar check You know if it does that that's according to or consistent with the amount that he has, right? But 10, 000 times 10, 000, until the calculator says invalid, when God gives to you, he does not give you out of pittance or out of his riches he gives you According to his riches God had only one son and he killed him because of you. This is glorious riches. The riches in God that belong to him, to Christ in his eternal kingdom are yours because in Christ.

The riches of God in glory, in Christ are yours, what a great truth. Glorious. Wow, I don't know how to even explain this truth in consistent accordance to his riches. God is so good and no gift given to God will make a Christian poorer. It can only make you richer.

It cannot make you poorer. So we have looked at the source of this provision, God himself. We have looked at the shortness he will supply. We have looked at the scope, every need. We have looked at the sufficiency according to his what?

Riches in glory, immeasurable. This is the kind of stock even the New York Stock Exchange will say, no, no, no, no, no. This is unfair competition. You can't bring your stock here. But finally, I think this is the most exciting.

Let's look at this fear of this promise, of this provision. Where the benefits of this blessing bound up. Verse 19 again, read of me for the last time, and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in, you know most people in Africa will be tempted to answer that in America. But the Bible's answer is in Christ Jesus. Do you see?

And here again in this familiar place, Paul has been telling us in verses before us, he can be able to have the peace of God because he is in Christ Jesus. The surpassing peace of God, God's heart and his mind in Christ Jesus. Peace of God Gives his heart and his mind Christ Jesus and verse 13 he says he can be content In Christ Jesus you can do things in Christ Jesus. Friends it is only through a living and vital consistent communion with Christ that you can have any hope to enjoy these magnificent blessings that God promises. Colossians 2-3 says in Christ are all the fullness of deity dwelling bodily.

Colossians 2-9 our God and Father has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. So this fear is in Christ. And my friend if you're sitting here this afternoon and you're outside of Christ Fear about the grace of God That was at work in the hearts of these Philippians that freed them from their suicidal preoccupation with themselves and their things such that they could joyfully and lovingly beg the Apostle Paul to participate in giving not within their ability, but beyond their ability. Friends, it is only because the Philippians found Christ to be precious, to be glorious so much so that they were willing to allow the grace of God to work in them that they could be able to participate in the work of making Christ known even to others. It was because they were united, they were in Christ.

So if you're not in Christ, I beg you, don't leave this room. And then be set on a moral improvement plan. Don't go away thinking that the call of Christianity is simply to modify a few external behaviors. You can become a better you. No.

The call of Christianity is that you must be born again. The Philippians were told in 2 Corinthians 8, they were able to do whatever they did because the first gave themselves to who? To God. And you realize God does not want your money. God wants you.

But the truth is, if he has you, he has your money. So does God have you? The grace of God that produced the kind of giving which results in this rich provision of God's blessings is only available to you in Christ Jesus. And Jesus Christ can be yours if you have Him this afternoon by faith, simply trusting His person and His work. If you turn from sin and trust in the life, death and Resurrection of Christ on your behalf for your righteousness before God You can this you can leave this room this afternoon in Christ Jesus can face on every spiritual blessing that is yours in him.

Oh I prayed if this is you forsake your sin and come to Christ this afternoon because if in Christ all that belongs to God can belong to you and I beg you seek him while he may be found. Conclusion, who is his sovereign banker? My God. The insurance policy? Well supply.

The check amount? Every need of yours. The account balance according to his riches in glory. The church signatory in Christ Jesus. Believer, whatever you give will be repaid by God.

Whatever you give, listen to this. Whatever you give towards this church, for the advancement of the gospel, this church, and towards mission taking, will never deplete your resources. It is a treasure in heaven, and my God will supply all your what needs and will do it according, not out of, according, inconsistent with his riches in his kingdom that I was in Christ Jesus we need to be faithful givers we need to be like Philippians we need to be like poor so we're more concerned with the well-being of others than we are with ourselves. May God help us to fight self-absorption, so that there can be a self-abandonment, so that God can use us as his channels of blessings as the gospel moves forward from this church and beyond. Amen.

Father, I pray that you may use this free will presentation to help us all, God, just to examine ourselves. If we did, Lord, we believe your promise. Help us, God, to be a church family That is holy Lord given to you the Lord you give us contentment in Christ that Christ would be so precious so glorious The Lord will never call us to partake in your mission. We'll do so joyfully, knowing that you're God that is faithful. And you're able to meet us at our point of need.

Do what only you can do Lord. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.