Good morning. As we continue our study of Philippians, we come to our last section this morning. Now last week we looked at some ways that the Lord is near, and we are going to finish them this morning. As a way of review, a quick recap of what we looked at was, because the Lord is near, we can Stand firm, Overcome disagreements, Rejoice, Exhibit gentleness, Have peace in times of pressure, And transform our thinking. And as we continue this morning we will look at three additional areas.
As she opened her Christmas present, the wife saw that her husband had given her a beautiful skunk-skin coat. She exclaimed, "Oh, it’s beautiful, but I just don’t understand how this nice coat can come from such a foul-smelling little beast." Upset, her husband replied, "Listen, I don’t expect any thank-you’s, but lay off the personal remarks, okay?"
She didn’t know the best way to say thank you. However, Paul knew how to say thank you! In this short passage we find him unveiling the principle of finding contentment in any circumstance. He will reveal that he as “...learned to be content, whatever the circumstances.”
Let’s go ahead and look at he first part of our text for today. It will be found in Philippians 4:10-13. Here in Philippians 4:10-13 Paul writes, “1”
Because the Lord is near, we can SHOW CONCERN FOR OTHERS. In verse 10 Paul hits on this idea. Perhaps a word that best defines showing concern for others is the word compassion. Compassion literally means to be compelled with passion. Jesus was constantly showing concern for others, no matter what the situation was.
God has put each of us near people who are screaming for someone to show some concern for him or her. Because the Lord is near, we must show concern for those around us. He will give us either the strength to meet the need or the wisdom to guide that person to someone who can.
Now this next point I want to camp out a little and spend some time on this. In verses 11-13 we learn that Because the Lord is near, we can be CONTENT. Paul has learned to be content.
Paul expresses his thanks here to the Philippian believers for the gift they sent with Epaphroditus to Paul to help meet his needs. As he’ll say a little later in this passage of scripture, he is, for the moment, amply supplied – but that is not where his contentment comes from. In fact he says just the opposite – there is a secret to being content when you’re experiencing plenty just as surely as there is a secret to being content when you’re in want.
There it is, one of the hardest teachings in the whole bible found in the Apostles last word of verse 11, contentment. Paul penned this while in prison. And, he was content!
How could that be? David gives us another picture of contentment when he writes in Psalm 23:2, “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.”
April 9th, 1945 Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hours from his death in a Nazi Concentration camp for his role in the underground church and involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler. On that fateful day, this impressive theologian would write his last words. What do you think they were? Would they be words that denounce the Nazi regime? Words calling all believers everywhere to rise up and overcome this Nazi war machine? On the contrary, this is what he wrote: “What is happiness and unhappiness? It depends so little on circumstances; it really depends on what happens inside a person.”
Contentment is something that we all strive for, the problem is that the world tells us to all look in the wrong place, so we either become apathetic where we don’t feel anything or we spend our lives thinking you know if I only…
We think, “If I only was 20 pounds lighter then I would be happy.” And the world says you can buy a one month supply of lard off for only $59.95 and drop that unwanted weight.
We think, “If I was smarter then I would be happy.” And the world says buy Dr. Libby’s original, patented Sublingual pill and amaze your friends with your smarts.”
We think, “If I was only funnier, or more popular, and had more people like me then I would be happy.” And the world says, wear our brand of clothes, drink our beer, drive our car, buy our DVD with 50 great party jokes and you will be popular.
But what happens when you loose 20 pounds, and can answer the questions on Jeopardy, while you wear stylish clothes and tell great jokes during the commercials? Are you ever truly content?
I remember when I was a kid I always dreamed of having bike. If I could only have that bike then my life would be better… I did a million things around the house and in the yard to earn money to get that bike. And it was great…for about two years, and then I grew out of that.
I wanted a car…that’s all I ever cared about, that’s all I ever needed….If I could just have a car then my life would be better…Then I got a car…and it’s nice, but now I see one that is newer and better, and now all I want is that newer car…If I could only have that…then I could be happy…
The problem with the world’s contentment is that we are like a dog chasing our tail. We are never fast enough to fully grab a hold of all that there is to offer, so we just fall to the ground wore out and dizzy.
So, what is contentment? Well, good old Webster says that contentment is to rest satisfied, to be positive and well-pleased; to not be disgruntled or disheartened. Freedom from care or discomfort.
The Pulpit Commentary says that, "It is quiet restfulness in the midst of all kinds of changing events. It is a cordial acquiescence in the arrangements of Heaven."
Then we read in Hebrews 13:5 “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”.”
Now I don’t believe that God is saying here that we shouldn’t set goals to improve our status in life, like buying a new car when we need one or a bigger home when we have 4 kids and live in a two- bedroom home. But I do believe that He is teaching against a misplaced emphasis on the material things. God has given us possessions to use for His glory and not our position in life.
Our trust and confidence must be placed in God alone, that is the only way that we will ever be satisfied with our condition. We are told that if we are faithful, God will cause all things to work together for our good.
Actor Alan Alda has been quoted as saying, "It isn’t necessary to be rich and famous to be happy. It’s only necessary to be rich."
Contrary to Alan Alda - The secret to contentment is NOT getting everything you want! The truth is, the amount of money you have doesn’t seem to have a lot to do with the level of contentment people experience.
About 10 years ago, there was a story in U.S. News and World Report. Some of the information in this story is probably just as relevant today, ten years later, as it was then. The story was about the so-called “American Dream.” I guess that would include owning your own home, and having all your needs met for sure, but also having enough to do all the things you really wanted to do, and have all the things that you really wanted to have. The story said that for Americans with household incomes of under $25,000, polls showed these people believed it would take $54,000 to fulfill the American dream in their lives. The same survey also showed that for those who make $100,000, they’d like to make about $192,000 for their version of the American dream.
In other words, the American Dream usually lies nearly twice the distance away, at least financially. So if the secret to being content is not in amassing personal wealth or getting everything that you want, how can we know contentment?
Paul had experienced trials that make our worst days seem easy. Beatings, stonings, jailings, shipwrecks, hunger, desertion, misunderstanding – you name it, Paul had seen it.
His entire life was spent mostly in misery but yet he boldly and confidently proclaims in verse 12, “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.”
So what exactly did Paul have that most of us don’t? Just imagine for a second if your life was in anyway the same as Paul’s…
Lets say that we were sitting here in church and your were suddenly drug outside and beaten just because you proclaimed Jesus? Or lets say that you were trying to witness to a group of people at a restaurant and you were arrested and thrown in jail for an indefinite amount of time just because you were trying to witness to others.
Wouldn’t you be a little annoyed with life? Wouldn’t you be a little discouraged when every time you tried to fulfill what you had been called to do something horrible happened to you? I’d be a little upset.
So, what was the secret? Well, it comes in verse 13 where Paul says “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Paul here is echoing the teaching of Jesus, when he said in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
It doesn’t get much clearer, does it? On the one hand we’re told that apart from Christ we can do nothing of lasting value in our lives. On the other we’re told that we can do everything through Christ who gives us strength. One of those “everything’s” is finding contentment in all situations.
Basically, here’s the truth. Whether you are experiencing plenty or want in your life right now – the secret to being content is staying connected to Jesus. It is HIS strength that will provide the contentment you need. It is HIS power that will help you find hope even when things look bad.
When you are spending time on a regular basis praying to God, studying His word, and surrendering your life to the power of the Holy Spirit, you’re going to find that no matter what else is going on in your life – you will feel more content.
As I said before, Paul had experienced trials that make our worst days seem easy. You name it he faced it. But he says, with the confidence that only experience can provide, “I can do everything through Him who strengthens me.” In other words, “As long as I’m connected to the power and the strength that Jesus Christ gives – I will be content with whatever circumstances come upon me.”
It was because of this connection to Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit that Paul was able to live out so many of the great truths we’ve studied these past several weeks: Things such as “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” AND “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ”
Contentment comes from living a life where you understand your priorities – and everything in your life pales in comparison to knowing Jesus. If you will live your life relying upon the power that God provides – you will find that your daily circumstances will have less and less control over your state of mind – and contentment will begin to be the norm of your life.
With all of that said, We must cultivate an attitude of contentment, and the first way we can do this is by working at it!
Paul says in Philippians 4:11 that he had to learn how to be content. Contentment must be cultivated in our lives. We need to start looking for the blessings in our lives and be thankful for them. God says in Matthew 25:21 that if we can be loyal with small things, then He will let us care for much greater things. I believe that if we can learn to be content with what God has blessed us with now, then he will allow us to be content with greater things.
Count your blessings. We are told in I Thessalonians 5: 18 to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Everything that is going on in your life at this very moment, is God’s will for you. If you are being blessed at this moment then you need to thank God for your blessings. If life is rough at this moment then you need to learn, like Job, to thank God that He considered you worthy to endure the trial.
Also we must develop a deep sense of appreciation for the simple and necessary things of life. Paul writes to his son in the faith in I Timothy 6:8 "But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that."
That is what God led Paul to write, and David put it this way, "A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked." In Psalm 37:16.
And finally Solomon said it like this in Proverbs 15:16, "Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith."
Our contentment in this life tells the secret of our contentment with God. If we can learn to be content with what we can see and touch and feel then we can truly be content with a God that we only know by faith.
As a rule, man’s a fool
When it’s hot, he wants it cool.
And when it’s cool, he wants it hot,
Always wanting what is not.
We need to learn how to be content in every situation. So, because the Lord is near, we can be content.
And our last point from Philippians comes to us in verses 14-20 where Paul writes, “1”
Because the Lord is near, we can BE GENEROUS. Paul here tells his friends in Philippi of his gratitude for their financial help and support – recognizing that they have given of themselves in sacrificial ways. And he knows that they are probably going without some of the things they might have had if they hadn’t given so generously to his needs. And so he says with utmost confidence: “My God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
Now I know you’ve got needs in your life. Relational needs. Emotional needs. Financial needs. Spiritual needs. You might be wondering if God is there. You might be tempted to lash out at God or to simply give up hope. I want you to hear the words of the Apostle Paul. Written from house arrest. Chained to a soldier. Unable to leave his home. Awaiting a trial that could end with his execution. MY GOD WILL MEET ALL YOUR NEEDS.
On another occasion he wrote to a different set of friends the following words in II Corinthians 9:8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
If you will surrender your life into his hands, you need never worry about having what you need. God gives you his Holy Spirit’s presence. He promises to never leave you or forsake you. And He gives us the contentment we are looking for.
It’s obvious that Paul relied on gifts of churches like the one in Philippi to support him on his journeys. Sometimes it is easy for us to forget about how much God relies on our gifts to advance His Kingdom and communicate His love. To illustrate this point: a church’s staff could not be able to pay their bills if it were not for getting their pay from the church. And they would not get that pay if it were not for members giving generously.
Missionaries in other countries could not continue their work in taking God’s word to others if it were not for the gifts supporting them. Even organizations like the Salvation Army and the Red Cross would not survive if it were not for gifts given to them. In short all of these gifts are vital in carrying God’s message, love, and care to the ends of the earth.
Statistically if your combined household income is greater than $20,000 annually, then you are in the top 2% of the richest people in this world. So what are you going to do with what God has blessed you with? Because the Lord is near, we are to be generous.
So a recap of the 9 principles that we have cover over the past two week:
Because the Lord is near….
We can stand firm
We can overcome disagreements
We can rejoice
We are to exhibit gentleness
We can have peace in times of pressure
We should transform our thinking
We should show concern for others
We can be content
And We can be generous
The presence of God clearly motivated Paul in his life. But what about you? Because God in near, what does that mean for you? What will you change as a result? How will you respond?
Let’s pray
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