True Satisfaction

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:10-13 (NKJV)

Have you ever asked someone how they are doing, only to hear, “Well, I’m okay, under the circumstances?”

Under the circumstances? Christians should never live under the circumstances, no matter how difficult they may be.

When the Apostle Paul wrote the Philippian Christians, he found himself struggling with certain circumstances of life and ministry. In fact, Paul was in jail. Imprisoned for the witness of his faith in Christ, Paul was feeling the circumstances of persecution as a believer. He had lost his freedoms as a citizen. Perhaps he had even lost a sense of his personal dignity?

Paul also struggled under the circumstances of poor physical health. From Paul’s writings we learn that Paul may have suffered from an eye ailment and also back problems.

He also knew what it was to suffer lack. At the moment, for whatever reason, Paul was struggling with a lack of support financially from the Philippian Church.

If you were in Paul’s shoes, how would you feel?

· Some would be bitter. (Illustration of Mary and Martha, Martha was bitter at Mary because she would not help her.)

· Some would be burdened. King David knew what it was to be burdened under the circumstances of a heavy load. Psalm 102:7-9 says, I lie awake, and am like a sparrow alone on the housetop. 8 My enemies reproach me all day long, Those who deride me swear an oath against me. 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread and mingled my drink with weeping.

But Paul wasn’t bitter and Paul wasn’t burdened. Instead, as we look at Philippians 4, we find Paul expressing true satisfaction.

I. TRUE SATISFACTION EXPRESSED THROUGH CONTENTMENT IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, Philippians 4:10-12

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. 11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Paul says in verse 11 that he is “content.” The word content means “self-sufficient.” But Paul was not implying that he was able to effectively deal with every circumstance on his own. He is speaking of the new man he was in Christ, “through Christ, he could do all things.”

So, the first thing Paul says is that he is content because of his reliance in the providence of God.

A. Contentment Comes through Apprehending God’s Providence, Philippians 4:11

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:

Paul says he has “learned” contentment. Literally, he is saying he has apprehended contentment. He didn’t learn it naturally. He learned it through experience. Paul learned that, for the Christian, life is not a series of accidents, but a series of appointments.

Paul also teaches us that contentment comes through the awareness of God’s presence in verse 9.

B. Contentment Comes through Awareness of God’s Presence, Philippians 4:9

The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Notice the phrase that says, “the God of peace will be with you.”

Peace in a spiritual sense does not mean an absence of conflict. Rather, it implies peace in spite of the conflict. The God of peace is our adequate resource in time of trouble.

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Paul knew that in every circumstance God was with him.

C. Contentment Comes through Alertness to God’s Purposes, Philippians 4:10

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

God allows us to go through tough times, for in adversity and loneliness He can often teach us things we wouldn’t learn otherwise.

25 The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. 27 And it is good for the young to submit to the yoke of his discipline. 28 Let them sit alone in silence beneath the Lord’s demands.

Lamentations 3:25-28, NLT

In spite of all his hurt, Paul was able to see God’s purposeful hand at work in his life in all circumstances.

II. TRUE SATISFACTION EXPRESSED THROUGH CONFIDENCE IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:13 is one of the most beloved verses in all the Bible. But let’s be sure we understand what Paul is saying here. First, he is saying he knows true satisfaction because of the confidence he has in Christ’s control.

A. Confident in Christ’s Control

through Christ…..

This verse is not telling us that we can do anything we want to do, or anything we set our mind to do. But we can do anything He enables us to do.

Paul says he had learned how to be abased and how to abound. He could express contentment in little or in much. Because of Christ’s control, he was content, and truly satisfied.

B. Confident in Christ’s Strength

through Christ who strengthens me.

Paul knew not to rely on his own strength and abilities. Instead, he was fully trusting in the strength Christ offered.

Conclusion:

True satisfaction is a rare thing in today’s world. Constantly seeking more, most people never learn the lessons Paul learned, that contentment is spiritually based and not materially based.

As stewards of our Lord Jesus Christ, we find our contentment, our satisfaction in Him—in His provision, in His presence, in His purposes, in His power, and in His peace.

Related Media

Related Sermons