TheSecret to Contentment

INTRODUCTION:

As we reach the end of our series on the Book of Philippians — we arrive at Paul’s closing remarks

In many ways, these final verses encapsulate the very heart of the letter.

Unlike Paul’s epistles to other churches—which were often written to correct false doctrine, or address division, or warn of heresy—this one was deeply personal.

This was written to a very special church — This was the first church that Paul had established — His “Overflow City Church”

The Philippian church had been Paul’s #1 supporters — from the very beginning —often times his only supporters

And now while in prison, they had sent Epaphroditus to bring Paul a generous gift and to check on his well-being.

So this letter was essentially a thank-you letter back to them

A heartfelt expression of gratitude — for their selfless generosity and unwavering care and concern for him

And he uses the occasion to also encourage them to stay united, to remain humble and hopeful — as we have seen over the last 6 weeks

THE SOLUTION: Transition into objective of sermon

But at the very core of this letter—beneath the surface of his gratitude and encouragement

Paul was also expressing a deep-seated contentment that he has in Christ Jesus —

If you listen closely, you will hear it’s echoes every chapter

He even refers to this contentment as a “secret” — something he himself had to learn and discover throughout his entire life.

Yes! He was in prison — Yes! He was in need — but through it all he had found genuine contentment

And today we are going to unpack the secret to his contentment

Transition to next point: One of the clearest indicators to Paul’s contentment was his abundant joy

1. Joy in the Lord

Focus: Philippians 4:10 “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.”

A. Abundant joy

If there is one word that resonates throughout the Book of Philippians, it’s the word, “joy” or “rejoice” — 11 times it appears — it’s like a thread that was woven through each chapter

In Philippians 1:4 Paul prays to God with joy: — “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy”

In Philippians 1:18 He responds to adversity with Joy: — “whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,”

In Philippians 2:17 When facing potential execution, still he chooses joy: — “even if I am being poured out like a drink offering , I am glad and rejoice”

In Philippians 3:1 He encourages his readers with joy: — “brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord!”

In Philippians 4:4 He repeats it like a broken record — insisting: — “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”

Over and over again, Paul emphasizes that joy is not merely an option for the believer — but a vital necessity.

Illustration:

Have you ever meet someone who’s always optimistic?

Even when things go wrong, they say, “It’s fine—I’m sure it’ll work itself out”

It’s not that they’re ignoring reality… it’s that they’ve made a conscious decision to shift their focus on the positive.

That’s how intentional Paul was when it came to joy.

B. Joy in contentment

How is it that Paul is able to maintain such profound joy despite facing all these hardships?

That’s because Paul’s joy was not circumstantial — Even here as he is thanking the Philippians in verse 10— he makes it clear that his joy is in the Lord, “I rejoice greatly in the Lord”

And then, in verse 11, he reveals the base of that joy— Philippians 4:11 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

Paul’s joy was deeply rooted in his contentment

Illustration:

A study highlighted by the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley indicates that contentment provides stability amidst life’s fluctuations, allowing individuals to experience positive emotions, including joy, more consistently

Meaning that when people had a baseline of contentment — the likelihood of them experiencing joy was much greater

The reason our joy can feel more volatile than today’s stock market — is often because it lacks a stable foundation of contentment

Paul could’ve been have bitter:

“Lord, I gave everything for you… and now I’m in prison?”

No, instead he says, “I rejoice greatly in the Lord, because I have learned contentment”

C. Paul rejoiced in the Lord

Regardless of what is happening to him or around him — Paul’s consistent response was joy — Paul chose joy

Why? Because his joy was anchored in a contentment that can only come from God — not his situation.

Engage:

And my question to you is:

What is your default response?

You’ve got two options:

You can sit back and wait for your circumstances to bring you joy.

And maybe they will. But let’s be honest—if that’s where your joy is, it’ll leave just as quickly as it came.

2. Or you can anchor your joy in a source that never runs out

You can rejoice in the Lord—not in your job, not in the economy, not in how easy or hard life gets—but in Him.

A continuous lack of joy in a believer’s life — often points to a deeper lack of contentment in Christ

Transition to next point:

And maybe you’re wondering, “But how do I hold onto that kind of joy? How can I learn to be content regardless of my circumstances?”

That’s the exact question Paul addresses next

2. Strength in the Lord

Focus: Philippians 4:12–13 “12 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. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

A. Context

I’m sure we’ve all heard this verse before: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

It’s on coffee mugs. It’s on posters in locker rooms.

It’s used like a spiritual version of — “you can do it” — “You can be anything you put your mind to”

Many people have stripped this verse from its context and reduced it to a motivational slogan

That is NOT what Paul meant

Verse 13 is directly tied to verse 12 — “I can do all this” — all of what?

be in need / have plenty — be well fed / be hungry — live in abundance / live in want

Paul’s not talking about overachieving here—he’s talking about enduring.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation — win/lose, success/failure, up/down

B. I have learned

That phrase “I’ve learned the secret” is actually really interesting. — In Greek, the word means to be initiated into something deep or sacred. — It’s not just head knowledge. It’s knowledge that has been shaped experience

Illustration:

not sure if they still do this—but, back in the day, to join a gang—you had to be “jumped in.”

They would beat you up, to test you, and see if you could endure pain.

It was a way to prove your loyalty and commitment to the gang.

They wanted to know: “Will you stay when it gets rough?”

Paul what saying here, This didn’t come easy. I didn’t read this in a devotional. I’ve been initiated into this

Just read his resume in 2 Cor 11. He’s been through beatings, shipwrecks, prison cells, nearly starved to death — He’s also experienced wealth, intellect, and spiritual revelations

Paul’s saying, “I’ve lived on both ends of the spectrum—and I’ve come out with one truth: I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

C. Endurance

And here’s what I love: There was a time when Paul didn’t know this yet. — There was a time he was begging God to take his pain away.

2 Corinthians 12:7–9 “… I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

You see Paul was human like the rest of us — When he says, “I can do all things,” — it wasn’t some sort of flex — he was talking finding strength in the grace of God — despite his weakness

Engage:

Perhaps you’re today — trying to hold — Perhaps you’ve been asking God over and over again to take the pain away

You’ve prayed, you’ve obeyed, you’ve done all the “right” things … and you’re still hurting — still waiting — still carrying that thorn

God is saying to you, even now, “ my grace is sufficient for you” —

The secret to contentment is not more from God — it more of God

What I mean by that is that — our idea of contentment is for God to change our situation — but God’s deeper plan for our contentment is for us to endure through it — sustained by his grace

When God says, “My grace is sufficient for you,”— He is saying “My grace is contentment for you” — sufficiency and contentment are the same thing — in fact in the Greek they are the from the same root word

God is saying — His grace IS your contentment — His grace IS your satisfaction — His grace IS sufficient for you

So regardless of your situation — God’s grace is sufficient for you

Not because you’re strong, but because He is — and in your weakness, God’s grace is made perfect in you

Transition to next point: Finally, Paul’s contentment is deeply intertwined with his unwavering belief in God’s provision

3. Provision in the Lord

A. Philippian generosity

Often times, when we think of contentment — we mistake it to mean — settling for less.

When God says, “My grace is sufficient for you”, he’s not saying be content with scarcity — as if He’s grace operates on a limited budget —

Instead, what He is saying His grace is more than enough for you

There is an overflowing abundance attached to the grace of God

We see this play out through the generosity of the Philippian church towards Paul

Paul gratefully acknowledges in Philippians 4:18 “I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”

And Paul wasn’t exaggerating — The Philippian church had been Paul’s steadfast partners — they gave consistently — they gave willingly — they gave sacrificially — they supported Paul throughout his entire ministry

They were so exemplary in giving that Paul used to brag about them to other churches in his letters

In 2 Corinthians 8:1–2 “And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”

They embodied the characteristics of contentment — grace from God — overflowing joy despite severe trials — and rich generosity, despite their own poverty

You see, another hallmark of contentment is generosity

People assume that generosity flows from abundance — but in reality, generosity springs from contentment

If you find yourself struggling with generosity in your current financial situation — and you think that increased wealth will automatically more generous — you are likely mistaken

Generosity isn’t primarily about the amount you possess — generosity has to do with how content you are, with what you already have

Content people are generous people

Quote:

“Christians should, by their nature and their experience of grace, have a strong impulse to give to others”

— Ryan Kelly

And that’s what we see here, with the Philippians richly generosity — even in their extreme poverty

B. His provision is for our needs

And Paul blesses them with a promise — in Philippians 4:19 “19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

This is another one of those verses that often taken out of context

so let’s unpack it a bit

There are 2 main parts to this promise

God’s provision is available to us to meet ALL of our needs — not some, not most, all

God’s provision is based on his riches — not ours — and His riches are unlimited

Nevertheless, this is not a blank check guaranteeing us whatever we want

Yes, God will meet all our needs — but not our greed

But let’s consider a part of this verse, that is often overlooked — which I think makes all the difference

I want to remind you: Paul had made it a point to emphasize how content he is in the joy of the Lord — how reliant he is in the strength of the Lord

And now he tells the Philippians — “My God will meet all your needs” — he personalizes it — He co-signs this promise with his own experience

It’s like when David wrote in Psalm 23, “The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want”

What’s David saying, The Lord is My Shepherd — he cared for me — he watches over me — he provides for me — and that’s also that Paul is saying here

C. His provision is His relationship

Paul didn’t spend all this time talking about joy — going through all that suffering to learn contentment — to now be focused on material provisions only.

No, all of this—joy, strength, provision—ultimately points us to something greater.

The greatest provision that God can give us — is Himself — our greatest need is relationship

And God has provided that through the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus

This in essence is the secret to contentment — “My God!” — He is your God, He is your Father —

Paul is saying, I know God, on a deep, personal and intimate level — and if God has done all this for me — He will do it for you

His contentment will bring you lasting joy — his contentment will give you strength in the midst of your trials — My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus

Quote:

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

— John Piper

Transition to end:

The secret to contentment, as Paul so beautifully illustrates, is not found in escaping our circumstances,

But in anchoring ourselves in our relationship with Christ

APPLICATION:

Where is your joy anchored today? 

Are you allowing circumstances to dictate your joy?— or are you intentionally choosing to rejoice in the Lord?

What "thorn" are you currently facing? 

Are you relying on your own strength to overcome it? — or are you surrendering to the sufficiency of God's grace?

Remember, His power is made perfect in our weakness.

What is your attitude towards generosity? 

Are you waiting for abundance to be generous? — or does your contentment in Christ enable you to give freely?

Take a moment to reflect on your deepest needs. 

Are you primarily focused on material provisions? — or are you recognizing your ultimate need for a deeper relationship with God?

PRAYER:

Salvation call

Dear God,

I confess that I’m a sinner,

and I ask for your forgiveness.

I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

I believe that You raised him from the dead

From this day forward,

I surrender my life,

I surrender my will

to Jesus Christ

I pray this in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

If you prayed that prayer for the first time: Text LIVING to 94000