Christian Contentment

WELCOME:

We are so glad to see everyone today!

As you can see, our parking lot still looks the same. My guess is it will not be sealed this coming week either. Mr. Catlett has had COVID. Hopefully they’ll get to it before long.

Wednesday nights will start back Sept 10th! That is two weeks from this coming Wednesday. We will meet in the back and begin a study through the book of Romans. Our plan is to have a meal and if you’d like to help with that, see Ashley after church.

SCRIPTURE READING:

Psalm 95 “O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.””

LET US STAND AND WORSHIP!

“The Goodness of God”

Words and Music by Hillsong’

PRAYER OF PRAISE FOR WHO GOD IS

Lord, thank you for your constancy. For never turning Your back on us, for never getting frustrated with us, for forgiving our sins, for allowing us to be part of Your plan. We ask that You would look down upon this gathering of people and fill our hearts with great joy today as we focus on You. Amen!

“What a beautiful Name”

Words and Music by Hillsong

“What a beautiful Name”

Words and Music by Hillsong

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION TO OPEN OUR HEARTS

Lord, give us ears to hear Your voice and eyes to see Your glory. Would you this morning illuminate Your Word and make it known to us? Help us no to make application to others peoples’ lives, but to apply every Word to our own lives. Amen

SERMON INTRODUCTION:

This last section in Philippians we are going to divide into two sections and that is because Paul begins thanking the Philippians for their financial support of him and then digresses into the subject of contentment. So today we will talk about contentment and next week we will conclude the book on a message about sharing among Believers.

Now we are talking about contentment today, but not just contentment, but Christian contentment. And yes there is a difference betwen the world’s idea of contentment and what is real contentment.

Here’s the world’s idea of contentment Oxford dictionary says: a state of happiness and satisfaction. Contentment according to the world is being happy and satisfied.

Now think about how much of the human life is spent searching for that?

If we are really honest, just about thing people run after in their lives is really a pursuit of happiness or satisfaction.

Whether it be a relationship

Or the pursuit of wealth

Or our health

Or popularity

Or physical pleasure

Or how we look on the outside

⇒ All of this is just an attempt to find some kind of lasting satisfaction on the inside

The problem with most people’s approach to contentment is that we think it CAN be found on the outside. That is that if we just change the way that we look, or we change the place that we live, or we get a new relationship, or we get more money, then that thing we run after is finally going to satisfy us!

Now, lets look at what biblical contentment looks like:

Philippians 4:11–13 NASB95

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Just as a reminder: Paul is in prison, and he most likely has next to nothing. He has people who hate him on the outside. Only ONE church out of all the churches he has planted and ministered to has offered any kind of financial support. His entire life has been spent in service to the gospel and here he is with absolutely nothing! Yet, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit He is able to say, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in”.

How could Paul say that? Because Paul had discovered and possessed the keys to Christian Contentment.

Here’s a biblical definition of contentment:

Contentment—a state of mind in which one’s desires are confined to whatever God has allotted him.

What Paul knew was that he was living right in the center of God’s will

Even though he was in prison, even though he had little to nothing, he was content with what God wanted for his life.

And that is what God wants for us. Not to run after every shiny thing we see, or run after the comforts of this world, but to have real contentment in whatever it is that God has allotted to us.

I want to give you three truths this morning about contentment that can change your life if you will accept them and heed them. They are straight from the Word of God:

AND btw, I don’t mean to come across like I have this thing figured out. There are times when i do good, and there are times when I fall back into old patterns only to learn once again the same old gospel truth, contentment is an inside job.

1) Changing our circumstances will not bring us contentment

Philippians 4:10–11 NASB95

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

What is clear from these verses is that circumstances have nothing to do with Paul’s satisfaction. He was in prison with little to nothing:

No wife

No children to carry on his name or legacy

No property

No money

Hated by many

The possibility of being killed

Yet he says he is completely content.

And if we do not believe that, I want to read an account from the book of Acts that was written by Luke (not Paul) about Paul’s life.

Acts 16:23–25 NASB95

When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;

Now I don’t know about you, but it convinces me that what Paul said was certainly true about his personal contentment.

After being beaten with rods, thrown into prison, feet secured to stocks for added punishment, THEY PRAYED, SANG HYMNS, AND PRAISED GOD.

That is a powerful testimony of a man who lived with true contentment.

What people often do, good Christian people who want to live good Christian lives is repeatedly change their circumstances trying to find contentment

So people who are in difficult marriages leave and think finding another spouse who is kinder or younger will bring that contentment and it does not.

Or they think changing their jobs and getting away from that difficult workplace with those difficult people will settle that sense of discontentment they have inside of them.

Or they think if they can just overcome this health issue or that thorn in the flesh they have dealt with for so many years that they would finally have the quality of life they have always wanted

The truth is contentment has nothing to do with our circumstances!

The changes in our circumstances only bring temporary happiness, not lasting contentment.

This is why people who divorce and remarry have a 60% of divorcing again. They believe changing circumstances will satisfy them, but it does not.

Or those who get the job they’ve always wanted find out in two years they are just as unhappy at their new job then they were at their old job.

And we should be asking ourselves is that us?

Do we find ourselves discontent over and over again running after new circumstances thinking that when we finally get things right on the outside, we will have contentment on the inside?

Imagine have a video of Judah when he was just learneing to walk. And he had a marker and you know what babies do with markers? They eat them and write on things. So i took the marker away, and as soon as I did, he falls down kicking and screaming. I then hand him the marker and immediately he dries it up and is happy.

Quite often Christian people live this same way. When they get what thye want on the outside, they are happy and smiling. But as soon as that goes away, they fall down kicking and screaming mad at life and God.

Circumstances should not have the ability to determine our level of satisfaction. That is Becuase Contentment does not and CANNOT come from the outside. It cannot come from circumstances either good or bad.

How then does one find contentment?

First we learn it through God’s providence

Philippians 4:11–12 (NASB95)

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Twice in this section Paul says that he learned how to be content regardless of the circumstances.

That means at least two things for us. 1) that is you are someone who struggles with contentment, then you can learn how to be content. 2) You can be a born again Christian and waste much your life chasing contentment and never truly find it.

Everyone can learn

You think about your first job and how you had to learn how to do what needed to be done. You may have went to school, you may have been trained out in the felid, but you learned that job.

The same is for contentment. We learn how to be content.

God uses circumstances to teach us contentment

Paul said there were times when he has had prosperity, and times when he has had humble means, and in either place he could be completely satisfied.

“I learned to get along with humble means”

Humble means at a lower point speaking of material things.

What is the lesson learned in times when we have little?

It teaches us that we need is actually much less than we think we need.

It also teaches us that we can be just as happy with less material things as we are with an abundance

Thirdly, and most importantly, God demonstrates to us that He is our Provider. I have seen God more clearly in times when I have had little in my life than times when I have had much. I have prayed harder and seen God answer those prayers, or even send money through very unexpected ways to meet our needs. God’s hand becomes much clearer when all the extra is taken out of the way.

But Paul says, “I also know how to live in prosperity”

Now I bet all of us reading this would say, “this is no problem for me”. Lord, you give me plenty of money and I’ll use it real well.

And I think this is the lesson we as Americans need to learn even more so than living with humble means.

Not everyone can handle prosperity. In fact if you don’t have to read very far in the NT to find warning after warning about money.

Money does not just solve all of our problems. And money does not make us content as we all secretly think that it does. In fact it is the opposite, prosperity can be very dangerous and is something to be learned to deal with.

1 Timothy 6:10 NASB95

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:17 NASB95

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

The great danger in prosperity is that it has the tendency to take our hope away from God and place it on riches. That is to say that money has the ability to cause us to worship it rather than God. To seek it over the Lord. To make our live about seeing it, gaining it, hoarding it, not on living sacrificially for the Lord.

The great danger in prosperity is the desire to want more and more. The man with a 100k has now set his eyes on 200k. The many with two houses is hoping to double that to four houses.

Paul had to learned to be content in prosperity by not allowing prosperity to become his goal in life. If it came his way, then he could saw it as a blessing from God, but not his god. And if left and he was in humble means, it did not change his sense of contentment.

I think a point to ponder here is that if we were to lose everything we have, how would it affect us spiritually?

Our houses, land, 401k, savings….what if tomorrow it was all gone?

Could you say, I am completely content?

What God wants to teach you and me through circumstances and trying times is that no matter what season of life we are in, we can trust in the providence of God he is working all things togther for our good. (Rom 8:28)

If God sees fit that we can handle some prosperity, then he will allow it into our lives. If God sees fit that we need to live in humble means because our hearts are becoming materialistic, then He will remove some things from our lives. But in it all, whatever God decides and brings to us, it will be for our good whether it be good or bad..

What is God’s Providence?

Remember the story of Joseph? Sold into slavery by his brothers.

What you meant for evil, God meant for good

Lasting contentment comes from Christ

Phil 4:13

Philippians 4:13 NASB95

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

This is one of the most misused verses in all the Bible. People come up with all ways to apply Phil 4:13.

There was a lady I went o church with many years ago who had a fitness program at the church and would use this verse as an empowerment to go beyond her means. Don’t do that. That is not what this verse means.

Nor does it mean that we can have supernatural intelligence, or any kind of physical abilities at all!

Nor does it mean that we can have all the spiritual gifts and heal people and raise the dead!

What this verse means is what Paul is talking about in this context, in this paragraph, which is that he has the ability to be content, because God gives him that ability.

In other words, Paul is not saying he has great skills that we need to learn, he is saying he can do this because God gives him the ability to do it.

His source of strength is from Christ.

It is not in his stuff! It is not in his ability to provide for himself! It is not in what he has saved up in his 401K over the last 25 years. It’s not in his job that he has worked his way up in the ranks and earned his job security! None of that brings Paul the contentment he possesses at that point.

If he was poor, God would take care of him

If he had much, God would protect him from the danger of prosperity

In all circumstances, it was the Lord who was his anchor.

Now the key word here in this verse is “in” [Him]. Not through Him, but literally “in Him” thats what the greek says.

Paul is able find this contentment, this source of strength only because He was “in Christ”.

Now what does it mean to be “in Christ”?

It means that we have a true and meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. A person who is “In Christ” has abandoned the ways of self-dependance and live in a reliance upon the Lord. Christ lives inside of us, and we inside of Christ. He is our source for all things, including contentment.

John 15:1–5 NASB95

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Just as a branch depends upon the vine to supply everything the branch needs. The vine nourishes the branches, feeds the branches, supplies everything the branches needs to thrive and produce fruit, and the vine is all the branch has and must depend upon it to meet its needs.

So we too, in Christ are completely dependent upon Him, in this life. And when that mindset becomes our mindset, that in our union with Christ we trust Him deeply, true contentment is the result!

REMEMBER: Contentment is the ability to be satisfied with what God has given to us in every season of life.

And if we truly trust Him to meet our needs, then that means we also must AGREE with Him that what He has given us is enough.

Look down at verse 19: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

That’s a promise. God will supply all your needs “in Christ Jesus”.

If we will simply rest in that, it will change every situation we find ourselves in.

But that promise cannot be claimed by all people. Only to those who are in Christ Jesus.

The NLT says,

Philippians 4:19 NLT

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Now I may something that could help us with contentment

Make a list of everything that you don’t have that you want

Then make a list of everything that you need

And then make a list of everything that you deserve

And what we will find is that God has been very gracious to us in so many ways

CONCLUSION

At the heart of Christian Contentment, real contentment, real satisfaction is a living personal relationship with Jesus. It is being in Jesus. It is relying upon Jesus. It is to know Christ on a level that circumstances no longer have power over us.

Contentment does not come from the outside but the inside. It begins with Christ, and ends with Christ.

And the good news of the gospel is that Jesus inviters anyone and everyone to come to Him, and know Him, and be in union with Him, and be saved from sin by Him.

~PRAYER~