Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

What does contentment mean to you?

When was the last time you were content with something?

Was it everlasting or did something happen to ruin it?

What do you think biblical contentment means?

How does Paul manifest this in his life?

Start with

How does Paul manifest contentment in his life?

Paul’s aim was to ensure his supporters that he was happy and contented, regardless of his external circumstances.

He expresses neither demands nor expectations, once again becoming a paradigm of the godly person, centered wholly on the Lord and relatively unmindful of his earthly situation.

With another note on the joy Paul felt because of these close friends in Philippi (see the commentary on 1:4, 18), he expresses his deep gratitude for the gift they had sent by way of Epaphroditus (2:25–30).

Here Paul is describing his past rejoicing when he had first received the gift, but this joy obviously spilled over into the present whenever their gift came to mind—as it apparently did during the writing of this letter.

The emphasis is on his great joy, leading to his lengthy and extravagant outpouring of thanksgiving over eleven verses.

The expression of such joy always took place at crucial events, such as the birth of Jesus (), the ascension (), and the gospel’s advance among Gentiles (; ).

As Paul reflected on the extent to which these friends had partnered with him in the ministry of the gospel (1:4), showing such gracious concern for his needs, he was overcome with joy.

As we have seen throughout the Prison Letters (Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and this one), Paul’s joy was always experienced “in the Lord.”

The Philippians’ loving concern reminded him even more of the grace of Christ now coming to fruition through them, and it was in this context that he could experience true joy.

So their earthly benevolence had been transformed into a heavenly gift.

This is how Christian care takes place.

God uses us as his tools to channel his loving care into the lives of others.

Paul tells the believers he is thrilled that “at last you renewed your concern for me.”

At first glance this could be seen as displeasure that their help had taken so long in coming, but he quickly dispels that false impression (see below).

His language here is quite effusive; “renewed” conveys an agricultural metaphor describing springtime, when flowers and trees blossom forth with buds and shoots.

So Paul is saying their gift had flowered forth, ending his drought with beauty and joy.

The Greek word for “concern” (phroneō, used here for the ninth time in the letter; see also 1:7; 2:2) expresses the extreme “thoughtfulness” of the believers’ gift.

All in all, Paul was overwhelmed by the depth of their concern for him; their care had blossomed in his life and brought a new springtime of joy into his difficult situation in Rome.

He wanted to make sure the Philippians didn’t take his remarks the wrong way, so he adds, “Indeed, you were concerned,” again stressing the thoughtfulness of what they had done.

He was fully aware that their loving concern had never flagged, even though for a time they had “had no opportunity to show it.”

We do not know why there had been no earlier opportunity, but the reason may have had to do with Paul’s multiple imprisonments (Caesarea and then Rome—in total, four years and running) and perhaps also their own severe persecution (1:27–30) and the resultant “extreme poverty” of the Macedonian churches ().

Whatever the reason, the Philippians never stopped caring about Paul’s situation, and he was overjoyed that they had taken this opportunity to give concrete proof of their concern.

He LEARNS to be content

That said, Paul’s joy is centered on their wonderful friendship more than on the gift itself.

The gift was anchored in their loving care, so his gratitude is grounded in their feelings for him, not in the tangible expression of that affection.

Several interpreters have pointed out the commercial language Paul uses here.

The Greek term for showing “concern” (phroneō) also means “have the same mindset,” as in a business partnership (see 1:4, “partnership in the gospel”), so Paul is emphasizing the closeness of his ties with this loving church.

They truly had become his partners in the gospel!

4:10.

Paul shows his attitude of gratitude by expressing joy over their gifts which Epaphroditus had delivered to him (), gifts which continued a long history of the Philippian church’s supporting Paul (see 4:16; ).

The gifts provided a problem for Paul.

He consistently refused to accept payment for his ministerial work, not wanting to burden the churches (; ; ; ; ).

Thus he never used the term thank you as he wrote the Philippians, and he delayed using the term gift until verses 17–18.

He concentrated instead on the attitude of the Philippians and the relationship the gift represented.

He used a unique verb to express the freshness of their concern for him, saying it had blossomed afresh like a flower in springtime.

His focus was sufficiency in God rather than self-sufficiency.

STRENGTH THROUGH WEAKNESS

Why the Philippians had a time when they could not show concern for Paul we do not know.

Perhaps it had to do with the distance to his Roman imprisonment, the lack of opportunity to send messengers that far, or some problems in the Philippian church.

Paul cast all that away as past history.

The emotion of the moment was joy at renewed relationship and renewed expression of care for one in trouble (see v. 14).

Still, he wanted his benefactors to know that this mindset had not come easily: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

This was not a natural conclusion that had been obvious to Paul from the beginning of his ordeal.

It had been necessary for him to “learn” it; it was a lesson from life, taught by the Lord the hard way.

Contentment in every circumstance (4:11–12)

Paul wanted to assure the Philippians that his gratitude was not based on feeling deprived or having serious unmet needs.

He had not been in dire straits, lacking basic necessities, nor was he still “in need” or desiring something more than he already had.

We know from his letters to the church at Corinth that he had been criticized by some believers for living off their largesse (; ), and he was sensitive about such matters.

He wanted to assure the Philippians that he was not asking for more or fixating on the size of the gift they had sent.

He was neither dependent on nor beholden to them; his joy was in their loving concern and eagerness to partner with him.

The idea is to place ourselves under God’s care () so fully that, whatever our financial or social situation, we depend entirely on him.

Anxiety disappears, and God’s peace takes over.

James expresses the same idea in different words: We are to “consider” or “count” our trials to be “pure joy,” a perspective that develops over time as we are forced to rely on God and learn “that the testing of [our] faith produces perseverance”—which, over more time, teaches contentment.

Paul did not reach this point this quickly or easily, but contentment was a necessary lesson that simplified his life and allowed him to depend much more on the Lord.

Paul’s aim was to ensure his supporters that he was happy and contented, regardless of his external circumstances.

He expresses neither demands nor expectations, once again becoming a paradigm of the godly person, centered wholly on the Lord and relatively unmindful of his earthly situation.

Still, he wanted his benefactors to know that this mindset had not come easily: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

This was not a natural conclusion that had been obvious to Paul from the beginning of his ordeal.

It had been necessary for him to “learn” it; it was a lesson from life, taught by the Lord the hard way.

James expresses the same idea in different words: We are to “consider” or “count” our trials to be “pure joy,” a perspective that develops over time as we are forced to rely on God and learn “that the testing of [our] faith produces perseverance”—which, over more time, teaches contentment.

Paul did not reach this point this quickly or easily, but contentment was a necessary lesson that simplified his life and allowed him to depend much more on the Lord.

Contentment was an essential virtue in both Stoic and Hellenistic thought.

It connoted self-sufficiency, being in control of oneself and one’s emotions, using the power of reason to rise above adverse circumstances.

Here in , Paul transforms this idea and infuses it with Christian content.

His focus was sufficiency in God rather than self-sufficiency.

The idea is to place ourselves under God’s care () so fully that, whatever our financial or social situation, we depend entirely on him.

Anxiety disappears, and God’s peace takes over ().

Do you remember what all Paul endured as an apostle?

Look at .

In verse 12 Paul spells out the meaning of “whatever the circumstances,” stating, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.”

Paul had definitely experienced both situations.

The Greek text here contrasts being “humbled” or “brought low” with being “in abundance” or “prospering.”

Earlier in the letter, Paul says Christ “humbled himself” in his incarnation as a “slave,” and God “highly exalted him and gave him the name above all names” (2:8–9).

So in the circumstances described in 4:12, Paul was emulating Christ, the true model for us all.

Paul’s extremes certainly were not as sharp as those endured by Jesus, the God who became a slave, but he had known both good times and bad.

He likely was raised in a wealthy home in Tarsus and had been sent to study with the leading rabbi of his day, Gamaliel ().

Still, he spent his apostolic ministry in relative poverty as a tent-maker and itinerant preacher (the major thrust in this context of the monetary gift).

He also experienced extreme humiliation in the form of beatings, imprisonments, and deprivations ().

As a side note, I have found that the wealthy are often less content than the poor, perhaps because they feel they can never accumulate enough and are continuously comparing themselves with people who have even a little more.

Where was God in all of these trials?

Paul made the amazing discovery that God is present in all events, whether they involve impoverishment or enrichment.

So as we look at Paul, does your view of what contentment should mean change?

Contentment comes not from receiving, but from using what God has given you for His purposes; a focus on things eternal.

Look at these earlier verses:

Contentment thus involves the sufficiency of God to turn all things around for the sake of the kingdom.

What matters is not having everything go your way, but knowing Christ (, ).

What does verse 13 mean to you personally?

For Paul this had been proven yet again when, during a time of deep need, the Lord had led the Philippians to send their encouraging gift.

To know Christ is to enter “the fellowship of his suffering” (3:10), and Paul had experienced time and again the benefit of that fellowship ().

He adds two further illustrations to reinforce his point: “whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

Paul’s experiences of being “hungry” and “in want” are reflected in : “To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless.”

Here Paul is contrasting the apostles’ circumstances with the opulence of the Corinthian church leaders; his point in Philippians is that, in Christ, he had risen above both extremes.

He had experienced both, to be sure, but his earthly conditions had become irrelevant in light of knowing Christ, and he was Christ-sufficient either way.