Contentment in Christ

Philippians 4:10–13 ESV

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Title: Contentment: What is it and How to achieve it

Theme: Contentment in all Circumstances

Opening Illustration: involving where someone should have been content but certainly was not.

  [A] strange plant called nardoo grows in [the] deserts of Central Australia. [It is] like a fern, and natives eat its seeds when they can obtain no other food. One peculiar property [is that] it satisfies and produces [a] pleasant feeling of comfort, but it does not nourish.

[A] party of explorers, crossing this central desert, [once] ran out of food. [Their] leader, Captain King, recommended nardoo as he knew [the] natives ate it. Day after day they fed on it. At first [they] felt satisfied, but soon [their] strength began to fail. Finally, it killed them. They wasted away, lay down and died of starvation. A solitary survivor was discovered under a tree, and he told the story.

Jesus is [the] Bread of Life!1

1 Stott, J. (2018). The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott. (M. Meynell, Ed.). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Maybe a modern day form of this would be fast food: we eat, but in the end are not satisfied.

What does it mean to be content? In one sense, we should not be content. If you are content with your current spiritual growth, then perhaps there is a problem. If all of your memories of good times with the Lord or Bible memory, sharing the good news are from 10, 20, 30 years ago, then maybe there is a problem with your contentment.

The Bible also encourages us to “work as if working for the Lord.” We don’t want to give our second best to God, and should not be content with always doing the minimum. So what does it mean to be content, and why is this an important spiritual virtue?

I will start by saying there are several important Bible verses that point us to the importance of the Christian being content. I will name a few most of us are familiar with, and then focus in on one passage for the book of Philippians.

But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 6:6-10

5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear;

what can man do to me?” 1

1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Heb 13:5–6). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

-Transition into the use of the word in Philippians.

The word translated here as “be content” can also mean be satisfied, or be sufficient. Such as in 2 Cor. 12:9 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 1

1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Co 12:9). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.1

1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Co 9:7–8). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

I think it is worth noting that many of the passages which discuss human contentment, including the one we are discussing here, involve money. It is far too easy to become discontent when it comes to finance.

Let’s begin by discussing the context of our passage in Phil. 4.

We are in the last chapter of Philippians, and Paul returns to the theme with which he opened the letter: thanks to many of his fellow workers.

When Paul first came to the city of Philippi in Macedonia there were no Christians, for he was the first missionary. It was only as Paul began to preach and teach the Old Testament that a small group of believers gathered around him. These Christians were attached to Paul, because through him God had called them to faith in Jesus Christ and through him God had brought great blessing. These Christians loved Paul and wished to help him, and they continued their interest in him even after he had moved on to other cities.

The section is basically an expression of thanks to the Philippians for a monetary gift they sent to him through their messenger Epaphroditus. The note of appreciation appears in three places: in verse 10, where Paul speaks of his great joy because of the Philippians’ expression of concern for him; in verse 14, where he tells them that “it was good” of them to help him in his affliction; and in verse 18, where he uses both financial and cultic metaphors to describe the immense value of their gift to him. Paul’s expression of thanks is qualified, however, by two efforts to distance himself from the Philippians’ gift. In verses 11–13 he claims that ultimately he did not need their gift, and in verse 17 he says that he did not seek it.

Since the practice of giving and receiving gifts is so deeply bound up with issues of power, status, and relations among people, it is not surprising that Paul treats this issue with some care. Whether he likes it or not, the offering and accepting (or rejecting) of financial gifts is such a socially significant action that it will play a significant role in the relationship between Paul and the Philippians. Because the dominant culture views giving and receiving in particular ways, Paul must set the Philippians’ gift into the right sort of Christ-focused context if it is not to shape his relationship with the Philippians in deleterious ways

I. v. 10-11 Paul’s Independence (but Dependance on God’s power)

V. 10: “I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me.”

Philippians is sometimes called the letter of joy. This is the only time where Paul’s joy is quantified. Paul says he “rejoiced greatly.” There are a few things happening in this verse. Paul has the joy that his quantifiable as “great”, and what is the source of this joy? It is “in the Lord.” Paul does not say that the source of his joy is ultimately in the generosity of the Philippians. He does not say this his ultimate joy is in what he could purchase with the money given to him by this church. No, ultimately, he joy is in the Lord. It is an interesting, and seemingly purposeful way that Paul sets up his gratitude for this church. He never says “thank you for the money” or “thank you for the gift.” Instead, he says “I rejoiced greatly in the Lord.” Or, if you look at verses 14-20, he says no one else gave to me except for you. Paul has directly encouraged this church elsewhere in this letter, and it seems in this case he is ultimately encouraging them to put their gratitude and hope in the Lord. Sixteen times in this letter Paul expresses his joy, and ultimately this joy is in the Lord.

-”(because) that at last your renewed...” Even though Paul’s ultimate joy was in the Lord, it was certainly also right and appropriate to give thanks to this church. In the NIV it says “that at least you renewed your concern for me,” but a better translation may be “because now at last” as this brings out the relation between Paul’s rejoicing in the Lord and the Philippians’ gift.

Remember, that this is originally a letter written to a local church. One of Paul’s purposes in this letter is to express his thankfulness and gratitude for a gift received from this church. Why would the church be concerned for Paul? Remember, Paul is in prison when he is writing this letter. Paul is saying, “I appreciate your concern, and I appreciate your gift.”

This phrase “Your concern for me” is one that echoes throughout this letter to the Philippians. Paul is expressing solidarity with the church in Phillippi.

Look now at verse 11 with me.

Notice this transition in v. 11, and let’s take time to think through what it could mean. Paul has expressed thankfulness to the Philippians for their gift but Paul then adds this disclaimer: “I am not saying this because I am in need.”

This verse begins with a strong negative “Not that!” Paul uses the same phrase again in v. 17 where he says, “Not that I desire your gifts.”

For many of us, if we expressed thankfulness in this way it would come off as pride. “I am thankful for the gift you gave me, but I’m not saying this because I actually need it.” Have you ever received a gift for Christmas and responded by saying “That’s great, but I don’t actually need it.” Try doing that with your spouse on your wedding anniversary and see how it goes over. Some interpreters have referred to Paul’s response here as a “thankless thanks.” We do not have the time to get into the more detailed possibilities for why Paul may have spoken in this indirect way to the church, but I do want to focus on Paul’s response.

Perhaps we would be further helped by recalling the overall tenor of the letter. More than once we have been struck by both the intimacy and the distance expressed by Paul, captured in his phrase, “whether or not.” Our life of partnership in the gospel, Paul said to them, depends neither upon my being present or absent. The advance of the gospel does not depend upon my being executed or being set free. My relationship to Christ, he said, does not depend upon living or dying because to live is Christ and to die is to be with Christ. His relationship to the Philippians, his return to them, his execution, his witness, their witness: everything has to be set in the context of the gospel and the meaning of life in Christ Jesus.

If Paul is not trying to be rude, what is he indeed trying to say here?

The word Paul uses here for need (ὑστέρησις) is very rare in the NT. It is used here and in Mark 12:44: “For they contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put i everything she had, all she had to live on.” (The widow’s mite)

Thus, Paul is making it clear that his joy is not because he was in dire straits and would not have survived without them. Rather, he is thankful that they have showed thankfulness through self-sacrificial giving.

He carries on in this sentence saying, “for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

Contentment, and its source, is where I want to focus our time this evening.

I have been reading two books together that served as inspiration for this sermon. The first is by a Puritan named Jeremiah Burroughs who in 1643 published “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.” The second is by an American pastor named Andy Davis who wrote a book reflecting on Burroughs’ work entitled “The Power of Christian Contentment.”

Most of us probably think that as Christians we should learn to be content, but it is not a phrase that I had taken much time to ponder. What I want to do with our time tonight is think through what it means to be content, and what Paul is saying to us about this in Phil. 4.

Let us begin with Paul’s words in v. 11: “For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

The broader concept of contentment is not exclusive to Christianity.

To be content was a central concept in ethical discussion from the time of Socrates, especially among Cynic and Stoic philosophers. In Stoic philosophy it denotes the one who “becomes an independent man sufficient to himself and in need of none else.” The goal for the Stoic was that “a man should be sufficient unto himself for all things, and able, by the power of his own will, to resist the force of circumstances.”182 The Stoic philosopher Seneca advocates the goal of being content: “The happy man is content with his present lot, no matter what it is, and is reconciled to his circumstances.” By the exercise of reason over emotions, the Stoic learns to be content.184 For the Stoic, emotional detachment is essential in order to be content.

In some ways the virtues of the stoics are virtues we will admire today. The independent spirit the free outlook. The self-sufficiency. Sounds like an action hero! Here is a quote from Plato on the subject, “That man should be sufficient unto himself for all things, and able, by the power of his own will, to resist the force of circumstances.” Deal with the hand that is dealt you.

Paul seems to have borrowed this phrase from the Greek philosophers to show how he is “self-sufficient.” This is the only place in the NT that this phrase appears in this form. Paul too has acquired the virtue of a spirit free from worry, untroubled by the vicissitudes of external events, independent of people and things. And Paul cherishes this self-sufficiency. But the difference between Paul, the self-sufficient Christian, and the self-sufficient Stoic, is vast.

George Findlay, in his book Christian Doctrine, puts it this way:

The self-sufficiency of the Christian is relative: an independence of the world through dependence upon God. The Stoic self-sufficiency pretends to be absolute. One is the contentment of faith, the other of pride. Cato and Paul both stand erect and fearless before a persecuting world: one with a look of rigid, defiant scorn, the other with a face now lighted up with unutterable joy in God.… The Christian martyr and the Stoic suicide are the final examples of these two memorable and contemporaneous protests against the evils of the world.

In some very important ways, Paul redefines what this word means for the Christian. Paul’s statement that he learned to be content is his way of claiming that his friendship with the Philippian believers is true friendship, not a friendship based on utility; he was not looking to his friends with self-interest, depending on them to meet his needs, for he had learned to be content. It is important to remember that this letter is written in a particular context. This is not a beggar’s thanks for charity given to him.

“I have learned” in v. 11 is quite emphatic. It is saying, whether or not anyone else has learned this, I have.

The NIV reads “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation”, but a more literal translation would be “And I know how to be humbled, and I know how to abound.” He is here going to give a definition of this self-sufficiency that he discussed in v. 11.

V. 12

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). 1

1 Osborne, G. R. (2017). Philippians: Verse by Verse (p. 183). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

There is certainly much we can learn from this passage. First of all, our financial state, or our state in our job does not define our spiritual state. We are all equal at the throneroom of grace.

Despite this, we perhaps look at others as “lesser than.” Paul says, I know what it is like to be lesser than, and I know how to be content in that.

But he also says, I know what it is like to be exalted. Often, 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.

Contentment for the Christian is not only a virtue, but also a command.

V. 13

That brings us to perhaps one of the most well known verses in this letter, Philippians 4:13.

Earlier we contrasted the secret of contentment that Paul has learned with that which the world teaches.

Paul says that he has the power to cope with, or is competent and able to handle, all these things.

To say that you have the power to deal with all things is quite a different thing than to say you can be rich, or win a sports game, or whatever it may be. It is God who is strengthening us.

And thus is established a grand paradox. The secret of Paul’s independence was his dependence upon Christ. His self-sufficiency came from being in vital union with the One who is all-sufficient. He whose life was seized by Christ, who gladly gave up all for Christ, who paradoxically gained all by losing all for Christ, who longed to know Christ and the power of his resurrection (3:7–10), could only envision Christ as his true source of inner strength. So although Paul had carefully disciplined himself and had discovered within himself untapped resources of power that, when drawn upon, made him independent of outward circumstances, he could never bring himself to deny his need of Christ and his reliance upon the strength that Christ supplied. The truth of the matter is that in himself Paul did not perceive a strong, independent life. But united with Christ, the source of ultimate power, he was able to face life bravely.

II. V. 12 The secret of being content

What does Paul say here? He knows what it is like to be in need, he know what it means to have plenty. He has the life experience to back it up. We tend to trust the word of those who are older than us. Paul has seen ups and he was seen downs.

The NIV says “I know what it is to be in need” This word for need has the idea of humility. It is the same verb used in Phil. 2:8 where it says Chris humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death on the cross. In a culture that prized honor and avoided shame at virtually all costs the notion of being brought low was greatly frowned upon. In this instance Paul uses the verb to express the idea of making do with very little.

Paul says that he has learned to be content in every situation, and provides four particular circumstances:

Well fed

Hungry

Living in plenty

Living in want

After stating these different situations, Paul says he has learned the secret of being content in any and every circumstance.

I think an important distinction is the focus on self. The Greek idea was of Self-sufficiency. The focus for being content for Paul was not in himself, but in Christ, as we will soon see. Indeed, like the wise Stoic, Paul does not consider physical deprivation an unmitigated disaster nor physical comfort the sign of success. But unlike the Stoic, Paul does not find the resources for this attitude in himself. They reside instead in the Lord, through whom he can face all things.

The joy in the Lord that Paul has learned is not dependant on external circumstances. Christian self-sufficiency, which is really better called the sufficiency of Christ, is show in times of adversity and joy.

This is not to say that all will be easy. It is easy sometimes to say, “Thy will be done.” but perhaps much harder to actually put that into practice.

Where has Paul learned these things?

His learning process was in “the school of hard knocks,” under divine tutelage. I have learned how (11b emathen), not by book-learning or revelation, but through cumulative experiences1

  Paul say that he can respond to near-starvation without resenting God’s providence or envying the well fed, I am embarrassed by how little it takes to unsettle my contentment: a car that needs repairs, a computer that boots up slowly, a tough steak. How about you?

We might be surprised to hear Paul say that his contentment extends to times when he has plenty to eat and is on top of the world. “Well, of course,” we think, “why should he not be content when he has all he needs?” But a moment’s reflection brings to mind people who have far more than they need but who still cannot bring themselves to say, “Enough!” Money and what it can buy can be as addictive as narcotics: the more you have, the more you feel you need in order to get the same “high.” For many of us, the challenge is not to be content when we have nothing. After all, we have never had nothing. The challenge is to be content when we have more than we need but less than we want

God’s Word infects us with a holy discontentment. There are things in life worth longing for and striving for with all our might. Food and clothes and technology are not those things. The treasure that is not yet fully in our grasp, that should still stir our discontentment, is the fullness of God’s grace in Jesus. If you trust him, your sins are forgiven and his righteous record is yours. His Spirit has begun a good work in you (Phil. 1:6), renewing you from the inside out. But the best is yet to come! Be content with where you are and what you have, but discontent with who you are—so far!

Contentment is a learned skill and and shared secret.

V. 13

This is certainly the best known passage from what we are discussing today, but I think it is worth looking at the verse in context.

Example of wrestling in high school- I won some matches and I lost some.

Maybe a better translation would be in all things I am strong in Chris who empowers me.

Paul is saying that he has the power to cope with and handle all situations. The secret of Paul’s independence was his dependence upon Christ. His self-sufficiency came from being in vital union with the One who is all-sufficient.

There is no boasting in this declaration. Paul is simply stating what is true!

  The mystery of the gospel is an “open secret” concerning public events: Jesus, the Son of God, became man, lived a perfectly obedient life, then died a criminal’s death under God’s wrath (not for his own sins but for others’ offenses), rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, rules now, and will return in glory. There it is, God’s most wonderful secret, right out there on the open market … no passwords, no secret handshakes, no going down into a pit to be showered with the warm blood of a freshly slaughtered bull as in Mithraism.

Nevertheless, here Paul picks up a piece of mystery-religion jargon, cleans it up, and uses it to get our attention. He implies that there is a secret to contentment, a code to be cracked that will enable you to weather the best of times and the worst of times. Contentment in Christ is a kind of “insider knowledge.” Yet the great difference between Jesus and Mithra is that in Christianity the boundary between “outsiders” and “insiders” can be crossed simply by believing the very public gospel that Paul preached—by entrusting your life to the crucified and risen God-man, Jesus the Messiah. Christ himself is the secret to contentment—not a mystical Christ hidden behind secret rituals or visionary experiences, but the historical Jesus who lived and died and rose again, who is now proclaimed openly among the nations. The better we get to know Christ, the more we discover that he is the One who satisfies our hearts.

The point then is that Christ is the one who strengthens Paul to experience contentment no matter his circumstances. That is one of the many things that God is willing and working in his life as well as in all believers (2:13). We must not simply wait for God to ‘zap’ us, but rather move forward in faith asking God for strength to obey Him. The resurrection power of Christ is at work in each believer through the indwelling Holy Spirit to enable him or her to do all things that God commands or calls, even when they seem beyond one’s reach. In fact, it is generally in those moments where we sense our inadequacy that we most tangibly experience the empowerment of Christ, since God’s power is perfected in our weakness (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9). In contrast to worldly power that seeks to control and dominate, God’s power enables self-sacrificial service to others, pre-eminently expressed by Jesus Christ Himself (Phil. 2:5–11). So once again we have come full circle to the Christ-hymn. The same Christ who made Himself nothing lives inside us to empower us to live a life of self-sacrificial love towards others, even including those whom we do not naturally love.1

1 Harmon, M. S. (2015). Philippians: A Mentor Commentary (pp. 445–446). Great Britain; Ross-shire: Mentor.