Philippians: Contentment with Thanksgiving

Text: Philippians 4:10-23

Theme: Christians need to develop the grace of contentment.

At the beginning I said that the Epistle to the Philippians is primarily a thank–you note. Before Paul got down to the thank–you part, he dealt with Christian experience. He has been talking about Christian experience throughout the epistle. Now he is thanking them for their gift.

For two years the church in Philippi had lost touch with Paul. ILLUS. Paul can’t Tweet, “Arrested in Jerusalem. Being transferred to Caesarea.” They did not know where he was after he had been arrested in Jerusalem and then put in prison for two years. The next time they heard about him, he had been transferred to a prison in Rome. Having learned of his whereabouts they take an love offering for him and send it by way of Epaphroditus.

Paul had never made an appeal to them. He never sent out an SOS for help. But, having received the offering, he is deeply appreciative of the Philippian congregation.

Typical of Paul, however, he used this occasion to teach the church spiritual truths. An introductory statement of thanks led to an explanation of Paul’s outlook on contentment. It’s a grace Christians need to cultivate in their lives.

I. A WORD OF APPRECIATION vv. 10-11

“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. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Philippians 4:10–11, ESV)

1. apparently some time elapsed between gifts from the Philippian church

a. it may have been years between the gifts mentioned in 2 Corinthians 8 and the one recently delivered by Epaphroditus

b. however long it may have been the Philippians have not stopped thinking about him, and their gift was a cause of joy in the Lord

ILLUS. When Linda and I were pastoring First Baptist Church in Adrian, one of our deacons would palm me one or two $100 bills several times a year as we shook hands after the service. The first time he did so I was taken-aback. He quietly told me that he had promised the Lord many, many years ago that on those Sundays that he had to work, he would tithe whatever he made that day as a special gift to whoever his pastor was. These special gifts became a real source of appreciation and joy in our lives.

2. what do we learn from this?

A. 1st, REJOICE IN FELLOW BELIEVERS WHO ARE CONCERNED FOR YOU

1. the Church is a fellowship of the mutually concerned — or it ought to be

a. it’s a place full of brothers and sisters in Christ who need compassion and grace and love and sometimes a helping hand or an understanding heart

b. Paul is emphatic that the Body of Christ is a fellowship of the mutually concerned

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, ESV)

1) it’s not just a “good idea” ... it’s not just a “philanthropic gesture” ... it’s not just a “you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-your-back” mutual appreciation club ...

2) bearing one another’s burdens is a fulfillment of the law of Christ — fellowship of the mutually concerned

2. Paul’s letter to the Philippian believers reveals a relationship of mutual love and concern

a. the letter opens with one of the most heart-warming statements found in the New Testament

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:3–8, ESV)

3. Paul rejoices in the knowledge that his feelings are reciprocated by the Philippians ... "I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, ...”

a. in Paul’s day people under arrest were not cared for by the state

1) it was up to the prisoners themselves or their family to see that their physical needs were met

b. this is why the gift is so deeply appreciated by the Apostle

1) the word revived in vs. 1 literally can be translated blossomed out and suggests a sudden, spontaneous, natural flowering of the Philippians’ love for Paul

4. blossomed out is, I think, a good way to describe the kind of compassionate care believers ought to have toward one another in the body of Christ

a. in the New Testament we find approximately 60 one another statements — exhortations in scripture to actually “do” something towards another person

b. we hear them mostly from the mouths of Jesus, Peter and Paul

ILLUS. Of these “one another” statements, Andy Stanley writes, “The primary activity of the church was one-anothering one another.”

c. the one another statements are designed for the purpose of building up Christian community and relationships

1) God created us in His image, which means that He created us to be in close relationship with each other just as the three persons of the Trinity are in close relationship with each other

d. when you take all the “one another” statements together, we discover four themes running through them

1) we are to love one another

a) when the Scriptures tell us to love one another they are commanding us to love one another as Christ loved us which is an unconditional Godly love towards each other

2) we are to be in unity with one another

a) this is the largest section of one another statements

b) God calls us to be of one mind as members of the same body of Christ, most importantly in the proclamation of the Gospel

3) we are to serve one another

a) Jesus’ ministry and leadership was one of serving and humility

b) in John 13: 1-17, He washes his disciples’ feet, leaving us an example of how to serve each other

4) we are to encourage one another

a) we’re to build each other up rather then tearing each other down

5. Paul rejoiced that all of these were a part of his relationship with the Philippian believers

6.what do we learn from these verses?

B. 2nd, CHRISTIAN CONCERN IS MANIFESTED IN TANGIBLE WAYS

“Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. 15 And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. 16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.” (Philippians 4:14–16, ESV)

1. Christians are called to help each other flourish — to flourish is a verb which means “to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way”

a. human flourishing is, in fact, a key biblical theme woven through the whole canon of Scripture

b. the question of how to “flourish and thrive” is answered very differently by scripture than it is by our culture

2. in 21st century America, flourishing is all about one’s self, i.e. how do I get the best out of life; how do I get all that is owed me; there are things I’m entitled to?

3. in the Scriptures, flourishing is all about helping the other person

ILLUS. When the world says save enough money for a luxurious retirement Scripture says do not worry about tomorrow and to love and generously give your money to the poor and needy among you.

When the world says seek revenge on your enemies, Scripture says to love and bless them.

When the world says you have to love yourself first and foremost, Scripture calls us to love our neighbors as much as we love ourselves.

When the world says degrees, promotions and titles are our measurement for successful growth, Scripture says that love, joy, peace, long-suffering and thinking of others are our truest markers.

When the world says find a community that meets your needs and wants, Scripture says that we are a part of an eternal family that transcends biology, race and socio-economic status and that their needs and wants are more important then my own.

When the world says self-care is the answer to a stressed out season, Scripture says that we will face seasons of suffering in this life but that Christ will never leave us nor forsake us. And THAT is our hope that sustains us.

1) hint, hint ... if you use the world’s standard to flourish, you’ll never really flourish

a. Paul writes, it was kind of you to share my trouble

1) this takes us right back to the central theme of Christian fellowship ... bearing one another’s burdens

b. the Philippian congregation is in a loving, covenant relationship with the Apostle Paul because they are bound together in love, in Christ

c. that love was manifested though financial support of Paul’s larger gospel ministry

1) when no one else would support Paul they did

4. the question is not “Do I love my Christian family?”, but “How do I show that I love my Christian family?”

II. A WORD OF CONFESSION

“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 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. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11–13, ESV)

1. the Apostle uses the reception of the Philippian’s financial gift to teach one of the most important lessons a believer can learn — developing the grace of contentment

a. worldliness with discontentment is the scourge of our culture

2. the Apostle Paul tells us in the Philippian text that he has learned the secret of the Christian life — to be content with what he has at the moment, because Jesus is his all-in-all

a. and in the 1 Timothy, the Apostle Paul tells us that “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it.” (1 Timothy 6:6-12, ESV)

A. DISCONTENTMENT IS A SYNDROME OF AMERICAN CULTURE

1. we live in a society were we have come to define ourselves by our titles, positions, possessions and account statements

a. we have an unhealthy drive for more in America

2. more is the most significant word in our culture today

a. our culture’s philosophy of consumption, materialism and out-right hedonism is best illuminated by the popular bumper sticker of a few years ago which read: “He who dies with the most toys wins!”

b. if some is good, then more is better

1) more attention

2) more power

3) more titles

4) more degrees

5) more material assets

3. this culture of dissatisfaction is a syndrome that’s carefully fed by the advertising industry

a. Madison Ave. promises us again and again that our dissatisfaction will disappear if we just buy this or that product, or go to this or that place, or do this or that activity

ILLUS. At present, people see approximately 6,000-10,000 ads per day (2-5 million a year), each one promising happiness, fulfillment and success. “If you just had that new exercise machine, you’d have “abs” like the guy in the commercial. If you just had those new clubs, you’d hit a golf ball like Tiger Woods. If you just had the right car the chicks would dig you. If you just had the right tan or the right makeup or the right clothes the guys would swarm around you. If you just had the right cellular service ... they could hear you now!”

B. DISCONTENTMENT LEADS TO WORLDLINESS

1. worldliness can be defined as a preoccupation with the temporal things — the material things — of this world

a. worldliness is a spirit; an attitude that demands that this world conform to our uncontrolled desires and appetites

2. the problem with material gain is its inability to bring contentment

a. listen to King Solomon lament his flirtation with stuff that did not satisfy ...

“I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:1–11, ESV)

b. Solomon tells us in these verses that we need to be discerning enough to know when enough is enough and to desist

C. GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT SHOULD BE THE STEADFAST GOAL OF THE CHRISTIAN

1. the Bible teaches that Christians are to be characterized by godliness that leads to contentment

ILLUS. Dr. Elisha Douglas, in his book The Meaning of Worship, writes, “For Christians today, the obstacles to putting God first are not other deities or graven images, but the attractions of materialism, wealth, power, and sensual satisfaction which exert more power than the brass gods and goddesses who adorned pagan temples in ancient times.

2. Christians must Strive Toward Godliness

" ... discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7-8 , NASB95)

a. godliness is simply a lifestyle that seeks to reflect the attribute of the Holy Spirit in our lives: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, and Self-control

b. godliness requires an active obedience to his revealed will and a personal devotion that surpasses lip-service

c. if believers are going to be discontent in anything, let us be discontent in our present conformity to Christ

ILLUS. Sir James Mackintosh, a distinguished Scottish historian, medical doctor, lawyer, and statesman, wrote, “It is right to be contented with what we have, but never with what we are.”

1) the Apostle Paul was never content with his current level of godliness and Christlikeness

2) he was always striving to be more like Jesus, to have more of the mind of Christ, to understand more of the deeper mysteries of the faith

3) listen to the Apostle express his heart’s desire to his friends at the church in Philippi

“that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:10–14, ESV)

d. godliness must be one of the goals of the Christian life ... we must strive for it as an athlete strives for the finish line

3. Christians Need to Learn to Be Content

ILLUS. Cecil Rhodes is a name you’re probably not familiar with. He was a financier, statesman and empire builder. Born in England in 1853, he went to South Africa with one goal: To get rich. At the age of twenty-seven, he founded the De Beers Consolidated mining company, and in less than a decade he controlled 90% of the world’s diamond mining industry. At the age of thirty-six he became prime minister of Cape Colony. By the time he was forty-one he controlled the gold-mining industry of South Africa. When he died, he was perhaps the wealthiest man in the world.

Cecil Rhodes, one of the richest men of the British Empire, was fast friends with one of the poorest men of the British Empire. That friend was William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. One day the two men were traveling across England together by train. At one point in the journey, Booth leaned over and asked his famous friend a question. “Tell me, Cecil, are you a happy man?” Rhodes looked back at the general and exclaimed, “Me? Happy? Good heavens, no!”

a. there are two things that money cannot by – happiness or holiness

1) this is why the Scriptures encourage us not to have an insatiable desire to acquire wealth, but to instead to have an insatiable desire to acquire godliness that leads to contentment

2) the Greek word contentment refers to a feeling of being satisfied with what you have in life

a) it doesn’t mean simply giving up and saying “Well, I guess this is my lot in life. There’s not anything I can do about it.”

b) contentment goes much deeper and its much more positive than merely surrendering to fate

2) contentment is not obsessing about having more, but being secure in what you have today, even if it’s not everything you want

ILLUS. Someone once said, “Contentment makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor.”

b. whatever his situation the apostle has learned the secret of contentment

1) since his circumstances were all ordered by the Lord, all was well — God’s will was good, and acceptable, and perfect

2) this was true when he had been brought low or when abounding

c. Paul uses language here that paints a vivid picture of scarcity vs. plenty

1) brought low is language used to describe a river in a time of drought

2) abounding is a word that also can be translated overflow like a river at flood stage

3) whether its feast-or-famine; flood-or-drought Paul knows nothing but contentment

d. Paul displayed spiritual equilibrium

1) he was equally unaffected by poverty and riches

a) in poverty he does not become bitter

b) in abundance he does not become prideful

2) this knowledge is learned by walking with Christ, who is the sufficient one, and by developing a solid theology of material things

a) things ultimately do not matter

b) relationships matter

4. why can the Apostle be so confident whether he’s experiencing scarcity or plenty?

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13, ESV)

III. A WORD OF PRAISE

“I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Philippians 4:18–20, ESV)

1. Paul compares the benevolence of the Philippians to the sweet-savor offering of the Old Testament

a. the burnt offering, meal offering, and peace offerings were a sweet savor because no sin was represented in them

1) God enjoyed them because of the devotion of the offerer they represented

b. Paul enjoyed the Philippian’s gift because of the devotion of the offerer they represented

2. and because they have been faithful in meeting his needs, Paul is confident that God will meet there needs

a. that’s how it works in the economy of the Kingdom

b. when we bountifully support God’s Kingdom work for the pure joy of honoring God, God, therefore, bountifully blesses those who give

When God looks into our hearts, what he hopes to see is contentment in our heavenly treasures and not our earthly inventory.

May God fill you with this kind of contentment.