The Secret to Doing All Things

Intro

Verses 10-20 have a lot to say in two major themes… The first theme is Paul’s contentment in life no matter his financial state. His joy is not wrapped up in circumstance, whether rich or poor. His joy is found in Christ. That’s what we’re going to focus on this week. We’ll look at what it means to be content in whatever financial status you may dwell.

The second theme is wrapped up in the Philippians’ pattern of giving. How they chose to richly bless Paul, and how they utilized every opportunity to make sure he had what he needed. How they made giving a regular pattern for the longterm. And then, how this partnership between giving, the local church, and missions is foundational for the expansion of God’s kingdom.

So we’ll go back and forth a little bit between 10-13 and 14-20

We’re going to come back to the qualifiers and look at them more in depth, but for right now, let’s look at the reason for why Paul talks about money in the first place. Because when he talks about the money, he wants to make sure that they know it’s not really about the money. Paul puts qualifiers like, “Not that I am speaking of being in need,” because he is first concerned with their friendship and support. The dollars don’t matter to Paul. It’s about their partnership in the Gospel. The money will come, he might say, what’s important to ME is that you are with me.

That’ll preach.... And it’ll preach next week when we look further at that. For now, I want us to see how Paul describes his contentment in life.

Now, as Paul talks about his contentment, his words parallel very closely with an earlier philosophy called, “Stoicism.” But it’s very important to note the key difference between Paul and the Stoics: The Stoics seek contentment in themselves… Paul finds contentment in Christ. Christ is someone outside of Paul. It is not within his own self-esteem that he is content.

Cue Stuart Smalley, “I’m good enough… I’m smart enough… and doggone it, people like me!”

Essentially, Paul Christianizes the Stoic form of thought. The Stoic says, “Hey, I can do it.” Paul says, “I can do it… Through Christ!!”

ETS: Paul set the example for all Christians in his contentment with Christ regardless of his financial status and shared the secret of doing so: the strength of God.

ESS: So many of us have a defeatist mindset, and we leave no room for faith, obedience, or the strength of God. Instead, we should approach life with contentment, regardless of financial status in the only victory we truly need: the victory of Christ and His Kingdom.

Riches Bring False Contentment

Philippians 4:11–12a (ESV)

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.

You know, one of the most interesting things about this passage is not that Paul says he can be content even when he’s impoverished. It’s that he can find contentedness even when he has plenty. In other words, he is content the same way whether he has a lot or has a little. Don’t let this be lost on you. Don’t leave it floating in the air. Grab onto this, especially if you have material wealth.

The ESV translates this: “the secret of facing plenty and hunger.” Curious. In the Greek, you have μεμύημαι, καὶ χορτάζεσθαι καὶ πεινᾶν. Which doesn’t really talk about “facing.” Instead, it reads, I have learned the secret of [contentedness in] being filled and being hungry. So there’s the sense that the state of Paul’s body, Paul’s social status, and Paul’s financial status, none of that has an effect on Paul’s contentedness. He doesn’t let finances affect his level of contentment.

It’s important that we pause here and talk about priorities, especially as priorities relate to money. But I can’t really start there. Our culture knows money is a powerful tool for good and evil, and I think we all, at the base level think about money in such a way that we know not to value it over people.

But wealth isn’t all about money. Wealth is about what you own. Wealth is about stuff, you know. We’ve all got a lot of stuff. And we are attached to that stuff. See, if I asked the question, “How much do you value money,” 99% of you would say, “Less than family!” “Less than I prioritize God!”

But what if you realized you could either follow Jesus or sell your truck? What if you could save a relationship with your brother or sister in Christ by trading in some stock options? What if you could save a soul by selling everything you had? Now, these are hypotheticals, but consider them… seriously.

We’ve all heard of the miserable Rich Person. And we’ve all said money can’t buy happiness. But here’s the scary thing. I think our culture hasn’t proven that. I think the scary thing is that money CAN buy happiness. It buys a faulty happiness, but it still buys happiness! I see rich people all the time having the time of their lives. You see them on TV, you see documentaries, you see them on YouTube. The Christian message is not that money can’t buy happiness. The Christian message is that the happiness that money buys will lead you straight to hell in a Maserati drinking martinis and a grand sense of entitlement.

So when Paul says he’s learned the secret to contentment in the face of riches, listen carefully. It’s not a “Hey, I know how to be happy with money,” it’s a sense of “I know what it is to have money… And in those times I knew that Christ was greater. I didn’t want more stuff. I wanted more Christ. I was content getting more of Him!

Where has that gone in our time? Where has that gone for us, believers? What happened to “In Christ Alone?” In Christ alone, my HOPE is found? He is my life, my strength, my song? What heights of love, what depths of peace? My comforter? My all in all?

I fear in some of our hearts, that song has been turned into:

In Christ and stuff, My hope is found

No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from debt’s hand?

Debt, by the way, is how you become a slave to stuff. Debt will take you to depths you can’t swim in. Look, not many of us are rich here at Cassville Baptist Church, but I think we are all addicted to acquiring stuff. So just because you don’t earn in the top 10% or even the top 50%, don’t think that contentedness when stuff is readily available to you isn’t something we all struggle with.

Poverty is not the Goal

Now, on the other hand… As we look at the love of stuff, it’s important that we don’t make an error on the other side. There’s prosperity gospel, which you’ve heard me denounce before, but there’s also a poverty gospel, that kind of says we shouldn’t really own anything at all. This is to go to the other extreme. This denies God’s blessing on our lives. Some live lives that are blessed with material wealth. Some are blessed without the struggle of dealing with that.

We will all have to give an account before God for all that we have done. I know I’m going to have to answer for some of the ways I have hoarded wealth instead of blessing others. A preacher recently said:

“The goal is not to make sure you don’t own stuff… It’s to make sure stuff doesn’t own you!” -VB

That’ll preach.

Philippians 4:11–12a (ESV)

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.

Again, “whatever situation...”

So do you have to sell all your stuff and live in a community of monks to be a real Christian? No. But you do need to pay attention to how much your stuff grabs hold of you.

So, no, the goal is not to have a poverty-theology. The goal is to be content, regardless of your financial status.

You Can Do All Things… Through HIM

The key is a good theology of provision. Or maybe this phrasing works better for you: A theology of blessing. This is what v. 13 has to share with us.

Philippians 4:12b–13 (ESV)

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.

We often look at this verse as an encouragement to score a touchdown, hit a home run, or otherwise achieve some measure of success.

This, however, is NOT the meaning of the scripture. The scripture is talking about whether facing a time of having plenty or facing financial adversity, either of these extremes can be handled through God’s provisional strength. John Piper speaks of four ways in which this secret works. And this is really huge, and will help you understanding how to go about the Christian life.

Listen, I have heard this train of thought many times in the course of my ministry. I have seen this line of thinking make wrecks of the Christian life. I have seen ministers try, with the best of intentions, to get this message across to believers, and the believers who attempted it rarely ever got anywhere. It goes something like this: “The Christian life should not be hard. It should be easy. Jesus’ burden is easy, his yoke is light… Let go and let God.” Some of you may have heard that advice or even given that advice, but I think you’d agree with me as I go on here. Maybe you’re feeling a little difficulty with this. I urge you, keep listening, this next part I am preaching just for you:

All over Paul’s letters, Paul speaks in dualities when it comes to obedience. And you see it all over this passage here. Watch:

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.

We act the life. Christ empowers the life. It is a both-and relationship. And listen, I think many of us struggle in this regard, because we treat the Christian life as if it’s something that just happens to us, rather than a lifelong intentional pursuit of God and godliness! Folks, do not let your guard down, do not buy the lie from Satan that the Christian life is passive. It is not! It is very active!

The second thing to regard in this is that doing all things in Christ…? That’s something Paul had to learn. That means it took time. Some of us in this room are young Christians. We may be old in age, but we can still be young in our Christian stature. And you wonder why you can’t just ACCESS this strength. Or WHY contentment seems so hard to grasp! Listen!! You may still be learning that! It takes time. Maturity takes time. I knew when I first became a Christian, that if I was going to make it as a Christian, I had to commit myself to making it as a Christian. I knew I had to commit myself to Christian maturity.

Mature Christianity knows contentment in all things. Whether the world is crashing around you or everything is smooth sailing. The mature Christian can see those storms and trust that Christ will one day make ALL THINGS right. ALL. THINGS. Want to learn the secret of contentment? Start dwelling on that Day when Christ will return and make all things right again. Money can’t have a vice grip on you if you don’t value money above all else! But you’ve got to learn that. That means trading in your cultural upbringing for your Christian convictions.

It means understanding that money is not the great scoreboard of life. It means that happiness is not the great scoreboard of life.

You might be asking, well, what’s the Great Scoreboard of life? How do I know that I’m doing well in life? How do I compare myself to others? The answer is here…

Philippians 3:7–8 (ESV)

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

This is the secret Paul is talking about. This is the secret he has learned. You ask, “why is it secret? Isn’t it right here? Like the Bible is a public work, right, so anyone can find it?”

The difference here is the same difference that divides between believers and Satan. You see, because here’s the truth: Believers know the truth about Christ, and you know who else knows the truth about Christ? Satan. What’s the difference?

Believers believe it. That’s the secret of being content. Do you believe Ph. 3.7-8? Do you believe whatever gain you have should be counted as loss? Believers, is knowing Christ Jesus your Lord worth more than your stuff? For Paul, he’d give up his entire life and livelihood for Christ!

So you might say this afternoon, “Honey, we gotta sell the house, it’s time to move to Africa!” Now, you laugh, but let me come right back around on that. The nations are not won by believers who sit back and live their lives as cul-de-sacs of grace. The nations are not won by believers who are inspired to inaction. The nations are won because men like Adoniram Judson picked up his entire life and moved to Burma to share Christ. The nations are won because of great acts of faith, not Christians who belittle great acts of faith. Be careful how you approach ideas like this, believers, because when you belittle missions, you mock God, and He will not be mocked.

If you have not yet given your life to Christ, the invitation is open. Do you seek true contentment? Do you want to know Jesus Christ? Give up the love for this world and turn to Him! Give up your love for yourself and turn to Him! Give up your riches and turn to Him! Bring your hurts and fears and sorrows to Him! Bring your poverty to Him! Give your life to Him and He will be your contentment!