Centered Contentment

Well, happy Thanksgiving to everybody.

Oh, thank you.

Hopefully your Thanksgiving holiday was full of good things and gratitude for those good things.

It is sweet, it is good to gather around a full, abundant table together with our families and the people that we love, friends.

And we obey the words of the old hymn to count our blessings, to count them one by one.

It is right and good for us to do that.

We are a joyfully indebted people.

We are eternally in God's debt for his immense kindness to us in all things physical and eternal.

But I think it is a little ironic that the day that we set aside to give God abundant thanks is also the day when, at least for most of us I am assuming, that our table is set with abundance.

That we have a house that is prepared for a feast.

We give God much thanks in the abundance when our lives are full and rich, when the sun is shining, when our mouths are full of good things, and as well we should.

These are good gifts from God.

Everything comes from him.

But that is in November at the end of the harvest season.

What about in the dead of winter?

What about in January?

When circumstances look bleak, when our table is bare, when we are feeling empty, when we are facing real difficulty and weakness, that's when the gratitude of November seems far away.

Now, I'm not just speaking economically.

I'm also speaking about seasons in our lives when they are particularly difficult.

That can be in November or any other month.

Now, I bet most of us this morning have some kind of hard situation on our minds.

Maybe it's tension in a relationship.

Maybe it's a delicate family situation.

Perhaps finances are tight.

Or you're grieving that someone dear to you has made some poor choices and is suffering for it.

Maybe you have a body that's not working very well right now.

Maybe there's a hard situation that you're facing at work.

Or maybe it's just the daily grind of the particular season of life that God has you in right now.

Maybe some of you are floating on cloud nine, but I imagine most of us are in some kind of season where some kind of hard circumstance is looking at us in the face.

And it's hard to obey the command of Scripture that Mike mentioned in his prayer a little while ago to give thanks in all circumstances.

It can be difficult when our life is impoverished, whether literally or figuratively, to give thanks to God.

We need fresh perspective from God's Word to transform the way we relate to all of our circumstances, whether they are abounding or difficult.

Whether it's on Thanksgiving Day or the other 364 days of the year.

And so this morning in Philippians 4, if you're not already there in your Bibles, go ahead and open up there.

We're going to receive some of that fresh perspective that we need from a precious letter written by the Apostle Paul to a Philippian body of believers in the church, the city of Philippi in Greece, 2,000-ish years ago.

So turn with me to Philippians 4.

And what we're going to find in Philippians 4 is a big idea.

One main idea I want to just drive home this morning.

And then we're going to explore kind of the different ways that that gets worked out in our lives.

Here's the main idea we're going to see from Philippians 4.

Having a joyful faith union with Jesus transforms the way we relate to our circumstances, good or bad.

So think of this message as a mountain spring cascading down from the high Sierras.

The source of that is that first part of that big idea.

Having a joyful faith union with Jesus.

That's the source.

And then that source is going to split into three tributaries, three streams of ways in which that faith union with Jesus transforms the way we relate to our circumstances.

So we're going to look at the source.

Then we're going to see three streams coming off of that source of how that joyful faith union transforms the way that we relate to our circumstances.

So first, let's dive in and let's look at the source.

What is a joyful faith union with Jesus?

When my wife Jessica and I were dating, once we got comfortable enough with each other that poking fun at each other wasn't dangerous, it wasn't going to cause a fight,

she began to make fun of me because I kept using the word over and over again.

And it was kind of like Princess Bride.

I don't think that means what you think it means.

I began to use the word essentially all the time.

Or basically, one of those two.

And she kept making fun of me for it.

It was such a part, it was a regular feature of my speech.

I don't know how it got worked in there, but I guess I thought I sounded smart when I kept using it.

So I kept using that.

It was a regular feature of my speech.

Well, the Apostle Paul had a regular feature to his speech that he used all the time in his letters.

It was so much a part of him that it just showed up in all of the letters he wrote.

And it showed up in today's passage that Abby read for us a few moments ago.

In Philippians 4, verses 10 through 20, Paul uses the Greek preposition in, sorry for throwing Greek out here,

Philippians 4:10–20

but it's basically the same as English, in.

E-N, in English I-N.

It's the Greek preposition in, three times in this passage in relationship to Jesus.

Verse 10, our opening verse,

I rejoiced in the Lord, referring to Jesus.

I rejoiced in the Lord Jesus greatly that you revived your concern for me.

So he's rejoicing in Jesus.

That's one.

The second is in verse 13.

It's disguised, but it's there.

In verse 13, very familiar verse to us.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

That word through, although it's a very legitimate translation of the Greek preposition in,

is hiding the Greek preposition in.

So literally, if you read it in Greek,

I can do all things in him who strengthens me.

Through is a very legitimate translation,

but it really comes home nice and powerfully when we read it,

in him who strengthens me.

I'll show that to us in a minute.

The third time is in verse 19.

My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

So that little phrase, in the Lord, or in Christ Jesus, or in him, shows up all over Paul's letters.

It's a regular feature of the way he writes.

It's the world he lives in.

He loves that little preposition in.

And when he uses it, this is what he's trying to communicate.

He's trying to convey something of the rich relational union that the believers have with Jesus.

By faith.

In fact, that little phrase, in Christ, is the number one way that the New Testament talks about Christians.

The word Christian only shows up a couple of times in our Bibles.

Not much.

And then a few other times, the word believer, or follower, or disciple.

Of course, that's used to describe Christians as well.

But nothing compared to the amount of times that Paul especially,

but other New Testament writers talk about Christians being in Christ.

In him.

Just for the sake of illustrating this, let's flip over to Ephesians 1.

Ephesians is the book right to the left of Philippians.

And I'm just going to read verses 3 through 14 of chapter 1 of Ephesians.

I want you to follow along with me.

If you're taking notes, take tally marks.

And what I want you to do is I want you to listen for how many times Paul uses the phrase,

in him, or in Christ, or with him, or in Jesus.

Anything like that.

Okay?

We might get a few different counts.

But keep track with me of how many times he is talking about us being in Christ.

Here we go.

Ephesians 1, 3 through 14.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,

according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the beloved.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

which he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will,

according to this purpose which he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time,

to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him,

were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance,

until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory.

How many did you get?

Just shout it out.

14?

Anybody else?

11?

That's a lot.

That's amazing.

Do you see how much Paul is thinking of this is who we are?

We are in Christ.

It's astounding.

And dear friend, if you have come to realize how your sin is grievous in God's sight,

and you are in need of forgiveness before God,

and you've understood that Jesus is the perfect sacrifice for your sin,

and you've put all of your eggs of hope and confidence and trust and faith in his basket,

then you are in him.

You are united to him.

Dead to sin as he died to sin.

Alive to God as he is alive to God.

Given new life in his spirit to have a present and real relationship with him.

Just as a man and a woman are united together with an unbreakable vow of commitment and care and mutual love,

so you have been united to Christ in a joyful faith union with him.

And it can't be broken.

And this changes everything if we look at life this way.

So if this is true of you,

then you are anchored to a rock that is so high and so strong

that no wave of circumstance or chaos can penetrate and shake you.

Just like in the Psalms when David's talking about being on a rock and he can't be moved,

it's because he is established in faith on the rock of Jesus.

That's what Paul is standing on in Philippians 4.

He doesn't talk about it particularly in those terms,

but that's the rock he's standing on,

and that's the rock that he keeps referring to.

He is rejoicing in the Lord about something.

He's able to do all things in him who strengthens him,

and he's confident of future provision because of being in Christ.

So that is the source.

That is the fountainhead of what we are looking at

that's going to transform the way that we relate to our circumstances.

Now, let's explore the three streams that this source splits into,

three ways in which this joyful faith union with Jesus

transforms the way we look at our circumstances.

The first stream is this.

Having a joyful faith union with Jesus

teaches us contentment no matter what our circumstances are.

Having a joyful faith union with Jesus teaches us contentment

no matter what our circumstances are.

Let's look at Philippians 4, verses 10 through 13 in a little more detail.

Philippians 4:10–13

Let me read them for us.

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly now at length

that 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 in him who strengthens me.

So Paul is at the very end of this letter

that he's writing to his dear friends,

the believers in Philippi,

and he's coming to one of the primary reasons

for which he wrote the letter,

which is to thank them for a gift

that they had sent to him through a messenger

whose name was Epaphroditus.

It shows up later on in the letter.

We'll return to this gift that they give

in the second point.

We're going to take the gift that he just mentioned,

being thankful for,

and we're going to set that aside.

We're coming back to that in the second point.

Because right after his initial joy

of the Philippians showing concern for him,

he goes off on this tangent in verses 11 through 13.

You can almost put parentheses around verses 11 through 13.

There's just like an explanatory tangent,

but it's a beautiful tangent.

It's a wonderful tangent

that provides a beautiful window

into Paul's joyful faith union with Jesus

and how it shapes the way he relates to his circumstances.

So he knows the Philippians have been concerned about him.

He's grateful for that,

but he wants them to know

that he hasn't been pining for a change of circumstance

or wringing his hands,

waiting for their gift to get here

so he could say,

about time this thing got here.

Rather, look at verse 11.

Not that I'm speaking of being in need.

I have learned in whatever situation I am

to be content.

Paul's circumstances, by the way, are not good.

He's in prison.

He's experiencing hardship economically.

He is limited in his mobility

and his ability to work.

He's probably exposed to disease.

He is being slandered by some people.

He's being abandoned by others.

He is afflicted by inward weakness

and outward temptation.

And his death could be just around the corner.

And so it's amazing that he tells the Philippians,

in whatever situation I find myself,

I have learned how to be content.

And he elaborates this in verse 12.

I know how to be brought low.

I know how to abound.

In any and in every circumstance,

I have learned the secret of facing plenty in hunger,

abundance in need.

Did you notice all the education words

that Paul is using?

I have learned, in verse 11.

I know how, in verse 12.

At the end of verse 12,

I have learned the secret.

Paul has learned this contentment.

It is a skill that he has acquired over the years.

When I was in eighth grade,

I was forced to take a keyboarding class

to learn the skill of typing.

Raise your hand if you were subjected

to a similar kind of torture.

Okay.

It was on one of those MS-DOS computers

with floppy disks to save your progress.

If you are under the age of 25,

turn to an older person next to you

and ask them what in the world I just said.

I'm not that old,

but at least I can kind of have some bragging rights

for being old by throwing MS-DOS around.

Little did I know

that those annoying, unnatural,

repetitive exercises

were teaching me

a lifelong, incredibly valuable skill.

I have often said

that the most useful class

I have ever taken

was eighth grade keyboarding.

And here is Paul

near the end of his life

saying,

God, by his grace,

enrolled me in the course

of Christian Contentment 101.

And I strove to be a good student.

And I can say

that I indeed have learned

through a very difficult process

a very valuable skill.

How to be content

in each and every circumstance

in which I find myself.

If I am amply supplied

with all that I need,

I'm content.

I'm not fixated on the stuff that I have.

And if I don't have enough,

I'm still content.

I'm not fixated on what I don't have.

I don't know about you,

but at this point,

I want to be like,

Paul,

how?

How have you learned this?

I want to know

because it doesn't matter

what gets thrown at me.

I inevitably struggle

with discontentment.

I complain

about the stuff

that God throws at me.

So how did you learn this?

It is so hard to learn this, Paul.

How did you figure it out?

Before we move to verse 13

to find the answer,

we have to define

a very important word.

It's the word that Paul uses

for content

back in verse 11.

It was a word

that the Philippians

could have easily understood

as meaning

self-sufficient

or dependent on

no one or anything

except my own inner resources.

And this concept

of self-sufficiency

was the ideal

of the Greek

Stoic and Cynic philosophers

of that age.

The Stoics

and the Cynics

were pursuing

this ultimate

personal ideal

of self-sufficiency.

Basically,

they wanted to be MacGyver.

They wanted to have

all the resources

in themselves

to do anything

at any time

in whatever situation.

That's MacGyver.

One writer

describes this ideal

like this.

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.

But Paul

takes that concept

of self-sufficiency

and whoop

flips it on its head

in verse 13.

He uses the same word

but he totally

transforms the idea.

Yes,

Paul was able

to resist

the force

of his circumstances

but not by the power

of his own will

or his own inner resources

but as he would say

by being in

the one

who strengthens me.

He was able

to be content

in every situation

not because he was

sufficient for himself

but because he was

united to Jesus

by faith

and Jesus was sufficient

for every circumstance.

In short,

he was not self-sufficient,

he was Christ-sufficient.

Because the most important

thing about Paul

was that he united himself

to Jesus by faith.

And because he was

in Jesus,

he was secure,

he was forgiven,

he was adopted

as God's child,

he was redeemed,

he was being made holy

and he was being

inwardly strengthened

to delight in God

regardless of his circumstances.

Now let's turn this to us.

What if

each one

of our circumstances

was a gracious assignment

from God,

your patient

and wise teacher

in the course

of Christian Contentment 101,

an assignment

in which he has

purposed to teach you

to find your sufficiency

in Jesus,

not in yourself,

because you are

in him.

So dear friend,

what current circumstance

is most on your mind?

Causing you concern,

anxiety,

fear,

despair,

frustration,

how are you

relating to it?

Are you relating

to it

through self-sufficiency

or through

Jesus'

sufficiency?

Are you searching

your own inner

resources

and exhausting

your own will

or are you

finding your

sufficiency

in the one

who strengthens you

through your faith

union with him?

Last week,

we saw in Revelation 4

that God

is never shaken.

Like we sang

just a few moments ago,

he never changes.

He is on his throne.

As Jiwon mentioned earlier,

there's no sea,

there's no chaos

in God's presence.

No ups and downs

of circumstances.

He reigns

over all.

He is sufficient

because he rules

over every circumstance.

And he has orchestrated

your particular circumstances

at this stage

and at this season

of your life

to teach you

that he is sufficient

for you

so that you can find

your full contentment

in every situation

in him.

So that's our first

stream.

We have our life

joyfully united

to him by faith

and that transforms

the way that we relate

to our circumstances

because we can find

contentment

in any circumstance.

There's another way

that it transforms

the way we relate

to our circumstances

and it's this.

Having a joyful

faith union with Jesus

produces gratitude

for things unrelated

to our circumstances.

Having a joyful

faith union with Jesus

produces gratitude

for things unrelated

to our circumstances.

Let's look at

verses 14 through 20.

Yet it was kind of you

to share my trouble.

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.

Even in Thessalonica

you sent me help

for my needs

once and again.

Not that I seek

the gift

but I seek the fruit

that increases

to your credit.

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.

Remember the whole

last portion

of this letter

is Paul's way

of expressing

his gratitude

to the believers

in Philippi

because they had

given him a gift

through a mutual friend

to Epaphroditus.

They had no doubt

heard he was in prison.

They wanted to express

their support for him

and so they sent him

a gift.

This was probably

a financial gift

and they were trying

to give him money

to buy food

and clothing

while he was in prison.

In today's prison system

it is financially

supported by the state

through taxpayer dollars

to provide food

and clothing

and shelter

for prisoners.

But Paul's prison experience

in Rome

was not.

It included a room

but not board.

A prisoner's family

and friends

were responsible

for supplying

all the food

and clothing

that a prisoner

needed

while he was incarcerated.

So you and I

might expect

that Paul's reaction

might be something like

man, guys

thank you.

If you had not

sent your gift

when you did

I was running out

of bread.

So thank you.

I could see how

God totally provided

for my daily needs

through your kind gift.

But he doesn't mention that.

He doesn't go there.

He's just not

thinking about himself.

He's finding

all of his identity

and all of his thought

and all of his concern

in different priorities

than his own

self-priorities.

He certainly expresses

joy in their concern

for him

but not because of

how their concern

for him benefited him

but rather

how it benefited

them

and then glorify God.

So verses 14 through 16

Paul goes above

and beyond

to remind the Philippians

of their active participation

in his ministry

ever since he had known them.

They've been active supporters

of Paul

ever since he planted

their church.

They had generously

contributed

to his gospel ministry

in other cities

around their region

and even when he was

as far away

as Rome.

And so you can tell

there's this warm

affectionate partnership

between the apostle

and this group

of believers

but look at verse 17.

This is where he clarifies

why he's rejoicing

in the Lord

in verse 10.

Not that I seek the gift

I seek the fruit

that increases

to your credit.

The word fruit

was a common way

of referring

to compounded interest

that accrued

to the benefit

of an account holder.

So if you got

a savings account

the more that you invest

in that account

then the greater

your yield of interest

from the bank.

In other words

the greater your fruit.

Paul was rejoicing

not because

his circumstances

changed

but because

the Philippians

were investing

more and more

in the right account

and it would produce

a generous spiritual yield

for their benefit

both in this life

and for eternity.

Now

just for clarity's sake

he's not saying

that their generosity

is kind of

helping them

climb some ladder

of spiritual performance

and get good points

in return.

That's legalism.

That's not what

Paul's talking about.

Rather

this is

what Paul had been

praying for

back in chapter 1

of verse Philippians.

In Philippians 1

Philippians 1:9–11

verses 9 through 11

he prays

I have been praying

that you would be

filled with the fruit

of righteousness

that comes through

Jesus Christ.

So Paul wants

these believers

to be connected

to Jesus

in such a way

that they are

thriving and flourishing

through their faith union

with him

and part of that flourishing

is a costly concern

for the needs

of others.

They are bearing fruit

and God

takes notice of that

and he rewards it

in a form of

either a present blessing

favor

or a future reward

in eternity.

So Epaphroditus

walks in Paul's

prison cell

hands him the gift

and Paul's jumping

up and down

for joy

and he's like

yes!

But it's not because

he changes circumstances.

It's because

their motives are right.

It's because

their hearts

are in the right place.

It's because

they're giving generously.

They're still

focused on Jesus.

They're still connected

to him.

This is going to be

so good for them.

Had the money

gone to some other

preacher

in some other cell

he would have been

just as happy.

He gives thanks

for something

completely unrelated

to his circumstances

because he has

a joyful faith union

with Jesus

and that has changed

his values

and his priorities.

In verse 18

Paul shifts

attention to himself

just long enough

to assure the Philippians

that his needs

are fully met

through their generous gift

and then he gets his eyes

back off himself again

and he starts rejoicing

because not only

is their generosity

accruing spiritual benefit

for them in God's eyes

but is a precious

and pleasing act

of worship

to God.

Look at the end

of verse 18.

He calls their gift

a fragrant offering

a sacrifice acceptable

and pleasing

to God.

Paul is jumping

up and down

for joy

not only because

the Philippians

would reap

spiritual benefit

from their generosity

but because it glorified God

and their generosity

pleased God.

He was giving thanks

not because

the circumstances changed

but because the Philippians

were honoring God.

If your family

is like mine

you probably

sat around

a Thanksgiving table

on Thursday

and I'm guessing

that we were

similarly grateful

for particular things.

Things that were related

to our circumstances.

Health.

A roof over our heads.

Vehicles.

Money in our bank account.

Food in the refrigerator.

Food on the table.

Family and friends.

And these are

circumstantial kindnesses

of God

and we ought to give

thanks for them.

However,

if my faith union

with Jesus

is the most important

thing about me

then these

circumstantial things

shouldn't be

the only things

I should be giving

thanks for.

when Jesus

is the center

of my life

and we are

joyfully united

with him

by faith

we don't

only give thanks

for the things

that immediately

affect us

in our circumstances

we also give thanks

for a whole new

set of spiritual

realities

that matter to us

because they matter

to Jesus

the one we're

connected to.

So do you give thanks

for what Jesus

give thanks for?

If you are

intimately connected

to Jesus

by faith

if he's the center

of your life

then his priorities

are your priorities

just like Paul's

priorities

were not focused

on his circumstances

but on greater

spiritual realities.

The things that

he values

we ought to value.

The things that

Jesus delights in

we ought to delight in.

So in this passage

there are at least

two things that we

can see through

Paul's

Jesus centered

lenses

that we can give

thanks for

and rejoice in

even though they

don't immediately

affect us

or our circumstances.

It's when others

are spiritually growing

and thriving

and when God

is honored

through the spiritual

fruit bearing

of others.

So that means

that I should be

giving thanks

not only for

God's work in my life

which affect me

but when I see

evidence of God

at work

in the heart

of someone

in my life group

because they're

learning how to be

content with a

hard circumstance

because they're

making God

their sufficiency.

Or I should be

giving thanks

when it appears

that God is

softening my

neighbor's heart

to the gospel.

I should be

giving thanks

when I hear

someone talk

about how God

is exposing

sin in their life

and teaching them

to put it to death

and trust in Jesus

more fully.

I should be

rejoicing when I

look at the bulletin

and I see last week's

offering amount

not because it was

higher than last week

and then we want

to have a good

bank account

for our church

but because

of the fruit

of generosity

that is overflowing

in our church

that is pleasing

to God

and it's for our

spiritual benefit.

So we should

give thanks

for these realities

because they matter

to Jesus.

Our circumstances

matter to Jesus too

obviously

but this is

opening our eyes

to a whole new

realm of things

to be grateful for

because our life

is connected

to him.

There's one last

thing in this passage

in verses 19 and 20

one more stream

in which our

joyful faith union

with Jesus

transforms the way

we relate to our

circumstances.

We've seen that it

teaches us contentment

no matter what our

circumstances are

that it teaches us

gratitude

for things that are

unrelated to our

circumstances

and lastly

this

having a joyful

faith union with

Jesus makes us

confident

that God will

provide

for us

for our needs

in the middle

of our circumstances.

Having a joyful

faith union with

Jesus makes us

confident that God

will provide for us

for our needs

in the middle

of our circumstances.

Let's end

this sermon

where Paul ends

his letter

verses 19 to 20.

And my God

will supply

every need of yours

according to his

riches in glory

in Christ Jesus

to our God and

Father be glory

forever and ever.

Amen.

This is wonderfully

short and sweet.

Paul is rejoicing

in Christ

because the

Philippians were

flourishing in

Christ by bearing

fruit of godly

generosity and

concern for

others.

And because of

their faithful

fruit bearing in

Christ,

Paul has no doubt

that God will be

faithful to supply

all of their needs

just as they had

supplied for his.

again, the

Philippians hadn't

earned some

benefit here.

Rather, Paul is

promising that God

takes notice

of the needs of

those who are in

his son,

Jesus,

and the Philippians

have shown the

proof that they

are in his son

by showing concern

for Paul in the

middle of his need.

So if we are in

Christ, if we are

united to him

by faith,

then all the riches

of God's glory

are ours in

Christ.

So if our

circumstances seem

perilous, dark,

empty, hopeless,

like Paul's did,

then we must not

forget that God

is abundantly able

and eager to

supply what we

need.

He's loaded,

as Pastor Mike

likes to say.

Remember Revelation

4 from last week?

Our God sits

enthroned in

might and

power and

glory.

He's totally

unmoved by

chaos or

circumstances,

and he loves

his people.

His power is

funneled and

channeled toward

those who are

in Christ,

and it's this

power not for

bad, for good.

And notice what

Paul calls God

in verse 20.

are God and

Father.

If you are

joyfully united

by faith to

Jesus, God is

your adoptive

Father.

He has placed

the spirit of

his Son in

you, calling

out from the

depths of your

being, Abba,

Father.

He has united

you to Jesus

in such a way

that you call

out to the

same Father,

and your

Father answers

because you are

in his Son.

So dear

brother, dear

sister, if you

are in need

in the middle

of your

circumstances,

and who of us

isn't,

this promise is

so delightful.

Your Father has

glorious riches,

and you have

intimate access

to him

because you are

in his Son.

and he delights

to provide what

we need in the

middle of our

circumstances because

he gets great

glory in caring

for and providing

for those who

are in Jesus.

So dear brother,

dear sister,

if you are in

Christ, then you

are able to

daily, moment

by moment,

draw joy and

strength from the

source of your

mountain stream.

Your faith union

with the

all-sufficient

one who never

changes, who

gave himself for

you, who makes

us content in all

kinds of

circumstances, who

enables us to get

our eyes off of

ourselves and on

our circumstances and

on things that are

important to him and

his kingdom, and who

is able to supply all

of our needs in the

middle of our

circumstances.

You have access

now to rejoice in

your union with

him.

So if you find

yourself tempted

toward discontentment

where you are, or

towards living in a

self-absorbed way, or

towards despairing and

doubting whether your

daily needs will be

provided for, then

jump in the stream and

swim up to the

source.

Drink deeply of your

faith union with him.

spend some time

contemplating what we

just read in Ephesians

1, that sample

passage I read for us

earlier, of all the

benefit, every spiritual

blessing, ours in

Christ.

Ask him to teach you

contentment, to help

you to give thanks for

what he gives thanks for,

to make you more

confident in his

ability to supply all

of your needs according

to his glorious riches

in Christ.

In just a moment, I'm

going to pray.

And what I want to

encourage you to do is

spend a few moments

engaging with your

all-sufficient one.

Engage with your God.

Ask for greater joy in

your union with Jesus,

that he may transform the

way that you are

relating to your

circumstances right here

and now.

And if you're here this

morning and you don't

know Jesus in this

way, you're aware that

you don't have a faith

union with him in this

way that we've been

talking about, then turn

to him in faith.

Ask him to open your

eyes to the glorious

riches of being in Jesus.

Let's pray together.

Amen.

Oh God, we need your

help.

We are a people that

are quick to

discontentment, to

grumbling, to

complaining.

We tend to have our

eyes fixed only on

ourselves and our

circumstances.

We tend to be

faithless and we need

your help.

So we come to you,

God, all-sufficient

one who never changes.

Would you show us the

joy of being united to

your son?

And may that transform

the way that we see

our circumstances.

Help us to live by

faith in him.

In Christ's name,

amen.