An Education in Contentment - Philippians 4:10-20(May 7) Matt Rohr

Hello and welcome to the Redemption Church Podcast.

We're a church in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada that exists to glorify God for the fulfillment of the Great Commission and the spirit of the Great Commandment.

Thanks for joining us today.

Well, thank you, Miles.

That's a very kind intro introduction.

Um, I invite you to open uh in your Bibles to Philippians chapter four.

Philippians chapter four.

And as we uh turn there, let me uh pray for us, ask God's blessing upon his word now as we look to it to instruct us this morning.

Let me pray.

Father in heaven, your word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword able to divide bone and marrow, muscle and sinew.

Lord, it judges our thoughts, it judges our hearts.

And Lord, it is your word now that we turn to and ask that you would instruct us, that you would encourage us, that you would build us up in our faith.

Lord, perhaps even rebuke us as needed.

Father, would we be like the psalmist this morning?

Would we behold wondrous and beautiful things from your word?

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, Philippians chapter 4, we're going to be looking specifically at verses 10 to 20, so I hope you got a copy of God's word.

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

If not, you can follow beside someone that does.

Let's read Philippians chapter 4, verses 10 to 20.

Philippians 4:10–20

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord 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.

Yet it was kind of you to share in 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.

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

To our God and Father be glory forever and ever.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, if you're familiar with Rolling Stone magazine, back in 2004, they compiled the 500 greatest songs of all time.

And in 2004, the number one song that they coined as the greatest song of all time was a song by Bob Dylan called Like a Rolling Stone.

The second best song of all time, according to Rolling Stone, was by the Rolling Stones.

Seems a little biased.

And it was a song called I Can't Get No Satisfaction.

And Rolling Stone magazine, they said this about this song, I Can't Get No Satisfaction.

That this song has a near-infinite shelf life.

That this song has served as an anthem of the past half century.

It is a generation-defining song.

This song was released in 1965, and I believe Rolling Stone magazine has hit the nail on the head.

It is a generation-defining song, pruned of its innuendo.

We look out across our world.

You don't have to look very far to see that there is dissatisfaction everywhere.

There is discontentment everywhere.

In fact, we don't have to look very far because if we're honest, even in our own lives, we're facing discontentment and dissatisfaction.

We see people that are dissatisfied in their jobs.

We see people dissatisfied in their relationship status.

We see single people wanting to be in relationships.

We see people that are in relationships think back to their single days.

We see people that long to have children that don't have children.

We see people that have children, and there's days and moments when you wish that you didn't have children.

We are a dissatisfied society and people.

It is sweeping across our land and it is filling our hearts.

Discontentment.

And yet the Bible has so much to say about satisfaction, about contentment.

In Luke chapter 3, verse 14, John the Baptist is approached by soldiers and they ask him how to manifest genuine repentance.

Luke 3:14

And his response is in Luke 3, 14, be content with your wages.

To Timothy, the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Timothy 6, if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

In 1 Timothy 6, again, the Apostle Paul writing to Timothy, he says, godliness with contentment is great gain.

The Bible doesn't just identify contentment as a Christian virtue.

The Bible identifies contentment as a calling for the Christian.

That we are each called to contentment and called specifically to contentment in Christ.

And that is what the Apostle Paul is seeking to address now in these 10 verses in which we've read.

In fact, if you're familiar with Philippians, the book, he is so focused on Christ in this book.

I love this book for its Christ-centered focus.

And if you know, in Philippians chapter 1, the Apostle Paul, he begins with celebrating the partnership the Philippians have in the gospel of Christ.

Philippians 1 · chapter mention

He goes on to encourage them to live for Christ.

In Philippians 2, he talks about the humility of Christ.

In Philippians 3, he talks about the righteousness that we have in Christ.

And he goes on and talks about standing firm in Christ.

He talks about finding peace in Christ.

And now he talks about finding our contentment in Christ.

Are you a content Christian?

Is this a content church?

And I love with the Apostle Paul as he now comes back to this theme of partnership and contentment.

Verse 10, it says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me.

He is writing a thank you note.

He is closing out this letter with a celebration and a thank you to this church because they were the only church of all the churches to financially support the Apostle Paul's ministry.

And he says, You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

In verse 11, the Apostle Paul, as he's ending this letter, he wants to instruct this church in one last thing.

As much as he's thankful for this financial gift, he didn't need it.

And verse 11, he says, Not that I am speaking of being in need.

For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

The apostle Paul wasn't born content.

You weren't born content.

No one is born content.

In fact, true contentment, true satisfaction, it is not found anywhere else except in Christ.

And he says, I have learned it.

And that is what he's about to share.

He's about to share how he learned it, how he got from a place of dissatisfaction, discontentment, and now into contentment.

So perhaps you're in here and you're dissatisfied with any number of things in your life.

The Apostle Paul has a word for you this morning.

God's word has a word for you this morning.

And the main point is this that you, me, I'm called to contentment in Christ.

And I want us to note first the circumstances.

The circumstances of contentment.

Verse 11, the Apostle Paul says, I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

And verse 12, he says, I know how to be brought low.

This is the first circumstance of contentment.

He is writing to this church and he's saying, I've been in situations when I've been low.

I've been in situations when things have been going well, in the cold and in the comfort, in the times of being abased and abounding, in the times of being in the valley and being on the mountain peak.

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

And he specifically, specifically wants to highlight two circumstances, two polar opposites.

He first says, I know how to be brought low.

Some of us we're in seasons and situations and circumstances where we are in the low.

And it's hard to be content in the low.

The apostle Paul, let me remind you, Philippians is a prison epistle.

This man is on house arrest, and as he is writing this letter, he is hearing the clanking of the chain.

This man is at the lowest of lows.

We know it's hard to be content in those low moments.

When things aren't going well, perhaps you've lost your job, perhaps things are difficult in a relationship, perhaps things aren't the way you thought life would be at your age with your family.

The list goes on and on and on.

Paul in prison knew how to be content when he was low.

He learned it.

You can too.

And he goes on and he says, I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound.

When I hear that, I say, hearty amen.

We know how to abound, but we want to make note of this because we can easily pass by this in 2023 and we think, I know how to abound, of course.

We know how to be content when things are plenty, but the truth is danger prevails when things abound.

When we are in seasons and circumstances when things are abounding, it can be easy in our flesh to fall prey to temptation.

Perhaps you've been rising the ranks of your workplace.

Perhaps you've been increasing in your wealth.

Perhaps you've even stepped into a leadership position in the church, and you're rising the ranks and you're serving others, and it's exciting.

And the danger is twofold.

We long for more and we become prideful.

That as we grow in our wealth or grow in our position or grow, our family grows, or our leadership role in the church grows, we long for more.

And we're not satisfied, we're not content.

Some of us are in a season of abounding, and we are not content at all.

Paul, he says, I know how to be brought low, I know how to abound in any, in every circumstance.

I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

Whatever circumstance the apostle Paul found himself in, he had learned the secret to contentment.

And that's the second thing that I want us to see.

Because all of us, we're reading this, we're reading the Apostle Paul's words, we see that he's learned contentment, we see our own hearts like I want this, I want contentment in Christ.

I know I'm called to this, I know I need this, but how?

How?

And that's where the Apostle Paul wants us to see the secret, the way in which Christians are to be content.

And that's verse 13.

Look with me, the secret of contentment.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

This is a wonderful verse.

This is one of the most well-known verses in all of the scripture.

I remember when I was in college, there was a roommate of mine, and he was really, uh really, really crushing on a girl.

And he was really, really, really intimidated to ask that girl out.

And he was repeating this verse to himself in the dorm room.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

We've seen this verse on NBA players' basketball shoes.

We've seen this verse plastered on any and everything.

We've seen people say, this verse, it pushes me to achieve greatness.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

What is Paul actually talking about here?

Is he talking about winning the NBA championship?

Is he talking about asking that girl out or that guy out?

One pundit has said of this verse, I can do all things through a verse taken out of context.

The context of this verse, the Apostle Paul is talking about contentment.

And he is saying, this is where the gospel meets the facet of our culture, that Jesus Christ gives what the world cannot: contentment.

In fact, in the first century, when Paul would have used this word, this word contentment was used very frequently in Stoicism and in the Greek culture.

That it was considered the chief virtue of the Greek culture.

But the Stoic definition of contentment would mean I am self-sufficient.

This is still a prevalent thinking today.

We see this all over social media, TV, movies, that this false gospel that you are enough, that you can be satisfied and sufficient in and of yourself.

That is not what Paul is saying.

In fact, he doesn't say his sufficiency is in him at all.

He says, I can do all things, not through me, but through Christ who gives me strength.

Where does Paul find his sufficiency?

Where does Paul find his contentment?

In Christ.

We need to ask, okay, I can do all things.

What are these all things?

We need to understand this.

We need to unpack this.

We need some qualifiers.

Is the apostle Paul saying he doesn't need to eat any food or drink any water or doesn't need sleep or can do supernatural works and things?

Is he really talking about the MBA championship?

Is he really talking about asking that girl?

No.

The Apostle Paul is talking about doing the will of God.

I can, by God's strength, do all that God has called me to.

Whether I'm abounding or abased, whether I'm hungry or filled with plenty, whatever situation I find myself in, I can do everything within God's will that He has called me to.

I can do all things according to God's word.

I can do all things to the glory of God.

That is what the Apostle Paul is talking about.

That whatever circumstance you find yourself in, in plenty or little, you can honor God in that circumstance.

You can be content with the sufficiency of Christ for you.

Is this you?

Is Christ enough for you?

Young people.

All the ups and the downs, the joys and the challenges, the difficulties of growing up in a secular culture, can you walk in holiness and purity?

Yes, you can.

By God's strength.

Christian, can you be a faithful witness in a secular workplace, a workplace that doesn't want to hear about Christ, doesn't want to hear the gospel?

Can you be a faithful witness?

Yes, by God's strength.

Can you be content in the valley?

Yes, by God's strength.

Can you be content when things are abounding?

Yes, by God's strength.

This is Paul's point.

That the secret of contentment, the sufficiency of Christ is enough for us in whatever place we find ourselves in.

If it is the will of God, God will empower you to do it.

I love one commentator says this.

You can be content and glorify God in whatever circumstance you find yourself in.

Well, you say, I'm in a season of difficulty, I'm abased, I'm hungry, I'm I'm in a place.

How could God work in a situation like that?

What would God be up to when I'm in the valley?

What's God's purpose is in that?

I don't see it.

I don't understand that.

How can I be content and rest in the fact that God will supply the strength and work this out for my good in his glory, as Romans 8.28 says.

A man that has traveled across Asia Minor, planting churches, preaching, seeing people saved, appointing elders in local churches, as God is at work.

A man that surely thinks, man, life would be a lot greater if I wasn't in prison.

What would God be up to if I wasn't in prison?

How could God surely work when I'm chained on house arrest?

What would God be doing in a valley like this?

The apostle Paul knew.

In fact, the fact that we are reading and studying this word in Philippians chapter 4 proves God's faithfulness and goodness and plan in the valley.

Philippians 4 · chapter mention

The Apostle Paul, thousands of years ago, chained, tempted to discouragement, thinking, what would God be up to in the valley?

was using the Apostle Paul to pen scripture that would instruct and teach the church and believers until Christ comes back.

God is able.

God is able.

God has not left you, God is not finished with you, God is not not working in your circumstance, He is at work right now.

You might not see it, but you can rest in the fact that God is at work and going to use it for his glory.

So we've seen that we're called to contentment in the Apostle Paul, he's unpacked the circumstances in which we can be content, namely whatever circumstances.

He's talked about the secret to contentment, that namely it's Christ and His sufficiency and strength that he provides us in all circumstances.

The Apostle Paul, he begins to change gears, though.

If he were to end his letter right now, if you were to end it with verse 13, I can do all things through him who strengthens me, greet the brothers, we love you, God be glorified.

If he ended it there, this church would probably be deeply confused and deeply hurt.

The Apostle Paul just said, you're a church that has supported me.

I'm rejoicing that you have revived your concern for me, but I want you to know I didn't need your gift.

I didn't need your financial help.

That's why he goes on and he wants to recognize and show that the work that God has done in his life, of him learning contentment and being able to do all things through Christ who gives him strength.

He wants this church, the Philippian church, to see the fruit of contentment amongst themselves.

That God, by his grace, is doing this very thing in that church as well.

And this is why verse 14 he says, Yet it was kind of you to share in my trouble.

And you Philippians yourselves know that we 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.

The Apostle Paul, he wants them to see the fruit of contentment amongst themselves.

And that is our third point, the fruit of contentment of all the churches, of all the places that Paul preached the gospel, and people were saved, and planted churches and appointed leaders.

There was only one church that wrote a check, gathered funds, took a financial offering sacrificially, and joined the apostle Paul, not just in praying, but in financial gospel partnership.

And it was this church.

You see that in verse 15.

No church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.

And he says, even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again.

Ten years of ministry, the Apostle Paul has been supported by this church, and he wants them to know it wasn't in vain.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy about.

He was greatly, greatly encouraged and thankful, and he wants to point out what he sees God at work in them as their content church.

Two specific things the Apostle Paul mentions of a church that is content, of a Christian that is content.

Fruit that is born and a Christian that's content.

In the first verse 14 to 17 is generosity.

Verse 17 says, Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.

This generosity of this church was a by-product of a church that was passionate about the gospel and content in what Christ had given them.

Are we generous Christians?

Are we generous Christians?

There is so much to say about giving.

In fact, the scriptures, Old Testament, New Testament, so many passages that talk about our giving as a reflection of where our treasure is, where our heart is.

Proverbs 11, 24 to 25.

This is Solomon.

He writes this there is one who scatters and yet increases all the more.

And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want.

The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.

Jesus talking in Luke 6, 38, he says, Give and it will be given to you.

They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.

For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

Second Corinthians 9 6, it says, This is again the Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church about giving.

He says, Now I say this, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully.

In Acts 20, verse 25, the Apostle Paul speaking to the Ephesian elders, he says, in everything, I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than receive.

Acts 20:25

Do we believe that?

Are we cheap and we're stingy?

Do we see that there is a great beauty in financial partnership in the gospel?

That as you give to the Lord, that reveals that the Lord is your treasure.

It reveals I'm in for gospel ministry.

I'm in for the gospel.

And as I'm giving, it's not primarily about the name of the church that you give or the missionary that you give.

It's about the gospel ministry that's at work.

And Paul is saying, you guys have been doing this.

Do we see in our own lives a heart that is generous?

Perhaps you're stingy and cheap, and perhaps that's revealing to you that maybe you're not content with what God has given you, and you're not content with the place that you find yourself in, and perhaps that your treasure is in your earthly treasure and not in Christ.

Paul, he goes on and he wants to mention a second thing.

He talks about generosity, but a second fruit of contentment.

And this one, I don't want us to miss this.

I think this in many ways is a byproduct of this generosity.

Verse 17, it says, 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.

The sign of contentment, the first is generosity and recognizing that God is going to honor that, not in a prosperity gospel way, but recognizing that you're all in for the kingdom of God, that that's what you treasure most, and on the last day you will be rewarded.

Paul, he goes on and he says, as you're giving it, that actually is more than just generosity, it's about worship.

Because notice in verse 18, Paul he says, I have received full payment and more.

I am well supplied, having received from apaphrodis the gifts you sent.

But notice the language he uses to describe these financial gifts, these offerings, he says, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.

That as this church was giving to Paul, they were primarily giving to God.

When you give, when you give of your offerings, whether to Redemption New Market here or other missionaries, do you see your offering as an act of worship?

That's not primarily about paying the bills.

This is about gospel ministry being done.

This is about partnering in the gospel.

This is about showing where your treasure truly is found in Christ.

This is what the Apostle Paul wants to make clear.

I imagine most of us have investments.

We invest in things, different investments, GICs, TSFAs, stocks.

Our reward for those things is this life.

We'll get those returns in this life.

Paul is talking about investing in something that maybe God will continue to bless you as you steward that funds.

There is a reward coming for those that give to the Lord.

In fact, we are going to see in our next point, verse 19 to 20, Paul wants to end with one final point.

He wants to talk about the foundation of contentment.

And he says, and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.

God is a God who provides.

And this is the foundation that Paul wants to land on for this church.

The foundation of contentment is trusting in the goodness and the provision and the sufficiency of God in Christ Jesus.

However, God decides, He provides.

Do you believe that?

Paul knew that the Philippians would not only receive spiritual blessings in heaven, but that God would supply their physical needs that they have in this life.

This church, having sown bountifully, would be reaping bountifully.

They would discover they can't outgive God.

Do you believe that?

Do you know that you can't out give God?

I love this phrase, and he he says, and my God will supply your every need according to his riches.

Not out of his riches, according to.

Hypothetically, imagine I had a hundred billion dollars.

And I walked up to you and I gave you ten dollars.

I gave you out of my riches.

God, as he gives, as he provides, gives according to his riches.

So to according, say again, I have a hundred billion dollars.

And instead of giving you ten dollars, I give you fifty billion dollars.

That's giving according to my riches.

This is how God operates, that God will supply your every need according to his riches.

It is impossible to out give God.

I don't know the needs that you have in your life.

Real physical needs all of us have.

That you can confidently say with a psalmist, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack.

As we close, I want to ask you, do you see contentment in your life?

Are you living for Christ?

Is He enough for you?

Do you see the fruit that is being born in your life?

Do you see and trust in the foundation of God's promise to provide all your needs?

There's a book, an old book, a couple hundred years old.

It was by a man named Jeremiah Burroughs.

And the book was called The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment.

And he writes this as he's talking about contentment.

I want to read it to you.

It's a bit of a larger paragraph, but follow along and listen to what he has to say about contentment.

He says, All creatures in the world say, contentment is not in us.

Riches say, contentment is not in me.

No, contentment is higher.

The soul which by coming into the school of Christ, by understanding the glorious mysteries of the gospel, comes to see the vanity of all things in the world.

Is the soul that comes to true contentment, say that I see that it is not necessary for me to be rich, but it is necessary for me to make peace with God.

It is not necessary that I have pleasure in this life or in this world, but it is absolutely necessary that I should have a pardon for my sin.

It is not necessary that I should have honor and preferment, but it is necessary that I should have Christ as my portion and have my part in Christ Jesus, and that I should be saved on the last day.

What we find in verse 19 at the foundation of contentment, let me remind you, God has provided in the greatest need that you will ever have.

If you have not trusted in Christ alone for your forgiveness of sins, you stand as a sinner condemned under his wrath.

And God, in his holiness, in his love, has sent his one and his only son.

He has provided one Savior in his son, Jesus Christ, the greatest provision that you will ever need, that you can know eternal life and have eternal life in his son.

And as we reflect on that, surely, surely we know that God will provide all things that we need in this life.

If he's provided his son.

And that is what Paul is getting at is he says, and my God will supply every need.

Surely he will provide your need, Christian.

Let us rest in and rejoice in the sufficiency of Christ now.

Would you pray with me?

Father in heaven, we know, Lord, that our hearts are restless and dissatisfied and tempted towards finding contentment, finding satisfaction in many places.

And yet, Lord, satisfaction, contentment, salvation, forgiveness, peace, all of these things can only be found in Jesus Christ.

Lord, we rejoice in your provision in your Son.

We rejoice in the provision of your strength to be content in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in.

And Lord, we rejoice.

We rejoice to know that we have life in your name.

Father, I want to specifically ask if there is one in here who has not trusted in Christ alone, who is dissatisfied and discontent and chasing peace and goodness and contentment in anything other than Christ, Lord, would they turn to you and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved?

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.