Identity, Peace, and Contentment | Mike Troyer

But I had a lot of things to be grateful for.

And so I started diving into this.

The first question I had to ask myself is what does identity in Jesus Christ look like?

And in that, I'm going to dive into a number of passages before I kind of dive in the main one that I want to focus on.

So I'll just be going through these fast.

You don't need to follow along.

You can.

The first one is John 17, 23.

And this is more I'm preaching it out of what I'm trying to figure out.

And I guess you get to listen if you can take have any takeaways, that's great.

But what does Jesus say about us?

Is kind of the question that I'm going after here.

John 17 23 says, I in them and you in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

And so Jesus loves us, first of all.

And then in Ephesians 1, 4 says, just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him.

And the part that I want to notice is just as he chose us.

So Jesus has chosen us.

If you go to Romans eight.

So he forgives us.

And then in Galatians four, six and seven, he says, and because we are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba Father, therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son.

And if a son, then an Arab God through Christ.

So there he says, He has adopted us.

And then in Colossians 2.10, he says, and you are complete in him, who is the head of all principalities and powers.

And so we're love, we're chosen, we're secure, we're forgiven, adopted, and complete in him.

And I know that.

And so if I can, instead of putting my identity on things and performance and on to Jesus Christ, that identity is unchanging, which means my sense of worth no longer rises and falls with circumstances, people, money, performance, or my emotions.

And contentment becomes possible because my identity isn't fragile anymore.

It's not based on me, it's based on my savior.

Here was this next part is the painful part for me.

Most discontentment comes from identity cravings.

Craving for approval, craving for control, craving success for security, affirmation, or significance.

But I would say it's this actually that was that was driving me.

It looks like discontentment, but not having your identity in the right place.

If Christ says you are loved, stop trying to earn it.

And it's the challenge for me.

Um to go to Christ instead of people or things.

And now for the main passage, which is Philippians four.

Um, you can turn to Philippians four.

Um I'm gonna read from six to nineteen.

And one thing I want you to to listen for is what oozes out of this passage.

And I I would I would call it a a confidence that Paul has.

And I just want you to to to listen for that.

And I've I've read it a lot in the last week or two.

Um but it's just amazing how confident he comes across.

And it's not a it's not a a confidence from his his own ability, it's a deeper confidence.

Verse six in Philippians four be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known, be made known to God.

And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is any praiseworthy, meditate on these things.

The thing which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

You get that part.

He's just saying, like, do what you saw me do.

And it's not an arrogance that he's coming across, it's just like I'm confident in who I trust.

And and I I love that of Paul going on in in verse 10, but I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again, though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content.

I know how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere, and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Nevertheless, you have done well that you shared in my distress.

Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.

For even in Thessalonica you send aid once and again for my necessities.

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

Indeed, I have all and abound.

I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you a sweet smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

That's as far as I'll read.

And so in this passage, he weaves through each other identity, peace, and contentment.

With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Now this is this is taking it a little out of context.

You can correct me if you afterward.

I think Paul should have had said, don't be anxious or depressed.

And what I mean by that is if you from my experience, if you don't put your identity in Christ, you're going to struggle with either one of those.

And the reason being is if your dependency is on things outside of Jesus, if it's on people, they will let you down.

And no, every personality is different, but my the way I would usually look at it is if people didn't come through, I would get frustrated, occasionally take it out on them, but more so I would turn it inward.

And I would get I would get depressed, or I would be in the other sphere of anxiety because I'm trying to figure out how to impress people to get the love that I need to keep me going.

But rather, how can I go to Jesus if I'm struggling with that?

The the the other thought um to consider, and this was this is one that I'm pondering is do I need to grieve the the things that I should have maybe gotten and maybe never did, but it's easier to run run after things and people than to grieve those losses, or is it expectations that I had of relationships that aren't turning out the way that I want it to?

And can I grieve that instead of getting angry?

And here's another challenge from my wife.

She told me it's easier to get angry than to grieve a loss.

And so that's why I say Paul should have said don't be anxious or depressed.

If we rely on Jesus, that peace will come.

It might not be that instant feeling or whatever, but there will be a deep peace.

And if you have peace, that will quiet your nervous system and make contentment more possible.

Going to verse eight, he tells us to focus on what's true, what's lovely, and all those things he mentions in there on praisewort on on, but he doesn't say focus on the things that you're feeling.

Those are real, but he doesn't say to follow those.

But he wants us to go after true and lovely things instead of maybe the things that we think are true, and we can get to the point I've experienced where if you follow your emotions enough, the untrue things will become very true in your mind, and so you can you can deceive yourself if you don't focus on what's true and what's good, and so focusing on the positive is an important part, and then in verse nine, where he tells us to do as he does, I just like his confidence again.

He's not pointing to himself, but rather pointing to Jesus Christ.

Primarily saying, just do as I do, and God will be with you.

The one thing he doesn't say is he doesn't say it's going to be easy.

It's not gonna be Walk in the park, but he said his peace will be with you.

And then in verse 10, he gives, I don't know if you notice, but but he says, I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again.

Though you sh though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.

He gave them the benefit benefit of the doubt that they wanted to do good, they just didn't have the opportunity.

And I think if we if we have our identity in Christ, we have the ability to do that because it's not on people anymore.

But if our identity isn't on Christ, I think we're gonna fall hard because we're gonna look to other things that will let us down, like the people we love.

But he's saying give the people around you the benefit of the doubt and go to Jesus for your filling.

I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound everywhere.

And in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Notice that it says in verse eleven that for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content.

One thing I'm starting to realize is contentment is a learned thing.

And I think we want to listen to Paul because the other thing that we that I forgot to mention is Paul was in house arrest when he was writing this, and he he could have had all the liberty to say this isn't fair, and rather he's saying, be content wherever you're at.

The other thought is contentment is not natural.

It's learned identity in Christ is the classroom where you learn contentment.

And so we get to learn to trust God's provision, to rest in God's presence, to rely on God's strength, to surrender to his outcome, and to anchor your worth in Christ alone.

Contentment is the harvest.

Going on to verse thirteen, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

He's primarily saying, My identity in Christ gives me the strength to be content in any circumstance.

I'll say that again.

My identity in Christ gives me the strength to be content in any circumstance.

So powerful.

And then from verse 14 to 18, he has an interesting way of saying thank you.

And I'm not going to dive deeper into that, where he's saying, I really appreciate it.

But in the end, he's said he had enough.

And in closing, I want to look at verse nineteen.

He says, And my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

It reflects belonging, adoption, and intimacy.

And our identity in Jesus makes this promise personal, not generic.

I'm going to butcher it majorly, that means to be filled completely, to satisfy fully.

This is why contentment becomes possible.

We're not guessing if God will come through or not.

The word all in there means it's exhaustive.

And contentment grows when I trust God to meet them.

It's trusting that our father sees, knows, and supplies.

I want to say that again more for myself than you.

Contentment isn't pretending everything is fine.

It's trusting that your father sees, knows, and supplies your every need.

And so it's what I got.

And I just ask that you pray for me that I can find that true belonging and uh to to see that fruit of contentment.

I'm not there, but I I see where I need to go to.

And I I definitely need your prayers in this.

And I just also challenge each person in here to put your identity in Christ and not things and people.

Randy, I'll turn the time over to you.