MASTER OF EVERY SITUATION
I wonder if you’re like me always looking at the barometer - it doesn’t stay in one place very long. Life is very much like that. If I were to draw a graph of my life in terms of feelings and experiences it wouldn’t be a straight line and I suspect many of you would have to report the same. Sometimes Christians enjoy smooth passages or even a period of success; then suddenly a down- turn comes and the indicator on our life’s graph would plummet, very much like the sudden plunge of the barometer when a storm is coming. These reverses often bring a great deal of distress and anxiety to the people immediately involved. We’re all different and something that would be distressing to me would doubtless be shrugged off as a minor hiccup by many of you and perhaps vice versa.
Winston Churchill, the great World War II leader, lost the 1945 general election but his sense or irony and humour didn’t desert him. Mrs Churchill tried to comfort him by saying, ‘It may be a blessing in disguise’ to which he replied, ‘Well, at the moment it’s certainly well disguised.’ Life can throw up problems not readily understood.
In fact there are trials and troubles that are the common inheritance and portion of all mankind and can be traced back to the fallen state of the world. Disease and pain, natural disasters, grief and disappointment, economic hardship; some or all of them all the common lot of human beings, and come irrespective of whether we be in the faith or not. But on top of this the Christian can expect opposition or even outright persecution directly connected to his confession of Christ as Lord. Jesus warned his disciples to expect it, ’in the world you will have trouble’ (John 16:33), and the Apostle Paul told his new converts to expect hardship.
This talk of trials and hardships is quite unpalatable to Christians who believe in some kind of a ’prosperity theology’. I remember a sermon where the preacher said he was rather tired of hearing that Christianity was ’pie in the sky when you die’: he was looking to the promises of God for some ’steak on the plate while you wait!’ Well, what is the truth of the matter? Can the Christian expect blessing and prosperity in its various forms now or will he have to wait to when he gets to heaven? I don’t believe that these questions can receive a straightforward ’yes’ or ’no’ because they are the wrong questions.
Let’s turn to our text where we find the testimony of one of the world’s great Christians. Hear Paul’s words as he writes to the church at Philippi: ’1 have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circum-stances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me’ (4:11-13).
What an amazing testimony this is! Here’s a man of learning and culture who says that in health or in sickness, in plenty or in poverty, in strength or in weakness, when abased or abounding, when full or when empty - at all times, he was perfectly contented! When Paul wrote these words, in all probability he was in chains in Nero’s prison in Rome, with no comforts, no luxuries and no guarantee of what might happen. Undoubtedly Paul, born as a Roman citizen and a prominent Pharisee had enjoyed a privileged up-bringing - in today’s terminology he would be ranked with the upper middle classes of society. But even as he wrote the words, he was deprived of many of the barest necessities of life, and yet he could say, ’I am content, satisfied and radiantly happy’. Paul is commending his readers:
A STRATEGY FOR LIVING
We can be sure that whichever of life’s experiences come our way, other of God’s people have been there before us. Paul brings his letter to the Philippians to a close with a section on the need for perseverance in the Christian faith, and he’s bold enough to offer himself as an example to follow. Paul spoke from experience, not a theoretical knowledge. He refers to things the believers at Philippi had actually observed and urges them that what ’they had learned, received, heard and seen’ in Paul, that is what they should do with the result that ’the God of peace shall be with you’ (9). It wasn’t a matter of Paul saying, ’Don’t do as I do; do what I tell you!’ The believers at Philippi had the evidence of Paul’s life.
I want to centre our thoughts on Christian expectations of blessing and adversity and our reactions to them, seen from the wrong and the right perspectives, the faulty and the true ways. The last century saw tremendous advances in technology, making possible the vast increase in goods and services. Standards of living have risen appreciably and consumption has increased dramatically. Each generation expects to begin where the people of the previous generation reached after working and saving for many years. The Christian community isn’t an exception to the acquisitive society in which we live. This has led to the development of a ’prosperity theology’ - that we have a right to expect God to smooth our pathway with health and wealth because we are Christians.
This kind of gospel is attractive because it does seem logical that if God’s people are faithful to him, then he will reward them. And what could be more appropriate than health, wealth and happiness? Truth pressed beyond the boundary set in God’s Word becomes error and produces disastrous results. The faithfulness of the people of Israel was indicated by the prosperity of the nation. Under the Old Testament covenant that was the way God set out to demonstrate to the surrounding nations that Israel was his people, and that following him faithfully was the sole explanation for their success and prosperity.
But this isn’t the case in the New Testament era. On the contrary, the faithfulness of the people of God in some parts of the world is as likely to lead to persecution as to prosperity. Think of the persecution that Christians face in fundamentalist Muslim countries. Of course, very often, in the goodness of God, Christians are blessed with prosperity far beyond God’s promise of meeting our needs. In many instances Christians can help themselves by adopting sensible lifestyles and not frittering away their income on doubtful or even harmful habits. The point is that any gospel which can’t be preached universally is not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The ’prosperity gospel’ can’t be preached in the poverty of an Indian village. The Gospel isn’t a guarantee of success and prosperity but rather a call to take up a cross daily and follow Jesus, and perhaps, like him, to lose everything, in the certain knowledge that we shall gain the kingdom. The worldly view is sadly mistaken and only gives a false expectation of blessing and adversity, but thankfully there is a spiritual view.
Paul gives his personal experience as an illustration of the Christian standard. His life hadn’t been one of unruffled ease and freedom from the problems of life; he’d been misunderstood, misrepresented, mistreated and mishandled. If you can think of some misfortune, Paul had suffered it. He testified to the Corinthian church, ’I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked’ (2 Cor 11 :27) Doesn’t it make our own experience pale into insignificance. Too often we have so much but are still want more. The adversities we suffer are mild compared to the Apostle’s, but we complain, we grumble, we’re ungrateful and wish we had someone else’s blessing.
Paul, of course, isn’t alone in being master of every situation. Some Christians stand out as wonderful examples to us all. Think for instance of Joni Eareckson who, when a teenager, broke her spine in a diving accident, but instead of bemoaning her fate, shares her faith from her wheelchair in seminars around the world. Joni is a wonderful example of someone who has made a triumph out of a trial. Somebody jokingly said, ’If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!’ Paul’s philosophy was: ’If life hands you a lemon, then God will be there to help you make the best lemonade that can possibly be made if you let him help you.’
One of the key phrases of the text is found in the words ’I have learned’. It indicates an application of self-discipline. We’re not content by nature; it’s some-thing we have to learn, something that has to be cultivated. Learning doesn’t always come easily and it’s not necessarily a joyful experience, but we know from our own personal growing up and bringing up children that it’s very necessary. No one can do our learning for us. Yes, we can benefit from another’s experience but it can only really help us when we discover the truth for ourselves, making it our personal property. What did Paul learn? It was:
THE ANTITDOTE TO SELF-PITY
’In whatever state I am, therein to be content’ (12). What does he mean? He’s learned the secret of deep peace based on detachment from his outward circumstances. In whatever conditions of life he finds himself, he discovers the will of God for his situation. Just think of the experiences of life which the Lord allowed him to have - and what a rich and varied set of experiences he had. They were applied to his heart by the Holy Spirit in the learning process, enabling him to remain calm in adversity and humble in prosperity.
Paul had learned to appreciate the fellowship of the people of God. There’s a famous saying ’no man is an island’. Human beings are meant to be interdependent, not independent, of each other. No matter how extensive Paul’s gifts were, he still needed other Christians to surround him with prayer and support. He pays the Philippian Christians a handsome tribute, saying it was kind of them to share in his personal troubles. He makes it a matter for rejoicing in the Lord at their concern for him. Contentment comes by recognising God’s provision through the prayers of Christian friends. We must learn to appreciate the other members of the Body of Christ.
Paul had learned to accept the outcome of circumstances beyond his control. Over the years of his ministry it became widely recognised that he was the leading apostle to the Gentiles, but yet there were pockets of believers who were grudging in their acknowledgement or even refusal of his authority. But did this worry Paul? No, he had his perspective right. Did he get discouraged and give up when life got tough? Certainly not! A party was visiting the Washington Monument when a tour guide announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, there’s currently a two-hour wait to take the lift to the top." Then he paused, smiled and added, "However, there’s no wait should you desire to take the stairs." In life’s journey, there are no lifts to the top. If you want to get there, you’ve got to take the stairs! How many of us are willing to climb, and how long are we willing to keep at it; this determines how high we’ll go.
When we’re faced with disappointing circumstances; when like Paul we feel ’abased’ or in ’want’, feeling empty and deserted, how should we react? There are some pitfalls to avoid. There’s the attitude of resentment. ’Why should this happen to me? What have I done that God should treat me so?’ It’s all too easy to look at others enjoying apparent success, and we feel envious and jealous. In our hearts we manufacture one of the deadliest poisons of the soul, a bitter resentment of spirit. What’s the solution to the shock of being ’abased’? It’s too easy for someone to say, ’put it out of you mind … take a holiday.’
Some matters are too deep to be dealt with at this level, and the mind knows its own grief and swings back to its loss again and again. Thank God, there is a way of finding help in time of need. It’s to accept the setback, not in a spirit of gritted teeth, not blaming it on to God or to others, but to go on to say, ’How can I turn this into an asset? How can I make this serve God’s purposes in my life?’ If we offer ourselves back to God, distress and all, he has an uncanny knack of turning our disappointment into ’his-appointment’.
Look at the Cross of the Lord Jesus. That was the worse thing that could happen to anyone, willed by wicked men, but God took it and made it the means of redemption. The contentment that Paul had, whatever his circum-stances, is borne out of his willingness to allow everything that happened to him to be woven into the purposes of God. Earlier in his letter to the Philippians Paul had hinted that some preachers appeared to be taking advantage of his imprisonment to further their own ministry, but Paul had learned to take this in his stride as well. In fact he rejoices that one way or the other the Gospel was being preached.
I read that the Principal of a leading Christian College had been asked to take early retirement because the College board wanted to appoint his successor earlier than expected due to changed circumstances. He wrote in his newsletter that he found the prospect of redundancy in Christian service and usefulness as painful and likened it to a more than usually stressful form of bereavement. He ended by saying: ’So this is being a painful learning experience for us, in accepting what God has allowed, and not worrying about second causes. Later, if not sooner, most of us will have to face a similar experience.’ It’s quite obvious he felt the disappointment very keenly indeed but he asked for prayer support saying that the Lord wouldn’t bless those defiled with anger, wounded pride or self-pity. I’m sure he had much in common with Paul.
Paul had learned the secret of being content. It was the state of mind in which a man was absolutely at peace with God and man. The great difference between the worldly and the spiritual way is set out in Paul’s testimony, ’I can do all things in him who strengthens me’ (13). Paul’s secret was ’in Christ’. I wonder if you or I could truthfully make these statements? Oh, yes, we make them but is it what’s theoretically possible or is it a reality? In Paul’s case it was reality. He was God-sufficient, not self-sufficient, and because of that he could face anything. He could have nothing and he could have all things; it made no difference, because, in any situation he had Jesus Christ. The person who walks with Christ and lives in Christ can cope with anything.
The Apostle wasn’t a proud boaster nor was he a superman. He was a man who refused to take short cuts in his life for God. His success was the result of persistence in following God’s calling. MASTER OF EVERY SITUATION
I wonder if you’re like me always looking at the barometer - it doesn’t stay in one place very long. Life is very much like that. If I were to draw a graph of my life in terms of feelings and experiences it wouldn’t be a straight line and I suspect many of you would have to report the same. Sometimes Christians enjoy smooth passages or even a period of success; then suddenly a down- turn comes and the indicator on our life’s graph would plummet, very much like the sudden plunge of the barometer when a storm is coming. These reverses often bring a great deal of distress and anxiety to the people immediately involved. We’re all different and something that would be distressing to me would doubtless be shrugged off as a minor hiccup by many of you and perhaps vice versa.
There are trials and troubles that are the common inheritance and portion of all mankind and can be traced back to the fallen state of the world. Disease and pain, natural disasters, grief and disappointment, economic hardship; some or all of them all the common lot of human beings, and come irrespective of whether we be in the faith or not. But on top of this the Christian can expect opposition or even outright persecution directly connected to his confession of Christ as Lord. Jesus warned his disciples to expect it, ’in the world you will have trouble’ (John 16:33), and the Apostle Paul told his new converts to expect hardship.
This talk of trials and hardships is quite unpalatable to Christians who believe in some kind of a ’prosperity theology’. I remember a sermon where the preacher said he was rather tired of hearing that Christianity was ’pie in the sky when you die’: he was looking to the promises of God for some ’steak on the plate while you wait!’ Well, what is the truth of the matter? Can the Christian expect blessing and prosperity in its various forms now or will he have to wait to when he gets to heaven? I don’t believe that these questions can receive a straightforward ’yes’ or ’no’ because they are the wrong questions.
Let’s turn to our text where we find the testimony of one of the world’s great Christians. Hear Paul’s words as he writes to the church at Philippi: ’1 have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in any and all circum-stances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. I can do all things in him who strengthens me’ (4:11-13).
What an amazing testimony this is! Here’s a man of learning and culture who says that in health or in sickness, in plenty or in poverty, in strength or in weakness, when abased or abounding, when full or when empty - at all times, he was perfectly contented! When Paul wrote these words, in all probability he was in chains in Nero’s prison in Rome, with no comforts, no luxuries and no guarantee of what might happen. Undoubtedly Paul, born as a Roman citizen and a prominent Pharisee had enjoyed a privileged up-bringing - in today’s terminology he would be ranked with the upper middle classes of society. But even as he wrote the words, he was deprived of many of the barest necessities of life, and yet he could say, ’I am content, satisfied and radiantly happy’. Paul is commending his readers:
A STRATEGY FOR LIVING
We can be sure that whichever of life’s experiences come our way, other of God’s people have been there before us. Paul brings his letter to the Philippians to a close with a section on the need for perseverance in the Christian faith, and he’s bold enough to offer himself as an example to follow. Paul spoke from experience, not a theoretical knowledge. He refers to things the believers at Philippi had actually observed and urges them that what ’they had learned, received, heard and seen’ in Paul, that is what they should do with the result that ’the God of peace shall be with you’ (9). It wasn’t a matter of Paul saying, ’Don’t do as I do; do what I tell you!’ The believers at Philippi had the evidence of Paul’s life.
I want to centre our thoughts on Christian expectations of blessing and adversity and our reactions to them, seen from the wrong and the right perspectives, the faulty and the true ways. The last century saw tremendous advances in technology, making possible the vast increase in goods and services. Standards of living have risen appreciably and consumption has increased dramatically. Each generation expects to begin where the people of the previous generation reached after working and saving for many years. The Christian community isn’t an exception to the acquisitive society in which we live. This has led to the development of a ’prosperity theology’ - that we have a right to expect God to smooth our pathway with health and wealth because we are Christians.
This kind of gospel is attractive because it does seem logical that if God’s people are faithful to him, then he will reward them. And what could be more appropriate than health, wealth and happiness? Truth pressed beyond the boundary set in God’s Word becomes error and produces disastrous results. The faithfulness of the people of Israel was indicated by the prosperity of the nation. Under the Old Testament covenant that was the way God set out to demonstrate to the surrounding nations that Israel was his people, and that following him faithfully was the sole explanation for their success and prosperity.
But this isn’t the case in the New Testament era. On the contrary, the faithfulness of the people of God in some parts of the world is as likely to lead to persecution as to prosperity. Think of the persecution that Christians face in fundamentalist Muslim countries. Of course, very often, in the goodness of God, Christians are blessed with prosperity far beyond God’s promise of meeting our needs. In many instances Christians can help themselves by adopting sensible lifestyles and not frittering away their income on doubtful or even harmful habits. The point is that any gospel which can’t be preached universally is not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The ’prosperity gospel’ can’t be preached in the poverty of an Indian village. The Gospel isn’t a guarantee of success and prosperity but rather a call to take up a cross daily and follow Jesus, and perhaps, like him, to lose everything, in the certain knowledge that we shall gain the kingdom. The worldly view is sadly mistaken and only gives a false expectation of blessing and adversity, but thankfully there is a spiritual view.
Paul gives his personal experience as an illustration of the Christian standard. His life hadn’t been one of unruffled ease and freedom from the problems of life; he’d been misunderstood, misrepresented, mistreated and mishandled. If you can think of some misfortune, Paul had suffered it. He testified to the Corinthian church, ’I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked’ (2 Cor 11 :27) Doesn’t it make our own experience pale into insignificance. Too often we have so much but are still want more. The adversities we suffer are mild compared to the Apostle’s, but we complain, we grumble, we’re ungrateful and wish we had someone else’s blessing.
Paul, of course, isn’t alone in being master of every situation. Some Christians stand out as wonderful examples to us all. Think for instance of Joni Eareckson who, when a teenager, broke her spine in a diving accident, but instead of bemoaning her fate, shares her faith from her wheelchair in seminars around the world. Joni is a wonderful example of someone who has made a triumph out of a trial. Somebody jokingly said, ’If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!’ Paul’s philosophy was: ’If life hands you a lemon, then God will be there to help you make the best lemonade that can possibly be made if you let him help you.’
One of the key phrases of the text is found in the words ’I have learned’. It indicates an application of self-discipline. We’re not content by nature; it’s some-thing we have to learn, something that has to be cultivated. Learning doesn’t always come easily and it’s not necessarily a joyful experience, but we know from our own personal growing up and bringing up children that it’s very necessary. No one can do our learning for us. Yes, we can benefit from another’s experience but it can only really help us when we discover the truth for ourselves, making it our personal property. What did Paul learn? It was:
THE ANTITDOTE TO SELF-PITY
’In whatever state I am, therein to be content’ (12). What does he mean? He’s learned the secret of deep peace based on detachment from his outward circumstances. In whatever conditions of life he finds himself, he discovers the will of God for his situation. Just think of the experiences of life which the Lord allowed him to have - and what a rich and varied set of experiences he had. They were applied to his heart by the Holy Spirit in the learning process, enabling him to remain calm in adversity and humble in prosperity.
Paul had learned to appreciate the fellowship of the people of God. There’s a famous saying ’no man is an island’. Human beings are meant to be interdependent, not independent, of each other. No matter how extensive Paul’s gifts were, he still needed other Christians to surround him with prayer and support. He pays the Philippian Christians a handsome tribute, saying it was kind of them to share in his personal troubles. He makes it a matter for rejoicing in the Lord at their concern for him. Contentment comes by recognising God’s provision through the prayers of Christian friends. We must learn to appreciate the other members of the Body of Christ.
Paul had learned to accept the outcome of circumstances beyond his control. Over the years of his ministry it became widely recognised that he was the leading apostle to the Gentiles, but yet there were pockets of believers who were grudging in their acknowledgement or even refusal of his authority. But did this worry Paul? No, he had his perspective right. Did he get discouraged and give up when life got tough? Certainly not! A party was visiting the Washington Monument when a tour guide announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, there’s currently a two-hour wait to take the lift to the top." Then he paused, smiled and added, "However, there’s no wait should you desire to take the stairs." In life’s journey, there are no lifts to the top. If you want to get there, you’ve got to take the stairs! How many of us are willing to climb, and how long are we willing to keep at it; this determines how high we’ll go.
When we’re faced with disappointing circumstances; when like Paul we feel ’abased’ or in ’want’, feeling empty and deserted, how should we react? There are some pitfalls to avoid. There’s the attitude of resentment. ’Why should this happen to me? What have I done that God should treat me so?’ It’s all too easy to look at others enjoying apparent success, and we feel envious and jealous. In our hearts we manufacture one of the deadliest poisons of the soul, a bitter resentment of spirit. What’s the solution to the shock of being ’abased’? It’s too easy for someone to say, ’put it out of you mind … take a holiday.’
Some matters are too deep to be dealt with at this level, and the mind knows its own grief and swings back to its loss again and again. Thank God, there is a way of finding help in time of need. It’s to accept the setback, not in a spirit of gritted teeth, not blaming it on to God or to others, but to go on to say, ’How can I turn this into an asset? How can I make this serve God’s purposes in my life?’ If we offer ourselves back to God, distress and all, he has an uncanny knack of turning our disappointment into ’his-appointment’.
Look at the Cross of the Lord Jesus. That was the worse thing that could happen to anyone, willed by wicked men, but God took it and made it the means of redemption. The contentment that Paul had, whatever his circum-stances, is borne out of his willingness to allow everything that happened to him to be woven into the purposes of God. Earlier in his letter to the Philippians Paul had hinted that some preachers appeared to be taking advantage of his imprisonment to further their own ministry, but Paul had learned to take this in his stride as well. In fact he rejoices that one way or the other the Gospel was being preached.
I read that the Principal of a leading Christian College had been asked to take early retirement because the College board wanted to appoint his successor earlier than expected due to changed circumstances. He wrote in his newsletter that he found the prospect of redundancy in Christian service and usefulness as painful and likened it to a more than usually stressful form of bereavement. He ended by saying: ’So this is being a painful learning experience for us, in accepting what God has allowed, and not worrying about second causes. Later, if not sooner, most of us will have to face a similar experience.’ It’s quite obvious he felt the disappointment very keenly indeed but he asked for prayer support saying that the Lord wouldn’t bless those defiled with anger, wounded pride or self-pity. I’m sure he had much in common with Paul.
Paul had learned the secret of being content. It was the state of mind in which a man was absolutely at peace with God and man. The great difference between the worldly and the spiritual way is set out in Paul’s testimony, ’I can do all things in him who strengthens me’ (13). Paul’s secret was ’in Christ’. I wonder if you or I could truthfully make these statements? Oh, yes, we make them but is it what’s theoretically possible or is it a reality? In Paul’s case it was reality. He was God-sufficient, not self-sufficient, and because of that he could face anything. He could have nothing and he could have all things; it made no difference, because, in any situation he had Jesus Christ. The person who walks with Christ and lives in Christ can cope with anything.
The Apostle wasn’t a proud boaster nor was he a superman. He was a man who refused to take short cuts in his life for God. His success was the result of persistence in following God’s calling. I read that a music critic once called Sarasota, the great Spanish violinist, a genius. In reply he said, "Genius? Are they joking? For 37 years I’ve practised up to 14 hours a day and now they call me a genius!" There’s no substitute for consistency, discipline and perseverance. Paul was like that: he lived close to his Lord and was thus able to say, I am master of every situation - in sickness or in health; in poverty or in wealth; in failure or in success - content through Christ! Master of every situation.
Paul was like that: he lived close to his Lord and was thus able to say, I am master of every situation - in sickness or in health; in poverty or in wealth; in failure or in success - content through Christ! Master of every situation.
