The Secret to Contentment
Phil. 4:10-13
Illus. Don’t you just love hearing/telling secrets?
•Recently, I spoke at a local Christian school. Afterward, I sat down with a 5 y.o. red-headed girl who proceeded to tell me all about her life. Suddenly, out of the blue, she said, "My Mommy has brown hair hiding underneath her yellow hair, but it’s a secret.”
Some secrets are really meant to remain secret. Others, however, are meant to be told.
Today’s secret is one of them. Turn with me to Phil. 4:10-13.
Throughout this Letter, Paul has been rejoicing even in the midst of hardship.
•Today, we discover why. Today, we discover the crux of his Letter.
Today, we discover what everyone has been searching for – the secret to contentment.
Prayer
I. PAUL REJOICES OVER THEIR CONCERN.
10I REJOICE GREATLY IN THE LORD THAT AT LAST YOU HAVE RENEWED YOUR CONCERN FOR ME.
“Your concern has blossomed again/revived.”
Once again, Paul rejoices, this time in their concern for him.
Paul is thanking them for their gift that was sent with Epaphroditus (v. 18).
INDEED, YOU HAVE BEEN CONCERNED, BUT YOU HAD NO OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW IT.
Not that you weren’t concerned before, but now I rejoice because you were able to convert that concern into action.
Their concern led to their generosity.
Having said, that, however, Paul realizes his need to clarify some things.
II. PAUL RESTS IN HIS CONTENTMENT.
11I AM NOT SAYING THIS BECAUSE I AM IN NEED,
This is a powerful point. Paul didn’t really need their gift.
•Yes, he was in prison. Yes, he probably had real financial concerns.
What he is saying is that while he appreciates their gift, he’s not dependent upon it or motivated by it (Thielman).
He never begged them for money. He never preached for gain.
He’s not saying, “Now I can breathe easier, now that I’m satisfied, I can be content.”
A. His joy was not dependent on having his needs met!
“Thanks for the gift, but I’m still rejoicing/content even if you hadn’t sent it.”
How could Paul make that claim? How did he discover real contentment?
B. His contentment was a learning process.
FOR I HAVE LEARNED TO BE CONTENT WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Paul’s word choice here is actually a slap in the face of the Stoics.
•It literally means “self-sufficient, free from concern/need from others.”
•He’s found self-sufficiency/contentment, but not in himself; it comes from God.
A similar word is found in 2 Cor. 9:8 GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE ALL GRACE ABOUND TO YOU, SO THAT IN ALL THINGS AT ALL TIMES, HAVING ALL THAT YOU NEED, YOU WILL ABOUND IN EVERY GOOD WORK.
And this contentment isn’t something he discovered one day.
•It’s been a learning process. “I have learned to be content.” He learned (A.) and…
C. His contentment was not dependent upon circumstances.
So how did he learn real contentment?
1. He learned through experience.
12I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO BE IN NEED (humbled), AND I KNOW WHAT IT IS TO HAVE PLENTY (prosperity).
I HAVE LEARNED THE SECRET OF BEING CONTENT IN ANY AND EVERY SITUATION, WHETHER WELL FED (fattened, satisfied) OR HUNGRY, WHETHER LIVING IN PLENTY OR IN WANT (coming up short).
He had personally experienced the whole spectrum of the have’s and the have not’s.
(Wiersbe) “Paul was never a victim of circumstances.”
Illus. How many times do we think, “if only I had this, I would be happy.”
•If only we had more money, if only I wasn’t sick or in pain, if only…”
Paul says, “I don’t need the “if only’s”. I’ve been with them and without them.
•“I’m content no matter what.”
2. He learned through dependence.
This was the real secret to contentment. This was his greatest discovery.
13I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH (empowers me, “infuses strength into me”).
He didn’t need their money or their provisions. All he needed was Christ.
“As long as I have Christ, I’m content.” The flip side of this is also just as true.
•I can do nothing apart from Him and I will never find contentment apart from Him.
In other words, if you’re struggling today with discovering real contentment, it could be because you haven’t discovered total dependence upon God for all your needs.
(Wiersbe) “If we depend on our own power, we will fail; but if we depend on His strength, we can do all things through Him. This explains why Paul could rejoice even in prison: he had learned the secret of the secure mind through the power of God.”
So Paul says, “Thanks for your gift, but just for the record, I don’t need your money to be happy. All I need and all I have has already been found in Christ alone.”
Again, Paul didn’t just happen upon this. He learned it by experience and dependence.
That having been said, I would imagine we’re all still learning this/working at it.
•So let’s take a closer look at how to discover the contentment that Paul found.
III. BARRIERS TO CONTENTMENT: (Jeremy Houck, SC.com)
Illus. Security at Watkins Glen Nascar race years ago.
I was in charge of the entrance to the garage area. No one came in without a special pass.
•Everyone without a pass was kept away by barriers/fences/me.
•They all wanted to get in, but the barriers prevented them.
In the same way, there are barriers to discovering real contentment.
A. Greed
This is the most obvious. We all want more and we want it now.
We’re not content until we have a new car/furniture/Xbox 360/designer clothes/money.
Greed is the main driving force behind our national/personal debt crisis.
Greed is the main reason why America has largely abandoned God.
We’re not satisfied with what God offers. We need more. We deserve more.
Affluence is much more dangerous than being poor.
1 Tim. 6:9-10 PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GET RICH FALL INTO TEMPTATION AND A TRAP AND INTO MANY FOOLISH AND HARMFUL DESIRES THAT PLUNGE MEN INTO RUIN AND DESTRUCTION. 10FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY IS A ROOT OF ALL KINDS OF EVIL. SOME PEOPLE, EAGER FOR MONEY, HAVE WANDERED FROM THE FAITH AND PIERCED THEMSELVES WITH MANY GRIEFS.
The Bible gives us more warnings against greed/money that practically any other vice.
We will NEVER find contentment in more stuff!
•When we try, we’re telling God that He’s not enough for us, not our All in All.
Heb. 13:5 KEEP YOUR LIVES FREE FROM THE LOVE OF MONEY AND BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, BECAUSE GOD HAS SAID, “NEVER WILL I LEAVE YOU; NEVER WILL I FORSAKE YOU.”
B. Envy
Greed is wanting more of what I have/don’t have, but envy is wanting what others have.
Envy often drives greed. We look at others and think, boy they’ve got it made.
•Their grass is definitely greener (that’s because they probably use more fertilizer).
Envy is the driving force behind our Trillion Dollar marketing industry.
•We’re bombarded by it and tempted by it every waking moment (and many dreaming moments as well).
Envy also shows up when we wish we were healthier, happier, married, single.
Illus. Envy shows up when we give a piece of pie to one of our kids.
•They’re all excited and happy until we give a bigger piece to their sibling.
Comparing ourselves with others always leads to discontent.
Dt. 5:21 “YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE. YOU SHALL NOT SET YOUR DESIRE ON YOUR NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE OR LAND, HIS MANSERVANT OR MAIDSERVANT, HIS OX OR DONKEY, OR ANYTHING THAT BELONGS TO YOUR NEIGHBOR.”
So what if others have more than me. So what if they’re healthier or wealthier.
When we begin to look with envy at others, we immediately begin to forfeit contentment.
C. Unbelief
It really is a faith issue.
We become discontented because we really don’t trust God to meet all our needs.
Paul’s faith was tested again and again and yet as it grew, his contentment grew.
13I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH
Phil. 4:19 AND MY GOD WILL MEET ALL YOUR NEEDS ACCORDING TO HIS GLORIOUS RICHES IN CHRIST JESUS.
Do we really believe this? Do we really believe God’s Word is true?
Do we trust God to meet all our needs?
The trouble is, we’ve confused our needs with our wants.
•100 years ago, electricity, telephones, vehicles were a luxury.
•20 years ago, AC, computers and video games were a luxury. They still are.
The heart cry and deep longing of every person alive is to find real peace/contentment.
•The trouble is, we’re “looking for love in all the wrong places.”
•And in our desperate search, too often we build barriers to the very thing we’re trying to discover.
It’s quite possible that God is allowing trials/temptations to refine us and strengthen our faith so that we can discover what Paul discovered.
IV. STEPS TO CONTENTMENT
Illus. In the Garage area at Watkins Glen, there were certain things you had to have in order to be let in, like a Driver’s Pass or Pit Crew pass or special Garage Pass.
•There were specific steps you needed to take in order to receive those passes.
There are also key steps we need to take in our search for/discovery of contentment.
A. Humility
Humility simply means putting others needs above our own.
Phil. 2:3-4 DO NOTHING OUT OF SELFISH AMBITION OR VAIN CONCEIT, BUT IN HUMILITY CONSIDER OTHERS BETTER THAN YOURSELVES. 4EACH OF YOU SHOULD LOOK NOT ONLY TO YOUR OWN INTERESTS, BUT ALSO TO THE INTERESTS OF OTHERS.
What happens when we consider others better than ourselves?
•For starters, we look at them with appreciation instead of envy.
•We begin to focus on them first, not on us.
•We begin to rejoice with them instead of comparing ourselves to them.
By the way, humility also implies a sense of submission/dependence upon God.
Jas. 4:10 HUMBLE YOURSELVES BEFORE THE LORD, AND HE WILL LIFT YOU UP.
Humility implies that we submit ourselves to God, and that leads us to being content with whatever God gives us.
Humility is the best way I know to combat envy and a key step toward contentment.
B. Generosity
The best way I know to overcome greed is to give it away.
(?Wesley) “Save all you can. Spend all you can. Give all you can.”
The happiest people on earth are the ones who enjoy giving.
2 Cor. 9:7 EACH MAN SHOULD GIVE WHAT HE HAS DECIDED IN HIS HEART TO GIVE, NOT RELUCTANTLY OR UNDER COMPULSION, FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.
By the way, we also need to remember a key truth Paul has taught us in this passage.
•This church doesn’t need your money (Some of the trustees may disagree).
God doesn’t need our money.
•He commands us to give, not in order to benefit Him, but to benefit us!
We all need to practice generosity – giving to the Church/others in need/missionaries.
•When we do that, we learn to overcome the temptations of greed and envy.
•When we give, we begin to discover real contentment.
C. Faith
This is the ultimate step toward contentment, believing that God is truly all we need.
That’s the great secret that Paul had discovered and now tells the world.
Why is it that with all the examples around us of people trying to find contentment in worldly things and failing miserably that we try to do the same thing?
1 Tim. 6:6-7 BUT GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT IS GREAT GAIN. 7FOR WE BROUGHT NOTHING INTO THE WORLD, AND WE CAN TAKE NOTHING OUT OF IT.
2 Cor. 9:8 GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE ALL GRACE ABOUND TO YOU, SO THAT IN ALL THINGS AT ALL TIMES, HAVING ALL THAT YOU NEED, YOU WILL ABOUND IN EVERY GOOD WORK.
Do we really believe that? What makes you happy? What brings you contentment?
Let me ask you this: would you be content if you didn’t get that promotion/raise?
•If you didn’t get that new car or new clothes?
Let’s dig a little deeper – would you be content if you’re health was failing?
•If you were in pain, your marriage fell apart, your house burned down, spouse died?
Real joy is not dependent upon having our needs met.
Real contentment does not depend on our circumstances.
Paul learned it through much experience and dependence.
I’ll be honest with you – I’m not there yet, but I desperately want to be.
•I want to discover what Paul did; I want to know/pursue/gain Christ.
•The only way I can do that is through experience and total dependence upon Him.
There is such as thing as perfect peace, true contentment.
•But we will never find it in worldly possessions or circumstances.
The question is, how long will it take us to learn this vital lesson?
How long before we can truly say, I HAVE LEARNED TO BE CONTENT WHATEVER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. I CAN DO EVERYTHING THROUGH HIM WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH?
The Bottom Line: The secret to contentment is Christ alone.
Nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.
That’s a secret we need to broadcast to the world! Have you discovered that secret yet?
Prayer/Reflection
Special Music Give Me Jesus
Hymn 554 Give Me Jesus
Sermon Outline and Power Point are available by emailing the author.
