Satisfied in any Situation
August 23, 2020 Morning Service
Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK
Rick Boyne
Message Point: If we are in Christ Jesus, we can be satisfied in any situation.
Focus Passage: Philippians 4:10-13
Introduction: What does it take for you to say, “Life is good?” Does everyone have to be well? Do you have to have enough money in the bank to make you feel comfortable? Do all your bills have to be paid on time? Does your car, appliances, and relationships all need to be running smoothly? Conversely, is life NOT good when you are experiencing problems related to health, relationships, finances, or automobiles? For most of us, a significant amount of our lives are filled with problems. What do we do then? Some are tempted to gripe and complain (which for some, has become a way of life) and never be happy at all. Paul gives us the secret of being satisfied in any situation.
I. Satisfaction in poverty and suffering
a. Too many of us base our happiness on our current situation.
b. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10 NASB)
c. "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21 NASB)
d. "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? "And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? "And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. "But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-34 NASB)
e. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 NASB)
f. Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12 NASB)
g. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18 NASB)
h. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 NASB)
II. Satisfaction in abundance and peace
a. John D Rockefeller, was once the richest man in the US. He was America’s first billionaire. When asked once, "How much money is enough money?" He replied, "Just a little bit more." Whether or not this quote is accurate, it is a very sad commentary on the mindset of most Americans. [Wikipedia]
b. Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok said to him, "Since the contributions began to be brought into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat with plenty left over, for the LORD has blessed His people, and this great quantity is left over." (2 Chronicles 31:10 NASB)
c. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, "Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually. (Job 1:1-5 NASB)
d. and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. (Acts 2:45 NASB)
e. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 NASB)
III. Satisfaction in Jesus
a. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 NASB)
b. Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." (John 4:13-14 NASB)
c. The fear of the LORD leads to life, So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. (Proverbs 19:23 NASB)
d. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NASB)
e. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 NASB)
Application/Invitation: If you are looking for the things of this world to satisfy you, you will, indeed, never be satisfied. Blaise Pascal, a 17th Century French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and theologian wrote, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.” [Wikipedia] Jesus alone can fill that void. The Bible says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. (Romans 10:9-10) Won’t you trust Him today?
