10/22/23 Philippians - Part 13 “Contentment”

“Contentment”

Philippians 4:10-13

I’d like for all of you to close your eyes for just a moment.

Now, with your eyes closed, I’d like you to go to your….happy place.

Put yourself in the location, the situation, or the environment where you find yourself the most content.

(Don’t worry, I’m not trying to you…although, that would be sort of fun….When you wake up, You will all have an urgent desire to buy pastor Andy a Culver’s Curdburger….)

Ok, Are you in your happy place?...

I’m seeing lots of smiles…that’s good….you must all be there.

Perhaps some of you are relaxing on a beautiful beach in Hawaii.

Maybe some of you are in a deer stand waiting for that big buck you saw on your trailcam to come by…or, maybe your sleeping in your deer stand…whatever brings you happiness.

Some of you might be reading a book or knitting a sweater.

Others might be fishing out on the lake.

Maybe you’re on the back porch watching your grandchildren play in the yard…

Ok… open your eyes – sorry, I can’t let you stay in your happy place during the entire sermon….unless, of course, listening to sermons is your happy place….If that’s you, then by all means stay there!

(Show Mt.Ranier hiking pic) …. This is my happy place – hiking in the mountains.

Would anyone like to tell us where you just went….where is your happy place ?

No one was eating a Curdburger? 😊

Well, no matter where you were or what you were doing, all of your happy places have one thing in common – they are all temporary.

At some point, you have to come down out of that deer stand.

At some point, you have to come back from you Hawaiian vacation.

At some point, that book must be put down in order to tend to life.

At some point, the boat must return to shore.

The point is… all of the physical or geographical things or places that bring us contentment or happiness – they only last for a limited amount of time.

In today’s passage of scripture, however, we are going to learn about spiritual contentment from a biblical perspective – and how scripture tells us that we can be filled with contentment regardless of what we are doing, or where we might be!

I’m so encouraged that all of you made it to worship service this morning because our passage for today contains two very well-known and important verses – one of which seems to be seen everywhere these days.

For now, let’s recap what we’ve learned so far in chapter 4 – this important and beloved chapter of Philippians.

The Apostle Paul begins chapter 4 by stressing the importance of unity within the church…admonishing Euodia and Syntyche to put their differences aside and put their feud to rest for the good of the body.

Then, he addresses the crucial topic of anxiety and stress – and how through prayer and worship, we can live our lives free of these joy-stealing burglars through a supernatural peace found only through Christ.

Last week, we covered verses 8 and 9 where we are told to continually think about the virtuous things in life while casting aside those impure or sinful thoughts – remember the ‘brain combine’?

In today’s passage, Paul begins in verse 10 (Philippians 4:10) by thanking the church in Philippi for re-connecting with him through their financial support brought to him by Epaphroditus.

Remember Epaphroditus? He was a member of the church at Philippi who made the 800-mile trek to Rome to personally deliver the church’s offering to Paul.

It had been 10 years now since Paul had first arrived in Philippi on his second missionary journey and began preaching on the banks of the river at the edge of town– gaining converts to the faith such as Lydia and the Philippian jailor.

At some point during the next decade, the Philippian church had lost contact with Paul (Perhaps it was because Paul was always on the move – it would have been hard to always know where he was at any given time)

However, now, they had reconnected with their beloved pastor and friend – and Paul is thanking them for taking the time and effort to renew their relationship.

In fact, the reason for his rejoicing – his great joy – expressed in verse 10 isn’t as much about the monetary gift as it was a validation that the church still loved him – and that they desired to display their love for him in a tangible way.

Next week, we’ll be looking in depth at the issue of financial support for ministry – as well as the principle of giving in general – an important topic covered in the final verses of this letter.

For today, let’s begin with Verse 11 (Philippians 4:11) as it brings us to the first of two very well-known passages of scripture.

Paul says here that he has “Learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

Remember where Paul is when he wrote this letter?...he’s in JAIL!

He’s chained to a Roman soldier and cannot go where he wants to go, he cannot do the things he would like to do, he does not even know if he’ll live another day or not…..yet he is - content.

How do you think you would react in Paul’s situation?

Would you be able to be filled with joy and contentment?

We live in a very discontented society, do we not?

The grass is always greener in the next lawn….

Traffic is always faster in the next lane….

People are always happier in the next state….

Life would just be so much better if only you had a new house….or you could fit into a smaller blouse….or you had a different spouse!

There’s a story of two teardrops floating down a river. One teardrop says to the other “I’m from the eye of a woman who loved a man and lost him” the other teardrop replied “Yeah, well, I’m from the woman who got him!”

Everyone has their fair share of annoying faults – don’t be deceived into thinking that any marital discontent you feel now would magically disappear with a different spouse.

You see, being content – or being discontent – is completely up to you.

As one pastor put it, you can either be a thermometer – or a thermostat.

A thermometer is controlled by its environment…when the air temperature changes, the mercury in the thermometer reacts to that change by going up or down.

A thermostat, on the other hand, regulates the temperature in the room. It is NOT controlled by its environment. Rather, it controls the environment.

A discontented (Thermometer-like) person will always be happy or sad depending upon their immediate circumstances…they will always be searching for the perfect house, the perfect car, the perfect job, the perfect relationship….but never finding it.

On the other hand, the contented (Thermostat-like) person will set the tone of his or her mindset by simply abiding in an attitude of gratitude for the blessings they have received from God….regardless of their present circumstances.

There was an article written awhile back called “Discontent in Prosperous America.”

The article is about how we have more than ever before, and yet, we are more discontented than ever before.

We live in – by many accounts - the best time in history….yet we who are living in the developed world have the worst attitude in history.

Think about this….In just the last 40 years:

The average house size has increased while family size has decreased…we have more living space at home.

Average food consumption is up 500 calories a day….than it was 40 years ago.

The average life expectancy has gone up nearly a decade in the last 40 years.

We now have access to everything man has been able to learn about this world literally in the palm of our hand….

And yet, we are not content…we are not ‘satisfied’, as Mick Jagger & Keith Richards reminded everyone back in 1965….almost 60 years ago.

…and today – as a society - we’re even less satisfied.

Year after year, surveys reveal the same result -  people who live in poverty-stricken parts of the world are, on average, more content than those who live in developed countries like ours!

You might ask yourself…How can someone who lives in a mud hut with no vehicle or bank account be more content than a multi-millionaire with a mansion, a sports car, and a yacht?

Perhaps this epidemic of discontentment in the developed world stems from searching for contentment in all the wrong places.

The goal for many people today is simply to have all of their needs – and many of their wants – met.…this self-accumulation becomes the purpose of their lives.

And when this inevitably does not happen – discontentment ensues.

Unlike what our culture preaches, The bible says that we were not created to satisfy our own desires through the accumulation of wealth & material goods.

Rather we were created to serve and glorify God – and through doing this – we are blessed with a supernatural form of joy and contentment.

This is why someone living in a mud hut can be more content than someone living in a mansion!

1 Timothy 6:6-10 speaks directly to this when it says: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 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. For 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.”

It's a simple formula – If we live for ourselves, we will never find spiritual contentment. But if we live to serve God (And by extension, to serve others) we will find contentment in this life.

In Mark chapter 12 (verses 30 &31) Jesus summarizes the entirety of the law by instructing us to love God with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves –

In this passage, he’s doing more than just instructing us to remain obedient to a set of laws – he also knows that a lifestyle of obedience to these instructions will inherently bring joy and contentment into our lives!

Godliness with contentment is indeed – great gain!

There’s an old proverb that says:

If you want happiness for an hour – take a nap.

If you want happiness for a day – go fishing.

If you want happiness for a year – sail around the world.

If you want happiness for a lifetime – go help someone.

Folks, it’s a simple formula, but it can be hard to put into practice because we are all born with the sinful desire to please ourselves rather than to serve others.

Think about a baby.

Babies are cute and all - but they are professional consumers, right?! ….They take food, they take affection, they take loads of time, they basically take anything & everything we can give them, and what do they give us in return?... a few coos and a smile now and then…doesn’t exactly sound like a fair deal to me! 😊

Well, eventually (Hopefully!) the baby learns that life is not all about them and they begin to give of their time, talents, and treasures to others in some way.

This is why in verse 11 (Philippians 4:11) Paul says that he has learned to be content – it did not come naturally….he had to learn that contentment comes from serving Jesus Christ and placing the needs of others before his own.

How about you this morning? Have you learned this truth about being content?

Or are you still searching for contentment?

Are you searching for it in a bottle of Jack Daniels?

Are you searching for it through mind altering drugs?

Are you searching for it by way of sexual promiscuity?

Are you searching for it through food?

Are you searching for it through your credit card?

Are you searching for it by building yourself up and running others down?

Are you searching for it through entertainment, art, sports, or secular music?

All of these options will ultimately leave you unsatisfied and susceptible to chronic discontentment.

Satan is a master of distraction – If you take your eyes off of Jesus you will sink into the sea of discontentment and depression.

However, if you keep your eyes upon Jesus (Just as Peter did when he miraculously walked on water) you will also supernaturally walk above those waters of discontentment as you learn to experience true joy in Christ.

Finally, let’s look at verse 13 of today’s text.

This verse has become one of the most often seen – and, unfortunately, one of the most mis-interpreted passages in all of scripture.

Verse 13 (Philippians 4:13) reads “I can do everything through him who gives me strength”

Some translations read: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

 I’ve literally seen this verse everywhere. On bumper stickers, as a tattoo on people’s skin, on billboards, all over the internet – even on a famous basketball player’s signature line of shoes!

I think Hobby Lobby has an entire aisle of wall art dedicated to Philippians 4:13 !

It’s easy to see why this verse is so popular – it provides great encouragement because it serves as a reminder that (As believers) our source of strength comes from Christ, and not from ourselves.

However, this verse can easily be mis-interpreted if we take it out of context.

One of my professors in seminary had a favorite saying when it came to accurately interpreting scripture…”Context is King”

We have to ask ourselves ‘what is Paul talking about in the verses leading up to verse 13?’

In verse 10, he discusses his physical needs being met through God’s providence.

In verses 11 & 12, he tells us that his contentment is independent of his situation in life….whether well fed or hungry, rich or poor, he is content.

Verse 13 answers the basic question, then, of how Paul is able to be content in all of these fiscally-related circumstances.

When taking verses 10, 11, and 12 into consideration, we interpret verse 13 to mean that Paul is able to navigate any physical circumstance in life because he is relying upon the limitless power of Jesus Christ – not relying upon his own limited strength.

As one theologian states: “When Paul reached the limit of his resources and strength, even to the point of death, he was infused with the strength of Christ. He could overcome the most dire physical difficulties because of the inner, spiritual strength God had given him.”

Isaiah 40:29-31 states something similar when it says “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

The idea here is that through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are recipients of grace in the form of physical and emotional endurance amid difficult circumstances.

Unfortunately, there have been individuals who have mis-interpreted this verse and attempted to extrapolate a meaning that really isn’t there.

One such misinterpretation has to do with a name-it-and-claim-it kind of doctrine….the idea that I can somehow compel God to bring to fruition something that I want or that I desire to see happen.

This kind of interpretation contradicts the many passages of scripture that speak of God’s ultimate sovereignty….we simply cannot compel God to act in any way that would be contrary to His perfect Will.

I John 5:14 reminds us that “….If we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.”

Remember - He is the potter, and we are the clay – just because we may want something to come to pass does not mean that God also desires that same thing to happen….and when man’s will contradicts God’s will – guess who’s will will prevail..…certainly not the will of the clay, but the will of the potter….and it’s always for our benefit.

Don’t fall into the deceptive trap of name-it-and-claim-it theology that elevates man’s power and minimizes God’s authority.

Another misrepresentation of Philippians 4:13 has to do with the assumption that God will allow us to be successful at whatever we put our minds to….that if we work really hard at something, God is somehow obligated to give us success in that area.

There’s the story of a young man who was convinced that he was going to make it to the NBA someday because he faithfully prayed Philippians 4:13 over his life and asked that God would give him the skills needed to attain his basketball dreams.

Well, over time, he acquired some basketball skills, but since he was a 5’9”, chubby white kid, he (amazingly) did not make it to the NBA…in fact, he didn’t even make his high school basketball team.

There are certain things that God has not ordained for us no matter how many times we pray over this verse.

At one point growing up, I entertained the idea of becoming an astronaut – until I realized that I was no good at math and that I had a weak stomach….I would even get sick after riding the kiddy tilt-a-whirl at the county fair….space travel would never be in my future no matter how many times I would have claimed this verse in prayer.

Folks, you can do all things in Christ in the same way that Paul expressed that he was able to do all things in Christ….You can have contentment, joy, and peace in whatever you do – and in all circumstances.

If Jesus is Lord & Savior of your life, you have been granted the supernatural ability to walk through anything that life brings your way with contentment and joy.

If Jesus in Lord & Savior of your life, you are in a spiritual ‘happy place’ at all times, regardless of what may be going on around you.

One of my favorite hymns is called “At the Cross” and the chorus goes like this:

“At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light…and the burden of my heart rolled away…It was there by faith I received my sight…and now I am happy all the day.”

Does that happiness sound like something you’d like to have?

Does that contentment sound like something you need in your life?

If you haven’t already come to Jesus – today would be a perfect day to invite him into your heart and begin experiencing real, genuine, lasting contentment!

It will be the best decision that you will ever make…guaranteed!

Let’s Pray.