We have begun to consider that God, through His Apostle Paul, calls His people to godliness and beginning to look at what godliness looks like, the virtues of godliness, beginning with humility. And tonight we look to what the Bible has to teach us with regard to contentment, what Paul has to teach us. Looking to Philippians chapter 4, as we read together verses 10 through 20, with our focus on verses 11 through 13. Philippians chapter 4, hear now the word of God. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the Gospel, when I set out for Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only. For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I have received full payment, and even more I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. There ends the reading of God's Word. and may he indeed add his blessing to our reading and consideration of it. Well, beloved, in the Lord Jesus Christ, when Paul wrote this letter to the church in Philippi, we know that he was a prisoner in Rome. We know that he was surrounded by guards and he was fastened to chains under house arrest 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We know that he was dependent on his friends for his support for the food and supplies that would keep him going, Yet he gives an amazing profession here when he says, For I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. And that confession becomes even more amazing as we consider many of the circumstances that Paul faced that he outlines for us in 2 Corinthians 11. He says, I have been imprisoned more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the 40 lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea and in danger from false brothers. I have labored 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. Beloved, how many of those can you check off your list? Yet Paul says, I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. And he says in verse 9 of chapter 4, Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me, put it into practice. Paul was not only a teacher and a preacher of godliness, but Paul himself was an example of godliness. And he teaches us here that contentment is indeed a godly virtue. Not only are we called to have humility before God as we recognize His supremacy and His sovereignty and as we recognize the truth of ourselves in relation to our supreme and holy God, but we are also to have contentment in God as Paul gives his very own confident claim of contentment. Pointing first of all to its pursuit. The pursuit of contentment. For I have learned to be, or for I have learned the secret of being content. What is contentment? What does it mean to be content? I suspect most of us, even the boys and girls, have an idea of what it means. Maybe very simply we would take Webster's simple definition, which says that to be content means to be satisfied. And therefore, to have no sense of lack or no sense of need. And of course, we apply this to the physical things and situations of life, don't we? If we consider the New Testament, the word used, of course, is translated contentment here in our text. As well, in 1 Timothy 6, verse 6, Paul says, But godliness with contentment is great gain. But then, in 2 Corinthians 9, verse 8, Paul says, And 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. The very same word that Paul uses that is translated as contentment in those other passages is translated there, all that you need. Contentment, all that you need. Or we can turn to 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9, where the Lord says to Paul, My grace is sufficient for you. And that word that is translated sufficient there is translated in a number of other passages as be content. So very simply, the idea of contentment is the idea of sufficiency or all-sufficient or self-sufficiency. The idea of having enough. All that is needed. And what we are to understand that this is having enough, having all that is needed independent of external circumstances. And what we mean is this. Indeed, it has reference to external circumstances, but it is not those external circumstances that determines that contentment. That may be hard for us to reconcile. Contentment has to do with the focus of one's heart. It is the satisfaction and rest of the soul of the godly person. Being sufficient, having enough in God without regard for the lack of outward things, without regard for the desire of outward things. Again, contentment not being governed by outward things. Paul's contentment, you see, was not dependent on. It was not governed by, influenced by, or determined by the circumstances or the things of this life. And that is exactly why contentment has to be learned. It has to be pursued. Because this godly contentment is not natural for man. We might say it's supernatural for the child of God by the working of the Holy Spirit, but it is definitely not natural for man. Discontentment is natural because of sin. Now, contentment in Scripture, we know, most often is associated with possessions or position or the providential circumstances that God places before us. And again, in sin, though, it's these things themselves that become the basis of whether or not one is content. And therefore, contentment would be dependent on sufficient possessions. on a powerful position or on favorable providential circumstances. And of course, it's easy to be content when all of that is in our favor, isn't it? Now, if you think about it, the first temptation in man's history really was a temptation to be discontented. To be discontented with these very things. Adam and Eve in sin were not content with the work and the will of God. They were not content with the situation that God had placed them in and all that God had given to them. And therefore, we can say that discontentment is a questioning of God's goodness. It is rebellion against God's goodness. And it leads to coveting, of which He says you shall not covet. In sin, we know that man has a superficial, a temporary contentment only when He is well-fed, only when He is living in plenty, only when life is good with no problems or stresses or worries or concerns or enemies, then we have a superficial, we have a temporary contentment. But godly contentment is not natural when we find ourselves in difficult situations, is it? It's not natural. What's more natural is discontentment. All of Paul's negative circumstances that he records for us in 2 Corinthians 11, including what he says in this text, hunger and being in want, all of Paul's negative circumstances, we could agree, make us discontented. They leave us feeling unsatisfied. They make us feel as if we are lacking sufficiency. Now let's be honest, we often become discontented if the conditions around us are not exactly to our liking or if they in any way cause us to alter our plans or our desires. For example, if there's no second helping of food at the dinner table. Or if my favorite shirt is not washed and ready for me to wear when I want to wear it. Or when the internet crashes and you can't get to your Facebook page. Or if your hair simply isn't right today. Or if our favorite show is not on TV. Or if you think your car is getting too old. These are trivial things and that's the point, isn't it? Trivial things make us so discontented in life. Not to mention the major details that we face in life. In fact, if you think about it, our economy depends on discontentment and coveting. Think about advertising. whether it's advertisements for clothing or cars or food or vacations, the purpose of the advertising is meant to make one dissatisfied with what we have and to make us want something else. Or think about the political ads that we are surrounded by right now, whether it be for propositions or whether it be for candidates. Again, the goal, it seems, of these advertisements is to convince us that we are discontent over here with this candidate and the way things are over here, but we can find contentment over here with this situation or with that candidate. The truth is, beloved, we all know how real this discontentment is in our daily lives. Paul learned contentment. And we can be sure that he did not learn it from or in the midst of pleasant circumstances. in life. Again, that's somewhat natural, isn't it? But we can be sure that he learned contentment in the midst of the hardships and the difficulties and the lack that he faced. And this contentment is learned, it is pursued based on God's promises to provide. Not based on the circumstances themselves, but based on God. In Hebrews 13, verse 5, the writer says, 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. He doesn't say, never will you leave me or forsake me. He says, never will I leave or forsake you. He says, focus on me. Our heart is to be focused on God, not on possessions, not on position, not on providential circumstances, but on God. And you recall that Jesus says in Matthew 6, verse 33, but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. And Paul says in 1 Timothy 6, beginning at verse 6, 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. Paul's contentment was with God's promises and he was content with God's help. Even as the psalmist says in Psalm 119, Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things. Preserve my life according to your word. Paul had learned to be content through confident trust in God. And he enjoyed that contentment not just in the midst of a life of ease, not when everything was going in his favor. But he enjoyed that contentment. He enjoyed, secondly, its sufficiency, the sufficiency of that contentment, whatever the circumstances. He says in verse 12, I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Now, what Paul says there, if you think about it, covers the full spectrum of life. Broadly speaking, he enjoyed its sufficiency in plenty or in want. In all areas of life. As one writer says, the contented person experiences the sufficiency of God's provision for his needs and the sufficiency of God's grace for his circumstances. Or we might say he experiences the contentment of God's provision for his needs and the contentment of God's grace for his circumstances. Sufficiency in plenty or in want. And Paul knew both. It is believed that Paul was raised in the lap of luxury. That he was raised in a wealthy family. that he had all of his needs met, that he enjoyed plenty. Yet he also suffered want. Think again to the list of horrible circumstances that he gives us in 2 Corinthians 11. And looking at him from the outside, we might say that as we look at the Apostle Paul, as a believer, he had more want than plenty. Yet, beloved, Paul did not see plenty or want as society sees it. It did not make or break him because Paul knew contentment in both. Plenty or want, the circumstances and situations of life did not determine if Paul was content or not. He talks here about this generous gift from the Philippian church. Indeed, Paul was so very grateful for that gift and he needed it, we know, to provide for his needs, yet he makes it clear to the Philippian church that that gift did not make him more or less content. But he rejoices with the gift because it was a demonstration of their faith. It was a demonstration of their partnership with him in the Gospel. It was a demonstration of how God would provide for him. But it was not that gift that made Paul more or less content. But the contentment that Paul had learned And that contentment determined his attitude toward and how he dealt with any and every circumstance. This contentment that Paul had learned made him thankful in prosperity and patient in adversity. Therefore, Paul could be content with his current position. Indeed, he was an apostle. He was content with being an apostle even though being an apostle drew severe hatred and would even draw death for him. He could be content with his possessions though he had not much as a prisoner and he was content with his providential circumstance of being a prisoner in chains. And I believe that Paul is not the only example of contentment that God has given to us in the Bible. Maybe you can think of a couple. It would be interesting if I asked for a raise of hands. I won't do that. But think about Abraham. When Abraham had that knife above Isaac, ready to thrust it into Isaac. As hard as it may be for us to comprehend or understand, Abraham was content. Think about Daniel in the lion's den, or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Scripture nowhere gives us a hint that they were discontented with the situations they found themselves in. They are examples of contentment in God. And that contentment, beloved, is to be learned by us. You see, whether we are young or old, we often let our lives be conditioned by plenty or want. We let our lives be conditioned by what we have or don't have, by health or sickness, or by any external influence that comes our way. We allow these to determine the success and the happiness of our lives. And boys and girls, I know that you understand what we're talking about here because we often think, don't we, we often think that if we have this or that, or if I'm allowed to do this or that, then I will be content. Life will be more complete. It will be so much better. By the very fact that we often think these things shows that we are rarely satisfied. We're always thinking about what if, if something different, if only I had. And we almost always find out if we do receive what we want or if we are able to do what we wanted to do, we almost always find out that what we thought is not true. It did not last. It does not bring true and lasting contentment. And the fact that we are rarely satisfied with the situation in which God has placed His beloved shows that we become discontent, and it is a questioning of God. It is to question if He really does know what's best for me, if He really does care for me. And the truth is, if contentment depends on people or things or the circumstances that we find ourselves in, It is going to be a rollercoaster of a life, most often in the valleys. But Paul could confidently claim true contentment, thirdly, because of its source. Because of the true and only source. He says, I have learned the secret of being content. What is that secret? Well, I believe that we can turn back again to 1 Corinthians 12, verse 9. You know the story. Paul had been given some amazing opportunities and experiences by God alone, yet to keep him humble, to keep him from boasting, God had given him a thorn in the flesh. And three times Paul asked the Lord to remove that thorn, three times the Lord says no, but what he does say is, My grace is sufficient for you. As we talked about a moment ago, sufficient. God's grace was that secret. God's grace was sufficient for Paul. God's grace gave him contentment whatever the circumstances. God Himself was Paul's refuge and strength, His ever-present, His always-present help. And that grace, Paul would teach, was manifested ultimately in Jesus Christ. By whom, Paul says in Colossians 2, His sins were nailed to the cross. He says in verse 13, I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. He is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, Paul knew vividly the grace of salvation. You see, he knew that he could just as easily been struck down and destroyed by that bright light on the Damascus Road, but instead, it was the light of God's salvation as Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory Himself, called Paul to himself and to his service. Paul was not self-sufficient. He did not find his contentment in himself. He was not able to buck up in trials and overcome obstacles and temptations in his own strength. He was Christ-sufficient. He enjoyed the grace of a living relationship with Jesus Christ by faith, a relationship that transforms all of life. He knew that he was a child of God. He knew that because of what Jesus Christ had done for him, he was safe forever, no matter what the circumstance. He knew that apart from Jesus Christ, the circumstances of life mean absolutely nothing. But in Christ Jesus, even the circumstances of life take on a whole new meaning. Transforming life so that even when He was in want, even when He was hungry, Paul had sufficient. Boys and girls, we always say, I'm starving. I'm hungry. Even if Paul had that starving sensation, he would say, I'm content. I have sufficient. I have enough. He was content without complaining. Even when Paul was cold and hated and hurting and shipwrecked and in chains, he had nothing to complain about because he knew that he belonged body and soul in life and in death to his faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He enjoyed the grace of God's promises that all things in his life God was using for Paul's good. God was using them to prepare Paul for glory. That all the things that he faced, all the things that he had, all the things that he didn't have, all of it is what Paul needed. He had the confidence of the grace of Christ's sufficiency in everything. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Now we know, as we have considered before, that this verse is used in a wrong way so often. It is used to say that whatever you or I set our minds to, we can do with the help of Jesus. Now, that's true to a point because with God all things are possible if He so chooses. but god has not determined that we would all be brain surgeons or all be carpenters or nurses or or or whatever the case might be and when it comes to the supernatural things of course that's not what paul means i can say well i can jump the grand canyon through christ who gives me strength but i guarantee you most likely that if i try i'm going to go straight down to my dad you see the context limits what paul is talking about and it limits it to whatever the circumstances and that's all we need whether i face plenty or whether i'm in want whether i enjoy good health or whether i'm suffering from sickness whether i am suffering persecution or enjoying a time of peace. I can face it through Jesus Christ who gives me strength. I am all sufficient in Jesus Christ. It's kind of like a country. Think of a country that has all of its resources in itself. It needs nothing from the outside. It doesn't need to bring in any imports to help us survive. It has all of its resources in itself. That's what we have in Jesus Christ. We have all that we need. for this life and to face the situations and the circumstances of life. When we trust in Jesus Christ by the grace of God, we find a supernatural supply of contentment and joy and peace applied to us by the Holy Spirit who lives in His people. And of course, beloved, this doesn't mean that we will never face sorrow or hurt or disappointment without effect. It doesn't mean that we will always like the situation that we find ourselves in. Some find themselves in very tough economic situations right now. It doesn't mean that we're going to like that. It doesn't mean that we are not allowed to try to improve a bad situation, like a bad employment situation or something else we are facing. We can and we may, using God-ordained lawful means and trusting His timing, yet all the while finding contentment in Christ alone, that God knows best, that we are safe with Him. Yet Paul does answer questions of how to face God's difficult providences in life. He answers questions, for example, how to suffer, whatever that suffering may be, without feeling a sense of grudge or complaint or annoyance or bitterness of spirit or anger. Or how to face a lack or a shortage of necessities of life. Or how to lose the big game or to be overlooked for the big part in the musical without thinking the whole world is falling apart or that life will never be the same again. And of course we apply this to all kinds of difficult situations, don't we? But also he teaches us how we can be full and enjoy plenty without thinking to ourselves, well, I did it, or without forgetting God. The answer, beloved, is that none of those things, none of life's circumstances or the things of life truly defines life, nor does it determine the life to come. Instead, Jesus Christ is my inheritance, and nothing in this life can change what I have in Him. My whole life is safe in God's hands. There is no safer, no more content place to be because nothing can separate me from His love. He knows, as Paul says, the Lord knows those who are His. He knows that I am His. He knows that you are His. And He has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Indeed, apart from Jesus Christ, one can only envy what others have. Apart from Jesus Christ, one can only feel a discontentment with what they have. Apart from Him, there will only be a dissatisfaction with one's lot and circumstances in life. Apart from Him, there's only hopelessness because this life is a dead end. But in Jesus Christ, we have everything we need. We have true contentment in Him and sufficiency because God is satisfied with us through Jesus Christ and we belong to Him. And therefore, He is our portion both now and forever. And nothing can alter that. Nothing can take that away. And therefore, beloved, thanks be to God for His forgiveness of our discontentment. And praise be to God for His gift of contentment in Christ Jesus our Lord and for the increase of that contentment, even as He prepares us for the eternal sufficiency of the glory of heaven. Amen. Let's pray together. Dear Heavenly Father, You show us ourselves so vividly, so clearly, in a way that we don't like to see, in a way that makes us uncomfortable. Yet You do so, Heavenly Father, to remind us of what You have done for us and what we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. And we pray that more and more by the work of Your Spirit, you would grant us increased contentment in you alone. That even as we face the trials and the difficulties and the harsh circumstances of life, that we might be content in you. Doing that which you have called us to do, being responsible into this life, yet all the while finding contentment, knowing that you are in control. You are the one who safeguards your people and provides for us. All that we need. And Father, may we too be content in that. Knowing that you provide what we need. Not always what we want. But always, without fail, what we need. Father, we thank you for our sufficiency in Christ. We thank you that we have that confidence that he has satisfied for all of our sins. That we are right in your sight. That You call us, Your children, for Jesus' sake. Hear our prayer, O Lord, for Jesus' sake. In His name we pray. Amen.