Please remain standing and turning your Bibles to Paul's letter to the Philippians. Philippians chapter 4, reading verses 10 through 13. Philippians 4, 10 through 13. Before we hear God's word read again, let us go again to him humbly in prayer. Our God, we thank you for your word. We thank you that we have it here even translated for us. Help us through this inspired and translated word to know you and to find our sufficiency in Christ. In his name we pray, amen. Philippians chapter four, verses 10 through 13. Hear now the word of God. I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, For I have learned, in whatever situation, I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word, and may God add His blessing to the reading of His word. Thanks be to God. Please be seated. I've not read all of Grimm's fairy tales, but one that I keep returning to is The Fisherman and His Wife. And I've mentioned it in a couple settings over the years, so this might sound familiar to you. But the tale goes like this. There once was a fisherman and his wife who lived together in a little hut near the sea. One day the fisherman caught a great flounder, which was really an enchanted prince. And so he threw it back into the water. When asked by his wife what he had caught, he told her, and she rebuked him for not having made a wish first. He should have wished for a better place to live than such a miserable hut. She forced him to return to catch the prince fish and to wish upon him a cottage. And as the story goes, he found the fish prince, wished on his wife's behalf, and the fish granted her wish. Oh, what a charming, clean, and full cottage it was. She had all that she needed and more. A fortnight hadn't passed when the wife, Isabel, commanded her husband to return to the sea to wish for an even larger house, a castle even. Despite his reluctance, but because of his vexation, he obeyed, found the flounder, and he was told that upon his return home, he would see a castle for them. The very next morning, Isabel arose and thought that with the castle, she ought to be queen. Now her husband had no desire to be king, but she must be queen. So he returned to the sea, asked the flounder, and thus she became queen. Not a day passed when she insisted on being the Pope, the head of Christendom. Disregarding her husband's pleas and his wise counsel, she insisted, I will be Pope. He fearfully returned to the sea, and the wish was granted. He went home, found a great church in which Isabel was sitting upon a much higher throne, and they went to bed. Now she arose very early the next day, and as the sun was rising, she thought to herself, why should I not do that? And she commanded her husband to tell the flounder that she wants to make the sun rise. He asked the flounder, and the flounder replied to the fisherman, return and find her back in her hut. They remained there for the rest of their days. Now this is the heart of a forever discontented person. And it should not be the heart of you and me. It shouldn't be our heart. We see from this text, with a joyful and thankful heart, the Christian says in faith, by Christ's strength, I am content. Look again with me at verse 10. Paul says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Now with this verse we see Paul again referring to verse 4. He tells the Philippians there, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. He calls us to ever joyful hearts in the Lord. And here in verse 10, he says, I rejoiced in the Lord. Again, he is calling us to do what he called the Philippians to do in chapter three, verse 17, join in imitating me, follow me. As I rejoice in the Lord, you likewise rejoice in the Lord. Why all of this Jesus joy? Why this God-grounded gladness? Well, Paul expresses such joy over the Philippians for reviving their concern for him and over their eagerness to assist him while he was in prison. Now for some reason, we're not sure exactly how, but for some reason the Philippians were providentially hindered from providing for him for a time. Now maybe they couldn't get Epaphroditus to Paul as soon as they had wanted. Perhaps they didn't have enough money or other resources that they could part with. Or maybe they had already given self-sacrificially, but no more sacrifices could be given at Paul's dinner table for the foreseeable future. We don't know. But they had revived their concern. They had an opportunity, but now they do. And Paul rejoices because of that. Paul wrote that he essentially robbed the Macedonians, most notably these Philippians, in order to keep up the much-needed gospel ministry to the Corinthians. Not to say that he literally robbed these Philippians of their money, but to say that he depended, in large part, on their monetary contributions for the ongoing spread of the gospel. But Paul was very careful, always very careful, not to give anyone the impression that he was a minister for hire. That would mean he was a false shepherd. Or that he was seeking gain from the sheep. He wanted to avoid all offense. He tried very hard removing any stumbling block. Which is actually why he was bivocational. Why he had a tent making ministry. because he wanted to remove any possible accusation that he was in it for the money. He says, no, no, no. I was never in this for the money. A minister who is in the ministry for the money is a false minister. And Paul was not that. That's why he's quick to say that he's not speaking of being in need. He says this because he wants them to know that he is not rejoicing because his needs were being met. His needs were being met, but that's not why really he's rejoicing. Wasn't that, he says. Yes, of course, he's still in need. His body hasn't miraculously begun to function without food or drink. He still needs clothes. He still needs food. He still needs drink. But he does deny that his improved circumstances are the ultimate cause of his joy. He's not now joyful because he has a little more food in his stomach. He's not now more joyful because he has more drink, because he has more friendship. That's not it. Ultimately, no. Beloved, contentment is not situation dependent, but Savior dependent. And when there was a famine in the land, remember Elijah was daily fed and sustained by a raven. And so in a very real sense, Elijah was thankful for the raven's daily gift of food. But who directed the raven to find human food for the prophet? Not raven food, but human food. Children, who helped this raven get food to Elijah the prophet? Do you know? Hint up there. Who helped? Who sends birds? Who created birds? God. There we go. Yes. God sent the raven. God fed Elijah through the raven. Which is just an odd situation. But also, that's another reason we love birds. Beloved, express genuine, joyful, and thankful hearts at the generous gifts and sacrifices of others. We have daily opportunities to express thankful hearts. We could spend all day singing or manifesting that song, My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness, because there's so much to be thankful for. We could sing thankfulness every moment of the day because of all God has given. and God uses us to bless others. Children, when your bodies waste away from hunger and your mother revives her concern for you every morning, regardless of how she feels, and yes, even on Mother's Day, be thankful, be joyful that your God has given you a mother who cares for your stomach. Children, when your father teaches you how to work and how to be a man, how to cut down a tree, fix a toilet. Be thankful that God has given you a father who has helped you to provide for yourself, to provide for the needs of your future family. Children, when your parents see your bloody knee and your dad prescribes dirt for it, and your mother a Band-Aid and a kiss, thank God for the dirt. Be joyful over that Band-Aid. Partially receive that kiss. as tokens of their care for your body. Dear sister, when your sister in Christ takes you to your cancer treatments each month, give thanks. When your handyman brother in Christ comes over to fix your car, your dryer, your whatever, give thanks to God. When the elders or the deacons assist you with groceries, gas, an electric bill, or finding a job, give thanks to these servants as they've sought to bless you with the wise administration of benevolence. Give thanks, beloved, because God is working through his people to provide for his people. And the emphasis really should, again, be on God. God is working. God is our faithful provider. God is Paul's emphasis in this text, as he speaks of his own contentment. How do we define contentment? How ought we to define this word content? Now, Jeremiah Burroughs has written a book, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. It is an excellent book. And in this book, he summarizes the biblical testimony of contentment. He says it's this, it is a sweet inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition." Again, it is a sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition. To summarize, Contentment is that wholehearted disposition of joyful submission to God, our Father, our King. Joyful submission in every circumstance to God as our Father, as our King. And this contentment, Paul tells us, can be learned. Look at the last part of verse 11. For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Certainly, we would all like to learn discontentment, wouldn't we? Life was Paul's classroom. It is ours also. The spirit was Paul's teacher. The spirit is ours as well. Paul took his pop quizzes of Providence, his unit test of affliction. He completed his daily homework of seeking Christ's kingdom first. He read his required reading of scripture daily. He regularly completed his presentations, presenting even his whole life as a sacrifice to God. And soon, he would complete his final project, giving up his life. Still, he pressed on. Still, he strained forward. And beloved, he did more than pass his life classes. He excelled in all of them. Don't you wish you could imitate Paul? Don't you consider your life and you contrast it with Paul's life and you say, wow, I haven't even measured up to Paul. Reminds you of how much you need Jesus, since who is Paul, really? But Paul excelled in all of these lessons. Though, of course, he'd be the first one to tell you that he had barely just begun. Chief of sinners, unworthy servant. For what is a man's piety compared to God's perfection? Now this fact that Paul learned contentment reminds us that contentment doesn't come naturally to us. Contentment is not part of your own nature. It is a gift from God. It is a supernatural gift from God that you can only have in Christ. Contentment does not come to us by birth. It's not just part of our temperament. Even though we might have a milder temperament, a more calm temperament, that's not the same thing as contentment. Nor does contentment come quickly. Ironically, we discontented people want contentment to come quickly. No, contentment comes through the normal course of life, submitting to the providence of God and all of the many trials. Just a few days ago, I was talking with some dear saints, no one here, but had some conversation around a pool and talking with an older lady just about life and trials, and she's about to turn 60 years old, and talked about just hardships, and talked about contentment, trusting in Jesus. And she said, it's these little trials, it's the hangnail. that God uses to help us to learn contentment. It's the being on the I-95 with three flat tires. I would never wish that upon anyone. It's something like that that helps us to learn contentment when we face cancer, when we face the loss of a loved one, when we experience a job loss. when our world seems to be turned upside down. It's all of these little things that God is using by which to work us, to grow us, to grow contented hearts in us. So contentment has to be learned, has to be practiced, has to be lived out throughout our lives. And Christ, by His Spirit, teaches us daily to follow Him, daily to trust Him, daily to submit to Him, and so daily to be content in Him. You have enough trouble for tomorrow, Jesus says. Be content with me today. Follow me today. Trust in me today. Your father cares for you. Will you believe him? Your father will provide for you. Will you believe him? Look at verse 12. Paul says, I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance. I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. So here Paul describes the ups and downs of life that all of us, really most of us, will experience. He knows how to be brought low. He knows how to face hunger. He has learned to be content when he is abused, when he is humiliated. He knows what it's like to be in chains, to be in prison, to be publicly shamed. He knows what it's like not to have three square meals a day, or two, or one. He knows what it's like to hunt for just a handful of water. The once prestigious Paul, who had it all, knows how to be brought low, very, very low. And through all of this humiliation, he was tested, and he learned contentment. On the upside, he also learned to be content with prosperity. He learned how to abound. He learned how to be content with plenty. Now, does that sound strange to you? Be content with much? To have to learn contentment with abundance? It probably does sound strange because we have believed the lie that if we get what we want, then we will be content. And we want a lot of stuff. We have a whole list of desires, don't we? We have a whole list that we give our parents for our birthday or for Christmas. Mom, dad, I got these 28 things. And then I'll be content if you get them for me. And 26 out of those 28 are nowhere to be seen the next year, right? Not to say that you would get your children 28 things just to content them. But maybe you do get them 28 things. That's the lie that we believe. We need to have more in order to be content. We don't have much. We need more. Because we apparently know what will satisfy us, don't we? I know just the thing that will make my soul calm. I know just the thing that will make my spirit at peace. And it's that shiny new thing over there. It's that Fuller Bank account over there. It's that new job. It's that new relationship. Where's Christ in all of this? Wealth can provide great dissatisfaction. Money doesn't teach us contentment. Look at the celebrities. Consider the lives of rich people. Wealth does not equal contentment. There is truth in that saying. Wealth breeds discontentment. It doesn't have to. Money in itself is not a bad thing. It's a gift from God. But the more we have, the more we want. We normally add to our homes, don't we? We don't normally downsize. Unless we're moving, trying to get rid of stuff. we normally add two. John Calvin summarizes the way that we can be content with prosperity, with abundance. He says, he who knows how to use present abundance soberly and temperately with thanksgiving, prepared to part with everything whenever it may please the Lord, giving also a share to his brother according to his ability, and is not also puffed up, that man has learned to excel and abound. That is, we can be content with an abundance if we have thankful hearts, knowing that these are gifts from God. That we are not clinging to the coin so tightly that we see our brother in need and we give generously to that brother. And that we're not puffed up, thinking, oh, look how much I have. I have much more than that person. If we avoid those attitudes, we can learn contentment when we have an abundance. But this contentment was so rare in Paul's day, and it is so rare in ours, that Paul uses a very rare word, translated secret. I have learned secret. I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. This word refers to being initiated into a mystery, often with reference to the mystery religions of the first century. those religions that were only for the elite, only for the chosen ones, and it had insider knowledge, insider texts, and insider rituals. It actually reminds me much of Mormonism. They give you the outward, basic studying of LDS theology, and you can't know the real stuff until you get into the temple. And then they reveal all of the real stuff that's going on. The real understanding of the Fall, the real understanding of Godhood, etc. It's very similar to that. Paul's saying that he has learned a secret. He has been initiated into this small class of content people. But this not-so-secret secret is not for the elite. It is for the elect of God. Verse 13, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. This is not Paul as an apostle high above us saying, you can't even come to my level. This is humble Paul as a Christian dependent upon Christ. And we can say with Paul, I can do all things for him who strengthens me if we avail ourselves of the same one that Paul availed himself of, Jesus Christ. This is not for just special Christians. This is for all Christians. All Christians. Doesn't matter if you are one or 99. You can learn contentment if you learn Christ. If you find satisfaction in Christ alone. And so now we come to what is simultaneously one of the most comforting and most confused verses in all the New Testament. Not that Paul was confused. He knew what he meant. But oh, he was comforted, wasn't he? What does Paul mean when he says that he can do all things through Christ? Does he mean that he can carry up the stairs two cases of Sam's Club water all by himself? If he just recites, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Does he mean that Christ will move his car magically to the best parking spot in a rainy day? If he just recites, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Be my vision, be my vision to the parking spot. Does Paul mean that we can throw the final strike out if we just trust in Jesus? Who cares if the batter has Philippians 4.13 on his forearm? Which happened yesterday in the Men's College World Series game. Texas A&M against Tennessee. Philippians 4.13, and he lost. Surely they're both dependent on Jesus, aren't they? Is one going to be content and the other not? Does Paul mean that we can ace that final exam if we didn't study? Why study when you have faith? You really know that if you study, that's really showing you don't have faith in Jesus to guide you into all the truth. He just says to his disciples, he will guide you into all truth, so you don't need to study. Does Paul mean that we can be whatever our little prince and princess hearts have wished for? Oh, the lie of Disney. No, no, no. None of that. And you all know that Paul was not talking about any of that stuff. What he's saying in the context, he's making a summary statement of satisfaction despite our circumstances. In any and every circumstance, He can be content. Contentment, again, is not self-sufficiency. It is Savior-sufficiency. Sufficiency in the Savior, Jesus Christ. Trusting in Jesus Christ in any and all circumstances is the way of contentment. Because we are united to Christ, we focus on our relationship with Christ through the ups and downs of life, not on the ever-changing circumstances over which we have no control. If Christ does not picture in your life, you will forever be discontent. It's a fact. One man says, whether in high tide or low tide, storm or peace, the boat of his soul is joyfully resting above the water. That's the picture of the contented heart. It doesn't matter how turbulent the waves, and we know how turbulent they can be. It doesn't matter how violent the storm, We have Christ who walks on water. We have Christ who calms our souls. God, through Psalm 131, as he read just a little bit ago, paints that picture of contentment for us in the weaned child. David Powelson, who's now with the Lord, this is his favorite psalm. And he says, food from his mother once meant everything, now comes to mean nothing. Envision your own soul as a small child sitting on your lap. You used to be noisy, squirmy, and demanding. Now you sit still. That's the picture of learning peace. But of course, this analogy doesn't fit perfectly because we are never weaned off of Christ. Perish the thought. But as we trust in Jesus through the daily course of life, as we experience loss, as we enjoy plenty, the Spirit weans us off the food of the world and satisfies our souls with the bread of heaven, Jesus Christ. Jesus is our model, and he is our means. He is the one who has shown us the way of contentment. He's the goal. Conformity to Christ is the goal. We pray, oh God, let me be more like Jesus. And that includes, let me be like the contented Christ. He is the goal, he is the model, but he's also the means. He is the only way for you to be conformed to him. He is a substance. as the son was brought. Look where Paul was, a fallen creature, made by God. And behold the son, the one who made creatures, the one with the Father. So who is your savior? What is satisfying you? a dog, and he's paid thousands of dollars to get this realistic-looking dog suit that he would be in for, I think, 23 hours a day. And just a few weeks ago, he said he can't do it anymore because dogs and men walk differently. around that way. And I don't say this in a joking way, but this man thought that his identity was in this dog. That finally if he got this, if he got this suit, if he lived as this dog, then he would be satisfied, then he would be happy. And that's what our world believes. It's expressive individualism, this idea that we can be whatever we want to be, and you can't tell otherwise. You can't tell me that I'm I'm not a woman. If I want to say I'm a woman, I'm a woman. when the wife is going crazy, when our children have not. Calvin says believers humble themselves and are willing to be treated severely so that they may profit in God's school. But let us always learn from our Father in heaven what he has to teach us. Jeremiah Burroughs. God has suited it just for me. This trial, just for me. The contented heart says, with faith in the Savior, when He's experiencing the trial, I wouldn't have it any other way. Right now, just considering this trial, oh God, right now, is the best place I want to be in. This is best suited for me and my condition. I wouldn't want it any other way. Oh, Lord, I'm afraid that if it's some other way, I might fall into sin. Thank you for this trial. with true faith. It's really difficult. We have trials. People say things, people do things. When you sin, you regret your sin. When people are dying, it's hard to say, I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm glad, oh God, that you gave my brother cancer. It sounds morbid, doesn't it? But cancer is not apart from the will of God. And as hard as it is to say, what we're doing is we're entrusting our souls to our Father who cares for us. Come what may, contentment can come. In Christ alone, we sing. In Christ alone, my hope is found. We say this because we follow the Son who submitted to His Father, and He said, Father, I wouldn't have it any other way. It's good, Father, that you send me to the world to live, to suffer, to die, to be raised from the dead. It is good. And when it's all said and done, he utters as our introcessor, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I wouldn't trade any suffering for a moment of worldly peace. The son says, in effect, Father, if I had to, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I don't regret one moment. Not one moment, son. You were misunderstood. You're the perfect lamb of God, nailed to a cross. You're the last one that should be up there. I wouldn't have it any other way. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. And we in the sun rest joyfully, do we not, that Jesus doesn't have to do it again. It's finished. Praise be to Christ. as our Redeemer. The Holy Spirit has a seal and guarantee of our salvation. So turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and be content with your Christ. For it is you who light my lamp. The Lord my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop. And by my God I can leap over a wall. This Christ-exalting text. Help us, we pray.