Father, we need you. Jesus, we need you. Our rock, our redeemer, our safe tower. We always need you, but we need you more now. We know more of our need now. And I pray that you would speak to us from your Word, that you would open our eyes, our minds, our hearts, all of us, to see you, to know you, and to take comfort with you. In your most precious name we pray. Amen. Philippians 4 is a passage that is for those, believe it or not, in dark places. I thought a long while about a long while ago about preaching, looking forward to the holidays and looking forward to an attitude of contentment that Paul talks about here, but God has made even more clear to us this week our need for Him, our need for the truths in this passage. And as we begin this passage, I want you to see the title. The title is Enduring No Longer. You might come to this series of verses, and you might think that what Paul is saying is that in spite of difficult circumstances, the call is to endure. That Paul is rejoicing because he's found the way to endure in spite of difficulty. But brothers and sisters, I don't believe that is at all what Paul is saying here. You might come to this passage and hear that Paul is rejoicing and assume that because he's rejoicing, life must be good. If life isn't good for you, there may be a credibility issue. If you're like me, there are times in your life when things are rough, difficult, painful, seemingly unbearable. And to hear someone else talk about the joys and the goodness and the pleasure of life immediately erects the wall. It goes up. And it seems thick and impenetrable, and you are cut off from that fellowship. And so you may come to this passage and hear the first words we're going to look at in just a moment. And here Paul say, I rejoice and nothing afterwards. But I want you this morning to hear the whole passage. Let's look at what he says. 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'm 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 from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the manner 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'm 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. Paul's rejoicing. Do not let the walls go up. Do not let his joy distance you from him or from what he has to say. Because Paul is not rejoicing due to the fact that everything is good. He says, I don't say this because I'm in need, but he is in need. It's simply that it's not the need that motivates his desire for the gift. Paul's circumstances were horrible. Paul was in jail. He was imprisoned. Now, in American culture, you may come to the point in the busyness of your life and the demands of taking care of your financial needs to think that jail might be a vacation. I don't know if any of you moms have ever said, put me in jail. Jail for Paul meant he paid the bills. Jail for Paul meant he rented his house where he had a guard stay. It meant he bought the food. It meant he had to make sure that he took care of himself. And so, if people like the Philippians didn't send gifts, Paul starved. Forget the fact that his freedoms were taken. Forget the fact that there was an impending death sentence. If the gift did not come, Paul died. And yet, He says, I do not write because I am in need. I do not look for the gift because I am in need. Whoa. Beyond his imprisonment, there were other Christians Paul writes about who earlier in this epistle he describes as those who for the ability to torment Paul while in prison, preach the gospel. Even his brothers in Christ were attacking him. But the circumstances are not the source of his joy or his sorrow. He says, 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. Do you hear that? Do you hear that? I have learned the secret of being content, and it's regardless of circumstances. We'll get to that in a few minutes, but I want that to sink in. It is not your circumstances. It's also not himself. Paul is not looking at himself as a source of his well-being. Paul was not merely enduring. I have come to this passage many times in my Christian life and I have heard Paul's words, content in plenty and in want. Content in sorrow and in joy. And what rings out to me is endurance. Get it out. Get through it. Be a man. There's a poem in 19th century British literature by Rudyard Kipling entitled If, and I want you to follow along as I read it because I think this expresses that idea very clearly. If you can keep your head when all about are losing theirs and blaming it on you. If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too. If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, or being lied about, don't deal in lies, or being hated, don't give way to hating, and yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise. If you can dream and not make dreams your master, If you can think and not make thoughts your aim. If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same. If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools. Or watch the things you gave your life to broken and stoop to build them up with worn out tools. If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it on one turn of pitch and toss. and lose and start again at your beginnings, and never breathe a word about your loss. If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew to serve your turn long after they're gone, and so hold on when there is nothing in you except the will which says to them, hold on. If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings, nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, if all men count with you, but none too much, if you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run, yours is the earth and everything that's in it. And which is more, you'll be a man, my son. We want to be there. We want that version of manhood. We want that kind of independent strength and self-control. And we might even think that as Paul is writing this passage, that's what he's saying. But brothers and sisters, that poem and the sentiment that it communicates is a lie from the pit of hell. It is not our calling, because everything in that This poem speaks of independence from a sovereign redeemer. And it is not what Paul is talking about in this passage. Paul talks about being content, but it's not mere contentment and it's not mere endurance. The term that he actually uses in the Greek is a stoic term. It is a term self-sufficient. And so as we look at this passage and we see that what Paul is saying is, I have learned to be self-sufficient in all these circumstances, we might believe that what he's calling us to is what Kipling wrote. But it's not. I believe Paul is using that term very specifically to redeem it. I believe he wants to bring us back from that precipice that says we ought to be enough. that we ought to be able to survive and flourish in spite. Paul is talking using the word self-sufficiency, but his comments speak of a personal sufficiency. There's a very large distinction between the two. It is Paul's. He owns it. It is his, and it is sufficiency. God is sufficient. God is enough for him, regardless of circumstances. But it is not Paul who is enough. He goes on in verse 13, immediately following what he's just said, I can do everything. And if he were thinking of self-sufficiency, he would stop there. But what he says is I can do everything through him who gives me strength. He goes on and he speaks to the Philippians about the gift that they've given and the wonder of that. We're going to look at that momentarily. But he ends that section by speaking not of their wonderful work, but saying to them, my God shall supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. He points them back to Jesus. There is a good gift that's given. And Paul rejoices in that gift, but not because of what it does for him. It did meet a need. Paul says, I am fully supplied because of what you have given to me through Epaphroditus. He says in verse 18, I have received everything in full and have an abundance. I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you sent. His need was real. Should nobody supply that need, he would die. But he doesn't rejoice because he has the gift and can now live. He rejoices. He says. Not that I seek the gift itself in verse 17, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. He delights in their affection. He delights in their heart, but even more so, he delights in what God is at work in them to do and the fruit that that will bear. The gifts are good and they are. They are a small way in a small way, a source of his rejoicing. But Paul is almost a parenthesis in this section of things speak such an incredible truth that we have to stop and unpack it. He says in verse 12, I have learned the secret of being content. In the midst of being a prisoner, in the midst of pain, in the midst of rejection, in the midst of agony, Paul speaks to the Philippians and says, I have learned the secret of being content. If you hear that, your heart needs to cry out, show me! Brothers and sisters, each of you sitting here has reason to long to know that secret of contentment. Regardless of the fact that we lost Burt, we had pain before we recognized that loss. We will have pain when we have adjusted and we will always have pain. There are people in this congregation who bear incredible loads of pain. Paul speaks to you. Paul speaks of hope. What is the secret The secret is that our well-being is found in God, in his redemptive work, in his daily care, and in our certain future. It is not found in ourselves, it is not found in our circumstances, and it is not found in the care of others beyond God for us. All the places we look, I want to draw your attention to God, and I want you to see a few things about Him. God speaks of Himself and tells us that He is not a man who should repent, nor son of man who should change his mind. He says of Himself, does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? God speaks to us and speaks to His trustworthiness. He is a sure and certain foundation for hope. He's trustworthy. He will not lie. He will not pull back on his promises. He's powerful. He's created the universe, a universe we can't even see the boundaries. He delivered Israel from Egypt. We look at that lesson and we see God take on the most powerful empire of the time and defeat it. to free slaves. He raised Christ from the dead. Death does not stop God. And he gives us a new life. I don't think we understand that. We're going to unpack that in a minute. But brothers and sisters, that alone is our hope. You have, in Jesus, new life. But if God were merely trustworthy and powerful, He would be terrifying. He calls Himself our Father. He calls us to Himself as children. Romans 8 says, For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear. but you receive the Spirit of Sonship. And by Him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. You do not enter the kingdom as a servant. You do not enter the kingdom as a slave, glorious as that would be. You enter God's household as a son or a daughter. And with that status, comes love, connection, intimacy. Jesus speaks of that and speaks of his commitment to our glory, his glory, and our well-being when he says this in John 10. The thief comes only to kill and to steal and destroy. I have come that they, and you need to read their you, it is us that he gives this to. I have come that you may have life and have it to the full. John 16, 24, he says, until now you've asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive that your joy may be made complete. Jesus is not simply concerned about our position, he's concerned about our lives. He's concerned about our abundance, our satisfaction, our satiation. He wants us full. And so to accomplish that, he does what no one else can do. For you see, our hope in our well-being is not simply founded in God independently. It's founded in his redemptive work for us. He sets himself for our good. And in John 19, Jesus says, later knowing that all was now completed and so that the scripture would be fulfilled. Jesus said, I'm thirsty. A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they took, they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of hyssop, lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, it is finished. With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19, 28 through 30. It is finished means the debt is paid. Your sin is yours no longer. Your guilt is yours no longer. You have been redeemed. You've been bought at a price, the price of Jesus himself. And not only do you belong to him, but so does your sin and your guilt. And while there's tremendous comfort in that, even with that redemptive work, we could be alone and struggling here. We could be struggling with the fact that we have to wait for heaven, and it could make this life seem so much more miserable, because we're alone. But Jesus cares for us moment by moment and day by day. And His words to you are this, Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." That's the heart of your Savior. That's the heart of Jesus for you. He says that to you in times of tremendous emotional need. He says that to you in times of plenty. He says to you, I care. And I'm also the one who cares who is powerful. I am the creator of the universe. I am the one who has rescued Israel from Egypt. I am the one who raised Jesus from the dead. And I am the one who has given you new life. And I love you. I am here. Certainly, there is the yoke. And for many years, as I read that passage, I begin to think, this is another call to endure. It's another call for me to suck it up, pull the plow. And what Jesus is saying to me is, I've got work for you to do. But that is a terrible misunderstanding of this passage, because that yoke is a two animal yoke. And what Jesus is saying to you is, come, stand by me. Come, let me bear your burdens with you. Come, let me give the strength. Let me move the plow. Let me set the direction. But you must come and bear this burden with me. Because I intend to accomplish incredible things in and through you. And you will find rest. It is a paradox. But brothers and sisters, it is a wonderful truth. It is the secret. It is the mystery of contentment. And along with that is our certain future. Our well-being is founded in God, in his redemptive work, in his day-by-day care, and in our certain future. And he says to us in Ephesians chapter 1, I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. and his incomparably great power for us who believe that power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ Jesus when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms. Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. We have a certain future. One of the things that has been raised many times in this week as we've dealt with Burt's suicide has been the question, when you commit suicide, can you go to heaven? And while that's an understandable question, brothers and sisters, the answer is no mystery. The answer is no mystery at all. Let me read another passage and then I'll tell you. In John, chapter 10, Jesus says, My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one can snatch them from the Father's hand. Brothers and sisters, for every person who comes to Jesus, there is a moment of redemption. There is a moment where the heart of stone is taken out and the heart of flesh is put in. There is a moment where there is a washing that brings cleansing that cannot be polluted. There is a placement of the Spirit of God in the life of a believer, in the heart of the believer, that moves them to keep his decrees and commands. Isaiah 53 says, All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. When you come to Christ, there is an irrevocable act. God takes every sin you have and you will commit, and nails it to the cross. He nails it to the cross. There is no sin you can commit that can cost you your relationship with Jesus. None. For those of you who struggle with where Bird is, there's plenty of fruit There's plenty of good to see how God's Spirit has been at work in his life, and that gives us hope he's redeemed. If redeemed, his suicide has not cost him redemption. Now, suicide is an ugly, destructive act. And I do not mean to give any comfort to those who are struggling and thinking maybe heaven is a better place. It is certainly a better place, but it's the Lord's timing. But no sin can cut you as a child of God from your Father. None. No failure to confess, no failure to repent can cut a redeemed believer from Christ. That sin has been nailed to the cross and you own it no more. Brothers and sisters, you may have fears as you sit in the service this morning that you are or could or may have commit the sin that cuts you off from Christ. And scriptures say, no. God says, no. He says here, no one can snatch them from my Father's hand. The gospel is such incredibly good news because this is true. We are safe. We are so safe we might think, well then why obey? But the truth of the matter is, God loves you so much, He gives you His Spirit to follow His commands and decrees. God shows you the truth that your sin is not a wonderful thing to engage in. It is death in life. It is hideous. It is ugly. There is pain amongst us all this morning for what Bert has done. There is pain amongst us all this morning for each sin we commit. It is ugly. Whether it's adultery, whether it is idolatry, whether it is gossip, whether it is lying, The big and the small. Sin is death and it is destructive. But sin is not powerful enough to cut you off from Jesus. That's the point of the cross. And so this morning, the call to you is to look to Jesus. The call to you is to look to the cross and to see what incredible love and what unbelievable power is demonstrated there. The call is to turn away from your self-sufficiency and to depend upon Jesus, to cling to that secret that your well-being, your joy in life is found in Him, in His redemptive work, in His incredible love for you and in your certain future. It cannot be lost. Let's pray. Jesus, I pray that you would cause in us the spirit of rejoicing. That we, like Paul, would rejoice at the gift that's been given. that all of the gifts that are given. But Lord, that we would find our well-being in you. That we would see who you are more clearly and recognize what an incredible gift it is that you even would allow us in your presence. But that you have loved us and have given yourself for us, that you've paid the debt of our sin. And it is ours no longer. That you long for us to experience life fully with joy. And that you love us too much to leave us to look for that joy in circumstances. But you will direct our gaze to find that joy in you. And Lord, I pray that we would treasure the certain hope we have of heaven. because your promises are true and you are a God who speaks truth and does not change his mind. Lord, comfort us. And as you comfort us, direct us to comfort others. Pray particularly for those who have been grievously wounded by the loss, by Burt's death. And I pray, Lord, that we as a body would rally that we would rally in that hope and certain future and in that day-by-day care to extend care to Nancy, to Nate, to Becky, and to the close circle of friends who share their grief so terribly. And Lord, I pray that we would not so focus on this one issue of pain that we neglect the pain that is visible around us. Lord, I pray for each of those in this congregation who is deeply troubled, who is living in dark places, that you would shine a warm, comforting, gentle light and that you would show them yourself. I pray for us as a body to care for them and to pay attention and to love them well as we love you well. And we pray for your ongoing gracious work in our circumstances. Lord Jesus, you know our needs. Please meet them. And we bring all these things to you because you are our love, our hope, and our life. In your name, Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.