Now that you are seated, go ahead and turn to Philippians, the book of Philippians, chapter 4, verses 10 to 14. We're not completely ignoring or abandoning our study of Hebrews. When we ended two weeks ago, we were looking at Hebrews 13, verse 5, where he tells us to make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have. And it's that theme of contentment I want to pick up on this morning. We didn't really get to do it justice then, and so I thought it would be good for us to focus on it this morning. So that's why we're in Philippians chapter 4. I'll begin reading in verse 10. Paul writes, But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now, at last, you have revived your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I know how to live in prosperity in any and every circumstance. I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having an abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. So, Lord, do open our minds and hearts and teach us what we must learn about contentment in Jesus. Amen. There is a bit of a paradox here in the writing of the Apostle Paul in this letter to the Philippians. On the one hand, he speaks much of his affliction, verse 14 being a good example of that, his hunger, his need, his deprivation. You might remember that Paul, as he writes this letter, is a prisoner in Rome. He's being held captive while awaiting a trial before Caesar. Now, as far as Rome was concerned, they really felt no great need to waste money clothing or feeding prisoners in Paul's situation. After all, if they died, it was just one less case for Caesar to have to worry about. So Paul finds himself in a situation where he is absolutely dependent on the help and support of friends. That can be a scary place. And yet at the same time, there is in this letter a deep sense of contentment and joy in Christ. That's what I want to look at this morning as we continue this theme of contentment. I want you to see that as a Christian, you can learn to be content regardless of your circumstances. In fact, it is something you must learn. And so let's begin there. I want you to see that contentment is something to be learned. Notice how Paul says that there in that 11th verse. He says, I have learned to be content, whatever my circumstance. Meaning it is not automatic. It doesn't just show up. And Paul says, I've learned to have this contentment regardless of my circumstances. Well, let's think about Paul's circumstances. Maybe things really weren't that bad for him. So, you know, of course he feels content. Well, actually, no, they were very bad. If you know the story at all up to this point, Paul has been arrested in Rome, Acts 21 tells us, on false charges. His enemies claimed that he had tried to desecrate the temple by taking a Gentile in there. Now, that was a lie, but it's what they claimed. And a riot had broken out in the temple courts and Paul had almost been killed. A mob took hold of him and were beating him and would have killed him had the Romans not intervened. And so to protect him, the Romans had taken him into custody. And then ultimately, because he was under a threat of death, moved him to their fortress at Caesarea. And then what happened? Well, then they kept him a prisoner there for the next two years. Why did they keep him for two years? What crime had he been convicted of that made it necessary to keep him? Well, nothing, honestly. You see, the Roman governor hoped to extort a bribe out of Paul or his companions, so they just kept him there. They held on to him for two whole years. Finally, when a new governor came, Paul made an appeal of his case to Caesar. That was his right as a Roman citizen. He was put on a ship, shipwrecked, nearly killed again, bitten by a snake, finally carried to Rome where now night and day he is chained to a Roman guard waiting his trial before Caesar. His friends in Philippi have heard of his situation. They're rightly concerned for him. Again, they knew that he could die in that situation if someone wasn't there to take care of him. And so they've taken up a collection and they've sent it to Rome through the hand of a man named Epaphroditus, who is also supposed to go and take care of Paul's needs. Now interestingly, once Epaphroditus gets there, he gets sick and almost die. Paul ends up taking care of him. But nevertheless, Paul is grateful for these friends. You see that down in verse 18. He tells them at the end of this letter, I've received everything in full. I have an abundance. I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. So this is Paul's situation as he writes. After all these years of suffering, he's still a prisoner. Still waiting to see whether he lives or dies. Now, that's not a place you would want to find yourself. Chained up for a crime you didn't commit. Held captive unjustly for three years. Uncertain of what your future is going to be. Unable to even care for your own needs. Dependent upon the charity of friends who are hundreds of miles away. And yet, in the middle of that situation, Paul says, I have learned to be content no matter what my circumstances. Church, here's a guy we can learn from. And so let's look a little closer at what he says here. Again, notice he says that contentment is something to be learned. It doesn't just show up in your life like a breeze on the wind. It is something you must aim for. A lot of people think that contentment, well, that's just something you either have or you don't have, depending on how things are going. No, for the Christian, you understand, you must seek it. In fact, this word for learn here is actually the word we now use today for learning math. I don't know about you, but math didn't just come to me naturally as I slept. I had to work at it. I had to memorize the times tables like some of you kids are doing now. I had to learn the rules of algebra. And it was hard. It took time and effort, but by the way, it was worth it. The same is true here of contentment. It's not something that just happens to you. It is a grace that must be learned by you. And so if you sit around waiting on contentment to just show up one day, waiting on it to come because your circumstances improve, you will very likely never know anything of this spiritual grace of contentment Paul is talking about. But what is it? What is this contentment he has in mind? It's interesting, the word itself that Paul uses is a word that means literally to be self-sufficient. It was used, for example, of a city that had everything it needed within its own confines so that it wasn't dependent upon imports from outside. Nobody else had to feed it, nobody else had to give it water, nobody else had to provide it with outside sustenance, because it already contained within itself what was required. That same word then was used of a person who had learned to be happy within themselves. Happy, not because they had everything, but because they weren't needy, as we use that word. They're not looking around for other people to complete them. They're not going around saying, oh, give me, give me, this is what I need. No, they are content within themselves. Now, for the pagans in Paul's day, that could become a form of arrogance, as you can see very quickly, right? I don't need nothing or nobody. But that's not Paul's attitude here. Again, notice his deep gratitude that just runs throughout the whole of Philippians. Verse 10, again, he says, I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that you have revived your concern. I'm thanking you for the help that you've given me, in other words. And so, Paul is not saying that he's content in himself as himself. Paul is not content in Paul in some sort of self-centered way. Now what he means is he is content within because of Christ. Notice he says, I rejoice in the Lord. Remember, Paul here is speaking as a Christian. Paul is speaking as someone in whom Christ has come to dwell by faith. And so rather than thinking of this as some kind of self-sufficiency, we really ought to think about it as a Christ-sufficiency. Because what Paul has found in himself is Christ. And it is Christ in him that gives him all he needs for life and godliness. He has settled his heart in Christ and is so satisfied with what he has in Christ that he doesn't need anything outside of him. 2 Corinthians 9.8, Paul talks about the same mindset. He says, And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed." Now there he was speaking specifically of material things, but it's the same principle. You have within yourself, you have from Christ what you need. As a church, what this is for us, it is a choice to have a radical God-dependence, a God-satisfaction. And so the more that I find all that I need in Christ, the more I learn to look to Him, the less of this world's treasure I will desire. And so the Christian learns to have a glorious independence from the world by gaining a radical dependence upon Christ. That's what he's saying. What we're talking about here then is an inward grace, an attitude of the heart that we cultivate as Christians by learning to have a deeper and deeper trust in the all-sufficiency of God Himself. And that brings us to the second thing then. So this contentment we're talking about, because it is an inward reality, this contentment does not depend on your outward circumstances. Now, this is so important, but it's such a hard thing for us to get hold of in this culture. Because admittedly, we live in a culture that identifies satisfaction with having things, right? You live here. Turn your television on. What are you going to see in virtually every commercial? You're going to be pitched a product or a service that is the absolute key to your happiness. Right? I noticed that Nevin, like me, has got some gray in his beard. Dude, how do we live with that? I mean, according to that commercial, you got gray in your beard, it's just over. You're an old man, you're ready to die, you might as well, you know, go get that thing dyed, have some plastic surgery. I mean, right? That's the commercials. Ladies, it's a dirty little secret, but some of you You have soap scum in your bathtub. Haven't you seen the commercials? How do you live? How do you sleep at night? You got to rush out and get this product that's going to take care of that or you're just a bad person. Or guys, you're driving that beat up old car. Oh, yeah, sure, it's mechanically sound, but don't you know there's a new model out or a new phone or a new computer? The advertising industry exists to breed discontent in your heart and in the hearts of your children, right? Do you watch the cartoons? I mean, the cartoons. Well, between the cartoon episodes, the commercials for the toys without which no child can be happy on this planet, right? That's what they're pitching. That's the whole culture of consumerism we live in. By contrast, look what Paul says in verse 12. I know how to get along with humble means. That means with very little. And I know how to live in prosperity in any and every circumstance. I've learned the secret of being filled or going hungry, of having an abundance or suffering need. And so the kind of contentment Paul is talking about here is a secret inner attitude that lets him be satisfied in Christ no matter what he does or does not have. That's what we need. You understand, it is my soul resting so much on God and trusting so much in the sovereignty of God that I don't need to look to things or people outside myself to give me satisfaction because I have it in Christ. So, for example, just thinking practically, what that means is, I am not looking to my wife, Amy, to satisfy me. Oh, if only she were different. If only she was this or that, then I could be happy. I'm not content, I'm not happy, because she's not this. She hasn't done whatever. No, I choose to be satisfied in Christ with the woman God has given me. If there's things we need to work on in our relationship, we're going to work on them. But where I find my heart discontented and I think it's her fault, I go and I repent and I put my heart before God and I say, God, change me. Others perhaps are saying, well, if only I had a wife or had a husband, then I could be satisfied. No. Work to be satisfied in Christ. Now, seek a heart that is content in Him. But you don't understand, if I had a better job, if I made more money, if I had a bigger house, if only I had better children, greater opportunities. You know what's wrong with all of that? Even though we spend these things in our mind, what's wrong with this? Think about it. What happens as soon as you actually get any of those things you thought would make you happy? You want something else. Proverbs 30 verse 15, speaking of this, says, The leech has two daughters, give and give. They are never satisfied. They never say, it's enough. We have to recognize the craving, self-seeking heart will never be satisfied no matter what it has. It's like a bratty child. Watch a child who's used to getting his way. Watch a child demanding to have the thing he wants. He whines, he complains for some trinket. Until he gets it, then what happens? He throws it away and whines and complains for something else. Brent, your heart is like that. As long as you believe you can only be satisfied by getting something, by having some experience, by reaching some status, then there will always be something beyond your reach that you can't have and you will never be satisfied. You will be like that bratty child. But listen by contrast. To Psalm 131 verse 2 and 3, the psalm writer says, I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child. So like a child who's no longer on the breast, no longer on the bottle. A child who is now full and content. He's had a good meal. He's just sitting there in his mom's lap, content to be held by her. I have weaned my heart off of these things. My soul is quiet within me. Oh Israel, put your hope in the Lord now and forevermore. That's the attitude of heart we have to strive for. And the Bible has so much to say about this. Hebrews 13, 5 again, make sure your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have. 1 Timothy 6, verse 8, if we have food and clothing with these, we shall be content. 1 Timothy 6, verse 6, but godliness, a life centered on and shaped by God's presence, godliness with contentment is great gain. So Paul says here in Philippians, I have learned the secret of being content. Now look at that word secret. This word is a really interesting word. It actually refers to an ordeal that was part of the initiation ritual in the secret mystery cults of Paul's day. That's one of the ways this word was used. If you wanted to join one of these mystery cults, You didn't just show up and sign a piece of paper or walk down an aisle or anything like that. No, they put you through a real test. They put you through a rigorous mental and physical ordeal. It was hard. They stressed your body and stressed your mind in the belief that by going through this sort of ordeal, you would learn the secret of union with the cosmos or whatever deity they were worshipping. Paul says, I've been through the ordeal. I've learned the secret, not of some silly initiation ritual, no, no. What he means is that by hard experience, trusting God and learning to depend on God through tough situations, he has learned to be content. Do you understand? There are some things you can only learn through the experience of difficulty, trusting God. Paul has learned by hard experience, by walking with God through tough times, he has learned the secret workings of God upon the human soul. He has learned the kind of contentment that can come no other way. Paul has learned through his experience with God that sometimes God takes everything away so that you have no choice but to depend upon Him. And sometimes God puts an unexpected abundance in your hand to see if you will still trust Him. But either way, Paul says, I've learned the secret. Again, listen to him. I've learned the secret of having a lot or having a little, of being full or going hungry, of having an abundance or having nothing. By the way, Christian, which is harder for you? Is it harder for you to be content in God when you're suffering a lack of things? Or is it harder for you to be content in God when you're distracted by an excess of things? Personally, I think I find it harder to have things. Maybe that's why God has never let me have a super abundance. Maybe He knows that would destroy me. It probably would destroy me. The wise man in Proverbs understood this. In Proverbs 30, verse 8 and 9, he says to God, God, give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. The point is, True Christian contentment does not depend on stuff at all. It doesn't grow out of your circumstances at all. And so if you are still waiting on stuff to get better and things to improve before you can begin to be content in God, listen, you will never be content in God. And that's the sin here. It's the sin of idolatry. It's the sin of trusting things to satisfy. But Paul has learned the secret of an inward grace, of a spiritual contentment in Christ, one that is neither heightened by prosperity nor diminished by poverty. He has learned that having things cannot increase your joy, but neither can losing them take it away if it's in Christ. Paul has come to understand that the chief end of man is not found in having things, but in glorifying God and enjoying Him forever, resting in the riches of the New Covenant promise in the Gospel. So that if I have Christ, I'm satisfied. And that satisfaction frees me to enjoy whatever He puts in my hands or whatever He takes away. Because either way, I've still got Him. That brings us to the last thing here then, and that is to understand that genuine contentment is found only by being anchored in Christ by faith. Look at verse 13, one of the most misquoted scriptures in the Bible. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. It's a wonderful passage. But the point is what? The point of those words is, I can do all these things. What things? I can be satisfied with little or much through Christ. Please, please be aware, this passage is not a blanket statement to pull out for every sporting event. To post on your wall as an encouragement as you go try to attempt some insane personal challenge. You know, some guy's going to climb a mountain somewhere. I can do all things through Christ. Well, you've prostituted that verse at that point. No, no. He's not saying that we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. We can leap tall buildings and scale small mountains. This is not some Christianized version of Invictus. I am the master of my fate. I'm the captain of my soul. I can do anything. No, no. The promise here is very specific. I can endure with joy and be satisfied in Christ no matter what I have or don't have. Whether it's a little or a lot, it doesn't matter. Why? Because I have Christ who strengthens me. We have to see that our contentment doesn't flow... Get this picture. Our contentment doesn't flow into us from outside through things. For the Christian, contentment flows out from within us through Christ. Because we are in union with Christ by faith. So my mind is fixed on Christ. My hope is found in Christ. My heart is satisfied in Christ. This past Friday was St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick has become more and more of a person of interest for me. Supposedly he said these famous words, Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me. That's what Paul is talking about here. Notice that The key to Paul's whole message in Philippians is to be in Christ. Look back at verses 4-7. Paul says, Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say it, rejoice. Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 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. Now look down at verse 19. And my God will supply all your need according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus. Now notice those words there, in Christ Jesus. Those are the key words. A Christian is someone who is in Christ Jesus. She is in union with Christ. He is indwelt and empowered by Christ. She is happy because her happiness is found in Christ. And she has faith in Christ. That's why Paul can say in Philippians 1.21, for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. My whole life, My whole life is found in Christ. My strength is in Christ. He infuses satisfaction into my soul as I depend on Him. So, for Paul, the key is to draw near, to draw near, to draw near to Christ. Just listen to him. It's a little bit of a longer passage, but Philippians 3 beginning in verse 7, Paul describes his own circumstances and watch how he is shifting everything to Christ. Philippians 3 verse 7, But whatever things were gained to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I've suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish, garbage. so that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith, so that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, in order that I may attain the resurrection from the dead, not that I've already obtained it, or become perfect, But I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which I was laid hold of in Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. I mean, do you see? There is a real and abiding joy for Paul, but it's in having Christ. That's the key. Paul's mind is so completely focused and consciously set upon Christ that everything, even being lost to Him, is still gain. And thus he finds that he no longer hungers for the empty, disappointing stuff of this world, and instead he has great joy because he has Christ. And so even if he has stuff in his hands, he enjoys it for the sake of Christ. If he loses all his stuff, he gives it up for the sake of Christ. Because either way, come hell or high water, poverty or prosperity, he has Christ. And that is enough. And he is satisfied. are you finding your satisfaction in Christ? And over the years I have really appreciated and gained from a little book by a Puritan pastor by the name of Jeremiah Burroughs called The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. It's a wonderful book with tons of wisdom for anxious Christians. I'm going to close this morning by offering just Quick few tidbits of wisdom from Burroughs in that book. They're very practical, they're very helpful, so let me just give them to you quickly. First, Burroughs defines contentment as a heart that is quiet before God because it's resting confidently in the sovereignty of God, like that child in his mother's arms. That means, if you want to gain a contented heart, the place to begin is Get to know this God. Think much of His greatness as displayed in Scripture, of His faithfulness. Read much of His provision for His children according to His many promises. Learn from Scripture that He is a God who gives and takes away. He is a God who provides and withholds as He wills, yet He is always near at hand for His children who trust Him. that He may choose to take away your stuff to give you more of Himself, and in the process you learn that is gain. Get to know this God. It's the first thing. Second, Burroughs reminds us that the secret of contentment is found not by adding more things to your life, but by subtracting demands from your life. You know, we look around and we see all the things other people have or seem to have and how happy it all seems to make them, especially, you know, Facebook. Everybody's doing great on Facebook. We look at those happy faces with all their stuff and we imagine that if we had those same things, we could be happy too, yet we forget it's all an illusion. And what if God's purpose is not to give you those things? What if instead He wants to make you happy in Him without those things? And so I must wrestle my heart and teach my heart to demand less of things while learning to have more of happiness in God." Third thing he tells us. This one's very important. If you want to be content, don't cling to this world as if you thought it could ever make you happy. Burroughs points out, and I love this, He says, most of the time we are discontent for the sake of other people. Right? We want better clothes. Why? Because more expensive clothes will keep us warmer in the winter than less expensive clothes from Walmart? No, we want better clothes so we'll look good in the eyes of others. We're discontent with what we have for the sake of other people. We want a nicer car. Why? Because a newer car will get you there better than an older model if it's physically sound? No. It's because we want people to see us driving up in that nice new ride. It's ultimately just vanity. And so Burroughs says, don't let your happiness depend on the fancies of other people. That's good. Don't let your happiness depend on the fancies of other people. Besides, think about this longing for Let's say a new car. I'm driving a, you know, for years, I always drove old cars. Only a couple years ago, you guys were very, very kind, many of you, and helped us get a new one. I've always driven something 10, 15 years old, 100 and 200,000 miles on it. Let's say you're driving a 94 Ford. Works perfectly well, but you're discontent looking at the models. Back up and think about this. What if that 94 Ford is the only car you had ever seen? You had nothing to compare it to. It's the only thing you'd seen. You know how amazed you would be with that 94 Ford? You'd say to your friend, you know what, I've got this thing, it's a metal carriage. I go out in my yard, I climb into it, turn a key, put my foot on a pedal, and that thing takes me down the road at 60 miles an hour to get where I'm going like that. Can you believe how amazing that is? You say, yeah, but it doesn't have this. It's the only car you've ever seen. You're going to be so happy and content with it. The reason you're not content with it is because someone's got one nicer and you want a nicer one too. That's the seeds of this discontentment. Labor to get a heart that is satisfied in God with all that God has provided for you and not discontent over things. Finally, the fourth one. He has a bunch more but I'll stop with this one because I just love the way he puts it. It's helpful. Labor to be spiritually minded, setting your mind on God's new covenant promises and provision. That's not the creative part. Here comes the creative part. It's just good advice. Be spiritually minded. Burroughs notes this. It is only the empty bottles that clang and clatter and make noise, but full bottles are quiet even when they're thumped and jostled. I remember working with my father on a Pepsi-Cola route. Back in the days when they had returnable bottles, you who are older remember those, right? Glass bottles, you got to return. And the truck was an open-doored truck, so open base. And I remember we would leave in the morning from the Pepsi plant with full bottles, and that truck was as silent as it could be. We just went right down the road. The end of the day, when it's full of empty bottles, it was bang, clash, clatter, clang. You heard us coming from four miles away. Because empty bottles clang and clatter, full bottles are quiet. In the same way, it is only those who are spiritually empty who clang and clatter and complain about the things they don't have. So labor, Christian, to be full. full of hope through Christ, full of Christ Himself, full of His Holy Spirit, full of confidence and joy in Him, then you won't clang and clatter like these empty bottles the world is so full of and the worldly church is so full of. No, no. Look to Christ. See Him as having all you need. Take His promises to heart. Believe them with all your heart. Rest in Him for His daily promised provision with thankfulness, letting your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That's the promise of Scripture. And so contentment is found by a steadfast resting of your whole soul upon Christ as Lord. Friend, rest in Him this morning. Let's pray. Father, as I preach this message, I am, as so often is the case, preaching to myself as well. My heart can become tangled, twisted, bent around something that it thinks it needs. And I can become upset and angry. And Lord, I confess that to you as my sin. I've tied my happiness to some thing outside of you and therefore it eludes me and eludes me and I have no contentment or peace. And yet Lord, I have found and many in this room have found when my heart is tethered to you, When I am looking by faith to Christ alone in the gospel, Christ whose death took away my sin, Christ whose perfect life counts for righteousness, Christ who opened the doors of heaven and paradise that I might walk in free of charge, who took away my guilt and has given me His grace, Christ satisfies me as my all in all. Just as we sang earlier, hallelujah, all I have is Christ. Jesus is my life. Lord, would you let that be our confession this morning? Would you show us where we are guilty of the idolatry of discontent? Because we are seeking satisfaction in something apart from Christ that can never do it. Would you bend our minds, our wills, our hearts now to seek and find all that is needed through our Lord? And Father, if we have true needs, you will meet them. But you'll meet our needs, not our greeds. If we have things that we require, you will bring them, but only as we trust in you. So grant us that trust for Christ's sake, we pray. Amen.