As we have read in our scripture reading, our study has brought us nearly to the climax and close of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Philippian believers. Those who lived in the Roman region of Macedonia, who were at one of the major crossroads of all culture and all language, Those who were the first church to receive the gospel on the continent of Europe when the Apostle Paul during his missionary journey broke over from the eastern regions of Asia Minor and crossed over into Europe for the first time with the word of the gospel. If you have been studying along with us in the Epistle to the Philippians, you have noticed over the last few weeks that we have looked at some passages that were rather remarkable. We have looked at passages where the Apostle Paul has challenged each and every one of us to take up on a daily moment-by-moment basis an attitude of joy. And we've studied in depth how Paul felt and believed and showed and modeled that that was very possible. So I might ask you today, do you recall those principles? Have you been practicing putting that one foot down on the floor and saying, today I choose joy? I hope so. Paul has also, as you may recall from last week, exhorted us in how we ought to think. He's talked about right thinking. And we talked last week about how it is that on a moment-by-moment basis, how we program our minds can have a dramatic and direct effect on how we feel. How have you been feeling? How has your thinking been? How has the programming of the tapes going through your head been? Are you using the filter system that Paul recommended so carefully in verse 8 that we looked at last week? Those ways of filtering those thoughts so that you would think thoughts that are upright and noble and lovely and that would usher into your life positive responses and healthy attitudes. This week, the Apostle Paul moves us on to another area. And if you recall, have any of you ever read Pilgrim's Progress? It's a marvelous anthology of the spiritual life that was written by the Puritan John Bunyan. What's a fascinating story about John Bunyan is that he spent most of his adult life in jail. And many of the marvelous things that John Bunyan wrote that have been preserved down through the centuries because of their dramatic impact on the Christian community through the centuries were the fruit of his life in jail. And it seems to me that John Bunyan is a classic illustration of one who has not only comprehended what the Apostle Paul says about the secret in verses 10 through 14, but also has not just understood, but also begun to live the secret in his life. And it's this secret of the life of contentment that I would like to introduce you to as we look at Paul's discussion of it in verses 10 through 14 this morning. And as we do make an attempt to look at this secret that Paul discusses, we'd like to begin by looking first of all at what he says as he initiates this discussion in a word of gratitude for the Philippians. Actually the epistle to the Philippians is motivated by Paul's desire to send back Epaphroditus to minister to the Philippian church but also to send them a note of appreciation and thanksgiving for the fact that they had taken the time to send Epaphroditus with a gift of support for needs that they had become aware of existed in his life there in prison in Rome. And so Paul takes, toward the end of this letter, he takes time to express to them that he has a great feeling of appreciation for what they have done for him through sending this gift. And you notice he says in verse 10, I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. So Paul is uplifted. Notice he says, I rejoice greatly and this whole flavor of rejoicing permeates the book of Philippians and Paul expresses it one more time here toward the end of the letter. His spirit is uplifted and he expresses his gratitude to the Philippians for their gift and there are two reasons which I detect as I observe this for why Paul had such a sense and such a true feeling of rejoicing. One of them was certainly that he had been encouraged by the fact that by receiving this gift through Epaphroditus, he had become aware of the fact that the Philippians were still thinking about him. They had been a very special church in his life. They had been very encouraging to him because they were the first church in Macedonia that responded to the gospel. And his contact with the church at Philippi had not been as continuous as it had been in previous times, and so when he received this note through Epaphroditus and this gift for his support, it was extremely encouraging to him because it relinked him with this very precious church to him. Not only that, not only was it the reestablishment of communication that caused Paul to rejoice, but it was also the clear evidence that despite the fact that he had not had ongoing contact with the church, that life was continuing to grow in the church at Philippi. What's interesting is you look at verse 10 when he says, I rejoice greatly that now at last you have renewed your concern for me. When Paul uses this word that is translated in this translation, renewed, he's using almost a botanical word. It's a word that speaks of When you go out in the springtime after the frost is beginning to lift and you look at the trees and you note that there are buds on the branches. Those early flowers you can see, what are they, daffodils? The ones that first bloom in the early springtime. You can see them starting to break up through the ground as the ground's frost begins to soften. And this is what Paul is using, is this word for the new breaking forth of life. And in a sense what he is saying here is I am so grateful because I see the evidence through your gift of not just that life has been sustained but it is breaking out again. And so after the long winter of being separated from the Philippians and not having word from them, this gift was a fragrant aroma to him and an indication of life going on in Philippi and life growing in Philippi. and Paul was all in favor of growth, in fact that was such an encouragement to him. And he also says, I have rejoiced, but he says indeed, notice he said, indeed you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. What he is acknowledging here is that he is confident that they had a concern all along and lest they take his comment to them as somewhat of a backhanded rebuke and saying, I know that you were concerned but you just didn't even take the time and all this time has gone by and lest they think that he is upset with them for not having taken time earlier, he says, no, that's not at all. I know that you were concerned for me, I believe that you loved me and cared for me, only opportunity just didn't present itself. Perhaps the reason was that there were no messengers available like Epaphroditus who had the skill, who had the ability, who had the confidence to make a long journey all the way to Rome over land and on sea. Or perhaps that because of the persecution that existed upon this church and this Roman colony, they just were without the funds. They just could not help. But whatever the reason was, Paul acknowledges that he was very confident of their love and concern for him. And Paul recognizes this and he goes on and he says in verse 11, I am not trying to say this or I'm not saying this because I am in need. And Paul immediately moves to qualify what he is saying. He says, I rejoice, but I want you to understand that I'm not rejoicing because my need has been fulfilled. I am so excited that you are alive. I'm so excited that our relationship is being renewed. It is not my need being fulfilled that has created this feeling of joy. You can almost think to yourself, well that doesn't sound right. Why would Paul say that? Why wouldn't he be happy that his need was being met? And that is precisely why he adds this word of qualification in verse 11. Paul recognizes here the potential for a long response to his gratitude. Paul recognizes very clearly that the Philippians might have misconstrued his gratitude as somewhat of a veiled request for more support. Being very enthusiastic and happy about receiving this support, he wanted them to feel that and have that sense of gratitude, but he was also concerned for the fact that they might misunderstand his intentions. And so what he does is he takes a moment to digress in the next few verses and explain himself and explain his situation and explain his perspective on life, particularly on circumstances, situations, and needs. And in this digression that takes us all the way through verse 13, He takes time, as I say, to clarify for the Philippians what he means by the fact that it is not the fulfillment of his needs that has created his joy, but it is something else. In very straightforward words, the Apostle Paul informs the Philippians that he did not suffer any anxiety from his physical needs. Verse 11, I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Paul is not denying here the fact that perhaps he did have some physical privation. Perhaps there were some needs that were going unfilled and unmet. But he wants to emphasize that this is not a problem for him, particularly in his attitude. He is not suffering anxiety as a result. He's not denying that the needs might be there, but he is denying that they have had an effect on his spiritual life. Through his life as a Christian and as an apostle, Paul had learned that contentment was not dependent upon deriving, it was not dependent upon his circumstances. In fact Paul was quite aware of the principle that the minute you let any of your circumstances control your joy, you have all of a sudden jeopardized your joy because circumstances can change and Paul was quite sensitive to that. Paul uses a word here, contentment. a word that I think is a word that's somewhat elusive to many people. It's a word that I think, if I was candid, I'd have to admit had been elusive to me for many years. In fact, I sometimes ask myself if I really still understand it. But it was a word that Paul, interestingly enough, only used once, maybe twice in all of the writings that he wrote. It's interesting because it's a word that was very common for most of the Greeks in the society in which the Philippians lived because it was a very popular word with the Stoic philosophers. The word contentment meant for the Stoic philosophers a deliberate reduction of all attachments of the inner life to circumstances. You see, the Stoics saw a complete detachment of their minds and their inner souls from circumstances as a virtue. For them, if they could disconnect themselves from all circumstances, they were living the life of virtue. And as we see, as we will notice in verse 13, Paul's thinking, he wants to be clear, is not like that of the Stoics. He is not advocating Stoic philosophy here. He is not advocating ignoring your circumstances. He is advocating that we learn to manage our circumstances by whom we depend on, not what we depend on, and find our security in a person who he will acknowledge as the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice also in verse 11 when he writes, he says, I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content. A very critical statement that the Apostle Paul is making here. What does he mean when he says, I have learned to be content? It's very clear from this that the Apostle Paul acknowledges that contentment is not just something that comes on you like osmosis. Contentment is not something that is automatic the minute that you put your trust and faith in Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. No. Contentment is a mature grace. of the Christian life. Contentment is something that comes through a process of learning, through a process of growth. It is a spiritual grace. Contentment is a mark of Christian maturity. Contentment is something that must be learned. It's a capacity to rest in God's promises and to delight in God's presence, irrespective of your circumstances. Let me say that again. Contentment is a capacity to rest in God's promises and to delight in God's presence, irrespective of my circumstances. I really want to learn that. But you see, it's something that has to be learned. It doesn't come automatically, and it does take time. And this is why I think Paul moves into a word of explanation about this concept of contentment which he has made the focal point of this digression to explain why it is that it wasn't his needs being fulfilled that made him rejoice. Notice with me in verse 12 how Paul goes on and he says, concerning his own experience, 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." So he begins by saying something about what he knows, because he has learned, but then he speaks about something that he knows and he understands. He knows what it is to be in need, he says, and I know what it is to have plenty. Following his initial word of qualification about his joy, not being dependent on the supply of physical needs, Paul wants to get into the details of his own personal experience, which he can use and pivot from to explain to the Philippians how it was that he has gained this status in his mind of contentment. And he reminds the Philippians in the first part of verse 12 that he isn't a man who was inexperienced in the luxuries of life. To the contrary, Paul, having been at the pinnacle of Jewish culture, had experienced much of what the society and the culture had to offer in terms of luxuries. At the same time, he acknowledges that his experiences as an apostle had led him into situations of difficulty and extreme limitation. So Paul is not some poor-mouthing stoic who says, because I have been forced into a lifestyle of great privation and suffering, I have now learned to cast myself into the hands of fate and resign myself to a life of misery. That is not at all what Paul is saying. In fact, Paul is saying that I rejoice in my situation and all my circumstances, despite the fact that I know what it's like to have luxury. but also Paul is quite candid about his experiences of limitation and I would read to you some of his autobiographical statements from the second chapter of from the second letter to the Corinthians where he writes in very direct manner in 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 verse 8 he says to the Corinthians We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God. who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us. As you help us by your prayers, then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. Do you see the Apostle Paul's attitude? He is absolutely committed to being submissive to whatever God brings into his life. And this is part of the process that he talks about when he says, I have learned the secret. So Paul was not, as I said, some down-and-out philosopher living in resignation to fate and privation. He was certainly not down-and-out or down on the wealthy. He simply states that he had learned how to live victoriously in either world. Do you and I know that skill? Well, it's available to us. In the second half of verse 12, if you notice, he says something about learning this secret. And this, of course, I think is the climax or the main central focus of this passage. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Again, the idea of learning comes out. The first word, learning, he used was actually the same word that you get the word disciple from. Disciple comes from the word mafeteo, which means to learn. And this is the same verb he had learned in verse 11. But in verse 12, it's a little bit different. In verse 12, again, he goes to the culture of the Philippians. actually more of the culture of ancient Asia Minor and the Near Eastern mystery religions. In the mystery religions, the initiates would go through various stages of initiation, of learning about the cult, about the religious sect to which they would ultimately be admitted. And once admitted, they would be given or delivered the secret messages or the secret concepts of that religion. And this is a word that comes out of that system. Paul says, I have gone through, in a sense, an initiating process to come to this moment in my life where I understand the secret of contentment. And what Paul is emphasizing here is the fact that this is a learning process. It doesn't come automatically. It isn't something you snap your fingers, and even though you are filled with the Spirit, it becomes an automatic part of your life. That is not what he is advocating here. He is saying it is something that takes time. It takes diligent application of myself to focusing in on the spiritual. When Paul claims that he had learned the secret of being content, he is basically telling the Philippians that as a result of progressively detaching himself from dependence on worldly things, he had gained an ability to live joyfully and positively regardless of his circumstances. Was he in humble circumstances? He certainly admits to have been. He didn't get depressed or envious. Did the Apostle Paul experience affluence? He wasn't impressed or carried away with those circumstances. You might wonder why the Apostle Paul would point out being able to sustain his contentment even in circumstances of prosperity. I mean, most of us would be inclined to think, well, in prosperity it should be no problem to be spiritual. But I think the Apostle Paul is very careful to point out the fact that prosperity can be very, very challenging to your spiritual welfare. He probably mentions this because he knows that it is not easy to be a Christian in prosperity. And I would simply say on the side that I think this is the very reason why our country is struggling so much spiritually, is because we are prosperous. Prosperity makes us feel secure and full. And as a result, it has a way of dulling and distracting our attention to spiritual things. It's as a way of dulling our sense of the reality of the presence of Jesus Christ because we are not on our knees, we're not dependent upon him for meeting our needs. We are confident in ourselves and in our circumstances and the securities that all of our affluence may provide us and we are very secure people materially, but the problem is the material things have such an easy way of going through our fingers like sand. Circumstances have such a radical way of changing without notice and having wings and flying away. And so the Apostle Paul would urge us not to let affluence dull our sense of spiritual joy. When we are in need, or we think we're in need, the reality of Christ is much clearer. When we are in need, we're beseeching the Lord. We're practicing the fine skill of prayer. So for Paul, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want, he had learned to be unaffected by his circumstances. He could arise every day and maintain a spiritual equilibrium, regardless of what the day would present. But what is the secret that Paul had learned through all of his Christian experience? This he reveals in a word of acknowledgement in verse 13. Notice he says in verse 13, I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Paul's secret to contentment was simply Christ. It may seem so simple. The fact of the matter is it's very profound. Because you see Jesus Christ has been what he's been talking about to the Philippians all through the book. He acknowledges that it is Christ who gives him the strength. to endure any and all circumstances. As you read, I can do everything, or some translations have all things. In the original language, it's a direct reflection back to verse 12, where he says, in any and every situation, the same words. And Paul is simply reflecting back, and he is saying, in whatever circumstances I am, I have the strength to endure. He's basically saying that whatever circumstances may be sent my way by the providential grace of God, also at the same time I am attended through the love of Jesus Christ with all the energies and all the powers that I need to properly respond to God and live in those circumstances. I have the strength for all circumstances by Him who empowers me. That's what Paul is saying here. That's what his secret was. The secret to contentment that Paul had discovered was simply this, that he had made himself utterly preoccupied with Jesus Christ. Consequently, his happiness was not affected by circumstances. Paul had learned that contentment was a spiritual capacity. He had learned this capacity through all the experiences of his life. As he looked back through all of the experiences of his life, he could see where God had put him in times of great distress, but God had carried him through. He could see that God had put him in times of great affluence, but God had kept him from becoming proud and arrogant and self-sufficient. And as he looked back on all those things, he realized that he had learned to see and accept the sovereignty of God in all of his circumstances. That was really the key. He had learned by his devotion and focus on Jesus Christ to recognize God at work in every circumstance. It is so foundational. It is so simple. It's clearly something we have to be reminded about over and over again. Paul had learned to see and accept the sovereignty of God in every circumstance. You need to stop, and in every circumstance, regardless of what it is, say, God is here. God is orchestrating. God is in control. You have learned to cooperate with what we call divine providence. See, things just don't happen by accident. Things just don't come into your life by fate. things are completely moment by moment orchestrated by God. And the Apostle Paul had learned to see in all of these things the hand of God. He learned to understand that by abiding, staying the course, and communing in all of these circumstances with Jesus Christ, that Christ would be with him in all of these circumstances, enabling him, empowering him for them. Were he to look away from Jesus Christ, he would be disconnected from the power. As long as he kept his focus on Jesus Christ, he was connected to a source of power which encouraged and enabled him to endure. Patiently looking to Christ for understanding and peace in every situation was his practice. Acknowledging in every circumstance that whatever Christ had ordained for his life at that moment, whatever it was, it must be good. Because God is good. And God is the one who is in control. And sometimes understanding that good is so perplexing, so difficult to grasp. But the fact of the matter is It is rooted in the character of God. God is good. And though Paul may not have understood it all, may not have been able to discern the good in the circumstances, whatever they were, he took it by faith. And as he moment by moment, through his life and through all of his circumstances, practiced that kind of response, it became habitual. and also wisdom, perception, ability to discern the hand of God, and to recognize the movement of God within his circumstances became more vivid. He could see it more clearly as a result of practice. And this is precisely, I think, the thought that comes behind Paul's great statement to the Romans, as he wrote, saying that regardless of how difficult the circumstances were in my life, No matter how perplexing it seemed, or the challenges that God brought into my life, and how difficult deprivation, and how painful the beatings, how tempted I was to say, there can't be any good in this. God has abandoned me. God is treating me as a illegitimate son. As much as he might have been tempted by the enemy to embrace that kind of response, to his circumstances. No, his response was different. And he writes to the Romans, and we know that all things God works for good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called, and those he called he also justified, those he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? What shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble, or hardship, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, for your sake we face death all the day long. We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. No, Paul responds, no, a thousand times, no. In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. And then he goes on and he talks about his absolute conviction that though he would be assailed by death or angels or demons, nothing could separate him from the love of God that was in Christ Jesus. And so Paul speaks this word of conviction concerning what was the secret. And that was that he had learned to see the sovereign hand of God moving and working in all of the circumstances he had by faith embraced the goodness of God as being real in all of the circumstances, though not able to see it as clearly. But as time had gone by, he gained a greater and greater vision of this truth. And then he concludes this, these comments to the Philippians in verse 14 with the word of approval for the Philippians help. And Paul ends this digression and he returns to the main point of the theme of chapter of this paragraph, to thank the Philippians for their love and their commitment. And this love and commitment he acknowledges was in the gift that they had sent. He says, yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. It's not that he's trying to push them away and say, it would have been better that you didn't send it. No, not at all. What he's saying is, it was good, it was well for you to do that. I am grateful for it. But I am more concerned that you had the joy of the process of learning to see God in everything and to grow content. The more we focus on the glories of Christ, I am convinced the less glamorous this world is. Are there physical difficulties, sickness, disability? Remember what Paul said at the end of chapter 3 concerning the future of your bodies? He is going to transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like Christ's glorious body. Are there perplexities in this life? I am certain that there are. If you are normal, you are experiencing them. Paul would say, do not run from them, rather take them to Jesus Christ. Let us learn by submission to the sovereign providence of God that he only does what is for our greatest good and for his glory. And as you exercise these perspectives in all the experiences that God brings to your life, and He surely will, because His intent is to strengthen you in them and to glorify Himself, you can go to the point, too, where you can say with confidence and with assurance and with experience, I can endure all circumstances victoriously through Him who gives me strength. Let's close in prayer. Father, we thank you for this segment of our worship service in which we've been able to look into your word and seek to understand through the Apostle Paul what it was that enabled him to live such a triumphant and victorious lifestyle. We covet for ourselves and I certainly covet for myself and for all of my brothers and sisters that grace. Father, help us to stay the course. so that we may emerge as believers who have that aspect of mature Christian character. Help us to learn as you take us through the various processes of our life. To depend upon you and to grow to find in Jesus Christ all of our sufficiency. And as we approach your table, Lord God, we pray that our worship might continue in a spirit of joy, a spirit of expectation of this time of meeting with you. For Jesus' sake, amen.