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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.
Philippians 4:10-14, The Secret to Contentment
Series Philippians
| Sermon ID | 517242131366011 |
| Duration | 36:54 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday Service |
| Bible Text | Philippians 4:10-14 |
| Language | English |
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