I'd ask you to please turn in your bulletins this morning to Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4. We have been going through the Ten Commandments. The third part of the Heidelberg Catechism is presenting to us a world and life view. And we are coming to the conclusion of that particular series today with this last sermon on the Tenth Commandment. Most recently, we have been considering what the Westminster Larger Catechism has to say about what duties are required and what sins are forbidden in the Tenth Commandment, and noted that one of the duties required is a full contentment with our own condition, and that the sin forbidden is discontentment with our own estate. So, we've been spending some time about that, and I want to conclude this series with what I hope is very practical, very rubber-hits-the-road material on how to learn contentment. So, read with me, if you have turned there, Philippians chapter 4. We're going to read verses 10 through 13. Hear what follows for what it is, the Word of God. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have received your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you have had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me." Three points. First of all, contentment defined. Secondly, contentment located. And then thirdly, and most practically, specifically, contentment learned. We noted the Jeremiah Burroughs definition of contentment last time, and I want to repeat it for you by way of defining what we mean by contentment. He says that Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition. Put somewhat more simply and perhaps negatively, contentment is the opposite of grumbling and complaining, which so many of us, if not all of us, are prone to do. In this text, we learn three very important lessons Paul wants you and me to know about contentment. First of all, where contentment is located. The first two lessons are negatively and then positively. That is, contentment is located not here, but here. So the first lesson Paul wants you to know is that contentment does not depend on your circumstances. Contentment is not dependent on your circumstances. Your spiritual happiness does not depend on your life happenings. Look at verse 11, if you will. I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Recall that Paul is no ivory tower theologian. He is not detached, dispassionate, and distant from the realities of normal everyday life. Indeed, his life was characterized by suffering and by persecution. He knows whereof he writes, in other words. In 2 Corinthians 6, just a couple of examples of that. 2 Corinthians 6, he talks about his persecution and his suffering. In 2 Corinthians 6, I'm sorry, it's 2 Corinthians 6, I mean 1 Corinthians, sorry. 2 Corinthians 6, verses 9 and 10. He says, as dying, and behold, we live as punished and yet not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing everything. And then in 2 Corinthians 11, verse 27, he talks about what he has undergone as an apostle of Jesus Christ. He says, three times I was beaten with robs. rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, the night and day I was adrift at sea, on frequent journeys in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Goyim, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardship through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure, and apart from everything there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. So when Paul says, I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content, he knows whereof he speaks. He's walked the walk. He's not just talking the talk as some kind of phony preacher, all right? He has learned in whatever circumstances. Look at verse 12, similarly. He says, I know how to be brought low, I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned contentment, all right? And Paul would speak to you this morning and say, maybe you find yourself single and desiring to be married. Maybe you find yourself single and wondering whether or not you'll ever be married. Paul says you need to learn to be content. Paul was single. Perhaps you find yourself dealing with a sinful past and struggling with the difficulties that your conscience brings into your life. You think Paul was unfamiliar with that? Paul says, though formerly I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent opponent. He says, the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. Who could be worse than a blasphemer? Who could be worse than somebody that went around to Christian congregations and dragged people out, had them stoned, had them thrown into prison, and yet he received mercy? So if you're dealing with the sinful past and your conscience is plagued, you can learn contentment. Maybe it's your job situation. Maybe you find difficulty in employment. Maybe your employer is difficult. Paul, again, in 2 Corinthians 11, he says, the daily pressure of my anxiety for all the churches. His work was laborious. His work was anxious. His work produced problems for him. His people produced problems for him. But he learned contentment. Maybe it's persecution. Maybe you are ridiculed for being a Christian. Maybe you're mocked for being a Christian in the workplace or in your classroom, amongst your colleagues, even in your family. Paul says you can learn contentment. J. I. Packer, in his book Knowing God, a classic, was talking to a university professor one day. He says, I walked in the sunshine with the scholar who had effectively forfeited his prospects of academic advancement by clashing with church dignitaries over the gospel. The professor said, but it doesn't matter, for I've known God and they haven't. It was a mere parenthesis, a passing comment on something I said, but Packer says it stuck with me and sent me thinking. You can learn contentment no matter where in your walk you find yourself. So, first lesson Paul wants you to know is your contentment does not depend on your circumstances. Whatever they are, Paul says, you can find contentment. Second lesson, positively, all right? Contentment is to be found in God. Now, you might expect a preacher to say that. Contentment might be found in God, but it's very important to know that and then to practice that as we'll see momentarily. Contentment is to be found in God. It flows from, if you're a Christian, it flows from your father in heaven. Look at verse 4. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Look at verse 5. The Lord is near. The Lord is at hand. You see what Paul's saying? He's saying, my contentment, I've learned contentment. My contentment flows from God. Look at verse 7. He says, and the peace of God guards your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. Verse 9, what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Contentment doesn't depend on your circumstances. Contentment is to be found in God. That's where Paul found it, and he wants you to find it there as well. God is the one who provides contentment. Look at verse 13. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. One specific attribute is mentioned by Paul, and it's God's strength. It's strength of Christ. His strength will supply all your need. Paul relied on God's mighty presence even in the midst of difficult and dangerous circumstances. Now, how did he do that? Your weakness, get this, your weakness is the doorway to God's presence. Your weakness is the doorway to God's presence. If you're like me, and I trust you are, a fellow sinner, you know that this is perhaps your greatest difficulty in finding contentment. That is self-sufficiency. We are Americans. We are fiercely independent. We are rugged individualists. We will not accept help. We don't want help. And truth be known, we don't want it to be known that we need help. Your biggest problem in finding contentment is right there. Your weakness is the doorway to God's presence. In 2 Corinthians 12, you remember what Paul said? 2 Corinthians chapter 12, in verse 9, three times I pleaded with the Lord about the thorn in the flesh. He said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. For the sake of Christ, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Your weakness is the doorway to God's presence. Dispense with your self-sufficiency. Crush and repent of your pride. Your weakness is what you need in order to find contentment. You discover God's power when you are conscious of your impotence. One story illustrates this greatly. The story is told of a father who asked his young son to lift a very heavy object, knowing that it was way beyond his ability to lift it. The object wouldn't budge. Try again, son. The boy tried again with no success. Son, you're not using all your strength. The boy tried again, but still the object wouldn't move. Son, you're still not using all your strength. Oh, daddy, daddy, I'm trying, grunted the boy as he strained at the immovable object. I'm using all my strength. No, you're not, son, replied the father. You haven't asked me to help. What prevents contentment? Your weakness is the doorway to God's strength, presence, and contentment. God's power is discovered when you are conscious of your impotence. Your problem, if you are discontent, if you cannot find contentment, is you. Is you. Third lesson, Paul has to teach us. Look at the text again, verse 11. For I have learned in whatever situation to be content. Verse 12, I have learned the secret of contentment. See, if contentment comes from God, how do you get it? You have to learn. contentment. Contentment is not found. Contentment is not discovered. Contentment is not something magical that comes about by snapping your fingers. Contentment is not some mystery you have to figure out as if God is playing games with you. Contentment is not some kind of mystical force that you find by meditation. Contentment is not mystical that you find by plugging yourself in to an outlet and getting some kind of zap or jolt of spirituality. Contentment, Paul says, is something that must be learned. It's a process. It's something that is part of renewing your mind. Sanctification. You remember the words which we often sing, when peace like a river? When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blessed assurance control that Christ has regarded my helpless estate and has shed his own blood for my soul. Simply saying, in the words of that song, contentment is learned. It's something that God teaches his children. Four things, hopefully practical, rubber hits the road, concrete specifics on how to learn contentment. First of all, Know God. Know God. We find the knowledge of God in his word. We come to know God in his word. The Bible is a window into heaven, as much as it is a mirror in which we see ourselves. But it is a window into heaven in which we come to know God, who he is. And we come to discover, we come to see his great and precious promises. And that's the first thing. Often said by many Christians, I heard somebody just say it the other night, I can't remember where. God is good all the time. That's true, isn't it? Maybe you've said that. But it's not just something trite. It's not just some spiritual ditty that we mouth to other Christians to show that we're a Christian. God is good all the time. No. God is good all the time. And that's one of the steps to learning contentment. is to know him and to know his great and precious promises. That's how Paul learned contentment. He knew who his God was and he knew how God had revealed in his word his great and precious promises and he lived by them day in and day out. So one, know God's character and his promises. Two, Ask yourself, are you finding joy, peace, and contentment in something or someone other than Jesus Christ? Is that where you're looking for contentment? Is that why you are discontent? You're looking for contentment in your job. You're looking for contentment in a future spouse. You're looking for contentment, joy, peace, satisfaction in someone or something. But it is on Christ, the solid rock that we stand. All other ground is? Then why are you there? Why are you there? I can do all things through Christ. who strengthens me, not sinking sand. Second, lesson, renounce all those places where you're seeking contentment other than Jesus Christ. Third, be thankful. If contentment is the opposite of grumbling and complaining, and we've noted previously that we are a discontent lot, right? Let's just admit it up front, right? Then you learn contentment by being thankful always. Always. Many of you know that I love to mimic Dave Ramsey, right? You come up to me, hey, Pastor, how you doing? Better than I deserve. Well, ain't that a mouthful? Better than I deserve. What do you deserve? What do I deserve? You and I deserve nothing but God's judgment, God's condemnation, God's wrath, and hell for our disobedience and our disregard of his love and his grace and his son and his commandments. Well, if that's what you and I deserve, then everything after that is gravy, right? We're better than I deserve. And what should that lead to? That should lead to your being thankful always. Always, whatever circumstance you find yourself in. I'm going to read you a little bit of a lengthy story, but I thought it was such a great illustration. It's about Corrie Tenboom. Abigail, this is Corrie Tenboom. Abigail's in the house of Corrie Tenboom at King's College. I didn't know a lot about her, even from my daughter, but this was amazing about being thankful in any and every circumstance. Betsy and Corey Tenboom spent time in notorious Ravensbrook concentration camp during World War II because they were hiding Jews in their homes during the Nazi occupation of Holland. They lived as devout Christians, and they were raised to understand that honoring God included respecting the Jewish people. They were brought to the barracks in the concentration camp, and it was filthy, it was disgusting, and it had a stench. They lay back, struggling against the nausea that swept over us from the reeking straw. I sat up, striking my head on the cross slats of the bunk above me. Something had pinched my leg. Fleas, I cried. Betsy, Cory to her sister, the place is swarming with fleas. Here, and here another one. Betsy, how can we live in such a place? Betsy was muttering, show us how, show us how. Corrie realized she was praying. Corrie, Betsy said excitedly, he's given us the answer. Before we asked, as he always does, in the Bible this morning, where was it? I glanced down the long, dim aisle to make sure no guard was in sight, because the Bible was illegal. They had snuck it in. And through the Bible, it was in 1 Thessalonians. And it said, comfort the frightened, help the weak, be patient with everyone, see that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good and to one another and well. Go on, that wasn't all, said Betsy. Oh yes, rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. That's it, Corey. That's his answer. Give thanks in all circumstances. That's what we can do. We can start right now to give God thanks for every single thing in this new barracks. I stared at her and then around at the foul-aired room. Such as? Such as being here together, Betsy said. Oh, yes, Lord Jesus. such as that thing you're holding in your hand, the Bible. There was no inspection when we entered here. Thank you for all these women who will meet Jesus in the pages of the Bible. Yes, said Betsy, thank you for the very crowding here, since we're packed so close that many more will hear. She looked at me expectantly, Cory, all right. Thank you for the jammed, crammed, stuffed, packed, suffocating crowds. Thank you, Betsy went on serenely, for the fleas. The fleas, that was too much. Betsy, there's no way even God can make me grateful for a flea. Give thanks in all circumstances, Betsy said. It doesn't say in pleasant circumstances. Fleas are part of this place where God has put us. So as we stood between tiers of bunks and gave thanks for the fleas, but this time I was sure Betsy was wrong. Back at the barracks, we formed yet another line. There would never be an end to columns and weights. Betsy and I made our way to the rear of the dormitory room, where we held our worship service. Around our own platform area, there wasn't enough light to read the Bible. But back here, a small light bulb was able to read the Bible. And people would gather around. They would hear the Bible. And they would come to know Jesus Christ. One evening, Corrie says, I got back to the barracks late from a wood-gathering four-way. Betsy was waiting for me, as always, so we could wait through the food line together. Her eyes were trinkling. You're looking extraordinarily pleased with yourself, Corrie said. You know, we've never understood why we had so much freedom in the big room. Well, I found out. That afternoon, she said, there had been confusion in her knitting group about sock sizes, and they asked the supervisor, one of the Nazi guards, to come and settle it. but the supervisor wouldn't. She wouldn't step through the door, and neither would any of the guards, and you know why? Betsy couldn't keep the triumph from her voice, because of the fleas. This place is crawling with fleas. My mind rushed back to our first hour in this place, and I remembered Betsy's bowed head, and remembered her thanks to God for the creatures I could see no use for. That barracks was known as the crazy place where women have hope. And hope they had a living hope. Hope in the midst of darkness. Hope in the midst of persecution. Hope in the midst of unimaginable evils. Hope because they believe there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still. And so they thank God even for the fleas. and multitudes came to know Jesus Christ because of that. Be thankful always, even for fleas. Remember, contentment is the opposite of grumbling and complaining. Last thing, if you learn contentment, know God's character and his promises, Renounce all other places where you're looking for contentment. Be thankful always. And lastly, contentment comes not by adding more to your circumstances, but rather by subtracting from your desires so as to make your desires and God's circumstances equal. Maybe you don't get that. Let me repeat it. It's not by adding to your circumstances, if only I win the lottery, if only I had more money, if only I had a husband or a wife, if only I had a nicer place to live, if only I didn't have to ride the subway, if only this, if only that, adding to your circumstances. No, Jeremiah Burroughs says, not by addition, but by subtraction. Subtract from your desires all those things you think will give you contentment. to match your circumstances, and when they are equal, you'll find contentment. Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition, even the fleas. Let's pray. Lord God and Heavenly Father, we pray that you would, in your infinite mercy and patience with us, help us to learn contentment, help us to renounce our pride, our self-sufficiency, our independent, rugged individualism as Americans, and help us instead to look to you, as Paul did, to look to your promises, We ask, Father, that you would teach us, that you would grow us, that you would stretch us, that more and more we might be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Savior. For it's in his name that we pray, amen and amen.