Fruit Of Contentment (pt-1)

The Lesson of Contentment in Philippians

In his thanking them for the gift that they had sent to him, the way that they had supported him in his need, in the closing of the book and in the thanks, he brings out this lesson that I believe would be important for us to learn.

We learn lessons as believers like how to love others as God has loved us. We learn the lesson of forgiveness, that we ought to forgive other people as God has forgiven us. We learn and ought to learn lessons like patience, and a lesson of humility, or of kindness, of hospitality.

Many of these things you've heard preached from this pulpit. What it is to have a servant's heart, we're to learn that. Learning to trust in God, to rely, to depend upon him in all things, and things like waiting upon the Lord.

But Paul here, if you would look with me, I'm going to begin reading in verse 8. I'm reading from the King James, the authorized version, verses 8 -13, where Paul wrote this church at Philippi and said, ''Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Those things which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me do, and the God of peace shall be with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last, your care of me has flourished again, wherein you were also careful, but you lacked opportunity.

Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere, and in all things, I am instructed both to be full, and to be hungry, both to abound, and to suffer need.

I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. Go to the Lord in prayer. Our Father in heaven, we are grateful for the wonderful gift of salvation that you have brought to us. We thank you for your great faithfulness, which has continued from day to day, throughout our whole lives, and we're thankful for your great mercies.

Whereby you forgive us, and your amazing grace, whereby you saved us, and called us your people, and you have given us the word of God, that we've heard in the hearing of our ears, and we pray that it may be effectual this morning, and that it reaches into our hearts, and that it changes us.

We so desire, as has already been prayed, that we would be learners, that we would be pupils of the word of God, and as your children, we want to be good imitators. Imitators of our God, and know what it is that we ought to do, to live day by day, and in particularly this lesson, this morning, we would desire that you would teach it to us.

I do ask that you would give us ears to hear, and hearts to receive the word, that the preacher may be able to preach from the heart, and that we may be able to listen, and the word would go to the heart of the hearers, and that all of us would learn, and be challenged, and to be able to go from faith to faith, and from strength to strength, and from grace to grace, and that you might just bless us, and equip us for that which is ahead of us.

All of it, Lord, so that Jesus Christ, your son, would be magnified, lifted up on high, and glorified, and we ask it in his precious name. Amen. So Paul here speaks about a lesson, and I believe that this lesson that I would like to speak from, and speak to, and that we would learn about, it's so appropriate, considering the unsatisfied, unhappy, unfulfilled society in which we live.

The envelope is always having to be pushed. People want more, and more, and people have more, and more in our society, and we see it in our neighborhoods, we see it when we go to work, we see it in the advertisements, that if you want it, you basically can get it.

If you want to go down to Walmart, you can buy something, mix it with water, and you've got anything. It's there. I mean, we have an abundance, and yet we live in a day when people, with all that they have, are unsatisfied.

People are not happy. I've worked in situations in the past as a painter, and a wallpaperer, and worked in different houses of folks that were very well-to-do, and yet when I would look at them, and talk to them, and see it on their face, they were unhappy people.

They were unsatisfied, and the more that they got, the more they wanted, and the more when they reached that next goal, they wanted more. They were unsatisfied. People are chasing after counterfeit contentment, and that's the lesson this morning.

We need to learn to be content, as Paul said in verse 11. You notice it there. Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. But people are passing by true contentment, the real thing, and settling for counterfeit contentment.

By that counterfeit contentment, I mean that you can only enjoy life when everything around you is rosy. When you've got everything that you absolutely think that you need at that time, and you are happy because you have possessions, or you have lots of money, or the circumstances are well.

See, it's on the outside. Everything on the outside is good. And that's why people don't experience true contentment. It's because their environment and the world around them do not always end up the way that they want it to be.

Most people don't know what it means to experience true contentment because they have not learned the lesson of contentment. And that's what I put before you this morning. We as pupils or as disciples, as learners, as followers of Jesus Christ, learn these many lessons like I listed before, of kindness, and of patience, and of humility.

And here this morning, I would like for us to consider the lesson of contentment. Paul says he learned that in whatever state he was to be content. And for a definition of this word, to be content, the Greek word speaks of self-sufficiency.

It speaks of having enough. It speaks of not needing from other peoples, other people. It is a recognition that you have already everything you need. It is an inner sense of satisfaction. And this satisfaction is independent.

It's independent of circumstances. And it's independent of what we have or what we don't have. And contentment, as we see here in this verse, is something that we must learn. We are students and we must press on to learn.

And the thing that Paul learned was that in whatever state he was in, he learned to be content. In verse 12, he gives us some examples there. He says, I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound.

He says, I know how to be with humble means and I know how to be when I abound or when there's prosperity, when I'm full or when I'm hungry. Whether having an abundance or suffering a need, Paul says, everywhere and in all things.

See, we don't pick and choose when we're going to be content. It is that we're to be content in every situation, at all times, in all things. He says, I have learned this lesson. I believe Paul had learned the principle of Proverbs 15, 16, where the Word of God says, better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.

So we see that this contentment really is independent of circumstances. It's independent of the surroundings around us. It's independent. It doesn't, it's not phased by or it's not controlled by that which is going on around us.

It's independent of what we have or don't have, our possessions at any given time. Here's a principle. No matter what the circumstances may be, I believe Paul learned this, no matter what the circumstances may be, the content person has an inner satisfaction.

You see, the circumstances do not dominate their lives. They are not controlled by the circumstances. Now, I am not saying that we just let our surroundings or let our environment just, you know, this stoic, negative, pessimistic, just, you know, woe is me.

It's never going to change. If we can make things better around us by the strength and grace that God gives us to get jobs and to be able to provide, if we can make things better in our lives, then we ought to go for it.

But if not, if we have to live with the difficult situation and it's out of our control, if we have to live in a trying situation or with meager circumstances, we should not be controlled by them. We ought not to let the world that is around us determine whether we are going to smile or whether we are going to frown.

It ought not to be those things that are around us. And I'll speak to that a little bit more as we go on. A content person will not give up with God just because things in life may be crumbling around them or when things aren't going their way.

A content person will not grumble and complain about their lot in life. I think of a content man, a content man who went through just a horrendous situation, a horrendous trial and suffering in his life.

You remember Mr. Spafford who wrote the hymn, It Is Well With My Soul. And you remember the words that he penned. These were the words that he penned about the four daughters that he had lost. After he had lost his business, after he had lost his finances, after I believe it was the Chicago fire during that time and his daughters were traveling on a ship and there was a storm and the ship was lost and his four daughters were lost.

And he was able to say, Whatever my lot, God, you have taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. I believe that man learned to be content, just like the Apostle Paul is teaching and bringing out in this verse to us.

And this is a vital lesson for us to learn also. We're to be content no matter what happens in as far as the things that are in our lives. And I call them things, but like our finances or our job or our marriage or our house or our car or our children or our health or the church or people around us or the neighbors or whatever it might be, we realize, we must realize that every single thing that comes to us, comes to us by the hand of God, that God makes no mistakes.

A content person knows that their believer knows that their loving father knows exactly what they need and when they need it. A content person knows how to suffer need without being buried by it. And they know how to have abundance.

The pendulum swings the other way and you have abundance. You're full and filled and you can be that way without being puffed up and without taking your eyes off of the Lord. Also, it's important to note that a Christian is the only person who truly can experience real contentment.

Consider who this is being written to and who is writing this. Paul as a follower of Jesus Christ. He is a Christian who knows the Lord. Writing to these folks in Philippi who are believers because of the gospel ministry when Paul went into Philippi.

We read that in Acts chapter 16. And they too were saved. And they too came to know Christ. And you can only have this inner satisfaction if you are in the Savior, Jesus Christ and He is in you. And as I've said, contentment is independent of circumstances.

It's independent of possessions but it is dependent upon the strength that the Lord gives us. And we see this in verse 13 where Paul says, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Only the Christian is enabled to be content because they know the divine enabler.

This morning if you're listening to this message and you're not a believer. You're not in Christ. Then the message is something for you to listen to as far as learning contentment so that you can see it in the lives of other people who claim to be Christians.

And maybe you can look for that example and that might be an encouragement for you when you see it lived out in their lives. But for you if you're lost here this morning if you're not in a relationship with Christ then the Word of God tells us that the heart of man is never satisfied.

And there never will truly be true contentment until you repent of your sin and turn from it and turn to the Lord and call upon the Lord and be saved and be in vital union with Christ. As Paul said in chapter 3 verse 9 he says, I'm found in Him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith by believing upon the Lord Jesus Christ his finished work on Calvary his death and burial and resurrection for the justification of your sins you call upon him he saves you you are found in Christ you become a disciple of Jesus Christ at that time a learner a follower and then you can learn this message or take a note of this message this morning and be a person who goes on to learn the lesson of contentment.

The Bible says in Colossians 1 verse 19 that all fullness dwells in Christ and if you want to experience the fullness of life the completeness of life then you have to know Christ in a personal and real way by faith you can only know this inner satisfaction this true contentment if you are in the all-sufficient Savior.

The writer to the Hebrews put it this way in chapter 13 and in verse 5 he said let your conversation or let your manner of life be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have. For he has said I will never leave you nor forsake you.

You see the means the basis for that man's contentment is not the things that he has. It's those don't those things won't bring the contentment. The contentment is because God has said I will never leave you nor forsake you.

You'll never be an orphan you'll never be forsaken. God will never walk away from his people. That is something that brings us true joy and contentment. I'll deal with that even a little bit more as we go on.

But even though we're believers and even though we're followers and even though we want to learn this lesson of contentment I must give a warning. Just because you are in Christ it doesn't mean that you will always experience contentment.

All you have to do is look back on last week or last month or last quarter or last year. We saw a time when we were not content. Don't we brothers and sisters. We saw a time when circumstances when surroundings things that were done to us things that were said to us we were hurt we suffered there was a trial and we weren't really content.

Through that I trust the message will help us focus properly and look properly where true contentment comes from. And there are three means of contentment that I would like to cover this morning that we should consider in this chapter which I believe that if we would consider if that we would reason through if we would meditate upon if we would apply and put these things into practice in our life they can lead us to experience true contentment.

Confidence in God's Providence

The first one is to experience biblical contentment. I read the verse verse 10 but we did not look at it. The first point is we need to have a confidence in God's providence because I believe that if we have a confidence in God's providence it will help us to be a content people.

Verse 10 Paul wrote. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at the last your care of me has flourished again wherein you were also careful but you lacked opportunity. Even though the Philippians did not have an opportunity to express their concern for Paul at times it didn't faze him.

Paul didn't panic when the money didn't come in when the support wasn't there. It didn't knock him out of the saddle. It didn't. He didn't try to manipulate the Philippians and squeeze financial support out of them.

Why? Because he knew that God was in charge of the times and his times in his life. God was in charge of the seasons and of the opportunities. That's what it means by God's providence that God is sovereign over all circumstances in our lives.

And notice what Paul says in verse 10. Now at the end of this book here he is thanking the Philippians and he's kind of got a little bit of a dilemma here he wants to thank the Philippians and let them know that he really really appreciates what they did that they were fondly affectionate of him and they cared for him.

He wanted to be careful to thank them but he also wanted to say it in such a way that it wasn't like he was dependent upon them. He says you know he says here not that I speak in respect of want not that I then not that I was in need because God's going to take care of my needs.

And he puts it this way a little bit even further in verse 17 this deliveries. And he says not because I desire a gift. He's trying to put it in such a way that he can thank them but let them know that he appreciates it but not that his joy or his contentment was based upon the fact that they did give.

They did something well and we're going to hear of that tonight. The second part of the message will be the fruit of contentment of the latter part of the chapter. But here he's careful in thanking them.

But he also says notice what he says. He knows that they have given him this gift. But he says I rejoiced in the Lord. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly he says Paul understood that the Philippian believers had cared for him and they took care of him in his suffering.

But ultimately he knew that it was God who had provided for his needs. That's why he says I rejoiced in the Lord. Sometimes we just say you know we're thankful to God and we rejoice in the Lord. And yet sometimes we don't really think about what it is that we're saying when we say that what we are saying is that God is sovereign over our lives and he loves us and he's provided for us.

And we rejoice in him because it comes from his good hand. And Paul understood that he knew that what he had or what he didn't have in his life was not the basis for his contentment. But he understood that if he had a confidence in God he could trust God for his life.

And in this case here he rejoices in the Lord. That confidence in God's providence is something that brings him or is a means of contentment. Listen. If we know that our Lord is working out all things for us.

Psalm tells us. I think it's psalm 115 in verse 3 that that the Lord is in the heavens and he has done whatsoever he has pleased. In Romans chapter 8 there's a verse I'll turn there and read it. Just hold your place there if you'd like to.

In Romans 8 there's a verse that pastor Mike likes to quote. And it's the argument of the greater to the lesser. In Romans 8 in verse 32 the word of God says he God that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all.

How shall not he with him. How shall he not with him. Also freely give us all things. What Paul is saying there when he wrote to Rome if God didn't spare his son Jesus Christ and gave him to die on the cross to suffer for us he gave him God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

If God would give Jesus Christ to die for his enemies. To die for those who are outside of Christ. To die for those who are fighting against God. To die for those who were aliens of the commonwealth of Israel.

To die for those who had a darkened understanding who were blinded to the things of God. And those who were not seeking after God. If God would give his son Jesus for them and in so doing save them and make them his people.

Then he says won't he do the rest and take care of them. If he saved their soul. Will he not take care of them all the days of their life. Surely. And as the psalmist said surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

God cares for us. He never makes a mistake. He orders every step he orchestrates every opportunity. And when we are confident about that this can result and lead to and help promote contentment in our life.

When it comes to anything we'll be content with the house that God gives us. Because who gave it to us? God gave it to us. We'll be content with the car now brother Dave you're going a little bit too far.

You haven't looked out in the parking lot. You haven't seen my car. Well I drove one of those type cars before. I know what you're talking about but it's the car that God gave you and is allowing you to have at this time.

And we can be confident that God doesn't make any mistakes. And we can be content with what God has given us when it comes to our family when it comes to our friends when it comes to the spouse that God gives us the bank balance that we have or don't have the health that we have or don't have the mind that we have the body that we have or don't have the hair that we have or don't have whatever it is God knows the number of the hairs on our head.

He's orchestrating that too. It's out of our control. And we need to be content. And the confidence in God's providence will lead us to contentment. We will be able to rest assured that our God is doing all things well and that he will provide exactly what we need.

And just when we need it now apart from this high view of God we will never know contentment. When I say a high view of God I mean that we know that he is God and that he is in control and that we can trust him.

The person with a high view of God can say I can have confidence in God. A low view of God says I have no confidence in what God is doing. I have no confidence in God's providence. I need to take control of my situation.

God is not providing for me. I don't have enough. Now I need this. Isn't it so amazing that the Lord says that he'll provide not what we want but what we need. God gives us what we need and he'll give it to us when we need it.

But the person with the low view says God's not providing. It's just not there. And I need to figure out how to make this thing happen. And as soon as we take the reins and we take control you can be assured that it is not going to work out for the glory of God because it's not the will of God.

And discontentment will creep in when we take control. This discontentment is sure to come along. The person with a low view of God begins to complain. They begin to grumble. It reminds me of the children of Israel in the wilderness.

They loathe this bread this stuff that keeps coming from heaven. This manna that keeps coming down. We eat it day after day. We have this manna pancakes in the morning and manna sandwiches for lunch. Manna casserole for supper.

Manna manna manna it's all we have. They complained about it. And what did they do? They grumbled against God. They were not content. Can you imagine that? They're out in the wilderness for 40 years and God is taking care of them.

I have heard that it's somewhere and this is an approximation. What was brought to them in manna each day was the equivalent of about 40 train boxcars full of manna every day a million plus people. Some say up to almost 2 million people.

God was taking care of them. And they grumbled and complained because they had a low view of God's providence. They begin to complain about our circumstances and situations. When we do that God is not doing it in our timetable.

And if they aren't complaining then they might be worrying and anxious and not happy. But a high view of God comes when we consider who God is our God as Thomas said my Lord and my God. That writer to the Hebrews says I can be content not in the things that I have because God has said I will never leave you nor forsake you.

He is our portion forever. We are the Lord's and He is ours as it says in the Song of Solomon. The people who have the low view worry. They're anxious and they're not happy. So the first point as far as the first means of contentment is a confidence in God's providence.

Commitment to Spiritual Growth

Secondly in order to learn to be content we must have a commitment to spiritual growth. A commitment to spiritual growth. We know that the Apostle Paul is an example of a man who is committed to pressing on in his Christian life.

In chapter 3 after many many years of even serving the Lord Jesus Christ being rescued on the road to Damascus God intervening and breaking into his life and arresting the Apostle Paul and making him one of his dear children.

Paul is still saying in Philippians 3 and verse 10 that I may know him. He's still pressing on. He wants to know him. He wants to know him closer. And he wants to know him in the power of his resurrection and in the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death.

And he goes on in these next verses in chapter 3 and he says you know I'm forgetting those things which are behind and I'm pressing forward. He's pressing on like an athlete who is giving it all that he can.

He's a man who is pursuing godliness in his life wanting to know the Lord more. Forgetting the things that are behind and pressing on his faith is a focused faith. Notice some of the words that he uses here.

In verse 11 he says I have learned in whatsoever state. I am therewith to be content. That word learned in the Greek is a sister word or a closely related word to the same word translated in the New Testament as disciple.

He's a learner. He's a discipler. He's one who is following after Christ and he wants to know him more. And he wants to glorify him more in his life. And he's constantly learning. He's pressing on to know more and more.

Notice in verse 12 he says I know both how to be abased and I know how to abound. He says I know these things he's gone through these experiences in his life that have taught him these lessons. He says I am instructed also in that verse or and I think in the New America and it says he has learned the secret.

I'll get into that touch on that in just a minute. He has learned so many things and the things that he has learned he tells these Philippian believers even in chapter 4 and in verse 9 he says those things which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me.

You do them. Do them and the God of peace shall be with you. He was a good example. He was one that they could imitate because as he was following Christ they were to follow his example. And that is truly something that is pretty remarkable when it comes to a person's life.

How many people do you want to follow you and to follow your example? Think about that. Do you want people to be just like you? Remember when Steve Cooley came here candidating for associate pastor and continue to pray for him in the whole situation that mattered there.

Remember what he said? He said when he went to seminary he did not want to be like John MacArthur. He didn't want to be like some of the other notable speakers. He wanted to be like Mike Abendroth. He wanted to be able to do what Mike he'd see.

He'd watch Mike Abendroth our pastor in the Bible studies teaching and ministering and helping people. He said I want to be able to do that. And so off to school he went because as Mike Abendroth was following Christ Steve Cooley was following Mike Abendroth.

And in so doing he's following Christ. And then and even now today there are people who are following Steve Cooley because he's a good example. And are we? That way I wonder if we've ever considered that in our lives that we are discipling or teaching other people with the things that we say and the things that we do and the places that we go and everything there is about our lives.

Paul was this way. I love this. In verse 12 I said I'd get back to it. In verse 12 he says I am instructed both how to be full and to be hungry to abound and to suffer need. In the New American I said I believe it's translated.

I have learned the secret. In the Greek the word is mueo and it means it has something to do with or of an initiation. That's what it means. I've been initiated. That's what he's saying. I've learned the secret.

I got to thinking about this before preaching this message this week and I was thinking about that there are certain clubs. There are certain organizations. You may know about them not all good but you know about these organizations where there are certain rituals and ceremonies that you have to go through before you can get in.

You got to be initiated in. There are certain phrases you must memorize certain passwords certain handshakes rings for your fingers and things like this. There's a lot of different clubs like this to where once you go through the initiation you're accepted in.

You're part of the fellowship. You've learned that and you've gone through the initiation and now you can benefit from the fellowship of that club. Now Paul is saying and using that type of terminology here in a good way he's saying there is a club to be initiated into and it's the club of the contented ones.

And we are to be initiated into it. And the way that we're initiated into it he says I've learned it through the experiences that God has brought into my life who's never made any mistakes. And he's teaching me through these experiences.

And I've learned the secret. That's what he said. I've learned the mystery of what it means to be content and to learn the mystery to be instructed to learn the secret is it has nothing to do with the things around me.

It has nothing to do with my circumstances. It has nothing to do with what I have or don't have whether things are good or bad around me. But it has everything to do with my relationship to Christ as we're going to see in verse 13 it has everything to do with my vital union with Him.

I am in Christ. Take everything else away. I'm still in Christ. He's never going to leave me nor forsake me. I'm in Christ. I can be content because I have Him and He has me. We'll touch on that when we finish up in verse 13.

He's been initiated. He's learned the secret the great mystery Christ in you the hope of glory He had learned by a means of a process. Paul was committed to grow spiritually as I've said he had not just gone through the things that he had gone through.

You see if you just go through them the trials. If you just go through a suffering you see the Lord Peter read the book of 1 Peter. God does not bring anything in our lives that's difficult trying the flames.

They don't come in our lives for no reason. God uses those to test the genuineness of our faith so that when we come out of it we come out purer we come out stronger we come out closer to the Lord more dependent upon the Lord.

But if we just go through something difficult and we don't learn the lesson that we ought to learn that God would have for us. And I believe that many times the lesson that the Lord is teaching us through that is will you be content with what I am doing in your life.

Will you be content learning the lesson of contentment. And Paul as he went through the ups and the downs of life in these extremes he had learned to be content in them. And it's so important to be aware that God is teaching us in every situation in every trial brethren if we don't get that.

And I've said this to other folks and I know it myself by experiencing it myself. If we don't learn the lesson the first time there's a good possibility that the same thing will happen to us until we learn the lesson that God would have for us.

So it's good for us to be aware in the middle of the situation. Like Paul said as he was going through things he's committed to spiritual growth. And he wants to learn what it is to be more godly what it is to be more like Christ to be more conformed to the image of Christ and to be content with everything that God is bringing his way.

He learned it as he was going through it. Consider this where is Paul at the time that these words are being written. He is in prison and most likely he's got somebody chained on his left side and somebody on his right side.

He has no liberty to do whatever to come and go as he pleases he is without. That is why he needed these gifts this supply from other people these love benevolent gifts that were coming to him. And yet in the prison he even learned to be content.

Now we saw this and the Philippians absolutely knew about this. Because if you ever read Acts chapter 16 when Paul and Silas go into Philippi and they preach the gospel and the cellar of purple Lydia her heart is open.

God saves her. The folks that are having the bible study or they're seeking God and Paul comes with the gospel and they're saved. The church has begun at Philippi. Paul and Silas are arrested because of what they're doing.

They're taken by the leaders and told to be thrown into the prison way into the prison feet their feet are clasped in the stalks. They're beaten. And usually when they were beaten they were severely beaten.

I don't know if you've ever seen a Horatio Hornblower kind of an example of the flesh being ripped off the back 39 stripes. That's what he's talking about 2 Corinthians 11. You can read in there how many times Paul received those types of stripes that whipping feet in the stalks.

I mean you would think here is a time of the most greatest difficulty. And you know Paul and Silas they have a right to just kind of be quiet and just kind of stoically pessimistically just you know grin and bear it.

No. Acts 16 .25 it says that they prayed and they were singing praises to God. Why? Because they were content with where they were. Paul had learned it through experiences like that to be content in the situations that he was going through because he had learned it he had come to a place where he knew how to be a content person in the middle of extreme circumstances.