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Title: The Secret of Contentment I read this story recently. It seems a Russian woman lived with her husband & two children in a very small hut. Her husband's parents lost their home & she had to take them in. It became an almost unbearable situation. In desperation, she went to the village wise man, whom she knew had solved many, many problems. "What should I do?" she begged. I am constantly amazed at how the Lord's works. Until I sat down and began writing this morning's message it never really occurred to me that the passage I used last week and today's passage were so closely connected. God's working in all our circumstances has a great deal to do with the secret of contentment in our lives. The Bible identifies contentment as a virtue, but also speaks of is as a command. Christians are commanded to be content because an infinitely, supernaturally resourceful God has promised to never leave nor forsake them, and because in all circumstances God is working for their ultimate good. Paul adopts the word "content" from a Greek term which meant to be self-sufficient, to be satisfied, to have enough. It actually indicated a certain independence, a certain lack of the need for assistance or help. Outside Scripture it was often used to refer to a person who supported himself without anyone's aid. Self-sufficiency had been made a virtue in Greek culture by the Stoic philosophers. They believed contentment was reached when a person came to the point of total indifference, when you were completely indifferent to everything around you then and only then would you be content. Paul on the other hand, was saying something entirely different, he's not talking about indifference. Paul said "I have learned to be content, but not with callous indifference, not by self satisfaction or self-sufficiency, I have learned to be content through the indwelling of Christ." Paul was anxious for nothing. Remember he shared that instruction with us in v. 6. Again, he wasn't talking about being apathetic or indifferent, but instead stressing the truth that we are not to be overly distressed or burdened by circumstances, instead we are to take everything to God and trust Him with the outcome. Paul also knew the peace of God in his life that conquered all situations. Where was Paul as he was writing this letter, what were his circumstances? It had been about ten years since he was in Philippi. Paul is a prisoner, he is chained to a Roman soldier. in a private dwelling of some type in the city of Rome. Although not in a public prison he is none the less in isolation, unable to move about. He had lost the freedom to work and minister as he was accustom to. The late F. B. Meyer wrote this description of his situation, he said he was, "Deprived of every comfort and cast as a lonely man on the shores of the great strange metropolis with every movement of his hand clanking a fetter and nothing before him but the lion's mouth or the sword." He is much in need, probably existing at a bare subsistence level. Certainly with reason to be anxious and not at peace. Yet there he was writing to the believers at Philippi about contentment. There are three phrases in this passage I think especially important for us to think about. They are, "I know" in which Paul speaks about certainty in situations, just as we saw in Rom 8:28; "I can" found in verse 13, and the other one may be the most important phrase in the passage found in both verse 11 and 12, "I have learned." I think these three phrases help us understand the secret of contentment. The first thing we see is Paul had confidence in God. "I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity." (4:12, NAS). He speaks again of knowledge that comes from experience, just like knowing Christ was from experience. Paul was born into good circumstances. He was of the tribe of Benjamin a Hebrew of Hebrews he said in chapter 3. He was born in Tarsus , but was educated in Jerusalem by Gamaliel, one of the most famous and respected teachers of the day. He was a Pharisee and though younger than most he was apparently a member of the Sanhedrin himself. And he was also a Roman citizen. Something he inherited from his father. So we can conclude that Paul's early life was one of prosperity both socially and economically. After his conversion his life took a dramatic change. He was left blind by his encounter with the resurrected Jesus. He was led into the city and was without sight for 3 days. He wasn't promised that his sight would be restored, but the Bible tells us that at some point he had a vision of Ananias coming and restoring his sight. He experienced something totally different than anything he had known before in his life; he experienced helplessness. From being a leader on the way to Damascus, he had to be led into the city. When God spoke to Ananias about restoring Paul's sight God revealed to Ananias that Paul was chosen by God to bear His name to the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel and he would. In verse 16 of Acts 9 God then said, ". . . I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake." (NAS) You can read of Paul's experiences in 2 Cor 11:23-28. In all of those experiences Paul discovered the truth he wrote of in Rom 8:28. In the prosperity of Saul of Tarsius God found a man who was sold out to the Law, who was educated by the finest Rabbi who was an outstanding scholar of Judaism, who could not only show the early church the importance of Old Testament teaching and prophecy and how Jesus was the promised Messiah, but who could also teach the distinctions between the Old and the New Covenants, who knew and could explain the great doctrines of the faith and teach the difference between ritual and relationship. A man who could be used by God to pen the majority of the New Testament. Through the after conversion experiences of his life God found a man who could relate on all levels. He could relate to the rich, as well as the poor. He could relate to the religious and non-religious, he could relate to the merchant and the seamen to the philosopher and the beggar, to the prisoner and the jailer. He felt the pain of rejection and the sting of condemnation. He knew what it was like to struggle for life, he knew what it was like to have everything and then to have nothing. Through those struggles he could speak with authority about the provision of God in all situations. He was an example of the overcoming, transforming, life giving life sustaining power of Jesus Christ. So that when he says to us you can know it and experience it we know that it has been proven in his life. He has seen it and experienced and lived it, and he knows we can too. Paul's confidence also applies to death as well as life. For him "to live was Christ to die was gain." (1:21). He was confident God was in control in life and death and his place in eternity was guaranteed and secured through Christ. We can live life with more contentment when we are confident of our eternal destiny. We are not promised tomorrow it's important for us to be sure of our relationship with Christ today. Recent events should stress the importance. Who would think about stepping into eternity sitting at a fast food drive through? And yet there was a elderly woman who did just that. But there was also a young girl recently graduated from high school that also stepped across that threshold and then two men at a work site and not long after that a high school student. Death was no respecter of age, or gender. I'm not saying this to scare anyone, but just so you think about not only your life, but your eternity as well, and where your confidence lies. As Christians we can experience true contentment to the degree that we have confidence in God in life and in death. The second phrase we mentioned "I can," demonstrates dependance. Paul not only had confidence in God, but he depended on His strength. The phrase is more than simply I can. Paul said, "I can do all things, through Him who strengthens me." I guess there should be a disclaimer at this point. Don't go out and buy an airplane or rent one and decide you're going to fly it somewhere because after all the Bible says you can no all things through Him who strengthens you. If you do don't call me to go with you, I'm afraid the outcome might not be what you expect. That's not what Paul is saying in this verse. He's not promising us super human ability to accomplish anything we can imagine without regards to God's will. Paul is referring to the fulfilling of the God's will in our lives. What Paul is saying refers to how he can find contentment in all situations if life. How can I be satisfied when I'm in need as well as when I have plenty? How can I be content when things are falling apart and I'm being cast out and stoned and imprisoned, just like I am when everything is coming up roses? Because I know that when I am in union with Christ and when I am following Him I can face every situation and every challenge that might arise from following Him not in my own ability but by His indwelling power in my life enabling me to accomplish His will. Christian contentment is experienced as we depend on God. The last phrase is one I think most important. "I have learned." Paul uses another borrowed phrase. I have learned the secret of being content. The Greeks and Gnostics often spoke of secret knowledge learned only to the certain enlightened individuals. Paul learned the secret of Christian contentment through the experiences of his life. He learned how to have confidence in God and how to depend on Him in all situations. It's important for us to realize that Christianity is a life-long learning process. We begin when we first as Christ to save us and as we allow Him to work in and through our lives we learn to depend on Him and have confidence in Him. We learn He is faithful and caring and loving. It has been said that life is the greatest teacher. God uses the situations of our lives to teach us the truths we read about and hear explained from the Bible. Our job is to learn these lessons and truths and apply them to our lives. I was taught a great many things in High School, unfortunately I failed to learn most of them. There was nothing wrong with the teachers and nothing wrong with the lessons, the problem was with the student who chose not to learn. The secret of true contentment in life requires confidence in and dependence upon God. It requires a commitment to a life-long effort to learn from Him and be led by Him. To be led by him in prosperity and adversity in abundance and in need. Are you willing to take His hand, trust Him, depend on Him, learn from Him and allow Him to lead your life? If you've never trusted Him, we invite you to make that commitment this morning. If you have trusted Him we then challenge you to be lead by Him. [Back] |