Philippians 4:11-13. [11] Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12] 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. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (ESV)
It has been said that dissatisfaction may be the most common feature of the bestselling Christian books. See if this sounds familiar: Christians generally all want to be great for God and do things that would be impossible without His presence and help, to live a life that’s Greater. We are called to stop living a life of comfort, ease and complacency, to step out and do something Radical. Avoid a life that is just passing you by as you sit on the sidelines, so God is calling you to be a follower, not a Fan. If you want more Jesus and are bored with what Christianity offers you. You need to rediscover God’s Crazy Love… It goes on nearly ad infinitum. Some are awful, some are brilliant, but the theme is largely the same: There must be more to life than this! Please tell me there is more to life than this!
This dissatisfaction is a gift when it motivates us to pursue the best and purest source of delight. God’s gift to us is that we find all the pleasure we can, all the pleasure there is, in the good things of this life. Sharing a communial spirit, purpose, and hope as we have seen in Phillippians brings us together in a joyous unity. This dissatisfaction is ugly when it paralyzes us with guilt or when it motivates us to act rashly out of guilt. It is unhelpful when it traps us in complacency and despair. It is also ugly when we become dissatisfied with the good gifts that God has given.
In Philippians 4, the Apostle Paul deals with the topic of receiving gifts. In addressing this, he makes clear what is the “1 Secret” of true Christian contentment. But why should he be so concerned about this? It was for the sake of the Philippians themselves that he must deal with this subject. We must keep in mind that this passage is flanked by a reference to the Philippians’ anxiety over their needs (4:6–7) and by a promise that God will supply those needs (4:19). The Philippians needed to hear—and to see exemplified in the apostle (as do we)—that the enjoyment of material abundance is not the basis for contentment (Silva, M. (2005). Philippians (2nd ed.). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (204). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.)
Christians live with this deep-rooted dissatisfaction. Authors have written of it, poets have reflected on it, songwriters have sung of it. We read what the Bible calls us to, we feel what our hearts demand of us, then we look at our lives and are disappointed, discontent. There has to be more than this. The Lord must expect more than this. With discontentment all around and within us, we must ask what’s the secret to finding this allusive contentment. The Apostle Paul knew that secret, for it comes from and was exemplified by Christ Himself.
We can find the “1 Secret” to contentment in three ways, for: 1) A Contented Person Is Satisfied with Little (Philippians 4:11), 2) A Contented Person Is Independent from Circumstances (Philippians 4:12) and 3) A Contented Person Is Strengthened by Divine Power (Philippians 4:13).
First, we can find the “1 Secret” to contentment for:
1) A Contented Person Is Satisfied with Little (Philippians 4:11)
Philippians 4:11. [11] Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (ESV)
Lest the Philippians misunderstand his statement in verse 10 about his situation, Paul quickly added a disclaimer. He did not mean to imply that he spoke of being in need/from want when he thanked them for their gift. In fact, he had learned in whatever situation/circumstances he found himself to be content. Though his situation was extremely difficult, Paul was not discontent. It did not matter to him that he was a prisoner, living in a small apartment, chained to a Roman soldier, subsisting on a sparse diet. None of that affected his contentment, because he was satisfied with what little he had. His contentment was not affected by his physical deprivations. Paul is explaining that he knows how to live in an appropriate manner under these contrasting situation/circumstances: he knows how to be brought low by poverty or want and to be content. Because he has the right attitude he has learned to cope in a positive way (O’Brien, P. T. (1991). The Epistle to the Philippians: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 523). Eerdmans.)
The words “have learned” are in a construction in the Greek which speaks of entrance into a new condition. It is, “I have come to learn.” Paul had not always known that. He had been reared in the lap of luxury, and had never known want as a young man (Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English reader (Php 4:11). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.). But he has learned the secret of deep peace based on detachment from his outward circumstances. In whatever conditions of life he finds himself, he discovers the will of God for his situation. This is not a fatalism. It is, on the contrary, a detachment from anxious concern about the outward features of his life. This, in turn, arises from his concentration upon the really important things, the invisible and eternal (2 Cor. 4:16–18) and, above all, upon the closeness of his fellowship with Christ on whose strength he constantly draws (v. 13) (Martin, R. P. (1987). Vol. 11: Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (181). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.).
The Greek word translated content in verse 11 appears only here in the New Testament. This is an AORIST TENSE employing a Stoic term (autarkes). In Stoic philosophy, autarkes (“content”) described the goal of their philosophy to be a person who accepted passively whatever came. (Regardless of what happened, a person was encouraged to have a detached disconsern: reply with: “I don’t care”) (F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 11: Ephesians through Philemon (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (154). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.) In extra-biblical Greek it was used to speak of being self-sufficient, having enough, or not being dependent on others. One ancient writer used the word in reference to a country that supplied itself and had no need of imports. Biblically, true contentment comes only from God, and enables believers to be satisfied and at ease in the midst of any problem. Contentment is learned through experience. It is a self-sufficiency because of Christ. Paul meant that he came to grips with his circumstances and fared well in and through them because of his own relationship to Christ (Melick, R. R. (1991). Vol. 32: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (153). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
Please turn to 1 Timothy 6
But Paul knew that the chief end of man is not to have his needs met, but to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Because of that, he was satisfied with whatever God graciously granted him. One of the most personally and congregationally damaging errors are the so called “Health & Wealth” false teaching, which breads discontentment. As Paul explained to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:
1 Timothy 6:3-10. [3] If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, [4] he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, [5]and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. [6] Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, [7] for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. [8] But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. [9] But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. [10] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. (ESV)
• The contented attitude of someone like Paul or the Shunammite woman, who when asked what she needed replied simply, “I live among my own people” (2 Kings 4:13), is incomprehensible to today’s society. People are not content with either little or much. In fact, it seems that those who are the wealthiest are often the most miserable and discontented. Instead, people are obsessed with delineating their needs and loudly demanding that they be met. Want has become the number one value in our culture. Starting from the humanistic premise that God does not exist, and man is therefore ultimate, the goal of life for people becomes getting their wants met. Adding to the discontent is the blurring of the distinction between needs and wants. In actual practice, virtually everything has become a “need.” Thus, adults claim to “need” better jobs, fancier cars, and bigger homes; children “need” the freedom to express themselves outside the “bondage” of parental control. Tragically, even some congregations have begun to build their ministries around people’s “felt needs. “Like a hamster running around and around on a wheel and going nowhere, people desperately chase the contentment that is always tantalizingly just out of reach.
Illustration: If we are going to learn the secret of contentment, then we must not seek satisfaction in anything that the world offers us. Some people turn for comfort to alcohol, drugs, or worldly pleasure when things go against them. They then discover, in the end, that none of these things satisfies the deepest needs of anyone. The believer should learn the sentiment of the old hymn “Jesus, Lover of my Soul’ which says: “O Christ, in thee my soul hath found, And found in thee alone, The peace, the joy I sought so long, The bliss till now unknown. Now none but Christ can satisfy—None other name for me! There’s love and life and lasting joy, Lord Jesus, found in thee”.
Second, we can find the “1 Secret” to contentment for:
2) A Contented Person Is Independent from Circumstances (Philippians 4:12)
Philippians 4:12. [12] 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. (ESV)
Paul now expands on what he alluded to in the previous verse. The twice-repeated phrase I know how … reveals that he had learned by experience and spiritual maturity to live above his circumstances and not to let them affect his contentment. That is an important lesson for believers to learn, for it is the difficult circumstances in life that can most frequently steal our contentment. The Christian life is not only difficult; it is also impossible unless we acquire the power to live it through Christ. To be sure, this truth does not come naturally to us but must be learned (Anders, M. (1999). Galatians-Colossians (Vol. 8, p. 264). Broadman & Holman Publishers.).
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 11
Paul’s statement I know how to be brought low/know how to get along with humble means, of facing hunger, and need indicates that he had had his share of poverty. He knew what it was to get by with meager material things. He also knew how to abound/live in prosperity, facing plenty/be filled, and to have an abundance when God graciously granted him more than he needed. All six of those terms refer to the material, earthly needs of this life, not to spiritual needs. But all of this is contingent on spiritual regeneration. Those who reject Christ cannot understand how it is possible for a Christian to remain calm in adversity, humble in prosperity (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of Philippians (Vol. 5, p. 205). Baker Book House.).
Summing up his arduous, difficult, painful life Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 11:23-33. [23] Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one--I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. [24] Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. [25] Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; [26]on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; [27]in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. [28] And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. [29] Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant? [30] If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. [31] The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. [32] At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, [33] but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. (ESV)
• The word seeks to display and promote personal strength. It’s easy for us to follow suit. Perhaps it’s this action that leads to a popular opinion of Christians being arrogant. Perhaps if we spent more time talking about Jesus and less time talking about ourselves, our thoughts or our opinions, the Holy Spirit would use the truth about Christ, to draw people to faith.
Back in Philippians 4:12, Paul did not mean that he had learned to accept his lot by becoming insensitive to circumstances. Twice in Phil. 4:12 Paul writes, ‘I know’, in order to emphasize that he has actually experienced what is involved in being in need and also in having much more than he actually needs. Clearly, being content in a Christian sense does not mean pretending that the circumstances of life do not exist, or that they have no effect on the body (‘hunger’) or the mind (‘need’). The circumstances listed in verse 12 mean real experiences that were felt. They are not verbal fictions or mental illusions (Jones, H. R. (2010). For the Sake of the Gospel: Philippians Simply Explained. Welwyn Commentary Series (153–154). Darlington, England: EP Books.)
In all Paul’s unique and constant sufferings, he had learned the secret of rising above them. “Secret” (memyemai), is found only here in the New Testament. It often appears in the mystery religions. It conveys the idea of a secret knowledge to which adherents of the mystery religions aspired (Melick, R. R. (1991). Vol. 32: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. The New American Commentary (153). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.). The pagan mystery cults initiated their adherents. If the contemporary meaning was in Paul’s mind when he wrote the word it might suggest that, as ritual initiation was no easy matter, the school in which Paul was learning how to face life victoriously was a hard one, a fact which is amply attested in his other writings. His ‘initiation’ was no ecstastic, secret affair. It meant being willing to be a public spectacle (1 Cor. 4:9ff.) and to undergo all sorts of hardship (2 Cor. 11:23ff.) for Christ’s sake (Martin, R. P. (1987). Vol. 11: Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (182–183). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.).
• In the midst of all his trials, Paul kept his focus on heavenly realities (Col. 3:1–2). In 2 Corinthians 4:17, the apostle wrote: [17] For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, (ESV). With that perspective, is it any wonder that no amount of pain, suffering, or disappointment could affect his contentment?
Illustration: Viktor Frankl spent years in a Nazi prison camp where persons were subjected to subhuman and antihuman treatment that threatened annihilation of decency, of the worth and dignity of persons, as well as physical being. Out of that experience Frankl developed a psychotherapeutic process called logotherapy and wrote an inspiring and insightful book entitled Man’s Search For Meaning. From his death camp observations, he documented the amazing coping powers of humans to retain inner freedom. He wrote: “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last pieces of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” (As recorded in Dunnam, M. D., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1982). Vol. 31: Galatians / Ephesians / Philippians / Colossians / Philemon. The Preacher’s Commentary Series (314–315). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.)
• In other words, we can’t always choose our circumstances, but we can choose how to react and what to think about those circumstances.
Finally, we can find the “1 Secret” to contentment for:
3) A Contented Person Is Strengthened by Divine Power (Philippians 4:13)
Philippians 4:13. [13] I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (ESV)
No matter how difficult his struggles may have been, Paul had a spiritual undergirding, an invisible means of support. His adequacy and sufficiency came from his union with the adequate and sufficient Christ: (Gal. 2:20). I can do (Ischuo) means “to be strong,” “to have power,” or “to have resources.” It is variously translated “overpowered” (Acts 19:16), “prevailing” (Acts 19:20), and “effective” (James 5:16). Paul was strong enough to endure anything through Him who strengthens him (1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Tim. 4:17). As with every other line of Scripture, the assertion “I can do all things” is controlled by the context. The ‘all things’ in this verse refer back to ‘any and every circumstance’ in verse 12. By a strengthening supply from without, and not by the summoning up of resources from within, Paul not only coped with the tyranny of circumstances/experiences, whether favourable or unfavourable, but conquered them—both types. The same could and should be true for the Philippians and for Christian people generally (Jones, H. R. (2010). For the Sake of the Gospel: Philippians Simply Explained. Welwyn Commentary Series (154). Darlington, England: EP Books.).
Thus, what Paul says is that in whatever circumstances I find myself, in whatever extremes—whether experiencing abundance with the wealthy or fellowshiping with the poor or struggling to proclaim the gospel to people who don’t want to hear or enduring the wrath of the establishment or bringing peace to the church or languishing in prison—I can be content and “can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Paul is confident that he will be divinely strengthened to do anything and everything that God calls him to do. Not only could Paul be content and confident in every circumstance, he could also be sure that he would be equipped with divine power to deal with it (Hughes, R. K. (2007). Philippians: The fellowship of the gospel. Preaching the Word (186). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books).
• Whatever Christ has for you to do, He will supply the power. Whatever gift He gives you, He will give the power to exercise that gift. A gift is a manifestation of the Spirit of God in the life of the believer. As long as you function in Christ, you will have power. He certainly does not mean that he is putting into your hand unlimited power to do anything you want to do. Rather, He will give you the enablement to do all things in the context of His will for you (McGee, Thru the Bible, V:327–8).
Please turn to 2 Corinthians 12
The apostle does not, of course, mean that he could physically survive indefinitely without food, water, sleep, or shelter. What he is saying is that when he reached the limit of his resources and strength, even to the point of death, he was infused with the strength of Christ. He could overcome the most dire physical difficulties because of the inner, spiritual strength God had given him.
Perhaps the clearest illustration of this truth in Paul’s life comes from 2 Corinthians 12:7–10:
2 Corinthians 12:7-10. [7] So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. [8] Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. [9] But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (ESV)
• Paul was tormented by a “thorn in the flesh,” which could have been a persistent physical condition or even a demon who was behind the false teachers tearing up his beloved church in Corinth. This was the worst of all trials for him, because of his “concern for all the churches” (2 Cor. 11:28). He repeatedly begged the Lord to deliver him from the torment of that demonic attack on the church. But instead of delivering him, the Lord pointed Paul to the sufficiency of His grace. Paul speaks of his weaknesses as advantages because they made him all the more receptive of Christ’s strength, which is made perfect in weakness. He never allowed his weaknesses or perceived weaknesses to be an excuse for inactivity or for a failure to attempt the impossible task. They, in a sense, became his greatest assets, and in surrendering them to Christ he discovered that they were transformed for his own enrichment and for the enrichment of others. (Hawthorne, G. F. (2004). Vol. 43: Philippians. Word Biblical Commentary (267). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.)
Quote: God’s power that indwells believers is far more than sufficient to strengthen and sustain them in any trial. Contentment belongs to those who confidently trust in that power rather than in their own resources. Jeremiah Burroughs observes: “A Christian finds satisfaction in every circumstance by getting strength from another, by going out of himself to Jesus Christ, by his faith acting upon Christ, and bringing the strength of Jesus Christ into his own soul, he is thereby enabled to bear whatever God lays on him, by the strength that he finds from Jesus Christ.… There is strength in Christ not only to sanctify and save us, but strength to support us under all our burdens and afflictions, and Christ expects that when we are under any burden, we should act our faith upon him to draw virtue and strength from him”. (Jeremiah Burroughs: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, p. 63)
It is important to note that only those who live lives of obedience to God’s will can count on His power to sustain them. Those whose continued sin has led them into the pit of despair cannot expect God to bring them contentment from their circumstances. In fact, He may even add to their difficulties to chasten them and bring them to repentance. God’s power will bring contentment to those who have no strength of their own, but only if they have been living righteously. There is no quick fix, no shortcut to contentment. It comes only to those strengthened by divine power, and that divine power does not come from counselors, therapy, or self-help formulas, but only from consistent godly living from the living God. Paul said in 2 Cor. 12:9, 10 ‘when I am weak then am I strong’. That sense of weakness is a qualification, not a disqualification, for proving God’s strength in our lives. It tells me just how much I really need ‘Christ who strengthens me’. Let Hudson Taylor of the China Inland Mission explain how he found strength in his Saviour, when in ‘agony of soul’ about his powerlessness and fears, and after he said, ‘I prayed for faith, but it came not.’ He continued: ‘When my agony of soul was at its height, a sentence in a letter from dear McCarthy was used to remove the scales from my eyes, and the Spirit of God revealed the truth of our oneness with Jesus as I had never known it before. McCarthy, who had been much exercised by the same sense of failure, but saw the light before I did, wrote … “But how to get faith strengthened? Not by striving after faith, but by resting on the Faithful One.” As I read I saw it all! “If we believe not, He abideth faithful.” I looked to Jesus and saw (and when I saw, oh, how joy flowed!) that He had said, “I will never leave you.” Ah, there is rest! I thought, “I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I’ll strive no more. For has He not promised to abide with me—never to leave me, never to fail me?” And … He never will!’(Dr and Mrs Howard Taylor, Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission—The growth of a work for God (Overseas Missionary Fellowship), page 175.)
(Format note: Outline & some base commentary from MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2001). Philippians. MacArthur New Testament Commentary (299–305). Chicago: Moody Press.)
Closing Hymn: “Yet not I but Through Christ in Me”
102 BENEDICTION
Now may you be satisfied to fulfill your task that God be glorified, And not hurry to and fro seeking for that which He has not called you to do. But seek from God daily strength while keeping at His side, Till you can say with the faithful before us: I have learned to be content In whatever circumstance I am in. May Christ be Praised. Amen.
