Opening illustration: During 1997 as the world focused on the deaths of Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, another significant passing went almost unnoticed. Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl died on September 2 at the age of 93.
During World War II, Dr. Frankl was imprisoned at Auschwitz, where he was stripped of his identity as a medical doctor and forced to work as a common laborer. His father, mother, brother, and wife died in the concentration camps. All his notes, which represented his life’s work, were destroyed. Yet Frankl emerged from Auschwitz believing 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.”
We may not be able to choose our circumstances, but we can choose our attitude toward them. The apostle Paul gave us an example of how this works. He wrote, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content … I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11, 13). Whatever our circumstances may be, we can draw on the power of Christ for the strength to face them. (Our Daily Bread, David C. McCasland)
Let us turn to Philippians 4 in our Bibles and learn to choose and demonstrate a godly attitude through our lives.
Introduction: Everyone acknowledges that a bad attitude stinks worse than a skunk. We don’t even need to discuss about how and why to have a sick attitude … it comes so natural because naturally we are born with it … though we are born in sin, we have a choice to remain as sinners or get out of that rut by making Christ our sole Savior and choose a godly attitude.
This text wasn’t written for scholars, it was written for the blacksmiths and the bakers, the soldiers and the shepherds, the wives and the widows that lived in 1st century Philippi.
Paul is both exhorting and encouraging the folks at Philippi to conjure a godly attitude in their behavior no matter what their situation is … He also states that they can draw strength from God alone during those moments when things don’t seem to be going well and they could easily become vulnerable to putting on a garb of a stinky attitude which not only ruins their image but tarnishes the name of Christ to Whom they profess to belong.
How to have a godly attitude?
1. Meditate on Virtuous Things (vs. 8-9)
What we put into our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. Paul tells us to program our minds with thoughts that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Do you have problems with impure thoughts and daydreams? Examine what you are putting into your mind through television, books, conversations, movies and magazines. Replace harmful input with wholesome material. Above all, read God’s Word and pray. Ask God to help you focus your mind on what is good and pure. It takes practice, but it can be done. Our thought life determines our action life. If your output is questionable, then surely the input has to be changed. Make sure it is pleasing to God.
Dwelling on these things is very close in meaning to meditating upon them. J. I. Packer says that meditation is the practice of turning each truth we learn about God into matter for reflection before God, leading to prayer and praise to God. Such saturation with the Scriptures is the secret to satisfaction in the soul.
If it is not true Paul writes, do not let it enter your mind. And the way that you know something is not true is by first knowing what is "true", the pure milk of God's holy Word! How you chose to think (either using the guidelines of Philippians 4:8 or the grid of fleshly, worldly wisdom) will affect your will and your emotions (feelings). There are benefits for right thinking and consequences for wrong thinking. Don't be sluggish. Don't be dull of hearing. Don't be deceived. Do be zealous for God and His Holy Word, living out what you take in. In this He will be glorified.
It is not enough to hear or read the Word of God, or even to know it well. We must also put it into practice. How easy it is to listen to a sermon and forget what the preacher said. How easy it is to read the Bible and not think about how to live differently. How easy it is to debate what a passage means and not live out that meaning. Exposure to God’s Word is not enough. It must lead to obedience.
Illustration: (i) Number of years ago, the news media picked up the story of a woman known as “Garbage Mary.” She lived in a smelly Chicago tenement amid mounds of garbage. She spent her time rummaging through trash cans. She would bum cigarettes off her neighbors. Police took her to a psychiatric hospital after she was stopped for questioning and found to be in a confused state of mind. When they went into her filthy apartment, they were astounded to find stock certificates and bank books indicating she was worth at least a million dollars. She was the daughter of a wealthy Illinois lawyer. It’s a pathetic story, but it pictures the lives of many professing Christians, who could be immersing their thought life in that which is true, dignified, right, pure, lovely, of good repute; that which is virtuous and worthy of praise. But instead, they surround themselves with moral filth, wallowing daily in raunchy TV programs, polluting their minds with the sordid stories of this condemned world, rather than focusing their thought life on the things of God and Christ.
(ii) An old Indian Christian was explaining to a missionary that the battle inside of him was like a black dog fighting a white dog. “Which dog wins?” asked the missionary. “The one I feed the most,” replied the Indian. Paul says, “Feed your mind on the pure truth of God’s Word.”
2. Care for others (vs. 10)
In 1 Corinthians 9:11-18, Paul wrote that he did not accept gifts from the Corinthian church because he didn’t want to be accused of preaching only to get money. But Paul maintained that it was a church’s responsibility to support God’s ministers. He accepted the Philippians gift because they gave it willingly and because he was in need. Paul’s words here are in response to the gift that the Philippians had sent by Epaphroditus. It is very easy for us to think of this gift in contemporary terms and fail to realize the magnitude of this gift.
• First, it would appear that Paul did not make his needs known to the Philippians. Paul strongly stresses in this letter that he is not seeking to solicit a gift from these very generous saints.
• Second, if Paul kept his needs to himself, then the Philippians must have had to work at keeping up with Paul’s circumstances, so that they could discern when sending a gift was appropriate. I believe that the Philippians found out about Paul’s needs on their own, apart from any prompting by the apostle, whether directly or indirectly.
• Third, sending a gift to Paul was not an easy thing for the Philippians to do. It was one thing to discern Paul’s need and to decide to meet it; it was quite another to actually accomplish this task. There was the initial problem of raising the money to send to Paul. The Philippians were a very generous group of saints, but they were apparently quite poor (see 2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
• Fourth, this gift was sent during a period of persecution. From the closing verses of Philippians 1, we know that the Philippians themselves were beginning to suffer persecution for their faith (1:29-30). In difficult times, one is inclined to “set money aside for a rainy day,” rather than to give it away to others.
The gift that the Philippians had sent to Paul caused the apostle to rejoice, too, but for a different reason. He rejoiced because he knew what the gift meant. There was a deep, caring relationship between this church and Paul, as he has already indicated (see Philippians 1:7-8). These gifts were a token of their love and concern for Paul. How are we doing as a church in this sphere? Our concern and care for others especially for those in ministry will motivate us to have a godly attitude toward all things.
3. Learn to be Content (vs. 11-12)
The word content comes from a Greek word that means self-sufficient or independent. Contentment can be an elusive pursuit. We go after what we think will make us happy only to find that it didn’t work; in fact, we were happier before we started the quest. It’s like the story of two teardrops floating down the river of life. One teardrop said to the other, “Who are you?” “I’m a teardrop from a girl who loved a man and lost him. Who are you?” “I’m a teardrop from the girl who got him.”
The lack of contentment that marks our nation is reflected in many ways. We see it in our high rate of consumer debt. We aren’t content to live within our means, so we go into debt to live just a bit better than we can afford, but then we suffer anxiety from the pressure of paying all our bills. Of course, the advertising industry tries to convince us that we can’t possibly be happy unless we have their product, and we often take the bait, only to find that we own one more thing to break down or one more time consuming piece of equipment to add more pressure to an already overloaded schedule.
Our discontent is reflected in our high rate of mobility. People rarely stay at the same address for more than five years. We’re always on the move, looking for a better house, a better job, a better place to live and raise a family, a better place to retire. Some of the moves are demanded by the need for decent jobs. But some of it is fueled by a gnawing discontent that we think will be satisfied when we find the right living situation. But we never quite get there.
Our discontent rears its head in our high divorce rate. We can’t find happiness in our marriages, so we trade our mates in for a different model, only to find that the same problems reoccur.
Our lack of contentment is seen in our clamoring for our rights, all the while claiming that we have been victimized. If we can just get fair treatment, we think we’ll be happy. We are suing one another at an astonishing rate, trying to get more money so we can have more things so that life will be more comfortable. We spend money that we can’t afford on the lottery, hoping to win a big jackpot that will give us what we want in life. But even those who win large settlements in a lawsuit or a lottery jackpot are not much happier in the long run.
Are you content in any circumstances you face? Paul knew how to be content whether he had plenty or was in need. The secret was his continual focus on Christ alone and drawing on His power for strength. He is the One Who will always satisfy you and keep your cup flowing over the brim. Paul encourages the Christians in Philippi to learn to be content in all circumstances. Contentment will bring great freedom in your life. Do you have great needs or are you discontented because you don’t have what you want? Christ is and always will be your contentment. He will supply your needs not wants!
Illustration: An airline pilot was flying over the Tennessee Mountains and pointed out a lake to his copilot. “See that little lake?” he said. “When I was a kid I used to sit in a rowboat down there, fishing. Every time a plane would fly overhead, I’d look up and wish I was flying it. Now I look down and wish I was in a rowboat, fishing.”
4. Have dependence on God (v. 13)
Psalm 121:1-3 encourages us that – “I will lift up my eyes to the hills -- From whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.”
Jeremiah 17:5 tells us - Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.”
Can we really do everything? The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do His will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. He does not grant us super human ability to accomplish anything we can imagine without regard to His interests. As we contend for the faith we will face troubles, pressures and trials. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you.
• Paul does not say “I can’t” – That is the language of PESSIMISM. Reflection: Hear this kind of talk everywhere. Churches can’t grow, or be great for God. Christians can’t witness, pray, be effective.
• Paul does not say “I can” – That is the language of PRESUMPTION. Reflection: New convert reading NT and “Paul, you’ve gone too far now!” Hear this a lot too. People say, “I can run my own life! I do not need God, the church or the Bible. I am the captain of my own soul and the master of own fate.” Take Christ out of Christian and what do you have? IAM = “I am nothing” Reflection: Rich fool – “I will” – Luke 12:32.
• He said “I can … through Christ” – That is the language of POWER. This is dynamic contentment; this is dynamic Christian life. This is victory over every temptation; grace for every trouble; strength for every task. (Reflection: What are “all things?” Jump off church? Stop speeding locomotive? Play piano? Means all things in v. 12! Jesus gives power to face life’s adversities. He gives the power to cope. He gives the power to enjoy contentment regardless of the circumstances, Philippians 4:6-7. People succumb because can’t cope. He gives the power to face anything that comes your way with true contentment. Reflection: “strengthens me” – “infuses His strength into my life.” Let us not forget that Paul made the statement in the Present Tense!
Believe that when God asks you to do something, He is able to provide the strength you need to do it.
Illustration: Are you relying on His strength today? Where do you need God’s strength today? In what area of your life do you need to claim the promise of His strength? His grace really is sufficient. There are 26 letters in the English alphabet and all of the books in the world printed in English use those 26 letters. The authors did not have to go outside of the alphabet to assemble this massive collection of knowledge. The alphabet provided for them everything they needed for this one task. Jesus Christ called Himself the Alpha and the Omega, and we do not have to go outside of him for anything that we need. He is God’s “everything” – for all situations. He is sufficient! God’s Word is true: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
Application: We always have a choice - and that choice will always make a difference. A good attitude - it's your choice.
