“Pursuing Contentment”
Philippians 4: 4-7
by Dwight Kennedy
Outline:
1. Rejoice Greatly in Your Heavenly Maker. (vs. 4)
(An Act of Worship)
2. Respond in Gentleness & Hardiness to Men. (vs. 5)
(Action in Our Work)
3. Request with Gratitude and Humility in Every Manner. (vs. 6)
(The Antidote to Worry)
4. Rest in the Guardian of Your Heart and Mind. (vs. 7)
(The Abiding in God’s Wonderment)
I believe it was Will Rogers that once said that people who lived in the country would move to the city to work hard and save their money in order to move back to the country.
It seems that our country today is never satisfied. We desire and crave for more and more, yet we are never fulfilled. “We are never satisfied, never content, and envious of those who have what we have not attained…(Rick Ezell, Contentment - The Learned Virtue, Lifeway Article). "
The tragedy, though, is this lack of contentment has become the norm for even the children of God.
So tonight, we’re going to look in God’s Word to see how we, as God’s people, can “Pursue Contentment” in our individual lives. But understand, this is not an option for the Christian; it is absolutely essential in order to walk worthily for our Lord.
Here’s you a question: In the midst of this world, with all its temptations and attractions, how can the Follower of Christ, not only overcome the lure of the world, but be victorious, through contentment, to be the men, the women, and the young people that God desires us to be?
I want to share with you this evening, four actions that we, as God’s children, should learn to cultivate in our daily walk in order to develop contentment so that we can experience the abundant life in Christ as we bring glory to God.
#1: Rejoice Greatly in Your Heavenly Maker.
Paul tells us to rejoice always in the Lord. This is an “Act of Worship.”
Prisons in Paul’s day were obviously a lot different than what we have today. Most jails in the first century had no windows, no ventilation, and no lighting. Prisoners were beaten and then locked in chains. If fed, they received half the amount given to a slave. Hygiene was non-existent; the stench of excrement, urine, and body odors was horrible. Lice were abundant. Many prisoners suffocated due to a lack of air. A common cold was often times lethal because the immune systems in their bodies were so weak. Added to the physical turmoil was the psychological suffering (Simon Apablaza, Condition of Prisons in the First Century, Internet).
It was in this type environment that we find the Apostle Paul in a Roman prison writing about contentment. And he begins by encouraging the reader to, “Rejoice.”
You can’t rejoice in something that you do not have. You can’t rejoice in the Lord unless the Lord rejoices in you. In Luke 15:10, Jesus says that there is “joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents.” Also, it is alluded to that the Lord one day will rejoice with the child of God, “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your lord (Matthew 25:21).” A joyous life can only be generated from a changed life.
What are you going to rejoice in if you’re lost spiritually? That you’re going to an eternal hell? True joy is knowing that the wrath of God has been settled and the grace of God has been secured.
Paul reminds the church here at Philippi at least 20 times in his letter about “joy” or “rejoicing.” The joy came from knowing that “He who began a good work in [them] [would] perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6).”
Jesus even told the seventy disciples to not rejoice that evil spirits were subject to them, but rather “rejoice because your names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20).”
You want contentment? Rejoice because you’re saved!
#2: Respond in Gentleness and Hardiness to Men.
Paul writes that our gentleness should be shown. He also reminds us that “the Lord is at hand.” This is “Action in Our Walk”
As children of God, there ought to be a gentle spirit about us toward everyone. Our lives should be of a genuine Christ-likeness shown both in our words and through our actions. And I will say, even toward our families. Yet it is sad that too many families are forced to experience a hypocrisy from the life of a family member that their local church never sees. He may talk about heaven at church, but he’s hell to live with at home!
When we’re saved, the Holy Spirit of God comes and resides in us. As we are filled with the Spirit, our lives take on the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22, which includes gentleness. So, having developed the “mind of Christ” in us (Philippians 2:5), our response to life should be with gentleness that is demonstrated with a hardiness. Notice that Paul says in this verse, “The Lord is at hand.” This implies a proactive stance in our gentleness to others; a “hardiness.” Being merely reactive in our calling does not imitate Christ. The Lord is at hand! There’s an urgency! We must look for ways to show Christ to people we meet. The world needs to encounter the Gospel being “fleshed-out” so there is a clarity of Whose we are.
Jimmy Jackson, pastor of Whitesburg Baptist in Huntsville, shared with me a few weeks ago that his calling was to “see people saved and then teach them to act like it.” Today, it’s hard to tell the Lord’s people from the lost people. Never let it be truthfully said of one of God’s children that we are rude, haughty, or even impolite. Never let it even be said of God’s Church that we are anything but gracious in how we treat people. God help us in many of our Baptist business meetings.
The “fragrance” of Christ should permeate wherever we go, directing people to the Saviour. Contentment is a by-product of having a hardy gentle spirit.
#3: Request with Gratitude and Humility in Every Manner.
Paul writes for the Christian to be careful for nothing, but with thanksgiving let God know of needs. This is the “Antidote to Worry.”
Notice first that Paul speaks of what (or what not) to do. A better translation of verse 6a would be: “Don’t be anxious about things,” with the latter part of the verse being paraphrased, “but in your prayers, ask God with a thankful heart.”
Peter writes a similar statement in 1 Peter 5:7, to “[cast] all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Cast your discouragement, weariness, hopelessness, disappointment, frustration, depression, despair, pain, hurt, suffering, grief, heartache, affliction, trouble, and anxiety. We must remember that this is not a suggestion, it’s a commandment, because God knows how easily prone we are to worry (Matthew 6:25).
But what does happen is the worry. And worry robs a person of their joy.
Now, that is what to do; Paul then tells us how to do.
Paul says we are to have a Prayerful Spirit. In everything, pray. Godly prayer only comes, however, through a humbled heart. “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16: 18).” Proverbs 6: 16-17 lets us know that pride is an “abomination” to the Lord.
Prayer is the essential for the child of God.
Secondly, we are to have a Thankful Spirit: “…with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” We are very much ungrateful so much of our lives. When was the last time that we truly meditated on the tremendous blessings that God has favored us with? We even complain with our mouths full! We complain while driving by a hospital or nursing home! We complain while watching our healthy children or grandchildren! We even complain while coming to church to worship our Lord. But mostly we complain while on our way to heaven instead of hell for which we deserve.
Show me an unthankful person, and I’ll show you a bitter person.
Negativity is also a child of ingratitude, which is highly contagious. For example, you listen to a sermon that is convicting, yet encouraging. It “fires you up for the Lord!” And you think to yourself, “That was such a great sermon! I really needed that Word from the Lord today. It truly blessed my heart.” Then when you walk out the doors of the church, you hear someone saying, “I really didn’t get much out of that sermon. It was kind of shallow and actually boring. I’ve heard a lot better.” Then by the time you get to your car, you’re thinking, “Well maybe that wasn’t as good a sermon as I’d thought" (Junior Hill, Sermon)
Having a heart of genuine gratitude is serious business to our Lord. In Luke chapter 17, Jesus recognized only the thankful healed Samaritan leper as having a saving faith. Staying thankful is also a powerful deterrent to sin. It’s hard to deliberately sin when your heart is overwhelmed by the goodness of God on your life. In addition, thankfulness is a means which God uses to bring about spiritual growth in His children. A Christian simply cannot mature with being thankful.
Prayerful and Thankful Spirits are the prerequisites for a Contented Spirit.
#4: Rest in the Guardian of Your Heart and Mind.
Paul writes that the peace of God will guard the believer’s being. This is the “Abiding in God’s Wonderment.”
My grandmother, who helped raised me as a baby, was the embodiment of Romans 12: 9-18. Her life still stands for me as the example of faithfulness to the Lord. Although life was difficult for her on many levels, she showed nothing but peace in the midst of those trials. She died at the age of 97, telling her family that was around her that she was “going home.” And she did. I truly believe it was her prayers that the Lord answered concerning my salvation and subsequently my calling into the ministry.
But she was absolutely content with whatever God provided or didn’t supply. Her trust was in Him, not the situation. This was shown in the peace that was hers through Christ.
The peace of God is our rest in God. As John MacArthur writes, “The real challenge of the Christian life is not to eliminate every unpleasant circumstance; it is to trust in the good purpose of our infinite, holy, sovereign, powerful God in every difficulty. Those who honor Him by trusting Him will experience the blessings of His perfect peace.”
A man once went to his pastor for counseling. He was in the midst of a
financial collapse. “I’ve lost everything, he cried.
The pastor said, “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve lost your faith.”
“No,” the man corrected him, “I haven’t lost my faith.”
“Well, then I’m sad to hear that you’ve lost your character.”
“I didn’t say that, “the man corrected, “I still have my character.”
“I’m sorry to hear that you’ve lost your salvation.”
“That’s not what I said,” the man objected. “I haven’t lost my
salvation.”
“You have your faith, your character, and your salvation. It seems
to me,” the minister observed, “that you’ve lost none of the things
that really matter.” (Rick Ezell, Contentment - The Learned Virtue, Lifeway Article)
That peace of God is one of the secrets to contentment. There was a woman on the island of Tobago that experienced this peace that passes all understanding:
“A short-term missionary, on his final day, was leading
worship in a leper colony. He asked if anyone had a favorite
song. When he did, a woman turned around, and he saw the
most disfigured face he’d ever seen. She had no ears and no
nose. Her lips were gone. When she raised her hand, he saw
that she had no fingers. But she asked him, “Could we sing
‘Count Your Many Blessings, Name Them One by One?’”
The missionary started the song but he couldn’t finish. Someone
later commented, “I suppose you’ll never be able to sing the
song again.” He answered, “No, I’ll sing it again, just never
the same way” (Rick Ezell, Contentment - The Learned Virtue, Lifeway Article).
When a follower of Christ can truly grasp the enormity of God’s provision for His children, it’s then that he or she can truly rest and abide in the wonderment of God. And that’s called contentment.
Ultimately, contentment is a blessing from God that we receive as a result of our faithfulness to Him. It frees us from the world’s grip and entanglement so that our spiritual eyes can be opened to the goodness of God.
Contentment births a teachable spirit in our soul that gives us the freedom to follow at any cost. Paul confessed in verse 11 that he had “learned, in whatsoever state [that he was in], therewith to be content.” That contentment, then, caused Paul to state, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me (verse 13).”
Contentment is a vehicle that God uses to prepare His children for the work that He has prepared for them. When we are faithful in our contentment before the Lord, we will be fruitful in our commitment to the Lord.
“Our tendency is to look for things that will make us content, rather than putting forth the effort it takes to learn how to be content,” such as the actions that Paul gives us in this passage:
1) Rejoice because you’re saved, 2) Respond with a life of consistent graciousness, 3) Request from God with grateful, humble heart, and 4) Experience a Rest in the Lord that gives a peace that cannot be understood.
