Title: The Content Christian Script: Phil. 4:10-20
Type: Expository Series Where: GNBC 8-31-25
Intro: Dr. John MacArthur once said: “contentment is a highly prized, but elusive virtue. Though it comes only from being rightly related to God and trusting His sovereign, loving, purposeful providence, people nevertheless seek it where it cannot be found – in money, possessions, power, prestige, and relationships, jobs or freedom from difficulties. Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs stated: “Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.” (The Rare Jewel…, pg.19)
Prop: Exam. Phil 4:10-20 we’ll notice 4 characteristics of a Biblically Contented Christian.
BG: 1. Toay we learn something very valuable about the Apostle Paul. He has mastered the meaning and application of contentment.
2. The word content (4:11) comes from a Greek word that means self-sufficient or independent. The Stoics elevated this word, the ability to be free from all want or needs, as the chief of all virtues.
Prop: Let’s examine together Phil. 4:10-20 to notice 4 Characteristics True of Every Content Christian.
I. The Contented Christian is Confident in God’s Sovereignty. V.10-11
A. The Apostle Paul was Confident in God’s Providence in his life.
1. Paul Demonstrated a Gracious Attitude Reflecting his Confidence in God’s Providential Provision in his life.
a. Here we see a little “history” of Paul’s experience w/the Philippian Church. It had been 10 yrs. since he had helped to start the church. They had supported Paul financially as he ministered in Macedonia (Acts 17). When he moved South into Achai, they continued their support as the apostle preached in Athens and Corinth (Acts 17&18). As the years passed they demonstrated concern for the apostle, however, they “lacked opportunity” to give. Possibly this was out of a preoccupation with their own grinding poverty, not sure. Maybe they were unaware of Paul’s needs.
b. However, when Paul’s envoy, Epaphroditus arrived in Rome he brought with him a “generous gift” from this same church which caused the apostle to “rejoice greatly in the Lord”. Illust: Now, I am sure the gift was significant, but that is not what caused Paul to rejoice, Paul rejoiced in the fact that the gift was evidence of the Philippians’ love for him. Illust: We experience that today. Possibly on a loved one’s birthday, maybe they far away. But you mark it on the calendar and you send a card or small present or even a phone call. The contact represents something significantly more important…you care, you love.
2. Christian, you and I can trust in God’s Sovereign Provision Today.
-I like that word “revived” in v.10. It is a verb. In the original language it is a horticultural term describing a perennial flowering again. Illust: I love rose bushes. We have several. Long Iowa winters, rose bushes will appear to be dead. Spring comes and greening and leaves and budding and then the flower bursts forth. Sometimes that the way it seems in our Christian lives. We can go thru a dark, lonely, and cold spell, Almost seems like God and others are unconcerned about our plight, and then we see a provision…a flowering of God’s grace towards us.
B. The Christian Can Be Content with Relatively Little v. 11
1. Paul Purposed to Let the Philippians Know his Provision was Sufficient.
a. Paul makes sure that he doesn’t come across “poor mouth” to the Philippians. Some Christians need to be reminded that they are children of the King and not that their Progenitor was a pauper or peasant! When Paul thanks the Philippians for the gift they gave, he quickly states a disclaimer…he wants to make sure the church does not think he is either complaining nor that he is speaking from “want”.
b. V.11 “content” – only x in NT. In extra-Biblical sources speaks of being self-sufficient. On ancient writer spoke of a country which did not import any goods because provided for own needs. Biblical contentment does not come from self-sufficiency, but rather complete dependency upon the Lord Jesus Christ to provide for all of our needs according to His riches in glory. (v.19)
2. Today’s Christian Can also be content.
a. Illust: Many of you have heard our experience in Poland a few years ago. All of our luggage lost for nearly entire trip. At first was concerning. Strangely became freeing and when finally arrived seemed like a hassle! We had learned to be content with “little”. We may have had “little” but we had everything that we needed. Illust: In 1970 the average supermarket carried about 5,000 separate products. In 2025, the average is in excess of 50,000. Guess, what, I am living proof, we didn’t starve to death in 1970! We had all we needed. (I was 40’s heard Obama ask for Arugula in Iowa.)
b. Contentment is an attitude often incomprehensible in today’s culture. Illust: We are constantly bombarded with advertising that screams “discontentment” and a desire for newer, bigger, better. Yet here Paul affirms a truth we need to echo and apply: “I have all I need in Christ!”
C. Applic: Our discontentment is blurred by an incorrect distinction between my “wants” and my “needs”. Virtually everything has now become a “need”, and like hamsters running inside a wheel, people desperately chase contentment which tantalizingly remains just out of one’s reach!
II. The Contented Christian is Not Controlled By His Circumstances. V. 12
A. Paul Affirms this Important Spiritual Truth.
1. Paul teaches the Philippians a very important principle.
a. Contentment is a learned behavior! Now he said that in v. 11, and he again states this here in v. 12. “I know how”, “I also know how”, “I have learned”… Paul had learned by experience and thru spiritual maturity to live above/beyond his physical circumstances. Paul did not allow his circumstances to influence his contentment. This is an incredibly liberating spiritual principle that will revolutionize each of our lives if we “learn” it.
b. Please notice what Paul says here. Contentment does not come naturally! Now, possibly some people are more content that others. However, when we are taught something, it is then that we can say we “learn” or are “learning” something. Neither Trigonometry nor Calculus came “naturally” to me and sadly it didn’t come to me in the classroom either! 😊
2. Our Satisfaction is Independent of My Circumstances.
a. Christian contentment means that my satisfaction is independent of my circumstances. Dr. Sinclair Ferguson says this with respect to contentment being learned: “Thus, we cannot “do” contentment. It is taught by God. We need to be schooled in it. It is part of the process of being transformed through the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1-2). It is commanded of us, but, paradoxically, it is created in us, not done by us. It is not the product of a series of actions, but of a renewed and transformed character. It involves the growth of a good tree that produces good fruit.” (Ligonier, 1-12-23)
b. Please see what Paul says here. He has been experienced humble means and its accompanying hunger and need and poverty, getting by on meager material means, and he has experienced super prosperity so that he was “filled” and had an “abundance” In this verse there are 6 terms that refer to material needs of the earthly, not spiritual life.
B. Neither is Our Contentment is Not controlled by Our Circumstances.
1. Neither is our Spiritual Maturity Based on either a lack or an abundance of “stuff”
a. Illust: This understanding and application of contentment is so important for today’s Christian. Now, think back to what the apostle was just saying. He was experienced in and knew how to be content in poverty and he knew how to be content in prosperity. There are few areas in the Christian life with as wide of theological divergency as we see related to this topic. Back in the Middle Ages if you were to be seen as spiritual, you had to practice an ascetic lifestyle of self-imposed impoverishment and visible lack of enjoyment of apparently anything. In today’s fringe of the Charismatic/Evangelicalism, spirituality is often equated with financial prosperity. My spiritual maturity is not dependent upon my eating cold oatmeal 7 days a week nor is it confirmed by my wearing a Patek Philippe.
b. I believe that God wants us to enjoy the good gifts He gives us…without making them “God” in our lives.
2. Contentment is Found by Enjoying God in All Circustances.
a. Illust: “Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:17, “Set [your hope] . . . on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy,” I don’t think He meant only, “Make sure you enjoy God more than everything he made,” but rather, “Make sure you enjoy God in everything he made” — under everything as the source of joy, over everything as superior joy, and in everything as the best part of the enjoyment of everything. But I think God intends to be glorified not only by being enjoyed more than pizza and more than friendship, but by being enjoyed in the very enjoyment of pizza and in the very enjoyment of friendship. (Piper, “Enjoying God in His Gifts”. No date.)
b. Sometimes God supplied abundantly, and so Paul had learned how to live in prosperity. Most of us would like to learn that lesson! But sometimes God withheld support, and so Paul had to learn to get along with humble means. At those times, he did not grumble or panic, but submitted to the sovereign hand of God, trusting that God knew what was best for him and that He always cared for His children (1 Pet. 5:6-7).
C. Applic: Paul learned to be content in all conditions. It didn’t come naturally to him, and it wasn’t an instantaneous transformation. It is a process, something that we learn from walking with God each day. Key to this process is understanding that everything, major and minor, is under God’s sovereignty. He uses all our circumstances to train us in godliness if we submit to and trust Him. Our attitude is essential.
III. The Contented Christian is Strengthened By God’s Power. V.13
A. Paul States the Source of Spiritual Contentment. (Read v.13)
1. Paul would tell the Philippians that Contentment is Based on Supernatural power.
a. Now, I have to tell you something funny in relation to this verse. I had probably been a Christian 4-5 yrs before I realized this verse had absolutely nothing to do with sports! Nearly every time I had heard this verse spoken on in my early Christian life, it was in the context of sports. Now, I am not being a fuddy-duddy, and I appreciate the use of Scripture in Sports ministry. However, Paul was not speaking about his ability to set a mile PR or master how to throw a split finger or a curve ball. He was speaking about contentment. We have to remember, his setting wasn’t a soccer or cricket pitch nor was it Kinnick, Lambeau, nor Arrowhead Stadiums. Rather, it was house arrest, chained 24-7 to Roman soldier with orders to kill.
b. No matter how difficult his struggles may have been, Paul relied upon a spiritual support invisibly undergirding his every movement and his every moment. This adequacy and sufficiency from his union with the all-sufficient and adequate Christ! (Gal. 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ…”)
2. Christians have assets available to them they often do not even realize they have.
a. Illust: I love that scene near the end of “The Princess Bride”. Westley asks “What are our assets?” Inigo responds: “Your brains, Fezzik’s strength, my steel.” “What I would give for a holocaust cloak!” Inigo replies: “There I cannot help you.” But Fezzik reaches into shirt and says: “Will this do?” and pulls out a holocaust cloak! Now Westley realizes they can successfully storm the castle and rescue his true love, Buttercup. They had an unknown asset that made success possible.
b. “I can do” – one word in the GK, means “to be strong”, “to have power”, or “to have resources”. The Christian often finds him/herself saying things like: “I can’t possibly live without X”, or “How am I expected to be able to do Y?” Or “Does God really expect me to Z”. The answer, oftentimes is: YES! Then our response is: “That’s just impossible, God!” If humanly speaking then yes. But Christian, you have resources you have (often) unutilized assets! You have the indwelling of the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit of God. In Acts 1:8, Jesus promises His disciples that they will receive power through the Holy Spirit. This power wasn’t just for the apostles; it’s a gift for every believer, enabling us to accomplish what God calls us to do. This empowerment is not about self-reliance but total dependence on God. As we yield to the Spirit, we find strength for what seems impossible and confidence to live out our calling in Christ.
B. God Empowers His People for the Works He Calls them to Do.
1. By “all things,” Paul means that he can do everything that God has called him to do in his service for His kingdom. He can obey God, he can live in holiness in thought, word, and deed. He can ask for the provisions needed to carry out the work and expect God to answer. If God has called you to get up in public and speak, He will give you the power to do it. If He has called you to serve behind the scenes, He will equip you with the endurance you need (1 Pet. 4:11). If He has called you to give large amounts to further His work, He will provide you with those funds. As Paul says (2 Cor. 9:8), “God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”
2. Notice the balance between God’s part and our part. Some Christians put too much emphasis on “I can do all things,” on the human responsibility. You end up burning out, because I cannot do all things in my own strength. Others put too much emphasis on “through Him who strengthens me.” These folks sit around passively not doing anything, because they don’t want to be accused of acting in the flesh. The correct biblical balance is that I do it, but I do it by constant dependence on the power of Christ who indwells me. As Paul expressed it (1 Cor. 15:10), “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.” In Philippians 4:13, the verb is present tense, meaning, God’s continual, day-by-day infusing me with strength as I serve Him.
C. Applic: The Holy Spirit indwells and is available to empower the Christian to live victoriously.
IV. The Contented Christian is Concerned for the Well-Being of Others. Vv. 14-20
A. Paul Was Concerned with the Well-Being of the Philippian believers.
1. “The final strand in the tapestry of contentment woven by Paul is having concern for others.” (John MacArthur) Listen, if you live only for yourself, you will NEVER be content! Why? Because contentment can only come to that individual when all of their preconceived conditions are met exactly as they want them to be. Guess what? IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN! Illust: May I speak directly to young Christian women for a moment? The world tells you to get an education, and advanced education, get a career, work in that career for a few years, become financially stable, travel and have adventures… And we wonder why so many young women today are depressed and discontented. (Go back to what we saw in Phil. 2:3-4 (READ). Only when we unselfishly put the interests and well being of others above ourselves will we actually experience contentment in life. Illust: Booker T. Washington once said: “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”
2. Luke 12:33 – Didn’t our Savior say this very same thing? As Christians we are to cultivate a concern for the needy. When we do this Jesus said that we “make for ourselves purses that never wear out and lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven.” (Illust: Many of us contribute to our retirement with each paycheck. Treasure being set aside to use in 5-10-20-20 years from now. Let me ask you friend, how is your heavenly 401k/IRA doing? )
B. Finally, Paul Demonstrates that Expressing Gratitude is Essential in Experiencing Contentment.
1. Paul Makes a Final and Important Transition of Thought.
a. “Nevertheless” – Consider for a moment if Paul would have concluded the letter at v. 13. I think it would have sent a wrong message to the Philippians. Remember that in spite of their extreme poverty they had sent a sacrificial gift to Paul thru Epaphroditus. Had he stopped at v. 13 (Read) the Church at Philippi would have thought either Paul didn’t need or wasn’t appreciative of the gift they sacrificed for to give to him. (Illust – Write thank you notes/texts!)
b. In fact, Paul makes certain that the Philippians did not misunderstand him when he hastens to tell them that they had “done well” and “to share with him in his affliction”. V.17 – (READ). Paul encourages the believers in a very important principle we would all do well to understand. When our motives and attitudes are right, God blesses those who give sacrificially to the needs of His Church and His saints.
2. A final thought on contentment.
a. Contentment is not passive, but it is actually active. Contentment, however shifts our focus. Contentment recognizes that our circumstances come from a good God, and it causes us to lift our eyes and look trustingly to the Lord. But contentment refuses to look out at everyone else. Instead, Contentment looks inward, at our own heart, and rejoices in what God is doing there, in our own life w/o contrasting to others. Contentment Looks Ahead, Not Behind. In the whirlwind of trials, we can often get distracted by all the steps that led us to our current situation: What if I had never sent that text? What if I hadn’t met that guy? What if we hadn’t bought this house and had so many children? What if my life could have turned out differently?
Contentment, however, focuses on what is ahead, not what was behind (Phil. 3:13–14). Contentment looks ahead to Christ’s glory.
b. Illust: George Muller repeatedly proved God’s ability to provide. Muller lived in 19th century, started orphanages in Bristol, England. He and wife had taken literally Jesus’ command to give away all their possessions (Luke 14:33), so they were impoverished. Muller was firmly committed to the principle of not making his financial needs known to anyone, except to God in prayer. He was extremely careful not even to give hints about his own needs or those of the orphanage. The children never knew about any financial difficulties, nor did they ever lack good food, clothes, or warmth. There were times when Muller’s faith was tried, before the Lord supplied the need. On February 8, 1842, they had enough food in all the orphan houses for that day’s meals, but no money to buy the usual stock of bread or milk for the following morning, and two houses needed coal. Muller noted in his journal that if God did not send help before nine the next morning, His name would be dishonored. The next morning Muller walked to the orphanage early to see how God would meet their need, only to discover that the need had already been met. A Christian businessman had walked about a half mile past the orphanages toward his place of work when the thought occurred to him that Muller’s children might be in need. He decided not to retrace his steps then, but to drop off something that evening. But he couldn’t go any further and felt constrained to go back. He gave a gift that met their need for the next two days (George Muller: Delighted in God! by Roger Steer [Harold Shaw Publishers], pp. 115-116).
C. Applic: If you are walking with God and you find yourself in a desperate situation, you can know that you are not there by chance. The sovereign God has put you there for your training in faith, that you might share His holiness. It may be a small crisis or a major, life-threatening crisis. Submit to and trust the Sovereign God and you will know the contentment that comes from Him.
