MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(REVISED - 2018)
TEXT: Philippians 4:10-15; Isaiah 26:3
ILL. This is reportedly a true story about George Phillips of MS, who was going to bed when his wife told him that he had left the lights on out in his workshop. George went out to turn off the lights but saw through the window that there were people in there in the process of stealing his tools.
He immediately went back into the house & phoned the police, who asked "Are they inside your house?" George answered, "No, they’re out in my workshop." The officer replied that all the officers were busy right now, & that he should simply lock his door & a patrol car would be sent out when one was available.
George said, "Okay," hung up, stayed right where he was, slowly counted to 30, & then phoned the police again. "Hello, I called you a minute ago because there were burglars in my workshop. Well, you don't have to worry about them now because I've just shot them all." Then he hung up.
In less than 5 minutes, three squad cars, an armed response unit, & an ambulance showed up. And the police caught the burglars red-handed. But one of the officers said to George: "I thought you told me that you had shot them!"
To which George replied, "And I thought YOU told me that there were NO officers available!"
Now, I would NOT recommend trying this to get the attention of the police; but I did use this story to grab your attention this morning. (Adapted from Sermon Central)
Listen to these words of the Apostle Paul written while he was in a Roman prison: “I know what it is to be in need, & I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any & every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12).
Do you consider yourself a contented person? Are you satisfied with your life? Are you content with your job? Do you & your spouse get along well?
Or maybe you’re single & you think, “If only I were married, then I would be happy.” Or maybe you’re married & you think, “If only I were single again.”
When you get up in the morning, do you look in the mirror & say, “Oh God, I thank you for making me the way that I am"? Or do you look in the mirror & say, “Oh God! I need help!”?
Are you happy with your income? Do you feel you have been paid what you’re worth? Are you aware that the average income of a major league baseball player this year is nearly 4 & 1/2 million dollars?
Of course, some baseball stars are being paid millions more than that. But other ballplayers are struggling along on the minimum salary of only $545,000 a year.
When the Apostle Paul says, “I have learned the secret of being content in any & every situation…” it seems to me that he deserves a hearing.
Paul is getting old. He doesn’t have much - yet once he was rich. His health is beginning to decline - but once he was strong. Now he’s in prison - but once he was free. Yet he says, “I have learned the secret of being content.”
PROP. There are 2 major points I want us to consider this morning: The Enemies of contentment, & then the Sources of contentment.
I. ENEMIES OF CONTENTMENT
A. There are several enemies of contentment, & the first is “Unrealistic expectations.”
ILL. Many of our grandparents grew up during the great depression & had very little. And when they married they had to work long & hard to get what they needed.
But today, it seems when many young people get married, they expect to have everything from day one that it took their parents years to accumulate. The level of expectations has changed!
Again, sometimes people get married & then discover their spouse is not perfect. Or they go to work, & discover that their boss is not perfect, & their friends aren’t always perfect, either.
Perhaps they become Christians, thinking that Christians are perfect & that they, too, would be perfect once they become a Christian. But they find that’s not the case, either. They’re still being attacked by temptations, & sometimes Christians do sin.
So there is disappointment & discontent simply because of “unrealistic expectations.”
B. A 2nd enemy of contentment is “Unfair comparisons.”
When you compare yourself to others, you’re sure to find someone else more attractive, or more gifted & talented than you, someone younger or stronger. And you’ll always be discontented if you're constantly comparing yourself to them.
One of the interesting things about Paul is that you never find him comparing himself to others except once here in Philippians to make a point. Tradition says that Paul was short. And if Paul compared himself to Simon Peter, he could have felt inferior because tradition says that Peter was big & tall.
Tradition also says that Paul had stooped shoulders, & was rather homely. So if he had gone around comparing himself to others, he could have had a tremendous inferiority complex. But he didn’t yield to “unfair comparisons.”
C. A 3rd enemy of contentment is “Unnoticed blessings.”
We live in the most affluent nation in the world. We have more possessions, more freedoms, more opportunities than almost anyone else. And yet, Americans are among the most dissatisfied people on earth, & our suicide rate is extremely high.
The problem is that we take so many of our blessings for granted.
Is air-conditioning a necessity or a luxury? “Well, here in Oklahoma it really gets hot. So we close our windows, shut our doors & turn on the air-conditioning. And we expect our homes to be delightfully comfortable. The only time we even think about it is when it breaks down & we have to sweat a bit.
What about automobiles – luxury or necessity? What about television? Well, we need a big screen, surround-sound, a DVD player, & so on. We want all that.
Yet, Paul writes about himself & the early Christians in 1 Timothy 6:8, “If we have food & clothing, we will be content with that.” Today we have a lot more than just food & clothing. But we tend to take most of those blessings for granted. Truly, we have many “Unnoticed blessings.”
D. The 4th enemy of contentment is “Uncontrolled ambition.” Now the Bible does not condemn ambition. It encourages us to strive for excellence.
But when ambition is uncontrolled, or when it selfishly fuels our ego, it is not good. James writes, “For where you have envy & selfish ambition, there you find disorder & every evil practice” (James 3:16).
ILL. A number of years ago Time magazine reported that a mugger held up a woman at gunpoint & demanded her money. But when she only had $12.50 in her purse he became very angry. Then he saw her checkbook & insisted that she write him a check for $300. The next day he was arrested when he tried to cash that check.
That’s pretty stupid, isn’t it? Yet, "uncontrolled ambition" can sometimes dull our thinking to the point that we aren’t thinking logically.
In Luke 12:18-20, Jesus tells about the rich farmer who had a bountiful harvest.
But instead of thinking about others, he said, “I will tear down my barns & build bigger ones, & there I will store all my grain & my goods. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, & be merry.’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’”
The Bible never says, “Be content with who you are.” But it does say, “Be content with what you have.” We are to be ambitious, but ambitious for the right things.
II. SOURCES OF CONTENTMENT
Now let’s look at sources of contentment. There are at least three.
A. The 1st source of contentment is an “Attitude of Gratitude.” All the way through Philippians Paul talks about attitude, & he is saying, “If you have an attitude that causes you to be grateful for everything God has given you, you’ll find contentment.”
ILL. Alistair MacLean told about Johannes Tauler, a German preacher of the 14th Century: One day Tauler met a beggar. "God give you a good day, my friend." he said. The beggar answered, "I thank God I never had a bad one."
Then Tauler said, "God give you a happy life, my friend." "I thank God," said the beggar, "I am never unhappy."
Tauler asked, "What do you mean?" "Well," said the beggar, "When the weather is fine, I thank God; when it rains, I thank God; when I have plenty, I thank God; when I am hungry, I thank God. And since God’s will is my will, & whatever pleases Him, pleases me, why should I say I am unhappy when I am not?"
Tauler looked at the man in astonishment. "Who are you?" he asked. "I am a king," said the beggar. "Where then is your kingdom?" asked Tauler. And the beggar answered: "In my heart."
Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You." (From Ajai Prakash, "First Things First" on SC)
Now, you can begin each day by saying, “God, this is going to be a tough day. I hate my life. I hate my work. I hate my family. I don’t know how in the world I’m going to make it.”
Or you can say, “God, thank you for this new day you’ve given me. Help me to do something today that will last for all eternity. Use this day, Father, to your glory. And use me to your glory, too.”
B. The 2nd source of contentment is to “Seek to please Jesus” & quit worrying about pleasing people.
Jesus said, “But seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, & all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
That is a lesson we’ve never really learned. But if we do, then we’ll discover one of the secrets of being content. And Paul tells us, “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13)
ILL. Bill McCartney retired as the head coach of the Univ. of Colorado football team a number of years ago. His reason for retirement was not because he was unsuccessful as a coach. His teams had won the national championship. They had been in the top 10 many times.
McCartney said that he retired because he wanted to re-evaluate his priorities. And during that year, he rededicated his life & talents to Christ, & threw his efforts into founding the great gatherings of men that came to be known as “Promise Keepers.”
In 1 Thessalonians 2:4 Paul says, “We are not trying to please men but God…” And may that dedication be evident in our lives, too.
B. Here’s the 3rd source of contentment - “Love people, & show your concern for them.” Paul writes, “I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.” (Philippians 4:10)
Then he goes on to write, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” … “Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.” (Philippians 4:11,14)
Paul thanks the church in Philippi for being so concerned about him, not just for the money they sent, but for the fact that they really cared about him. He was in prison & he was sick. So they wrote to him, & sent Epaphroditus to comfort & help him. And he tells them, “Your love means so much to me.”
Now if you have someone who cares about you, someone who really loves you, someone who prays for you, someone who encourages you, & if you truly treasure that kind of relationship you may soon, like Paul, be able to say, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”
ILL. There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, & he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains, too. But these mountains were rugged & bare. Above them was an angry sky, from which rain fell & in which lightning played. Down the side of one mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.
But when the king looked closely at the waterfall, he saw behind it a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?
"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things & still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace." (From Stories for the Heart (p. 246) by Catherine Marshall)
How about you? Do you have peace this morning? Are you content? If you are not, then learn the secrets of contentment from the apostle Paul, accepting Jesus as your Savior, making Him the Lord of your life.
INVITATION: This morning we give you the opportunity to come & confess your faith in Him, following His example & command in baptism, being raised to walk in a new life, a new relationship with Him. If you are ready to make that decision we invite you to come as we stand & sing.
