The Secret of Contentment
Philippians 4:10-13
July 16, 2006
Morning Service
Introduction
A wealthy employer once overheard one of his workers exclaim, "Oh if I only had a hundred dollars, I would be perfectly content." Knowing that his own money had not given him inner peace, he told her, "Since I would like to see someone who is perfectly contented, I’m going to grant your desire." He gave her the money and left, but before he was out of earshot, he heard her remark almost bitterly, "Why on earth didn’t I say 200?" The boss smiled, for he had made his point that money doesn’t make a person "perfectly contented."
What does it mean to be content? What does it mean to live a contented life?
Webster states that contentment is the ability to rest satisfied, to be positive and well pleased. It is freedom from care or discomfort.
Why are so many people not content?
The good life exists only when we stop wanting a better one. The itch for things is a virus draining the soul of contentment.
We live in a society that wants more and needs more to be happy. We are a society that is never satisfied. We are a society that is left longing for more than we will ever truly find.
Why do we see this so often in our society? People have an unending desire for something more and there is never enough. It is a thirst that is never quenched and hunger that is never satisfied. We seldom want to admit it but we are a lot like addicts. We act like addicts looking for their next big hit or the higher high. We have an addiction to the things of this world and we want more and more to fill our longings and desires. Our problem is not what we have it is what we want that we do not yet have.
10 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. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:10-13
I. The celebration of contentent (10)
Our English word content comes from the Latin term contentus which means to contain. Being content means to be satisified, happy or to be filled.
One of the main reasons that paul writes this letter to the Philippians is to thank them for the gift that they sent to him. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Many times this phrase has been misunderstood to mean that Paul was giving a rebuke to the church and the language does sound harsh but nothing could be further from the truth. Paul wrote this to show his appreciation and not some rebuke.
The church did not lack the care to help Paul but rather they did not have the opportunity to help Paul. It is not stated what the issue was but there are a couple of possibilities. First, the church may not have known where Paul was at. Paul had been moved several times and shipwrecked at least once. Between the traveling, the complications of traveling and the persecution that the church was experiencing makes it plausible that the church could not locate Paul. Second, the church may not have a had a trustworthy courier to take the gift to Paul. The trip would have been long and sometimes dangerous. It would have been a difficult trip to make and may have been difficult to find someone who was able to go.
Paul rejoices at the renewed communication with the church, which this would not have been the first. There would have been several exchanges of letters or at least information between Paul and the Philippian church.
1.) News about Paul reaches Philippi
2.) Epaphroditus is sent with the gift for Paul
3.) News of Epaphroditus becoming ill reaches Philippi
4.) Word of the concern of the church about Epaphroditus reaches Paul
5.) Epaphroditus carries the letter back to the church
Paul rejoices because God has once again supplied his need. The provision of God is truly awesome and amazing at times.
II. The confidence of contentment (11-12)
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Make no mistake Paul was saying that he was satisfied with life. This doesn’t seem to be a major statement but take into consideration that Paul was in a Roman dungeon waiting trial and would likely be executed. Paul is saying something that I believe we cannot take for granted.
Contentment is to have a satisfied rest and to be filled. The problem is that we never seem to find satisfaction because the things we have do not satisfy. We have to stop searching for satisfaction in things that can never satisfy.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Jesus told the disciples that they needed to hunger and thirst for righteousness. The deepest desire of their lives was to live in a right standing with God. They were to earnestly seek that which God wanted for them.
Paul understood something that he needed to communicate to the Philippians: true contentment comes only from Christ.
There was nothing that could take the peace that paul experienced through Christ away. There was nothing that was going to steal his inner satisfaction from a personal experience with Jesus. When you look at Paul, can you honestly say that you are satisfied with your life? Can you really say you are content?
Are you satisfied with your...
* Family - Is there one person in your extended family that you think needs changing?
* Work - Does your work drive you up the wall? Do you think that you deserve that better position or the higher salary
* Church - Are you wanting something better from the church? Different music, better programs, more of something you liked at a different church or maybe shorter sermons. The only thing standing between you and a better church is you, get committed and start serving
What is it that takes contentment from us?
1.) Greed
Never being satisfied with what you have. Always wanting more and more. Living your life to get ahead of the game instead of living to give of yourself.
How many people do you know that are trying to live a 100k lifestyle on 20k? How many people do you know that are so far in debt that they will never get out?
Greed is being focused on yourself instead of being focused on others.
2.) Unthankful heart
Every single thing that you have is a gift from God. Our problem is that we take it for granted and rarely thank God for what He has done for us. When we become ungrateful for what God has doen for us, we become unable to be satisfied
We have the audacity to thank God for His blessings one moment and complain about what we don’t have the next.
3.) Jealousy
Jealousy is seeing what someone else has and wanting to have the same thing or something better.
A man became envious of his friends because they had larger and more luxurious homes. So he listed his house with a real estate firm, planning to sell it and to purchase a more impressive home. Shortly afterward, as he was reading the classified section of the newspaper, he saw an ad for a house that seemed just right. He promptly called the realtor and said, "A house described in today’s paper is exactly what I’m looking for. I would like to go through it as soon as possible!" The agent asked him several questions about it and then replied, "But sir, that’s your house your describing."
4.) Coveting
Aren’t jealousy and coveting the same thing? No. Jealousy is being envious of what another person has. Coveting is wanting to take it away from them.
If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, one thing is for sure, the water bill is higher
5.) Lack of faith
In order to have contentment, you have to believe that Jesus can and will meet your needs. That includes when you might not be able to see the need bneing met.
Right now, in what areas are you not living the satisfied life?
III. The capability of contentment (13)
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Paul let’s the Philippians know the source of his inner peace and strength. Christ is the one who enables him to anything and everything that needs to be done for His kingdom.
I can do everything almost sounds like a cocky, self reliant statement if left on it’s own. Paul was extremely confident that there was nothing that he could not face, no task he could not accomplish and no difficulty that could not be defeated. Why? Paul then gives the source of his ability through Him who gives me strength Paul understood something that we often forget, it is not our ability that Jesus wants but our availability. jesus wants us to make ourselves at His disposal and then we will find His strength flowing into our lives. Contentment is empowered by Jesus Himself and nothing else.
Contentment is not denying your true feelings. It isn’t pretending things are okay when they’re not. It is know that God is with you in every situation. God is bigger than all your problems. Contentment isn’t complacency it is doing our part and leaving the results with God.
The greatest problem with Churches today is that they want to have the results from God without the efforts of the believer. They want the results of divine power without meeting the requirements needed for it to happen. We want God to do His part without us doing ours.
The secret of contentment is following Jesus with all of your heart, until you do that nothing is going to satisfy you in life.
Conclusion
An ancient Persian legend tells of a wealthy man by the name of Al Haffed who owned a large farm. One evening a visitor related to him tales of fabulous amounts of diamonds that could be found in other parts of the world, and of the great riches they could bring him. The vision of all this wealth made him feel poor by comparison. So instead of caring for his own prosperous farm, he sold it and set out to find these treasures. But the search proved to be fruitless. Finally, penniless and in despair, he committed suicide by jumping into the sea. Meanwhile, the man who had purchased his farm noticed one day the glint of an unusual stone in a shallow stream on the property. He reached into the water, and to his amazement he pulled out a huge diamond. Later when working in his garden, he uncovered many more valuable gems. Poor Al Haffed had spent his life traveling to distant lands seeking jewels when on the farm he had left behind were all the precious stones his heart could have ever desired.
Today everything that you need to have a life filled with the overwhelming satisfaction that only God can provide is available here and now. All you have to do is ask for it. Jesus is waiting to give you everything that you need and no I’m not talking about more things. Jesus wants you to have a spiritual satisfaction and a peace about life. He is willing to give that to you, all you need to do is accept it.
