01-12-14 Key To Contentment

This morning we are going to return

to where we left off in our Philippians study,

near the end of the last chapter,

chapter 4.

Some of you

have not been involved in our study of Philippians before

so just a few words of introduction to the book will help.

Philippians is a book written by Paul

to the Christians at Philippi.

It was written by Paul

when he was in prison,

or more accurately

when he was under prolonged house arrest at Rome,

waiting for his trial before Caesar

on charges of treason against the Roman government

as a result of the turmoil his preaching of the Good News had caused

among the Jews in Jerusalem.

He had most likely already been in prison

for several years

at the time he wrote this letter.

He was motivated to write it

because a man named Epaphroditus,

who was one of the church leaders at Philippi,

had traveled to Rome

in order to bring Paul gifts and supplies

to help him during his imprisonment.

He wrote this letter for Epaphroditus to bring back to the Philippian church

to thank the Philippians

and to let them know about his situation in Rome.

In other words,

on the surface this letter

that we now know as the New Testament Book of Philippians

was really simply Paul’s Thank You Note

for a gift he had received.

But what a Thank You Note it is!

As we have studied our way through this note

during the past year

we have seen that it is the most remarkable survival guide for hard times

a Christian could ever want.

It is rich with concepts

revealing to us

the keys that equip us to not only survive,

but to actually thrive throughout our own personal imprisonments

and winters of our lives.

And even though the section we are now studying

is his final “thank you” and farewell remarks,

he continues to give us added treasures in these final verses.

In fact,

two of the most frequently quoted verses

in the New Testament Epistles

are found in this passage.

The first is

Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

The second is

Phil. 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Like so many verses that are yanked out of their context

and made to exist on their own,

both of those statements

are frequently misused and abused,

being used to defend and justify things

that Paul never intended.

We’re going to take those verses

and place them back into their proper context

so that we can understand

why Paul said them

and what he really meant by them.

We’ll look at the first one today

and the second next week.

And now,

with that as background

let me read for us

Philippians 4:10-13,

which is actually just the first section

of the complete passage that runs through verse 20.

Beginning in 4:10 Paul says,

Phil. 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

Phil. 4:11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Phil. 4:12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

OK, now let’s walk our way through this

a step at a time

so that we can see what Paul is saying

and why he’s saying it.

He begins with an outburst of gratitude

for the gift he has received.

Phil. 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

He says simply,

“What you did for me made me feel really good!”

It helped meet some of his physical needs,

but even more than that,

and even more important,

it met a need in his spirit.

This was a time when Paul was spending

day after day after day

in isolation

and aloneness,

not knowing if or when

he would ever see any of his friends again,

and even more than that,

not knowing if he would ever again

be permitted to teach or to reenter the battle.

At the most critical time in history

for the presentation of the message of Christ,

Paul was suddenly yanked off the field

and dropped onto the sidelines.

I know a little tiny bit

of how that must have felt.

Those of you who know some of my personal history

know that in my early 20’s,

long before I ever set foot on Alaskan soil,

I was involved in missions work

on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad.

My third visit and last extended trip to the Island

was in 1973.

A missionary couple I knew on the Island

asked me to come down for a year

and fill in for them

while they were in the U.S. on furlough.

There was a small group of young Christians in the valley they had been working in,

and they didn’t want to leave them

without some sort of guidance for the year.

It was during that year in Trinidad

that I first discovered

that God had equipped me with some measure of teaching ability in His Word.

Actually, what happened was that

I got onto the Island

and found a small group of believers

who obviously desperately needed sound, strong Bible teaching.

They knew almost nothing at all

about the basic truths and principles

that govern the Christian’s walk with the King,

and they were desperately in need of truth.

I knew they needed a Bible teacher,

and, in fact, I remember getting the group together

and telling them

that we needed to pray earnestly

that God would send the teacher we needed.

We prayed...and prayed...and prayed...

and God didn’t answer,

so in desperation,

and in view of the fact that God was apparently refusing to answer our prayers,

I finally decided I would attempt to teach myself.

And the most amazing thing happened...

the people actually listened,

I mean REALLY listened,

and they learned,

and they grew.

And in the process I discovered

another little piece

of who I was as God’s child

and how He wanted to express Himself through me.

By the way, I need to prepare you

for what I have come to realize

is a common tool used by the Spirit of God

to move us from where we are

into what He has for us in our walk with Him.

Do you ever find yourself looking at your fellow Christians,

or perhaps our local fellowship,

or maybe some aspect of our community,

or possibly just one other individual

and find yourself thinking, “What we or he or she really needs is...”,

or “I sure wish someone would...”?

Do you ever find yourself seeing a need in another person’s life

or in the lives of a group of people

and wish someone would step in and meet that need?

Well, I need to warn you

that frequently those thoughts

are the first step in the Spirit’s efforts

to open you up to a unique role He wants you to fulfill.

He gives you eyes to see

and a heart to respond

to a need He has designed you to fulfill.

I also know that when this happens

there is often a process we go through

in which, first we get frustrated with others

because they won’t do what we think needs to be done,

and then we get frustrated with God

because He won’t do what we think needs to be done.

But if we keep listening,

and keep open to His life within us,

we may discover that He’s just preparing our hearts and minds

for a work He wants to do through us.

And if, when that thought occurs to you,

you find yourself thinking, “But I can’t do that! I’m way over my head! I won’t do it well at all!”

you’re very likely just exactly the person He has for the job.

He likes us desperately dependant upon Him, you know.

Well, after that year in Trinidad

I returned the States

and for months following my return

I had no place to teach.

I didn’t have the academic credentials for it,

and I can remember during that time of my life

wondering if I would ever be able to teach again.

And I remember, too, how much I treasured

the letters I received

from my friends in Trinidad.

It was great to find out

what was happening in their lives,

but it was also so good

just to be reminded

that I was still loved

and remembered by the people who meant so much to me.

I longed to be able to teach again,

but I knew, too, that only God could put that together for me.

And that’s where Paul was in a big way as he wrote this letter.

He obviously had the ability to give remarkable gifts to his fellow Christians,

but God alone could put things back together in his life

in a way that allowed him to do that.

And I’m certain it felt really good to Paul

when he heard from his fellow Christians in Philippi

and knew that they still remembered and still cared.

Phil. 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

Paul says, “Thank you so very much

for remembering,

and for caring.”

But then Paul goes on to say something

that we Christians in our society

strongly resist hearing.

He says,

Phil. 4:11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Now I want us to listen carefully

to what Paul is saying here.

And I have to be careful how I say this

so that I’m not misunderstood.

But Paul clearly states

that true contentment for the child of God

does not come from

discovering how to get God to change our circumstances,

but rather

from learning how to be content

in whatever circumstances we find ourselves.

Now look at this!

Paul knows that God can,

and in fact earlier in this letter

he prays that God will

change his circumstances.

He prays that God will deliver him from prison.

But he also knows

that the circumstances of his life

are often out of his control.

They are in the hands of his God.

And his contentment

cannot be dependant

upon those circumstances.

If they are

then true contentment would be

only a brief, fleeting, occasional experience in his life,

something he finds only

during those rare periods in his life

when his circumstances

are the way he thinks they should be.

But that isn’t what he says.

In fact, remarkably,

he says, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Now he goes on to explain

what he learned

that makes that a reality in his life,

and we’ll look at that next,

but I want to point out one other thing here

that I believe is the first major step

in living in that contentment.

Did you notice that

Paul does not offer one word

of brooding introspection

over why his circumstances are

the way they are?

Paul does not churn within himself

over why he is in prison,

or why God has left him in prison

for month

after month

after endless month.

We do not see Paul reliving the past,

saying to himself,

“If only I had handled that situation in Jerusalem differently.

If only I hadn’t been so combative,

if only I hadn’t escalated the situation

with my stubborn determination

to grind their faces in the truth.”

Paul doesn’t heap blame

either on himself

or on others for his circumstances.

Why?

I think for several reasons.

I, think first of all,

because Paul knows

that the acceptance of our circumstances

is the beginning of our acknowledgment of both the reality

and the goodness of God.

HUH?

Let’s bring it a little closer to home

and it may be easier for us to see.

Are you a Christian?

Are you His child?

Have you chosen to trust Christ

with both your sins

and the leadership of your life?

If so, then I want to ask you a question -

how do you feel about your circumstances right now?

How do you feel about where you live?

How do you feel about where you work?

Or where you go to school?

Or who your boss is?

Or who your teachers are?

How do you feel about being married?

Or being single?

How do you feel about your health?

How do you feel about your income?

How do you feel about the children God gave you?

Or about the parents He selected for you?

How do you feel about

the difficult relationships in your life?

How do you feel about

the things that are broken in your life

that you cannot fix?

How do you feel about your future?

How do you feel about your past?

How do you feel about the circumstances in your life?

The beginning of all true contentment

is accepting the truth

that for the child of God

the circumstances of your life

in their most intricate

and minute detail

are not just circumstances,

but they are the circumstances

the living Creator God of the universe

has personally allowed as the backdrop for your life here and now.

I did not say He caused all of them,

but I am saying He has chosen to allow them to be a part of your life.

And all true practical trust in God

begins with the acceptance of our circumstances as being

an expression of God’s personal compassionate care for us as His children.

Let me say it a little differently

and it may make more sense.

Practical trust in God begins

when we can begin the day by saying to our Lord,

“Father, thank you for the circumstances

You have carefully selected for me this day.

Thank you for the places

and the ways in which I will discover Your love

and your care for me in those circumstances.”

And just so that there is no misunderstanding here,

let me set this truth along side of

what I believe to be

the great lie

that has the power to rob us

of so much of our contentment.

You see,

we are far more comfortable

worshiping a God

who can and will CHANGE our circumstances.

In fact, so many of our prayers

carry with them the implied condition

of what we will and will not accept from Him.

“Thank you, Lord, for what You are going to do.

Thank you for the way You will powerfully intervene in this situation.

Thank you for the way in which we will see Your mighty hand

changing this situation.

And we will be careful to give You the praise and the glory. Amen!”

We even promote such prayers

as great statements of faith,

because they look to the future

and affirm the work of a living God that we have not yet seen.

We want to worship a God

who will change our circumstances,

who will deliver the goods.

But why don’t our prayers begin

by our saying,

“Lord thank You so very much

for Your kindness,

and Your love,

and Your wisdom that has chosen to place me in these circumstances?

Thank you for understanding me perfectly,

and for knowing that right now I need this isolation,

or this boredom,

or this pain,

or this confusion in my life.

Thank You for the way

You have carefully designed for me this day

the circumstances I need this day

for Your continued skillful work in me.”

You see, Paul understood

that the beginning of all true trust

and all true worship

and all true praise to God

is the recognition that our circumstances

are chosen for us by our Lord

and as such are an expression of His love for us.

Do you know what they are?

They are the doorways

through which we will enter into

discoveries of His love,

and His grace,

and His compassion,

and His abundant sufficiency for us

at a level that we could never have known any other way.

He gives and takes away,

blessed be the name of the Lord.

Now obviously I didn’t get as far as I planned today,

but we got as far as we need to.

And we’ll pick it up right here next week.