The Fruit of Contentment (Philippians 4:10-14)
The Fruit of Contentment
Philippians 4:10-14
January 26, 2014
As you know Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians
In large part as a response letter to the visit from Epaphroditus.
Epaphroditus was a member of the Philippian church, and he was entrusted to take a gift from the Philippians all the way to Paul in Rome.
It is likely that while he was there Epaphroditus also informed Paul of
• The opposition they were facing,
• The threat of the false teachers,
• And even the lack of harmony between Euodia and Syntyche.
In response to that visit Paul wrote this letter.
• To encourage them in their opposition
• To encourage them in their discernment
• To encourage them in their attitude
• To encourage them in their harmony with one another
And, as we find here to encourage them in regard to contentment.
Certainly in this letter Paul would want to mention
The gift that the Philippians gave him.
The fact that he waits until the end of the letter already
Does an adequate job of revealing that Paul’s first concern for the Philippians
Was not what he could get from them.
He doesn’t even mention the gift until he has faithfully and sufficiently
Dealt with the spiritual issues they were dealing with.
But now Paul is closing the letter and he turns to his portion
Where he will tell them thank you.
What is so interesting about this “thank you” portion is that Paul’s primary purpose for being thankful is not at all what you would think.
I’m sure the Philippians envisioned Paul
In that Roman apartment, on house arrest, chained to the guard, and thought “He must be hurting so badly and just begging for someone to help him”
I know I would certainly view people in Paul’s condition like that.
(namely because that is probably how I would be)
But that wasn’t Paul.
Paul had an attribute that served him well in times of hardship.
That attribute was CONTENTMENT
I think I can safely say that
CONTENTMENT IS THE FORGOTTEN VIRTUE OF OUR DAY
• We talk often of love
• We talk often of grace
• We talk often of mercy
• We talk often of forgiveness
• We don’t even mind a little patience
But take a quick look at our society and it becomes quickly clear,
That contentment is not something we are interested in.
Most people today are in a rat race trying to figure out
How they can constantly get more.
And not just more, but the latest version of more.
First I have to get it
• Then I need a second one
• Then I need a bigger one
• Then I need a faster one
• Then I need a more efficient one
• Then I need a cooler looking one
• Then I need one like yours, because yours is better than mine
Our society has forgotten about contentment.
But rest assured, God has not.
When John the Baptist preached to the centurions he said:
Luke 3:14 “Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 13:5 “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”
God has always cared about contentment.
Paul wrote to Timothy:
1 Timothy 6:6-10 “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Godliness is valuable IF it is accompanied with contentment.
See a lack of contentment will eventually
Pull you away from a pursuit of godliness.
It’s just plain impossible to concern yourselves with righteousness
And gaining the world at the same time.
Matthew 6:19-24 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. “But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
That is why Jesus would go on to say:
Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
John would echo that thought:
1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”
As would James:
James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
In Luke’s gospel Jesus gave a penetrating parable to reinforce this issue:
Luke 12:13-21 “Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
And you see where we are coming from here.
You cannot love God and the things of the world.
You cannot seek God and the things of the world.
You can only seek one of them
And then (get this) you have to be content with the other.
That means that you are either content in your circumstances
Or you are content in your relationship with God.
Now we know which Paul wanted don’t we?
He already told us what he was pursuing.
• He wanted to know Christ.
• He wanted to gain the righteousness which is according to faith.
• And even though he hadn’t obtained it yet, he was reaching for it.
Paul was content with the things of the world
And this allowed him to pursue the things of God.
Contentment matters.
Perhaps the story of the Rich Young Ruler ends differently
Had he been a man content with less.
(Zaccheus was and the story ended well for him)
• Matthew was content with a tax business
• Peter was content without a fishing boat
• James and John were content without their father
A person has to choose if they will be content in their circumstances
Or content in their relationship with God.
Contentment matters.
We are called to have it.
For godliness is a means of great gain
When accompanied by contentment.
But godliness without it is certainly lead you to ruin.
• Remember Gahazi (the servant of Elisha) who chased down Naaman that he might receive payment and inherited his leprosy?
• Consider the Pharisees who Luke says were “lovers of money” and how their life ended in destruction.
Jesus said it best when He asked:
Matthew 16:26a “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”
Contentment matters.
So, obviously we should do some thinking about it.
• What does contentment look like?
• How does one achieve it?
Well I think we can confidently answer both of those questions
In our text tonight.
When I first started working on this, I was really trying
To give some profound points about what was going on.
But it seems to me, you’ll have to be content with simple ones.
For tonight we see three simple realities about the contented person.
What is the fruit of contentment?
There are three here
#1 JOY
Philippians 4:10-11
Now we do need to clarify the point a little, but in a very simple sense
You can see that one of the attributes of contentment is joy.
Paul said, “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me;”
Paul is rejoicing
After all we are commanded to rejoice always
He received the gift (and we don’t know what it was),
And when he did he wrote this letter saying that he was thrilled.
Now even in the first line of verse 10 we see that
Paul was NOT REJOICING about what he received,
But rather he was rejoicing that they “revived” their concern for him.
The Greek word for “revived” is a horticultural term
Speaking of when a plant brings forth flowers.
Their concern finally bloomed.
You can plant flowers and you know they are flowers,
But until they bloom they don’t look like much more than a weed.
Paul is rejoicing that their concern
Has finally come to the forefront and has bloomed.
Before they were like a flowerless plant:
“indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.”
• Maybe they were too poor to share (we know of their poverty)
• Maybe they had no way to get the supplies to him
• Maybe they didn’t know where he was
For whatever reason, the Philippians had not recently been able to help,
But once they had the “opportunity” they seized it
And their concern for him was in full bloom.
And there is a spiritual reality to be seen there.
Luke 16:10-13 “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? “And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
People all the time live under this self-deluded assumption
That if they had more they would give more.
But listen, generosity has nothing to do with wealth.
You are either a giver or you or not.
If you think in your heart, I’ll give when I get ahead,
I can confidently say you will never give.
If you aren’t faithful with a little, you will never be faithful with a lot.
And that is Jesus’ point.
God can tell if you love Him or love money
Regardless of whether or not you are rich or poor.
Well the Philippians came through.
They gave, when they had little, and they gave when they had a lot.
And their giving caused Paul to rejoice.
However, it is so important to understand WHY he was rejoicing.
Many would immediately assume it is because he received some supplies that would make his life more comfortable.
Many would assume that he was rejoicing in the gift.
NO
(11) “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
Paul says, “I am rejoicing true enough, but it is not because I finally have something I wanted.”
You will see next week that Paul’s rejoicing had more to do
With the spiritual state of the Philippians.
Philippians 4:17 “Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.”
Paul wasn’t rejoicing in what he received, he was rejoicing in the fact that
The Philippians were generous, and what that meant for them.
John said:
3 John 4 “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.”
Paul told the Thessalonians:
1 Thessalonians 3:8 “for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.”
The rejoicing came as a result of the faith and obedience of his spiritual children, not because he received something he wanted.
And Paul explains that:
“for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
Now that is a good explanation of contentment.
Contentment is not dependent upon circumstances.
If circumstances can make you discontent, then you are not content.
The Greek word translated “content”
Here is only used here in the New Testament.
And it is a word that literally means “self-sufficient” or “adequate”
It speaks of one who “needs no assistance” because he already has enough.
And Paul basically is describing the reality that
He has learned not expect or depend on anything else.
What he already has is enough.
(pretty impressive statement for a man in prison on limited rations,
Chained to a Roman centurion 24/7)
We would say that this is a person who has
Learned “to make do” with what they have.
The solution to their life is not found in getting something else.
Now, you may remember that Paul was not always this way.
Romans 7:7 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.”
Paul used to be a covetous man.
• He used to be a man who did not see what he already had as adequate.
• He used to be a man who was very discontent, coveting what others had.
But here he says, “I have learned to be content”
One can only imagine the lessons God used
To teach Paul this priceless attitude.
2 Corinthians 11:27 “I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”
Without a doubt God used those things to teach Paul contentment.
He had to learn it.
In other words contentment is not natural to the flesh.
We learned a couple of weeks ago
About people who are enemies of the cross.
Paul described them like this:
Philippians 3:19 “whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.”
The natural man is not content
You did not come into this world content
Contentment must be learned and Paul said “I have learned” it.
That means that Paul was not sitting in his quarters moaning and wishing and begging for more supplies or better circumstances.
He never mentioned it and he wasn’t even thinking about it
Because he was content with what he had.
He rejoiced but not about getting stuff.
And that is a contented person.
Joy.
They aren’t bitter, even when they don’t have all they could have.
Joy is a fruit of contentment.
#2 FAITH
Philippians 4:12-13
Now Paul just said that he learned contentment.
And that education certainly came through a few life experiences.
“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.”
I would say most of us are half-way there.
We know how to get along in prosperity and how to be filled
And how to have an abundance.
It’s the other three circumstances on that list we struggle with.
But Paul had been cold and hungry and alone
And shipwrecked and beaten and in danger.
And through those times he learned how to be content.
• He learned how to be self sufficient
• He learned how to “make do”
And notice here what he says he learned.
“I have learned the secret…”
Hey, now we’re getting somewhere.
WHAT’S THE SECRET?
(13) “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Perhaps the most misquoted verse in Scripture.
• A wide receiver scores a touchdown
• A bull rider stays on for 8 seconds
And they all point to Philippians 4:13
They use that verse to mean the exact opposite of what Paul meant.
People use that verse to say that God supernaturally provides for their lack, when in reality Paul is saying God supernaturally lets me accept my lack.
A better translation of that verse is:
• “I can handle all things through Him who strengthens me.”
• “I can endure all things through Him who strengthens me.”
And that is what Paul is saying.
He says I learned the secret of contentment,
And that secret is that God infuses strength
For any situation into His children.
We learned last week that in the midst of anxiety
He can give a peace that is beyond comprehension.
Now we learn in the midst of any need He can give strength to endure.
And Paul knew all that because he had so often been without.
It’s the old adage – “You don’t learn Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”
Paul prayed for this same thing for the Ephesians:
Ephesians 3:14-16 “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,”
It is the same strength we need to stand against the schemes of the devil:
Ephesians 6:10 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”
It is the strength Isaiah spoke of:
Isaiah 40:28-31 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”
It is the strength Paul learned about through the thorn in his flesh
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
• It is not human strength
• It is not will power
• It is not fortitude
• It is supernatural, divine strength, which God infuses into His children
It is His strength to endure any situation,
Any hardship, any amount of lack.
And Paul says when I learned that God has strength for me
That is greater than my own,
I realized that I could handle any situation thrown my way.
I realized that I was no longer dependent on outer resources.
I was no longer constantly in need of food.
God has strength available to allow us to endure any hardship.
And when I learned that, I was content with what I had.
Now, don’t turn Paul into more than he was.
This does not mean Paul completely took his eye off of human necessity.
Acts 18:1-4 “After these things he left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them and they were working, for by trade they were tent-makers. And he was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.”
2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 “For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example.”
Paul still knew what it was to work
Paul still knew what it was to earn money and buy food
We aren’t saying he just dropped it all sat down
Waiting for God to supernaturally take care of everything.
What we are saying is that
Even when Paul was put in a position where there was nothing he could do to change his circumstances, he had faith that God would supply the strength to endure it.
He was content
He wasn’t worried
He had faith.
And that is a fruit of contentment.
• Contented people have joy
• Contented people have faith
They aren’t disgruntled due to their lack of supply
And they aren’t worried about it either.
They have joy and they have faith
#3 GRATITUDE
Philippians 4:14
Now if you aren’t careful you could almost read what Paul has said up to this point as though he would rather not have received anything.
You know it almost sounds like he is saying,
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m good”
But that is not at all what he is saying.
In fact he was very appreciative.
He just wasn’t desperate for it.
He actually tells the Philippians:
“Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.”
Look, don’t misunderstand, what the Philippians did was a good thing.
What the Philippians did was the right thing.
After all Jesus said:
Matthew 25:37-40 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’”
The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 13:3 “Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.”
Paul himself wrote:
Romans 12:10-13 “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.”
So it is clear that what they did was the right thing to do.
And Paul is appreciative.
And this gratitude is a fruit of contentment.
Notice what Paul did not do.
He did not say, “Thank you so much for the stuff you sent, if it is possible next time could you also get me some…”
That is what discontented people do today.
You can give them something, but it is never enough.
There is always “Could you also?” coming later.
That is what can make things like benevolence difficult.
It is impossible to meet the needs of a discontented person.
“The leech had two daughters; give and give”
Sooner or later you have to just stop, because they never will.
Paul however was not like that.
He was grateful for whatever,
But even more grateful for the heart of the person who gave it.
With him, it really was the thought that counted.
And that is contentment.
So look at your life.
• Are you joyful in your circumstances? (even bad ones)
• Do you have faith that God can supply strength to endure?
• Are you grateful for what you have and not constantly begging for more?
That is a contented person.
And it is a virtue that God requires.
If you aren’t, then learn the secret.
Learn that God will take care of you and find contentment where you are.
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
