Have you ever met someone who is overly optimistic? Nothing can ever get them down.
They’re the human equivalent of Tiger. These people are often seen as being “Glass half-
full.” On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have those who are pessimistic. The sky is
always falling, doom is always on the horizon. These people are like Eeyore, and are
often viewed as being, “Glass half-empty.” But there is a third way. In our household, we
have what are known as “Brianisms.” These are pearls of wisdom from my father-in-law.
One of my favorite Brianisms is this: “I don’t care if the glass is half-empty or half-full. I
want to know what’s in the glass.” 1 This is the attitude of the Apostle Paul. As he penned
this letter to the church in Philippi, he was not putting on a mask and pretending to be
strong and joyful even though he was dying inside. He acknowledged his sufferings, yet
was able to rejoice in them because of the person and work of Christ.
This is one of the reasons that the local church is so important for believers.
“Bring your baggage in, but leave your mask at the door.”
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2
The gospel call is not, “fake it until you make it.” The gospel message is this:
Come as you are, and by God’s grace, you don’t have to stay where you are! Have
you repented and believed the gospel? Are you a new creation in Christ, or are
you just a well-behaved sinner? The gospel message is NOT behavior
modification – it IS repentance and faith in the Triune God of scripture.
1 Brian Brinkley
2 Ryan Anderson
Sinclair Ferguson has explained contentment in this way: “Contentment is never the
result of the momentary decision of the will. It cannot be produced merely by having a
well-ordered and thought-through time-and life-management plan calculated to guard us
against unexpected twists of divine providence. No, true contentment means embracing
the Lord’s will in every aspect of His providence simply because it is His providence. It
involves what we are in our very being, not just what we do and can accomplish.” 3 In
other words, contentment is not rooted in doing as much as it is in being.
Before moving on, a disclaimer must be made: “There is a place for legitimate
discontentment. All of us should, to some degree, be discontent with our spiritual growth.
If we are not, we will stop growing. There is also what we might call a prophetic
discontentment with injustice and other evils in society that is coupled with a desire to
see positive change.” What we must avoid at all costs is a sinful, whining disposition that
always complains about circumstances.
True contentment is a result of communion with Christ. Contentment is utterly
impossible apart from Him. Have you fully submitted your life to Christ, or just added
Him to your life? Jesus Christ is not an accessory – something to be kept around, “just in
case” you need something.
Are you content with the person, work & presence of Christ? Or are you just
content with the blessings you receive from Him?
The quickest path to misery is to pursue passions, pleasures & purpose apart from God.
The quickest path to joy is to find your passions, pleasures & purpose in Christ alone.
God is not the cherry on top of your already blessed life. He is the one from whom all
blessings flow!
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory
forever. Amen.” 5 – Romans 11:36. That’s why we sing the doxology; it’s a
reminder that everything good in this life comes from the one true living God.
“Praise God from whom all blessings flow / Praise Him all creatures here below /
Praise Him above ye heavenly host / Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost / Amen
Philippians 4:10 – We can have joy in gospel partnership
In James Montgomery Boice’s commentary, he observes that throughout history, churches have been remembered for different things. The book of Romans reveals a church with remarkable faith, the church at Ephesus was remembered for its hard work, the church at Corinth was remembered for being somewhat carnal/immoral at times, the church at Laodicea is remembered for its apostasy, and Thessalonica for its doctrinal divisions concerning the second coming of Christ. Here, we see the church at Philippi being remembered as a church who shows compassion, stewardship and selflessness. 6 When the day of judgement comes, what will Christ say of His bride at Waldo? How will we as a church be remembered? 100 years from now, will this church on a hill in the middle of a cornfield in Massac County cease to exist, or will we continue to be a light shining in a dark world? Will we be the church who is focused on the things of this world? Will we be the church who chooses division over things that don’t matter? Or will we be the church who is remembered for our joy, charity & worship of God? There is joy in gospel partnership. We can be a part of fulfilling the great commission by praying, proclaiming & sacrificial giving. We are not here to build the kingdom of Waldo. We exist to further the kingdom of God. This can only be done if we are a church who prays, sends & gives our very best for the glory of God and the good of His people.
Philippians 1:3-5. Paul’s relationship with the church at Philippi begins in Acts 16. In
God’s providence, the Apostle is prevented by the Holy Spirit from entering various
cities in this missionary journey. Paul receives a vision at night of a man in Macedonia,
saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” One Sabbath day, Paul encounters a
woman named Lydia, who along with her household, is converted and baptized. As this
encounter ends, Paul casts out a demon from a slave girl. This lands Paul & Silas in
prison. As Paul & Silas are in jail, at midnight they began to pray and sing hymns. An
earthquake occurs, the prison doors are opened, and the jailer assumes that his prisoners
have escaped & decides to take his own life. At the last minute, Paul cries out to the jailer
that no one has left the prison. Then we have the conversion of the jailer. The city
officials ask Paul & Silas to leave the city, so they visit Lydia & the brothers, they are
encouraged by the believers & then carry on their missionary journey.
As Paul concludes this letter, he thanks the church in Philippi that although no other
church entered into partnership with him in giving and receiving, they did. His focus was
not the material possessions that he would receive from this local church – he was
encouraged by the fact that their sacrificial giving would serve to advance the gospel.
“If you want to live big on a small paycheck – give.” 7
When you give sacrificially for the edification of the church, you may have no idea of the
impact it could have on this side of eternity.
Philippians 4:11 – Contentment must be learned
Learning contentment is not easy, but it is possible, necessary & commanded by God. Paul is
writing this letter from a prison cell – how can he have joy under these circumstances but by
God’s grace alone?
Contentment is learned. It takes both awareness and effort. On one hand, Paul is the most
famous Christian in church history. At the same time, the best of men are men at best. We
should not idolize Paul, or any other Christian. However, we must recognize that the man
who wrote 2/3 of the New Testament, who planted churches, endured hardships & was
one of the most zealous followers of Christ – had to LEARN contentment. This should
encourage us.
8 “Since this is a secret to be learned, two things are implied: Not every Christian
has learned it & it is possible to learn. Many Christians, it seems, go throug their entire lives struggling, fuming, fretting, murmuring, fussing, arguing, and complaining against God and against their life circumstances.” (Davis, 2019)
Contentment is a choice. You don’t always get to choose your circumstances. You
always get to choose how you respond to them.
“In first-century Stoicism, “contentment” was an admired virtue, the trait of true wisdom.
But Stoic “contentment” was self-sufficiency, grounded in aloof indifference. Paul’s
contentment was reliant not on himself and his ability to suppress emotions, but on
Christ, who held Paul fast and sustained him in all circumstances.”
We are seeing a resurgence of this mindset in our culture today. Self-help authors
and alpha-guru personality types (e.g. David Goggins & Andrew Tate) are
influencing our culture by preaching the false gospel of self-sufficiency and
picking yourself up by your own bootstraps. To be content in the truest sense is
only possible by relying on the sufficiency of Christ. Anything apart from that is
antithetical to the gospel message. The solution to man’s problems is not the
prosperity gospel, the poverty gospel, stoicism or any earthly philosophy. The
only answer is Christ crucified on your behalf, dead, buried, raised, ascended to
the Father and is coming back to judge the quick and the dead.
Other scriptures
“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. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall
be content.” 10 – 1 Timothy 6:6-8
“Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows
with blessing will also reap with blessing. Each one must do just as he has
purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver. And God is able to make every grace about to you, so that in
everything at every time having every sufficiency, you may have an
abundance for every good deed.” 11 – 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
God does not provide good things for us so that we can build our own
kingdom. He gives us aptitude, opportunities & resources so that we may
play a part in building His kingdom. Note in this verse why He gives grace
& sufficiency; SO THAT we may have an abundance for every good deed.
Christ is building His church and He is using ordinary people through
ordinary means to do so. Do you want contentment? Lay hold of the
promises of God. Cling to them like your life depends upon it, because it
does!
“Make sure that your way of life 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,” so that we confidently say, “The LORD is my helper, I will not
be afraid. What will man do to me?”
John D. Rockefeller was the first billionaire in the U.S. was once asked, “How much money is enough?” He replied, “Just a little bit more.” Money can be a great tool, but is always a terrible master.
Philippians 4:12 – Contentment outside of Christ will not last
As we go through our life, some lessons can be taught, while others must be caught.
Contentment is not a simple math equation that can be easily understood by using a
textbook, it must be learned through experience. Contentment is rooted in being, not just
doing. If all we have is action without meaning, we will be of little use in God’s
kingdom. Our actions must be rooted in knowing and being known by the One True and
Living God.
“To be content as a result of some external thing is like warming a man’s clothes by the
fire. But to be content through an inward disposition of the soul is like the warmth that a
man’s clothes have from the natural heat of the body. A man who is healthy in body puts
on his clothes, and perhaps at first on a cold morning they feel cold. But after he has had
them on a little while they are warm. Now, how did they get warm? They were not near
the fire? No, this came from the natural heat of his body. Now when a sickly man, the
natural heat of whose body has deteriorated, puts on his clothes, they do not get hot after
a long time. He must warm them by the fire, and even then they will soon be cold
again.”
External circumstances are beyond our control, but the way we respond is within our
control. Our response to external circumstances is based upon our inward disposition of
our heart. We fail to recognize this truth when we use phrases such as, “That makes me
so angry”, “This person causes me to be anxious”, or “I would be happy if I only had
_.” The root of sinful anger, anxiety & discontentment is the flesh. In order to kill sin,
we must call it for what it truly is & look to Christ alone to set us free.
“As far-fetched as this may sound to us, Jesus actually likens the value of salvation to a
secret treasure hidden in a field (Matt. 13:44). Christian contentment is part of that
spiritual treasure. It has such transformative power that it is far more valuable than any
physical treasure that has ever been buried beneath the surface of the earth. And the
apostle Paul claims to know where the treasure of contentment is buried.” (Davis, 2019)
o What the Christian life is NOT: Justification > spend your time on earth
complaining about your circumstances > heaven.
o What the Christian life IS: Justification > Sanctification > Glorification
Contentment is NOT the same as a lack of ambition. Contentment and ambition exist
harmoniously in the Christian life when our affections are ordered properly. If your satisfaction and joy rise and fall with your power, prestige or possessions, rest
assured that power, prestige and possessions are not the problem – it’s a heart issue.
Christians need to face the reality that sometimes we wrestle with spiritual powers and principalities, sometimes we wrestle with the world, but more often than not, our greatest
problem is ourselves, the flesh.
As we pursue contentment in Christ, we must stay on guard against anything contrary to
that end. One of the more prevailing sins in our culture that robs us of contentment is
anxiety. It’s no coincidence that just a few verses prior to our text, Paul warns against
anxiety in the life of a believer. Jerry Bridges wisely stated the following: “The opposite
of trust in God is either anxiety or frustration, and Jesus had a lot to say about anxiety.
The most prominent passage in which Jesus speaks about it is Matthew 6:25-34, in which
He uses the word anxious six times. We are not to be anxious about what we are to eat,
drink, or wear, or even about the unknown circumstances of tomorrow… Paul picks up
this admonition about anxiety with his words in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious
about anything.” And Peter adds his exhortation, “Cast all your anxieties on him, because
He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7).
Matthew 6:25-34 – This world is not our home. The words of Jesus and Paul make sense
only because they have eternity in view. When I am anxious, I am believing the lie that my Father in heaven does not care for me. When I am anxious, I am refusing to believe God’s promises that He will work all things out for my good and His glory.
In our culture, anxiety is often used as a crutch, or sometimes even displayed as a
badge of honor. People will wrap their identity in their anxiety with phrases such
as, “I’m an anxious person.” This language has become normalized in our culture.
Would we use the same language for other sins, such as envy, greed, lust, or
arrogance? As a church, we cannot afford to soften the language the Bible uses
for sin because we are worried about offending someone. We’re so worried about
not offending anyone, the only person we don’t mind to offend is God. Anxiety,
like any other sin, must be put to death in the life of a Christian. The more we see
sin for what it really is, the more we can appreciate the beauty and glory of who
Christ is and what He has done. In the 23 rd Psalm, we read these words: “Even
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You
are with me, Your rod and staff, they comfort me.” The psalmist does not whine
about his circumstances. He rejoices in the fact that His shepherd loves and cares
for Him and is willing to lead him through the deepest and darkest valley. This is
the attitude of Paul. If you struggle with anxiety, you are not alone, and there are
men and women in this church who will walk alongside you.
Keeping discontentment, anxiety, impure thoughts or any other sin around in your
life would like having a rattlesnake as a pet. Eventually you it will bite you. When
it does, the venom will coarse through your veins and it will destroy you. What’s the solution? Christ has crushed the head of the serpent – look unto Him!
Philippians 4:13 – Christ ALONE is the source of our contentment
This is one of the 3 most misquoted scriptures in our day.
Matthew 7:1 – Quoted when someone is trying to justify their sin and want to do
so guilt free.
Jeremiah 29:11 – Quoted when someone wants covenant promises of prosperity
without the difficulties of living in exile/Babylon.
Philippians 4:13 – Quoted in an effort to win God’s favor in a sporting event,
business venture, or pursuit of the flesh. By the world’s standards, if anyone had something to complain about, it would have been Paul. When Paul says he can do “all things”, what does he have in mind?
2 Corinthians 11:23-28 – “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to
talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more
frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and
again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times
I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was
shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on
the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger
from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in
the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored
and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and
have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything
else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.”
If the Apostle’s goal was to be a motivational speaker, he did a terrible job! What is Paul
saying here? “I can endure hunger, beatings, desert heat, arctic cold, persecutions,
poverty, wealth or anything in between. Why? Because my view of God is not based
upon my circumstances. My view of circumstances is based upon who God is.”
Consider the context of the church plant in Philippi. Acts 16 shows a group of people
with differing backgrounds & social status, but their fundamental need is the same –
Christ alone. You can be poor, yet be content. You can be rich, yet lack contentment. To
be content is not based upon outward circumstances. It’s an internal disposition that is
possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Contentment is not natural – it is
supernatural.
“A carnal heart reads the promises (of God), and reads them merely as stories, not that he
has any great interest in them. But every time a godly man reads the Scriptures
(remember this when you are reading Scripture) and there meets with a promise, he ought
to lay his hand upon it and say, This is part of my inheritance, it is mine, and I am to live
upon it.” 16
Application – Consider the provision of God to His people down through the ages and in your
own life. In Exodus 16, we see God providing manna from heaven. The Israelites were
commanded to gather enough for that day only. If they kept any of it until morning, it would be filled with maggots and unfit to eat. Why? Because Yahweh wanted to teach His people to
depend on Him. How long will you try and make your own way? How long will you try and live
on yesterday’s manna? Consider Jesus, who taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily
bread.”
If the Israelites tried to live on yesterday’s bread, they would get sick.
If they tried to live on tomorrow’s bread, they would starve.
If they learned to trust in the provision of the One True God, they would be satisfied.
That same offer stands today for you: Trust in your heavenly Father to meet all of your
needs. Learn to be content in the person and work of Christ the son. Rely on the presence
of the Holy Spirit when fears and doubt come your way. Faithfully gather with the saints
every week so that you may be a part of what God is doing, building His kingdom
through His people.
Closing
“What is Heaven, but the rest and quiet of a man’s spirit, that is the special thing that
makes the life of Heaven, there is rest and joy, and satisfaction in God. So it is in a
contented spirit: there is rest and joy and satisfaction in God. In Heaven there is singing
praises to God; a contented heart is always praising and blessing God. You have Heaven
while you are on earth when you have a contented spirit.”
Nathaniel R. Martin 