A bit of a special message today. I am mostly done our series on the Disciplines of Grace. I would like to talk about the Discipline of Evangelism, though that's kind of different than the other disciplines, so I will come back to that at some point. Also looking forward to starting the Gospel of John with you, and Pastor Bobby will be starting the Book of Colossians also soon, so looking forward to that. But I was really intrigued just as we were looking at the Discipline of the Church over the past few weeks, So many times seeing the words and the life of the Apostle Paul, and just an amazing man that the Lord used. And I wanted to see a little bit more what made this man tick. And so I think the passage has something to do with that today. Well, let's pray before we take a look at it. Lord God, you are our hope and our joy. There are so many things that would move us from rejoicing in you always, And this joy is not inconsistent with sorrow. Lord, we are knowing sorrow in a fresh way in these days, but that need not diminish our joy. If we have you, God, we can be joyful in all circumstances. Show us more of that today via your servant Paul, as you've written in your word. Teach us, Lord. Speak to us. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, here's perhaps a strange question to get us started today. What is the world's happiest animal? Back in the mid-2010s, many on social media gave the title of world's happiest animal to a not so well-known creature, the quokka. Also known as the short-tailed scrub wallaby, The quokka is a cat-sized marsupial that mostly lives on islands off the coast of Western Australia. Quokka is an herbivore and a nocturnal animal, but what earned the quokka the title of world's happiest animal is its cute looks, its general friendliness toward humans, and the fact that it almost always seems to have a smile present on its face. Many people have traveled to the quokka's main population site on Rottnest Island to take pictures, even selfies, with these creatures, and the quokkas frequently oblige. Had to show you. Now, scientists are quick to point out that the animal is not actually smiling. Quokkas don't have a capacity for smiling like we humans do. It's just its face structure. But it sure looks like. Sure, it looks like it's always smiling, always happy, just enjoying its marsupial life. But what about people? What about us? What about you? Are you happy? Are you satisfied with your life? You may experience times of sorrow, Do others find you, like the quokka, generally friendly, at peace, even smiling much of the time? Another way to ask these questions is, are you content? Or as a more accurate way to describe you, discontent, dissatisfied, depressed, agitated, angry, anxious, fearful, even despairing. When it comes to finding contentment, the world and its wisdom offers us basically two main paths. The first is the pursuit of desires. The world tells us that the reason we're feeling dissatisfied, discontent, is because we have unmet needs and desires. And the solution is easy. We must go and get our desires fulfilled, and then we'll be content. These desires might be for something physical, food, shelter, intimacy, possessions, or something more abstract, love, respect, acceptance, security, control, justice, Meaning? But whatever it is, no problem, says the world. You want it, go get it. Then you'll be satisfied. And perhaps that's the way that some of you are even thinking this morning. You can think about some problem in your life that you just wish would be changed or something that you really want, you feel like you need. You say, if only I could have this good thing, then I'd be content. Or maybe you do feel content and you say, as long as I have this good thing, I can be content. Well, unfortunately, the pursuit of desire's path offered to us by the world is doomed to failure, as we should know from Solomon and Ecclesiastes. This is a world fundamentally broken by sin, where nothing lasts and nothing ultimately satisfies. So even if you do get that good thing in the world, whether it's tangible or abstract, It's not going to last. It's not going to satisfy you, and you're going to have to find more, or you're going to have to look for something else. So pursuing desires is not going to make you content. An alternate path that the world offers is the suppression of desires. A less popular path, but some in the world, either from religion or philosophy, they tell us that our desires are the problem. And the real way to be content, to be satisfied, is to get rid of all your desires. by withdrawing from the world, by intentionally afflicting yourselves, or by vigorous rationality and mental discipline, you can become satisfied by indifference to the shifting circumstances of life. Accept the disappointing nature of reality. Voluntarily conform yourself to fate. Become like a rock that is unmoved whether the waves crash against it or gently lapped at its base. It may sound kind of promising, but it also is not a path that works. None of us are able to totally free ourselves from desires. And is shielding against life's griefs really worth giving up its joys? That's the reason this second path has never taken off in popularity. while self-styled gurus, philosophers and psychologists will continue to offer us their theories, expound their theories regarding how we humans can find lasting satisfaction in a broken world. The truth is, no one by the world's wisdom has discovered the secret of contentment. It might therefore conclude that there is no way to contentment, there is no secret, We are all doomed to live a restless and perhaps miserable existence. But the perfect revelation of God proclaims otherwise. You see, the God who made all things and who knows all things not only revealed himself to us in the Bible, but he also declared to us that there is a secret of contentment. There is a way to be satisfied in your life situation no matter what it is or how it changes. And though this is a secret possessed and practiced by only a few, it is an open secret. God is quite willing to share and is even eager that we would know and experience this secret of contentment for ourselves. For in so doing, we will not only find the satisfaction for which we long, but God will also be exalted in the worship and glory that he deserves. What is the secret of contentment? We find the answer in a passage of the Bible that is often quoted, but seldom understood. Please, take your Bibles and open to the book of Philippians. Philippians chapter four. If you're using the Bible in front of you or next to you, it's page 1,177. The title of today's message is The Secret of Contentment. Philippians chapter four. You may remember that the book of Philippians is the Apostle Paul's letter to a church that he founded at the city of Philippi, an important city in the Roman province of Macedonia. Paul writes to this church as Paul awaits trial by Caesar during Paul's first imprisonment for Christ in Rome. Learning of Paul's imprisonment, the Philippians had sent one of their own, a man named Epaphroditus, to find out how Paul was doing, and to deliver to him a gift of money. Paul sends Epaphroditus back to the Philippian church with this letter, to encourage them that Paul is joyful in the Lord, and God is using the imprisonment for good, to exhort the church to continue in holy unity until Paul can visit them again, and to thank them for the gift of support that they sent him. Chapter four is the end of Paul's letter, And in between exhorting the church to peace by joy in the Lord in verses 1 to 9, and giving his final greetings in verses 21 to 23, Paul, in verses 10 to 20, he finally and officially thanks the church for their gift. He expresses his appreciation. But he does so in a very careful way, emphasizing that his joy at receiving their gift was not about the gift itself, not about the money. It was about their affectionate fellowship and partnership in Christ. Therefore, even in his words of appreciation and thanks, Paul provides himself to the Philippians and to us as a model of joy in Christ. Very practical. Now Paul's thanks in verses 10 to 20, they can be divided into three sections where Paul expresses appreciation, but then gives some explanation or qualification. I'm not going to look at all three of those, just the first. The first section of appreciation and explanation in verses 10 to 13. Because it's here that God reveals through Paul what is the secret of contentment. And so let's read our text now. Philippians 4, verses 10 to 13. 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. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 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 can do all things through Him who strengthens me. What is the secret of contentment? That's actually the wrong question. Who is the secret of contentment? Because that's, as we see the answer in verse 13, is Christ. Christ is the secret of contentment. Through Him, or rather in Him, you can have full contentment for every situation of life. And let's see how the Apostle Paul develops this short but profound aside, it's really just an aside, in his longer section of Thanksgiving. Here's the main idea. In Philippians 4 verses 10 to 13, Paul clarifies three parts to the secret of contentment so that you will find true contentment in Christ. Verse 10 serves as an introduction to the three-part explanation. And that's the way I'm going to label it in my sermon outline. Let's start working our way through the verses. Introduction, renewed partnership brings joy in the Lord. Introduction, renewed partnership brings joy in the Lord. First part of verse 10 again. Paul says, but I rejoiced in the Lord greatly. After starting a new topic in this letter, Paul says, I rejoice in the Lord greatly. And if you've read or heard the rest of Philippians, you know that joy, and particularly joy in the Lord, is a prominent theme in this book. 16 times Paul mentions joy or rejoicing in the book of Philippians. And the most recent one is just back in verse 4 of this same chapter, where Paul says, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. It's pretty emphatic. You wanna have peace in your life and even harmony in your church? Well, then Paul says, rejoice in the Lord always. Let your Lord, your Savior, let Jesus be the center and fountain of your joy. But Paul doesn't just preach one thing and do another. No, in verse 10, Paul reports that he rejoiced in the Lord when he received the Philippians gift via Epaphroditus. And notice Paul adds the word greatly. I rejoice in the Lord greatly, megalos in Greek. Paul didn't simply rejoice in the Lord a little at the arrival of the gift. No, it was a great amount of rejoicing. He was profoundly encouraged. He was extremely gladdened and thankful. And why? Well, let's look at the next phrase. He says, that now at last you have revived your concern for me. This is an important clarification. Because Paul didn't rejoice greatly because Paul loved money or what money could buy him. Great, finally, they sent me money. No, that's not what it was about. His great joy was over what this gift of money represented from his Philippian brethren, revived concern. Notice the phrase in particular, now at last. This is indicative that Paul had been looking forward to some expression of brotherly concern from the church at Philippi for some time, but he hadn't seen it. When he finally did, it caused him to rejoice greatly in the Lord. And then there's the phrase, you have revived. This is a beautiful phrase. The Greek word for revived more literally means caused to grow again or bloom again. It's a verb that was used to describe plants coming back to life in spring after a winter of being dormant. And what was coming back into bloom again for the Philippians? Well, it's what Paul says next. You're a concern for me. At last, you have revived your concern for me. And concern is a good translation of the Greek word here. The word literally means thinking, but it has the idea of care involved with it, kind of like our words thoughtfulness or concern. The Philippians had revived care-filled thinking for Paul, newly blossomed thoughtfulness toward Paul, and that was the reason for Paul's rejoicing in the Lord. And this botanical phrasing carries an important implication. Paul didn't think that the Philippians' concern for him was dead. It was just in hibernation. And this image of hibernating concern rather than lost or dead concern is exactly what Paul spells out next so that the Philippians don't get the wrong idea. After all, when Paul says, at last you've renewed your concern, Some in Philippi might have taken that, if all by itself, as reproof, as if Paul had been stamping his foot and saying, what took you so long? But that's not Paul's intent, because he uses that botanical metaphor and also because of what he writes next in verse 10. Indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. See that word indeed there, that's emphatic. Paul's absolutely sure that this was the case. They were concerned for him before. Actually, we could translate the verbs even more literally here. They were being concerned. Imperfect tense. It was an ongoing state in the past. A continual thing. They were being concerned but, next verb also in the imperfect tense, they were lacking opportunity. So both things were happening at the same time. Poor Philippians, they were wanting to show their loving concern toward Paul, but they were also lacking any way to do so. They were like plants that were ready to bloom again, but they just never found the right conditions. Now, if you glance down to verses 15 to 16, you notice that the Philippians had actually regularly supported Paul with money in the past, which is remarkable for several reasons. One, the Philippians were the first church that Paul started in Europe. So it moved over from Asia Minor, came to Macedonia. They were the first church. But even as new Christians, they immediately began giving to Paul support for his ministry so that others could hear the gospel. A second remarkable reality is that the Philippians were not likely a rich church. Paul actually boasts in 2 Corinthians 8 about the churches of Macedonia, where Philippi was, regarding how the Christians there were so eager to support their fellow saints by giving, even though, Paul says, they were very poor themselves. Even though they were in deep poverty, Paul says, they begged for the opportunity to support fellow saints. So that's remarkable too. But they were giving Paul gifts of money more than once. There's a third reason why that's remarkable because As we saw together last week, Paul normally did not accept financial support from churches. You even see that in the verses that come later. He says, you are the only one, Philippians, who shared in me in the matter of giving and receiving. Paul, it was his practice to support himself with his own hands, his own work. He didn't want, or he wanted to give the gospel free of charge. He didn't want anybody to accuse him of greed. He wanted to provide an example of hard work to believers. But somehow, The Philippian church was allowed to give to Paul. How did that happen? Why did Paul make an exception? We don't know. But perhaps it was like Paul said in 2 Corinthians 8. These Philippians were so generous, so full of love in the Lord, that even though Paul didn't ask for money, the generous Philippians, they begged him for the opportunity to support him, so much that they prevailed on him. However it happened, the Philippians had a unique relationship of gospel support and partnership with Paul. They blossomed their Christian love again and again toward him and to those whom he ministered, even by tangible gifts of support. But then, suddenly, everything stopped. We don't know what happened, but for some reason, after regularly supporting Paul for a time, the church at Philippi just stopped sending gifts to Paul. Why? Was it because of new financial hardship in the Philippian church? Was it because of bad weather on the high seas? Was it because Paul was seized in Jerusalem and they couldn't find him? Can't say for certain. But there was certainly a considerable gap in support, even communication, between the church at Philippi and Paul. And this may have gone on for a few years. And you can imagine how perplexing or discouraging it might be to suddenly lose your most passionate ministry supporter without any word or explanation. Yet how encouraging would it be, what joy in the Lord would it be if that group that had suddenly disappeared suddenly showed up again with revived concern, newly blossomed concern, explaining, Paul, we hadn't forgotten about you. Oh, we were looking for an opportunity to send support again, but we never found one. But now we have it. We're here to support you again. Please accept this gift. Surely that would indeed be a cause for great rejoicing in the Lord. And even though it was the Philippians themselves expressing this concern, we can even see by the way Paul frames his joy, it was the Lord Jesus who was ultimately doing this. It was Jesus moving in them, working through them, to show even God's loving concern for Paul through the Philippians. Paul rejoiced in the Lord over their gift. Now, as I said, verse 10 is introductory to what we're really intent at looking at in verses 11 to 13, but let's not miss at least one important implication before we move on. And that's this. Never underestimate the encouraging power of even a small act of service or a little gift that is given in genuine love and concern to your brethren. Because it's never about the gift. It's never about that specific tangible act of service. It's about the love of the Lord that is demonstrated through your gift or service. You may think you have little to give to others, and maybe in a certain sense you do. But when that little you give, in whatever form, whether it's sending a text message or praying with someone, giving someone a meal, or just showing up to your small group, when that little gift you give is given in genuine love and concern for another, it can lead the one who receives it to rejoice in the Lord greatly, and even overflow to God in thanksgiving. Your little gift can do that. Don't underestimate its power. So that was Introduction, Renewed Partnership Brings Joy in the Lord. But now we arrive at a more major clarification from Paul about his joy and thanks in the rest of the verses, verses 11 to 13. As much as Paul rejoiced over the Philippians' gift, he now wants to remind them that he didn't really need it. And why not? Because Paul has learned to be content in Christ. We'll break down Paul's explanation of contentment under three headings. three parts to the secret of contentment so that you will also find true contentment in Christ. Number one, true contentment is learned through practice. True contentment is learned through practice. Look at the first part of verse 11. Not that I speak from want, Paul says. You see the word want? This is not the want of desire, this is the want in terms of need. lack, poverty. Paul is clarifying for the Philippians, don't get the wrong idea. I wasn't rejoicing over your gifts arrival because I had some important financial need that you were fulfilling. And to this we might ask, oh, did Paul have no financial obligations? No, he actually did. According to the book of Acts, he had to pay for his own quarters in his house arrest, and he probably had to pay for his own food. So he did have needs. Well then, did Paul have some other source of income? Some other notable source of sustenance besides the Philippians? Probably not, because that's not what Paul mentions. I didn't speak from lack because other people gave to me. That's not what he says. Instead, he says, as we go on in verse 11, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. And note this verb phrase, have learned. There's a very important nuance with this term that we should appreciate. The type of learning indicated by this Greek word is learning that is accomplished over time. This is not simply learning theological facts one time, like Jehovah Jireh means the Lord will provide. It's not the kind of learning we're talking about. This is the kind of learning that is becoming convinced of the truth of a theological fact. through testing, experience, and practice. So to go back to the previous example, this would be like saying, after all I've been through, I've learned the meaning of Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. So what has Paul learned in this training or practice over time? To be content in whatever circumstances. Greek word for content means just that, to be content. You could also translate it self-sufficient or independent. But not in the way that the Stoic philosophers of his day would have understood those words. Yes, they would say, we also want to be self-sufficient and independent, but in a very different way than Paul has in mind here, as we'll see later. But Paul tells the Philippians, thank you so much for your gift. But I was not in any true need. For I have learned by practice and experience to be content in whatever circumstances I face. And someone might ask, well, what kind of circumstances do you mean? And Paul's going to show us. He's going to illustrate in the next verse, and he'll also show us another part to contentment. Number two, true contentment endures poverty and prosperity. True contentment endures poverty and prosperity. Look at the beginning part of verse 12. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity. You may notice from this first part of the verse that we have two parallel statements that represent ends of an extreme. And we're going to see more later in the verse. The grammatical term for these kinds of things is a merism. That's where you have an expression of two ends of an extreme that implies everything else in between. A to Z, right? That includes all the other letters. Well, same thing here. We've got two ends of an extreme, and it describes all the circumstances in between. And the first merism, the first illustration of these two extremes, is the one we just read. Notice the verb that Paul uses for both sides of it. I know how. Verb phrase. Now, this isn't the perfect tense in Greek. That emphasizes that something took place in the past, and it continues into the present, or it has an effect into the present. And this makes sense, because Paul's already told us that he learned contentment over time. It took a while, but now that learning is manifesting in a new approach to life, a new ongoing know-how. What does Paul now know how to do? Well, first, he says, how to get along with humble means. We could also translate that, how to be humbled, how to be low. There's an aspect of lowness or humility in this word that is key because Paul is stressing that he hasn't simply faced difficult circumstances where he lacked things, but actually humbling circumstances, even humiliating circumstances. I mean, there's a certain way we can approach loneness, right? With pride. Say, look at what all I'm enduring. He says, that's not the kind of ones that I faced. It wasn't simply deprivation. It was also dishonor. He faced, he was put into those kind of situations, and he learned how to get along. That was on the one end. But then on the other, he says, I also know how. I've also learned how. to live in prosperity. And the word for prosperity here, I'm going to see it used again later in verse 12, it means to abound, to have abundance, even to be rich. Now, we haven't heard about this very much in Paul's testimonies in the Bible. He often talks about his sufferings, but not so much his good times, but he had apparently experienced them. He had experienced times where things were going well. He had everything that he wanted or needed. And amazingly, catch this, Paul says he had to learn how to handle to deal with both circumstances, poverty and prosperity, lowness and abundance, humiliation and riches. He says he had to learn it, and he says he did. He now knows how, so that? He doesn't really have needs anymore. Not to that, perhaps we might think to ourselves, low circumstances would be hard, but prosperity and riches, that sounds just fine. I can handle that. Actually, you know what? The opposite is often the case. There are plenty of people, fine Christians, who do really well when enduring hard circumstances in their lives. But when things start to go well, that's when those Christians go off the rails. And this is not a new problem. This was what happened to King Uzziah in the Old Testament. You may remember him, righteous king, mighty king, faced a whole bunch of challenges that really caused him to depend on the Lord. But according to 2 Chronicles 26, When things started to go well, this righteous king, when things became so successful and he was really strong, it says he departed from the Lord. Turned his back on God and was judged for it. God warned Israel about the same thing in Deuteronomy 8 before they went into the promised land. He's like, you're going to experience all these blessings and when you do, don't turn your back on me. But they did. They also failed when tested by prosperity. And what about us? Is it not so that many times when God blesses us with success, honor, riches, health, or some other blessing, we do not humble ourselves in thanks, we continue steadfastly to depend on God. We instead use the very blessings that God gave us to commit spiritual adultery. Start trusting in ourselves, start trusting in our abundance, and actually turning from God to seek further the treasures of the world. Oh man, these riches are coming in. I really like that. I think I want riches instead of God. There's a reason why the writers in the New Testament Paul included, they give humbling exhortations to the rich. It is possible to be rich and be a Christian, but you have to do it the right way. You have to learn how to be content as a rich person. You have to learn not to trust in your riches or to glory in your prosperity. Rather, as James 1.10 says in his exhortation to the rich, that the rich are to glory in their humiliation. And the fact that Their riches ultimately mean and provide nothing without Christ. And also, Paul himself writes in 1 Timothy 6.17 that the rich need to continue to depend on God as the real provider for their lives, not themselves, not their riches, and show that by continuing to be generous. Rich in good works, he even says. We need to learn how to get along in prosperity, and Paul certainly did too. We have to, and Paul had to, get along both with poverty and prosperity. We need to learn to be content in both situations, both extremes, and all the ones in between. And Paul gives further illustration of true contentment. in these kinds of situations with an intriguing line in the second part of verse 12. Look at verse 12b. He says, in any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret. We'll just pause the line right there. I've learned the secret. Now first notice how emphatic Paul is about the constant nature of his learned contentment. He says, in any and every circumstance. That's all of them. It's basically all of them stated twice. This is a comprehensive contentment. And he says, I have learned the secret. Now, this is a very interesting Greek word. It's actually just one word in Greek. You need several in the English language to translate it. The word is mueo. It is a technical term that usually describes someone going through the initiation rites to join a secret society. Now Paul's not saying that Christianity is a secret society and we need to have some sort of hazing ritual or something like that. No, but he uses the terminology of this initiation into a secret society, and he and the Philippians would both have been familiar with that. These things were kind of popular in that day. He uses the terminology to communicate something about how Paul learned the secret of contentment. It was as if, by initiation rites, He had to go through something, or he had to experience something. What did Paul have to go through? Well, exactly what he tells us right next in the verse. He says, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. So these are similar merisms, those words that have the two extremes, those phrases. These are similar merisms to the one we saw at the beginning of the verse, but they're a little bit more specific. And these are, of course, illustrative. They are illustrations. They're not exhaustive. These aren't the only kinds of extremes that Paul had to deal with, but they are two major ones. The first merism here at the end of the verse is about food. The second one is about wealth. Paul says, he learned the secret of being filled, that is, being full of food. Paul was no ascetic. There were times when he ate well and was satisfied. Nothing wrong with that. But Paul says he's also learned the secret of going hungry, of not having enough to eat or even anything to eat, which I know is a bit hard for us prosperous Americans to contemplate. Most of us have never tasted the bitterness of involuntary hunger. We might choose to be hungry for some health benefit or even as a spiritual thing, but most of us have never faced hunger forced upon us. But many Christians in history have, and still do, around the world today. And Paul was one of them. Hunger became a necessary part, along with fullness, of Paul's learning contentment by practice, by experience. Paul had to go through these times to truly realize where his real source of contentment is. You've got these changing food situations, where's your satisfaction? And it's the same with the second Marism. Paul says, having abundance and suffering need. And we've actually seen the two terms that are used here already in the previous verses. The one that's translated having abundance is the same word for prosperity that we saw earlier, and the one for suffering need is the same word that we saw in verse 11, want. It's the same word. These are both economic terms referring to quantity of wealth and possessions. Paul says, there have been times when he has been abundantly supplied with possessions. He had all that he wanted or needed. And if you look down again to verse 18, Paul says he's about to go into one of those times again. I mean, their gift has basically supplied him in abundance. He's experienced times like that. But Paul says there have also been other times when he didn't have all he wanted or needed. He was suffering lack. He was impoverished. He was poor. Thus Paul again was learning the secret of contentment by facing a variety of circumstances, even two extremes, having not enough, having everything you want. This, again, was part of Paul's learning, learning that his sufficiency cannot come from his circumstances, but from God. And Paul could have, of course, added other sets of extremes to The examples here, just by perusing his other letters, we know that Paul had times of honor, times of dishonor, times of safety, times of danger, times of health, times of sickness, times of success, times of failure, and much more. All these Paul experienced, much like we do, but Paul says, by that phrasing about learning the secret, these became for him like initiation rites. A set of ordeals that Paul had to go through if he was going to join a secret society. Not actually, but as it were, a secret society of those who are truly joyful and content in the Lord. And we can't escape the implication. If Paul had to go through these before he really learned and he was an apostle, is it going to be any different for us? I think all of us confess that we want contentment. We know we ought to have it, especially as believers. We want and we know we ought to have satisfaction, lasting satisfaction in our lives in Christ. And to a certain extent, mentally, we believe that we do have that. We say, yes, Christ is all I need. But do you understand that to really know that truth and apply it into your life, it's not going to be easy. There's no quick zap that just makes you content in all circumstances. Even in Christ, it comes by training. It comes by initiation into a profound and valuable secret And who's going to provide that training? Who's going to initiate you into the secret of contentment? Our sovereign God. Our good, wise, loving, all-powerful, sovereign God. This is not something that you really have a choice with, if you are truly a believer. And it's something you should want. But you can choose either to profit from the training or to reject it. You can kick against the goats. You can choose to resist, but it's not profitable if you do so, because what will be the outcome? You won't learn the secret. You won't learn how to be content. Paul has shown us two parts of the true contentment that is in Christ. Now in the last verse, he plainly identifies for us where true contentment comes from. Number three, true contentment only comes in Christ. True contentment only comes in Christ. Verse 13, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. We finally come to the famous verse. And I hope that you can appreciate as we've actually looked at the context, that the way that most people use this verse has nothing to do with what it actually means. Philippians 4.13 is not about God enabling you to accomplish whatever you dream. It's about contentment! It's not about you receiving empowerment from God to score touchdowns. Actually, it's about your being content both when you score the touchdown and when you don't. See the verb phrase at the beginning here, I can do. That's a good translation. The idea is that Paul has the ability or power to accomplish something. What can Paul do? All things, he says, or more literally, just all. I can do all. All what? Well, the answer is what he's just been talking about. I can be content in all situations, whether good or bad, whether lots of food or no food, whether I have enough or I don't have enough. Paul says, I can do them all. I can face them all. I can be content in them all. How? Through him who strengthens me. or more literally, in him who strengthens me. And you might say, through him, in him, what's the difference? And actually, it's kind of important. Through him might sound smoother in English. It's not a bad translation. But the phrase in him, well, it has considerable theological weight in Paul's letters. Because you might know, when Paul says in him in the Bible, To whom is Paul usually referring? To the Lord Jesus Christ. I know the ladies are starting Ephesians soon. The beginning of Ephesians is all about all the things you have in him. Who is that? Jesus. Even in this letter he talks about in him and he's referring to Christ. So though the antecedent of him is not explicit in the context here, the implied antecedent surely is as it's translated explicitly in the King James Version. when it says, I can do all things through Christ. The him who strengthens Paul, who is strengthening Paul, is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. And Paul actually often links Jesus and strengthening together in his letters. I'll just give you a few examples. Christian strength comes from the Lord Jesus' own strength. Ephesians 6.10, Ephesians 6.10, finally, Paul says, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 1st Timothy 1.12, 1st Timothy 1.12, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has strengthened me. Or 2nd Timothy 4.17, 2nd Timothy 4.17, but the Lord, that's Jesus, stood with me and strengthened me. For believers, according to Paul, our strength for holy living, even for contentment, it comes from Christ himself. But it's not just about source here. There's something else important about this preposition in, because it doesn't simply imply where does it come from, but also how it comes. How does a believer find strength for contentment? Not just through Christ, but in Christ, which is shorthand in Paul for by union with Christ. by union with Christ. You say, what's union with Christ? It's only one of the most profound realities of our salvation. If you are in Christ, if you have repented of your sin and believed in Jesus as Lord and Savior and thereby found salvation, a profound spiritual change has taken place with you. A change that cannot even be fully comprehended or described. We just take it on faith according to what's revealed in the Scriptures. The Bible says that when we believe, when we believe in Jesus, we are spiritually joined to Him. We are spiritually joined to Christ and made one with Him. So that it is accurate to say that He is in us and we are in Him. And just as in marriage, where two are joined to become one, and thereby they share everything together, so it is with our becoming one with Christ. Christ now shares all that is His with us. Our eternal life, we have it, but how do we have it? By union with Christ, Christ shares his eternal life with us. Our experiencing every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, that's Ephesians 1. How does that come to us? By union with Christ, it is in him, Christ sharing all his own blessings with us. And what about strength for holy living? Where do we find that? Where do we even find strength to be content in all circumstances and in all things? It's the same as the others. It comes about by union with Christ. In Him, Christ shares His own strength with us. Even His power, His victorious power, His resurrection power, He shares it with us. If that's indeed where strength or contentment comes from, well then no wonder Paul was able to be content in all circumstances. Paul was continually being strengthened by Christ's own power through spiritual union. Nothing can overcome the power of Christ. It truly can make you content whether things are going well or things are not. It can make you trust, depend, love, keep clinging to your Savior. And because we who have believed have inherited the same salvation as Paul, we likewise have been joined to Christ as Paul was, the same power is available to us. Christ himself will be our sufficiency and will continually strengthen us so that we too may be absolutely, fully, truly content, whether filled or hungry, whether prosperous or poor. Now you might ask, is the power unto contentment automatic for Christians? Well, yes and no. It's 100% available. It's yours. If you are a Christian, it's present, but it's often not activated. Because if it were, well, there'd be no reason to learn the secret of contentment, would there? We'd all already be content. Christ's power working it in us. That's just not the case. So, how do we activate the power of Christ which we already have? How do we appropriate the strength of Christ for ourselves even to be content? Well, the answer is simple. It's by faith. It's by belief that you have His strength, that you are fully enabled by all that He is and has promised to you in Himself. When you believe the Lord's Word, that He is indeed your treasure, that He is your life, that He is your joy, that He is your strength, guess what? Now you are strong enough to be content. Because you believe in what's actually true! And this strength is not just momentary, it's not just for a short time, it's not just for right now while you're feeling extra pious being in church, No, it's an ongoing strength. It's an everyday strength. It's a strength with power enough for every situation in which you might be tested, whether by prosperity or by trial. Truth is, you will not know or experience the power of Christ unto contentment if you refuse to practice faith, if you refuse to live by faith, If you just give in every time you're tempted to be discontent, every time you're tempted to go away from the Lord, to chase after the riches of the world, the treasures of the world, or trials that make you want to withdraw from God and pity yourself or do something else, if that's what you do instead, then the power and contentment that is available to you in Christ will be unknown to you. It will forever remain a secret that you do not know. Contentment in Christ Hear me, it is a learned practice. It takes practice. You must keep applying faith as God brings you into different situations. The more you turn to Christ in these different situations that you face, and the more you believe what Christ says about himself, even through Paul in this letter, Philippians 121, to live is Christ. To die is gain. Or Philippians 3.8, I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. The more you believe that, rest in that, trust in that, trust in Him, well then the more strength you will find and the more content you will be. It's there. It's there for you if you will believe. As God puts you and me through the necessary initiation rite by giving us both abundance and lack, if you by faith learn to say, all I need is Christ and whatever Christ deems in His goodness to give me, you'll experience, you'll see it work. Christ's supernatural strength unto contentment. It will be a contentment that doesn't make sense to other people around you. Hey, you've got all these nice things. Why are you so devoted and dependent to Christ? Or hey, everything is going terribly for you. Why are you so satisfied and content in Christ? It won't make sense to people, but that will be the power of God manifest in you. And notice that all this is not becoming indifferent to the world. or it's changing circumstances, or even casting away all your desires. This is not stoicism. For those who are content in Christ, there will still be causes for joy and grief in the Christian life. Legitimate. And you won't just be putting on an act. You will have real joy and real grief. But those moments by faith are transformed into worship. So that in good times, you will say, thank you, Lord. This was so kind, but you are still my treasure. And in hard times, you will say, thank you, Lord. I know you're using this for good, and you are still my treasure. You will still have desires as a Christian. even desires for good things, things that God even calls you to desire. Things like, I want renewed partnership with my brethren in the gospel. I want the encouragement of their love. That's a fine desire to have. It was Paul's desire. But all our desires, if we're truly content in the Lord, they must be held with a loose hand. Where we can say to God from our hearts, Lord, I desire this. Won't you give it? If not, I know you have a good reason. And you, my God and Savior, are still enough for me. Your will, your way, always. Brethren, this is the secret of contentment. It is the only true way, lasting way, sure way to contentment in this world, because it's not dependent on the world. It's not dependent on ourselves who live in the world. It's dependent on Him who is beyond the world. So let's return to where we started. Ask yourselves, are you content in the Lord in whatever your circumstances? Are you experiencing poverty, deprivation, lack, trial? Are you experiencing success, prosperity, blessing? Are you content in Christ amid either of those? Do you still think that there's something you need in this world, even a good thing, that's not Christ himself? That you can't be happy, at peace, or secure until you have it, or if you lose it? Do you still think you can find satisfaction by withdrawing from the world and extreme self-denial? Neither of those will work. So the question The other question to ask is, are you willing by faith to enroll in God's school of contentment? Telling the Lord from your heart, I believe your word, that you are enough. But I know I will need to learn that fully by the different circumstances you bring me through. Bring me through them, Lord, as necessary. Teach me so that I really know. If you will uphold me and supply your own strength in each of those situations, God, then I know I can both learn and practice the secret. After all, smiling animals like quokkas, they only look content. But Christians can truly be content no matter the circumstances. So let's do that. Let's do that together for the glory of God and our own good. After all, we can do all things in Christ who strengthens us. Let's pray. Lord, it's so true what you declare through Paul in your word. There is a difference being able to say, yes, I assent to that. That's true. Christ is sufficient. He is my sufficiency. It's different to say that in church than to say that when we face the different situations of life. The situations where we are tested to say, is that what you really believe? Is that really true? Is that something you know for certain? Lord, we believe. We believe what your word says, that you are sufficient. that you really are the fountain of our life and joy. If everything else is lost for us, or if everything else is gained for us, that doesn't matter because you are our treasure. But Lord, we know we need to learn that better. None of us relishes the idea of trial, of testing. But as it is necessary for us, and because greater joy is at the end of it, teach us. Teach us. the secret of contentment, so that we really know it, so that we really display a firmness of heart that is such a testimony to those around us, that God really is a rock, a savior, a shelter, a treasure, so that everything else in the world is not something we need. I thank you for your kindnesses in the various provisions you've given us in the world, Lord, but it's ultimately about you. Let us know that in a greater way today and going forward. In Jesus' name, amen.