And in Philippians chapter 4, beginning at verse 10, this is the Apostle Paul speaking. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. This is the word of the Lord. And you may be seated. Context is one of the most important principles of proper biblical interpretation. And God did not give us an encyclopedia full of random sayings and truth bits. He gave us a context to a people in situations, and we need to understand that. And so this passage should be read in light of the circumstances under which Paul pens this letter. In fact, it has been a great tragedy to the church that so many have taken a portion of this passage, verse 13 in particular, lifted it out of its context, and come up with all kinds of absurd interpretations as to what Paul means. It's very clear if we keep line upon line, precept upon precept, what the apostle Paul means. So keep this in mind as we continue on. It's been close to four years. since the Apostle Paul was taken into custody after he was bringing relief aid to the saints in Jerusalem. He had then been shuffled about from Jerusalem to Caesarea before a long and perilous journey to Rome. And that's where he is now, chained to a Roman guard awaiting trial. And the Philippians had been Paul's faithful partners in the gospel. They had been consistent supporters of his ministry, but it had been quite some time since they were able to make connection with him and assist him in his needs. But at last the opportunity presented itself and these saints seized upon the occasion. Now, we have to remember this was a congregation that had suffered much for the cause of the gospel. And despite their poverty, however, they gave generously and sacrificially. And they chose Epaphroditus, one of their own congregation, to undertake the long journey to Rome and bring this generous gift to the apostle. And he's moved by their devotion, both for him and for the gospel. And while Epaphroditus, of course, was ministering to Paul, we learned this earlier in the letter, that he became very ill. But to Paul's relief, God raised him up. So he sends Epaphroditus along with this letter of joyful thanksgiving. But as we've seen, it's more than a thank you note. Paul expresses his love for them in this letter. He wants to report to them how his chains have not hindered the gospel, they've actually advanced it. He deals with issues that were plaguing the congregation by admonishing them and correcting them, encouraging them by reminding them of what they had been taught and the godly examples that have been set before them. Now, there is a lot in this letter, but it's framed with thanksgiving. It begins and ends with Paul expressing his gratitude. But of course, he opens the letter with thanks for these saints, not thanks to these saints for what they had done. In other words, he begins by thanking God and not them. And this is always Paul's pattern. He gives thanks to God before commending people. And so he opens the letter by, in essence, saying, I thank the Lord for you. Not, I thank you for you and all that you do. I thank the Lord. Yeah, that's a common phrase among Christians, isn't it? Thank the Lord. I mean, even secular people often say, thank God. Now, you know, I think it's become a cliche, just something we often say, many times without thinking. I know the world doesn't understand the significance of that phrase. For them, it's more like a sigh of relief that some tragedy hasn't befallen them, or they've had some, what they consider good fortune. Thank God. No. That is a violation of the third commandment. It's a form of taking the Lord's name in vain. you say thank the Lord when you mean thank the Lord. So God forbid that we should not use it correctly. We should say it with meaning because it's a phrase of profound truth. As James tells us, every good and perfect gift is from the Father of lights, from above. As Ephesians says, there's nothing we can take credit for in our lives because we're God's workmanship. Carrying out good works, He has already prepared for us. It wasn't our ingenuity. It wasn't our ability. It was Him working through us always. So Paul begins by thanking God for these saints and who they've become in Christ because it is all the work of the Lord. As the apostle comes to the close of this letter, he finally gets around to commending these saints for this act of love, and it was an act of love. But remember, early in his admonition, Paul said to them, do nothing from selfish ambition or empty conceit, but in humility, consider others as more significant than yourselves, looking to their interests as well as your own. Well, Paul is commending them here because this is precisely what they had done by sending a sacrificial gift to Paul. They were thinking of his interests ahead of their own. And for this, they are to be commended. But they hadn't been treating one another this way. And thus, Paul's admonition to them throughout the letter, humble yourselves, think like Christ, adopt his attitude of humility, and prefer one another in the spirit of humility, and resolve your disputes. That's his command to them. So Paul wants them to see, look, behave toward others in the congregation as you have behaved toward me." Now, throughout this letter, Paul's been offering himself, as we've said, an example to follow. And so he is careful to express his thankfulness in a didactic way, to use it as a moment for teaching. He doesn't want these saints to misinterpret his gratitude. First of all, he makes sure that they know that he's not perturbed with them for taking so long to send a gift. He knows that their care for him, he says, has never waned. They just simply lacked opportunity. But he wants them to know, however, that he's not rejoicing over their gift. He's rejoicing over the character of Christ that was displayed in their concern for him. Even here, the thanks goes primarily to God. But in any case, he wants them to know that I wasn't sitting in jail feeling sorry for myself. I wasn't brooding over the apparent lack of resources at my disposal. Now, the Apostle Paul had just admonished them to be anxious for nothing. And he wants them to know that he wasn't anxious about his situation. What I have or I don't have is irrelevant, he says. I've learned. to be content no matter the situation. And Paul wants these saints to learn what he had learned. What had he learned? He had learned that God is sovereignly in control, that he is directing Paul's steps, that he is working all things together for good. He had learned that no matter how it looks, God is orchestrating every situation for his glory. He'd learned that God is his provision, and whatever he might face in this life, God's grace is sufficient. And, of course, he had learned that truly knowing Christ is the greatest riches. Therefore, he had learned to be content then, irrespective of his circumstances. Now, Paul is not saying that he has no use for money, so please don't send me any more gifts. He knows he has need of clothes and food, the necessities of life. He knows what it takes to live. And there were times when he had little to eat and little to wear, times when he had to make tents so that he could pay his way. But he didn't live to eat. That's important. He didn't live to eat. He didn't lose sleep over what he was going to wear. I mean, he appreciated proper clothing as much as the next person. You know, when he was in prison for the last time, Timothy was preparing to visit him. If you've read this in 2 Timothy, Paul says, when you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas and also my books, especially the parchments. You see, prisons were damp and they were cold. Paul seems to be saying, I'm chilled in this prison cell. I'd like my coat, and I'd also appreciate the books. I mean, I'm here alone, especially my notes or my rough drafts or whatever was on those parchments. So yes, I'd like to have those things, Paul tells Timothy. He would appreciate them, but it won't be the end of the world if he doesn't get them. Did you ever tell that as parents to your children? Listen, I know you're not getting what you want. It's not the end of the world. You'd think it was, wouldn't you? No, and this is the response that we often have. God says no to something, we think it's the end of the world, right? Can I bear this? Can I put up with this? Of course you can. This is where verse 13 comes in. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We'll come back to that more later. But the Apostle Paul, what he is saying is to Timothy, bring those if you can, but he doesn't need them and he certainly won't grumble and complain if Timothy can't manage it. He's learned contentment whatever the situation. And so as Christ said in Matthew chapter six, life is more than food, the body is more than clothes. Now I want us to consider what Paul is saying here about his contentment in light of what he is already told the Philippian church about his own personal experiences. In chapter three, Paul rehearsed what his life was like before he met Christ. He's not speaking as someone who's never known what people often call the good life, because before coming to Christ, Paul had it made, at least in the eyes of his fellow Jews. He was born privileged. He belonged to a prestigious and wealthy family. He was given the best of education. He was an overachiever. He was the envy of all of his peers. He was a rising star in the Jewish community. But when he met Christ, he realized that without him, all of that meant nothing. This world was no longer his home. He now belonged to the heavenly kingdom, and that's where he set his sights. He counted everything as loss, his fame, his fortune, his family, everything as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. Jesus is that priceless pearl, that greatest treasure of our hearts. If you have Christ, you have everything. You see, Paul realized that nothing in this world would ever satisfy him. So what he has or doesn't have, that's irrelevant. The things of this world can neither bring him contentment, nor can they make him discontent. His contentment transcends this vain world of empty promises. Because I guarantee you, every promise the world makes for your contentment is a lie. It will never satisfy. Now, if Paul was content then in every situation, that means he had learned never to be discontent in those situations. Of course, this isn't to say that Paul was never discontent. Lord willing, we'll consider that next week. What is proper Christian discontentment? Nonetheless, Paul is saying that he is never discontent when it comes to his earthly provisions or his temporal circumstances here and now on the earth. He knows this world can never satisfy the deep longing in our souls. If we had all the world's goods, if we lived free of pain, if we never faced trouble, we would still be plagued by a nagging discontentment. You see, worldly contentment, like worldly joy and worldly peace, is elusive, it's ethereal, it's temporal, it's subject to the ever-changing circumstances of life in a fallen world. It doesn't take much to disrupt it, it's fragile. And still we long for that contentment. We struggle to secure it. We devote so much time and energy to achieving it, only to see it vanish like the dew vanishes with the morning sun. I remember an interview with Malcolm Forbes on one of his birthdays shortly before his death, he died in 1990. And he was one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. And so he was asked by an interviewer, as a man who has everything, what's the one thing you would like for your birthday? He said, more time. In fact, he said, I would give up everything I have for more time. How tragic. He had all this world could give, but he still longed for more. The one thing this world couldn't afford him is eternal life. He was discontent with the short time he had on this earth. You see, the world is not enough. This is why humanity suffers from a plague of discontentment. The world is not enough. Now, that was the title to a song some years ago. I think it might have been the theme to a movie or something. But anyway, I remember a line in that song. It struck me when I heard it, a line in the song. And while the song in its chorus says, the world is not enough, there's a line in the verse that says, if we can't have it, then nobody will. That's the attitude of this world and this culture. And that's the very biblical definition of covetousness and envy. I mean, regardless of how much we have, covetousness is that greedy desire to always acquire more. It's that insatiable desire for what we don't have, especially if others have it. But it's not simply lusting after what someone else has. It is that envious spirit, that resentful heart that says, if I can't have it, why should they? And so the covetous person will never be content. They will never be satisfied with what they have. And covetousness and envy is rooted deeply within the heart of fallen humanity. This is traceable all the way back to the garden. What happens to Adam and Eve? Oh, they had everything. They had everything. We don't know what it means to have everything this world could possibly give you, but they had it. But it wasn't enough. They didn't want to receive from God. They wanted to be God, right? And so the world that God had given them, the beautiful world that God had given them was not enough. You know, I do find it ironic that this plague of discontentment seems worse in our culture today than any time in history. Our society has so much more than any previous generation, but we seem to be far more restless, far less content. In times past, discontentment was often fueled by simply not having enough to eat or proper apparel, those necessities of life. In fact, that's what Jesus says about his own world in Matthew chapter six. And that day, people worried over food and clothing. And most people of that day worked long and hard just to eat. Many people had no more than two changes of clothes, one to wear while the other's being washed. And they lived in humble abodes. Now, yes, they were discontent with their situation because fallen humanity is always discontent. But it was discontent over far more basic things. They may have been covetous and envious of someone who had more. They might have wished that they lived in a king's palace, but you are richer than anyone who ever lived in a king's palace. What they wanted was more food, more clothing, more land, more houses. That's what they were concerned with. But today we have full bellies already. We have closets full of clothes. We have nice places to live that would put to shame those palaces because those palaces that they had to dwell in had no AC and no heat, right? They didn't have indoor plumbing. Right? We have modern conveniences and technological gadgets that we have more than we know what to do with. We have unprecedented healthcare in this age. And we have endless opportunities for entertainment. It's always vying for us. Turn on the television. Pull out your phone. Look at something. Entertain yourself. You know, Neil Postman said we're amusing ourselves to death. I think that's pretty well true. The point is, by biblical standards, we are a society of wealthy people. We are a rich people, but our discontent seems greater than ever. More stuff is not the answer. New and exciting experiences is not the answer. Better physical health is not the answer. No, the world is not enough. It is nowhere near enough. It's true. The world isn't enough. And that's exactly what scripture tells us. The world isn't enough because we were made in God's image. The world is not enough for those made in the image of the God who created us. But the truth of that statement plays out quite differently for the Christian than for the world. So the truth is nothing in this world will ever satisfy anyone Still in blind futility, the unbeliever continues searching for satisfaction and contentment in this corrupt and temporal world. C.S. Lewis said it well. If we find in ourselves a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world. And it's true. God created a world that was perfect. God created a world that was absent of corruption. And yes, there was more to be developed, but he put man in the garden and told him, let's take this garden, this paradise, and let's make it cover the globe. That was the command given to them, the mandate. And humanity was made upright without sin, uncorrupted And this is the point, that's the world we were made for. But what happened? Man's sin corrupted himself and he corrupted all of creation. So we were made for another world, not this one. And that sense is still within us. That sense that we were made for more than this, we were. And so unbelievers continue searching in vain for that which this world cannot provide. If we're made in God's image, only God can satisfy the deep longing in our souls. This is what Augustine meant whenever he said, thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless till it finds its rest in thee. You know, the problem is the sin-corrupted heart lusts after God's gifts, but it hates the giver of the gifts. It isn't content with knowing God, it insists on being God. And so the world keeps on searching in vain for contentment. And this is why Paul says covetousness is idolatry. It's trying to fill that void to replace the eternal God with the temporal things he has made. I can tell you this, it will never be enough, not even close. The inner emptiness man senses within himself is a deep, dark abyss that can never be filled by the things of this world. It's a hole in our soul that seems so infinite because only the infinite God can fill it. So it's true, the world is not enough. As Jesus said, what is it profits a man if he gained the whole world and lose his own soul? If a person never comes to Christ, when he takes his last breath, that's when he'll finally realize the world is not enough. However, for the Christian, the realization that the world is not enough and it never will be should lead us to true contentment, even here and now. And this is what Paul has learned. As he said in chapter three, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. He said, for his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things. I count them as rubbish fit for the trash heap in order that I may gain Christ. Listen, there is nothing that compare with truly knowing our Savior. There is nothing greater than knowing the God whose image we bear. Or we can look at it another way. Which is more valuable, having the world or having the one who created the world and sustains it moment by moment? Listen, the world is not enough. Not enough to fill the deep longing in our heart. Not enough to satisfy our thirsty souls. Not enough to bring us true and lasting contentment. No, we need Christ. We must have Christ. He alone can fill the void in our hearts. He alone can bring us the joy and peace and contentment we so desire. And so, Paul is saying to us, I have learned in every situation not to be discontent. I have learned that truly knowing Christ is all I need. It's all I need. He had learned what Jesus meant when he said, whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. We find it in him. At his right hand are pleasures forevermore, true pleasures, lasting pleasures, complete contentment. So the world doesn't know true contentment, and they'll never learn the secret, as Paul calls it, of contentment because they're looking in all the wrong places. Any sense of contentment that they might find is short-lived, quickly overwhelmed by that longing, nagging sense for something more. So they set their sights on something new, something that promises contentment. But let me tell you this, after achieving that, any sensation of satisfaction soon fades, and they're back at it again, looking for something else that will satisfy They found it to be empty. So no matter how good we have it, we can always imagine how it could be better. Can't we? We can always imagine a scenario in which this is better. There's always something else we think that would make us more content. We are chronologically discontent creatures. If we have brown eyes, we wish they were blue. If they're blue, we wish they were brown, right? If we're short, we wish we were tall. If we're tall, we wish we weren't quite so tall, right? If it's hot, we wish it were cooler. If it's cold, we wish it were warmer. Never satisfied, right? If we're single, we wish we were married. If we're married, we sometimes dream of the freedom we enjoyed when we were single. If we're an employee, oh, we want to be the boss. We think that would be great. But then if we're the boss, we wish we didn't have so much responsibility. Right? You see, sinful man continues pursuing goal after goal in search of contentment. And then one day, when he's achieved his latest goal, before he can even begin to enjoy it, his soul will be required of him. And that's the moment he'll realize that it was all for naught. That's the tragedy of the man in the parable who had that harvest of a lifetime. Do you remember the parable Jesus spoke? It was a harvest on which he could retire. And so he said to himself, in my dilemma, I have so much, what shall I do? Well, I know what I'll do. I'll tear down my present barns that aren't enough to hold this. I'll build bigger ones. I'll store it. And then he said to himself, I'm now set for life. So take thine ease, he said. Oh, but the very night that the harvest was safely inside the new barns, as he reclined in his easy boy or lazy boy recliner, whatever they're called, as he was taking his ease that very night, he received a summons from God. And do you remember what Jesus said? He called him a fool. He said, this night, your soul is required of you. And now all that you've laid up is gonna go to someone else. You see? Endless discontentment is the way of the world. Well, I find it all too sad that too many Christians in our day, or at least professing Christians, are caught up in the same endless cycle. This, we might call it a hamster wheel of discontentment. You know, you've seen those little hamster wheels. The hamster gets in and he just runs and runs and runs. He's going nowhere fast, right? That's us. That's this world. And whenever the church gets on that hamster wheel, trying to find contentment in all the wrong places, it's a sign of worldliness. It's a sign that we're thinking like the world and not like the redeemed. You know, I often ask myself, has history ever seen a generation of professing Christians more discontent than those in this day? So far from realizing the true contentment that belongs to all who are in Christ. Now, of course, I'm sure if you ask them if the people of the world will ever succeed in their quest for contentment, they'll probably agree with you and say, no, that search will only, in the end, leave them empty and discontent. But so many Christians today are making the mistake of thinking they're going to succeed where the world has failed. Listen, we will never find contentment from the things of this world, for as Lewis said, we were made for another. And I find it so distressing. to see Christians seeking for contentment from material possessions, creature comforts, and a life of ease, searching for what they call their best life now. Your best life now is surrendering unto Christ, seeking His will, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. That's the best life now because your best life awaits the moment you see Him face to face. That's when your best life is. But the best you could hope for here and now is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. If you're a Christian, that's where true contentment is. And so too many Christians today have tried to baptize the world's quest for contentment with a handful of verses taken out of context, notwithstanding verse 13. They expect to succeed where the world has failed because after all, they say, we're the king's kids. It simply doesn't work, folks. Yes, we are children of the King, but our citizenship isn't in this world. Our citizenship is in heaven. And the contentment, therefore, that we have isn't dependent upon our experiences here and now. It's based on those wondrous truths that Paul had learned, and he so wanted this Philippian congregation to learn. And if Paul had to learn it, I dare say it's going to be an ongoing lesson for us as well. Listen, growing in grace isn't a one and done deal. As Galatians 5 says, there's an ongoing inner struggle between the flesh and the spirit. You know it's true, don't you? I know it's true in my life. An ongoing struggle between the flesh and the spirit. And even though we are now being conformed to Christ's image, Even though the fruit of the Spirit is being cultivated within us, it is a battle against those thorny works of the flesh, those weeds that constantly threaten fruit. So we have to war against the covetousness and envy that is rooted in the old man. It's what Paul's talking about when he says, put off that old man, put on the new. So if it's a matter of growth, how do we grow? How do we learn these things? We only grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I can't give you five steps to spiritual growth. There are none. Don't believe those who tell you, I've got just a few simple principles. You'll be able to master this in my 30 days, or what was it? I can't remember how many, 40 days of purpose, was it, or something like that? No, that's not how it goes. Now, this is how we learn to be content, whatever our circumstances, is growing in the grace and knowledge of our Savior, knowing Him. Our transformation comes by the word of God. Our minds have to be continually renewed because the world is trying to get you every moment of every day to think like them again. They want to draw you back in. And that's what the enemy is trying to do. So our minds have to be continually renewed. We need to hear it over and over again. Do you know, this is one of the tasks of pastors and teachers. If you're not hearing consistent themes again and again where you are, you're probably not hearing the word of God. As Jude says, our responsibility is to remind you of what you already know, right? So if we've heard and believe the gospel, we know that Christ is the only way of salvation. We know he's the only true treasure. And as we walk this pilgrim way, we learn how God is sovereignly directing our steps. We know it intellectually, but we learn it by experience as we walk according to his word. And we learn how he's orchestrating all things for our good and for his glory by what we experience in this life. We learn how he provides not what we want, but what we need. How many can attest to this? Has this happened to you in your life? You prayed for something you thought you needed, and God said, no, that's not what you need. This is what you need. As we walk this pilgrim away, we learn how God's grace is always sufficient. So, yes, these are all things that God tells us in his word, but Hebrews 12, 5 reminds us that we can forget God's words of exhortation. Don't do it. You can forget them, but don't do it. So we have to meditate on that revelation that he's given us in scripture. We need to avail ourselves of the means of grace. You know what I'm talking about, right? Prayer is a means of grace. The sacraments, a means of grace. Corporate worship with the people of God, this is a means of grace. And the fellowship of the saints, that we might encourage one another and support one another and stir one another up to love and good works. Now, we learn to be content in every situation as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we never forget then. that the world is not enough. The world is never enough, nowhere near enough. Only he can satisfy the deep longing in our souls. So my encouragement to you this morning is may we join with the Apostle Paul in praying what he prayed for the Ephesians in chapter three, verse 19. We went through verse by verse the book of Ephesians some time ago. And I was captivated by this prayer of the Apostle Paul. And a portion of it says, may we know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. The breadth, the depth, the length, the height, that infinite love. May we know something of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge itself and be filled with the fullness of God. That's where your contentment is, when that seemingly insatiable hole in your soul is filled with the infinite God. Only He can fill it. Only He is enough. And if we have Him, we have everything. And to Him be glory forever and ever.