Philippians 4:10-20
Opening Statement:
I am going to let you in on a secret that many of us have yet to learn. It is just one word. It is the word contentment. Not prosperity. Contentment is realizing how much you already have, how much God has already given you, how rich you already are. The problem with many of us is we approach contentment focused on the circumstances of life. Far too many of us take our happiness and our joy and contentment by how things are going on the outside.
I) What Do I Have to Be Content About? (Phil. 4:11)
Paul knew that contentment lies not in what he has, but in whose he is.
When I come into a relationship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ, I understand whose I am and what I have. A lack of contentment causes me to look horizontally - at what others have so I am never satisfied. Contentment invites me to look vertically - at God. When I look in his direction, regardless of my possessions or lack of or status or lack of, I know that he is enough.
II) How Can I Move from Discontentment to Contentment?
Contentment comes when we can honestly say with the apostle Paul, (Phil. 4:12-13). Contentment is learned.
May I ask you a question? What is the one thing separating you from joy? How do you fill in the blank: "I will be happy when ____________?" When I am healed. When I am promoted. When I am married. When I am single. When I am rich. How would you finish the statement?
Now, with your answer firmly in mind, answer this. If your ship never comes in, if your dream never comes true, if the situation never changes, could you be happy? If not, then you are living in land of discontentment.
III) Where Does Ones Contentment Reside?
A) Contentment Resides in the Heart.
Most people thirst for what the apostle Paul had: enduring contentment, a deep-down, soul-satisfying contentment. That kind of contentment can only come from within. Contentment is always an inside job. It has everything to do with what is going on inside you (the heart), not what is going on outside.
B) Contentment Resides with the Will
Contentment is a matter of accepting from God's hand what he sends because we know that he is a good God and wants to give good gifts to his children. We accept, therefore, from God's hand that which he gives. All that is needful he will supply.
IV) What is the Secret to My Contentment?
The secret of contentment is hidden from the casual observer. What is that secret?
A) Remember the Work of the Cross (Phil. 1:21)
The cornerstone of contentment is the cross. Remember what Jesus has done for us on the cross. Because of the work of the cross, our future in heaven is guaranteed. Isn't that enough? What else really matters?
B) Let Go of the Things of the Past (Phil. 3:13)
We cannot hope to ever gain contentment while holding on to past failures and mistakes - others or ours. We need to let go of such statements that begin with "I should have," "If only," and "If they hadn't." True forgiveness requires that we see the wrongs clearly, articulate them, release them to God, and then walk away from them.
C) Accept Each Day as a Gift from God (Phil. 4:19)
If we focus on things and others, we will be discontent. But, if we focus on God, living each day in the light of his glory, the things of this earth will pale in comparison
D) Find your Sufficiency in Jesus Christ Alone (Phil. 4:13).
The term content suggests "self-sufficiency." But in the context of this text, it means being at peace with Christ's sufficiency. When his powerful presence is consuming us, we can do all things.
In Closing:
That is what Contentment looks like!
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