Philippians 4:10-23 - Be Content and Grateful in Every Circumstance

How to Enjoy the Rest of Your Life (Part 10)
Be Content and Grateful in Every Circumstance
Philippians 4:10-23
Jeff Garrett

Philippians 4:10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Let’s begin with v.10. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. Paul said, “I hadn’t heard from you in a while. I never doubted your support. I knew the reason I hadn’t heard from you was because you didn’t have a opportunity - it’s a long way from Philippi to Rome. But when I received the message you sent along with the gifts I rejoiced greatly in the Lord.

Not that I was in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I'm just as happy and joyful with little as I am with much. I know who to live when I have nothing. And I know how to live when all my needs are met. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every circumstance. He reveals the secret is in v.13. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

That’s the secret Paul learned. Paul said I can cope … I can do anything because Jesus gives me strength. That’s the secret I’ve learned to be content in any and every situation e.g. 2 Corinthians 6:4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7 in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Paul was content with …

· His age - Philemon 1:9 I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus.

· His inadequacies - 2 Corinthians 10:10 For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing."

The Acts of Paul and Thecla gives a picture of Paul's physical features - “a man small in size, with a bald head and crooked legs, with eyebrows that met and a rather prominent nose.” He wasn’t very handsome but he wasn’t discontent - he was full of grace and confidence.

2 Corinthians 11:6 I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.

· His rented house - Acts 28:30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ

· His chronic pain - 2 Corinthians 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

That illustrates Philippians 4:13 perfectly. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Colossians 1:9 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

I didn’t need anything because I was content with what I had. But I was so happy to hear from you and praised God for your gift.

14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Paul said “I don’t need any more money. I am not looking for another gift. I am looking for what may be credited to your account. Let this letter be your receipt. Paid in full! Overpaid! It was way too much. I have more than I need since you sent this gift.” And look at what Paul called their gift. v.18 the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Then Paul ends the letter with greetings sandwiched between a doxology and a benediction.

20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
21 Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send greetings. 22 All the saints send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household.
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

What can we takeaway? How can we be content and grateful in every circumstance? We could begin by understanding that there are many factors that influence.

There are so many factors that influence discontent
· Weak relationships with people and God.
· Low frustration tolerance.
· The myth of entitlement.
· Distorted perceptions.
· Misplace priorities.
· Self-reliance.

Three Ways to be Content and Grateful in Every Circumstance

1. Give a gift – 2 Corinthians 8:1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.

There is currently $41,000 in savings and $11,000 in checking and $60,000 is CDs. That may sound like a lot but it takes a lot to run our church family. Our operating cost is about $24,000 a month. That’s why it’s important for us to give generously.

One of my favorite stories is in Mark 12 about the widow. Mark 12:41-44 Jesus was in the area of the temple called the Court of the Women. The treasury was located there or in an adjoining walkway. In this area were seven boxes for people to deposit their temple tax. Six boxes were for freewill offerings like the woman gave. Not only was she poor; as a widow she had few resources for making money. Her small gift was a sacrifice, but she gave it willingly. This widow gave all she had, in stark contrast to the way most of us handle money. Jesus admired her sacrificial giving. Luke 19:3 Jesus said “Really this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them combined. 4 For they have given a little of what they didn’t need, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” (Living Bible) Who are like? Are you more like the widow or more like the others? Jesus is still watching and when you give generously and joyfully, like the widow and the Philippians, your gifts are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.

2. Write a letter - that’s what Paul did. He used the words “joy”, “rejoice”, and “glad” 17 times and he used the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 51 times. Write a letter to a friend like that.

3. Change your perspective (move closer to Jesus and people) - Paul was in prison but he was the freest man in Rome. He lived close to the Lord and people.

There were two men in the same hospital room which had one window. One of the men, as a part of his treatment, was allowed to sit up in bed for an hour in the afternoon and his bed was next to the window. But the other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. Neither of them were able to do much, no reading, no radio, no television. So they talked for hours about their wives, their children, their homes, their jobs, their hobbies, their childhood and where they had been on vacations. And every afternoon, the man next to the window was propped up for his hour a treatment (so the fluid would drain from his lungs), he would pass the time by describing what he could see outside. And the other man began to live for those hours. The window apparently overlooked a park with a lake – where there were ducks and children throwing them bread and sailing little boats, and young lovers walking hand in hand beneath the trees and there were flowers and green grass and games of softball and sunbathers and in the distance there was a beautiful view of the city skyline.

The man on his back would listen to all this – how a child nearly fell into the water, how beautiful girls were in their summer dresses, and an exciting ballgame or a boy playing with his puppy. The man on his back got to the place where he could almost see what was happening outside. Then one afternoon, when there was some sort of parade, the thought struck him – “Why should the man next to the window have all the pleasure of seeing what was going on? Why shouldn’t he get the bed next to the window?” He felt ashamed and he tried not to think like that but the more he tried the worse it became and he would do anything to see out the window. In a few days he turned sour and thought he should be by the window and he brooded and couldn’t sleep and became more seriously ill.

One night, as he stared at the ceiling the other man suddenly woke up coughing and choking. The fluid congesting in his lungs and his hands were groping for the button to call the night nurse. But the man in the other bed watched without moving and never reached for his button. Finally, the coughing stopped and the man died and he continued to stare at the ceiling.

In the morning the day nurse came in with water for their baths and found the other man dead. They took away his body quietly. As soon as it seemed decent the man ask if he could be moved to the bed next to the window. And they moved him, tucked him in and made him comfortable. The minute they had gone, he propped himself up on one elbow and looked out the window and discovered that it faced a blank wall.

Which man do you identify with? Do you lie on your bed and envy others who seem to have a better view. Or are you more like the man who can find reasons to rejoice even if you are looking at a blank wall?

Prayer Time