for your attention. Well, good morning, everyone. Why don't we bowerheads in prayer?
And we'll take a look at the the topic of contentment today, or encouragement, contentment.
So, our father. Once again we come before you. We ask that you would bless the public reading of your word, and also but just as time together, where we might be encouraged and concentrate on all that you have for us Lord Jesus Christ we give you thanks now, and for your guidance, in Jesus name amen
couple years ago I preached a sermon on Contentment, and I wanted to revisit it, and I looked at the file.
I'm like. This is a mess. So I thought, Ok, let's do it again.
And because this is a topic that we can never hear too much of right in this community or in the churches, and such.
And life. I have question for you. How would you encourage an electrician?
Anybody, know?
You conduit?
Conduit is the pipe through which wires are, you know they bend them and conduit.
Does anybody know the secret to contentment?
No, you don't just getting some other joke, anyway.
You know, like discouraging and encouraging. There's a there's a rough crowd today.
Well, yes, so I'd like to have you open your Bible to the fourth chapter of Philippians.
There are things in this chapter that are probably familiar to everybody who's been a Christian for very long.
Some of the verses you've memorized. Probably there are wonderful commands in this chapter, and many wonderful promises that all of us can lean on as believers.
I want to look at some of them today in an overall sense, I want to talk about the subject of contentment.
Basically the topic kind of hangs around verse 11. So that's where we can begin let's take a look at verse 11, chapter 4, of Flippians.
It says, and I have the new King James. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content this is what Paul is saying, what a great thing to learn isn't it.
What a wonderful reality! To be content, content in whatever circumstances I am!
Therefore this his contentment was unrelated to circumstances, at the time that he wrote this, Paul was really in the toughest of circumstances.
Wasn't. He? He was a prisoner, I he was taken prisoner because he was faithful in preaching the Gospel.
He was under tremendous pressure to change the form of his ministry, or lose his life.
He had been mocked and slandered, not only by his enemies, but by other believers to, and he was chained to a Roman soldier.
On top of that. There he was living in captivity and chains, despised by the world and criticized by the Church.
Many in the church, and it was in the midst of that kind of situation.
The worst of situation that he talks about contentment, and he tells us in that verse that it's unrelated to circumstances.
That's true contentment. Obviously, we live in a world that wants to breed a discontentment.
Think of it. Everything in our society is geared to make you unhappy with current circumstances. Right?
Your job, your car, your house, your wife, the place you live, your husband, whatever it might be, everything in the advertising world is not designed to breed discontentment, to make you want to buy something new, or to entice you to buy something or to experience something to make you unhappy with what you have to
make you miserable with what you have in the current circumstance.
And of course Satan feeds this because it essentially winds up in the breakdown of every kind of relationship, and that services purpose as well, because it's opposed to God's design.
So we're living probably in a time when we might be able to say that there is a more of a mass of assault on our contentment than probably any other time in human history, and so we have to talk about contentment again building around verse 11 chapter 4.
Philippians is a lot of information. This chapter that feeds into.
Why Paul was content and how we can be content too. First of all, let's look at some Old Testament.
Quotes that lend themselves in this situation here some 36 versus 7 and 8, says, this, how excellent is your loving kindness!
Oh, God! Therefore the children of men put their trusts under the shadow of your wings.
They shall be abundantly strong. There's a cinnamon.
I always do this. I like cinnamon on my toes.
I've said that before a synonym synonym there's a synonym for contentment, satisfaction, and the Psalmist said that, based upon the loving-kindness of God, based on the protection of God we're under shadow of His wings He was abundantly
satisfied your psalm 63 versus 3 to 5.
We can read this because you're loving kindness is better than life.
My lips will praise you thus I will bless you while I live.
I will lift up my hands in your name my soul shall be satisfied.
We want sole satisfaction. Here again the Thomas says, because of your loving costness, that that same thing that we saw in some 36. Loving-kindness means grace, mercy, love, it's all bound up in God's goodness to His own people.
Let's take a look at a couple more here because of this, he says.
My soul is satisfied. In some 65, the Psalmist writes, we shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house.
Oh, God of our salvation! Pretty good stuff! Sound! 107. Verse 90.
Satisfied the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.
And so the Psalm says that it's part of belonging to the Lord, and being under his his protection, is care under his provision, part of belonging to the Lord, is to be satisfied contentment is an excellent word satisfaction is an equally beautiful word one that needs
emphasis today, as I said that word, Satisfaction.
The word contentment is behind the statement of Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd, and what's the next line?
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want another way of saying, I'm content.
I'm satisfied.
It's enough for me to know the Lord is my Shepherd.
There's no need, that escapes his attention.
There's no need that I have that is beyond his compassion or provision, and there is no enemy against which he will not protect me.
He will lead me in the green pastures, that I might be fed.
You'll leave me beside the still waters, that my thirst might be fulfilled.
The write a feast for me, a table in the midst of my enemies, where, though they surprise, surround me, I am protected.
I love that line boom offensively just right in the midst of my enemies.
I'll be protected, and he will even lead me into a turtle.
Life, wow!
Again. I mentioned in the book of Hebrews. He is the captain of our salvation.
The file leader, the one that we're following. He can do this, and we, following his path.
If I have the Lord as my Shepherd, I have everything I need.
I have everything I want, I have enough. Nothing more is needed nor desired.
I've told this story before. I remember listening to a sermon by Bill Mcdonald, and he was talking about.
He was in San Francisco, walking to the bark to the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, and this lady tried to sell him a lottery ticket, and he looked at.
He said, I've got all the money the Lord wants me to have, and she's like what?
Just walk down by. So if I have everything I want, I have enough.
Nothing more is needed or desired, and that is the truth of contentment, satisfaction, in spite of that, Christians are filled with discontent as they fall victim to the world's sickness of consumption, which is built upon the idea of breeding discontent, and discontent and dissatisfaction is self
destructive. Now I'm not talking here about a consumer-oriented society.
If you look at the Us. Two-thirds of spending is consumer oriented, that's what drives the Us.
In fact, when people say you know, China is going to surpass us as the number one economy.
If you speak to economists, all of them are in agreement.
That's never gonna happen. Because China's the percentage of consumers in China is about 36%.
That means people are inclined to save, and the Us. People are inclined to spend, and that kind of makes the engine run that's not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about in the midst of a crooked, impverse world, or in a consumer or materialistic society.
This is affecting Christians, and so we make a simple what we need is a simple message.
It's a call to contentment. To say I've had enough, that is to say, what I have is enough with it.
I am content with it. I'm satisfied. I will accept God.
What God has given me, and be satisfied. When Jesus began His earthly ministry, gave the great Sermon on the Mount, and in that Sermon on the Mount, chapter 6 of Matthew's Gospel, starting in verse 25, he says, this therefore I say to you do not worry about your
life what you will eat, or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air, for they neither saw so no reap nor gather into Barnes.
Yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more valued than the which of you, by worrying, can add one cubit or one measure of his statue?
Who are you among which of you worrying could actually cause yourself to get taller or affect anything really on your body?
And so why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.
They neither toil nor spin. And yet, I say to you that even Solomon and all of his glory was not a raid like one of these and so, if God's so close, the grass of the field which is today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven really not much more close you oh.
you have little face.
Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat? What shall we drink?
What shall we wear? For, after all these things their Gentiles seek?
For your hardly father knows that all you need knows that you need all these things, but seek for us the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything shall be added to you.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow we'll worry about its own things sufficient for the days its own trouble over the King James, sufficient unto the days, the evil thereof be satisfied today, and leave your contentment in your satisfaction for tomorrow to the same God it will provide today that's the
righteous kind of contentment. That's the model.
Now there is just a bit of a contrast. There is also a sinful kind of contentment.
Some people are content with their sin, and that's not the kind of contentment I'm talking about.
A good example is found. For instance, in the wicked brothers of Joseph, when they are intending to kill them, and then they change their mind, and they sell him to traders.
The Scriptors say they were content in what they had done.
There, and his brothers were content, or they listened, which is an evil contentment.
They were content with their wickedness, and they were content because their evil plot was successful, or so they thought.
Some people are content with evil. Some people are content with less than God's best and we're talking about a true and pure kind of contentment.
There's an illustration in Judges 17 of Amanda decided to compromise in a serious way.
He can read the story for yourself. And he did, and so he did, and he went directly against God.
What got it designed for him? He violated the law of God, but he found in his violation of certain kind of contentment, and so it says, he was content.
And then there's one more example, that's an example of a simple code of content.
Again the Scripture talks about Pilot Matthew.
I'm sorry. Mark 15, verse 15, Pilot gave Jesus over to be crucified, and it said, because he wanted to gratify the crowd.
I remember one of the first pieces of business advice I was given by a Vice President.
I was working for he said, do not be a people pleaser in this business.
It was greatest piece of it. Pilot, was a people pleaser, and what he was involved in was something extraordinarily extraordinarily serious, interesting.
I remember Mike Harris mentioning. I've never heard this before, but it apparently there's a rumor that Pilot might have actually gotten saved.
If that's true, think about the grace of God.
But again, an evil kind of satisfaction. Unbelievers can have this certain satisfaction with this obedience. But that's not the kind we're talking about.
Let's focus on the pure kind of contentment. The God desires for us.
And it's true that there is a disturbing amount of discontentment among Christians.
And it's not just material discontent, not it's connected with life partners.
It's discontent with the way or the way that you look, or how you're shaped, or circumstances falling.
Life. There's just this unwavering attack on us to make us discontent more things we think will make us content.
Different circumstances make us content. Living in a different place, having a different job.
But the point is, there's this simmering discontent, this lack of satisfaction, the provision of God has given to us, and it's a very serious sin discontent with what God is given with a lot that got us chosen for us as a serious and notice that the word of God
openly and specifically calls us to be content.
So verse, I think about a lot for stimulus.
6. 6. Godliness with contentment is great gain, or in the Ns.
And Nsb. Says, godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
You really want something to gain if you want to pursue something, pursue godliness.
Accompanied by contempt. Paul goes on to say that you brought nothing into the world.
You're not going to take anything out either. So if you have food and clothing with these, be content.
Godliness with contentment is great. Here's third Hebris, 13, verse 5.
Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have.
It's not just money, it's that love of money that greed for it, that unsatisfied longing for it.
Why? Why does why does it say that in Hebrews, 13, 5, for he got has said, I will never desert you, Nor will I ever forsake you so that we can confidently say the Lord is my helper.
I will not be afraid. What can anybody do to me? It's pretty heavy duty, I mean, it's like he got this big bodyguard, and you're out there, and you're looking at the Lord.
In fact, you know, they always say Tink one look at yourself, and 10 take take 10 looks at Christ Jesus.
That's what we should be doing. Study them, think about him in his high priest, Lee role, his intercession personally for us, and he suddenly fills everything you know.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, we find our contentment then, and God, and the promises of His provision.
Now with that introduction in mind, let's go back to Philippians, chapter 4, and look at it again.
Philippians is an intensely practical book. There are some indicators in the Philippian letter that the Church have Phillip High was under some serious pressure.
There were circumstances that had fallen upon them that made life pretty hard back in chapter one, verse 28, Paul talks about being alarmed or not being alarmed.
I'm sorry, telling them not to be alarmed by their opponents, and they were opponents in this church.
There were those who are against the Church prosecutors of the Church, apparently, and Paul says you don't need to be alarmed by your opponents.
In fact, that they oppose you as a sign of their destruction, not yours.
And he says in verse 29, of chapter one, it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only that you should believe in him, but also suffer for his sake, and then in verse 30, that you should experience the same kind of conflict which you saw in me now we all know the seriousness of
the conflict that Paul experienced. We know the severity of the suffering that he experienced, and we all know how his opponents came against him.
Paul is essentially saying in Philippians you have experienced the same thing.
Over in verse 14 of chapter 2 we're kind of moving around Philippians.
Paul talks about doing everything without grumbling or disputing and I'm pointing that finger at you.
But I got 4, pointing back at me because I've been known to do this sometime.
Shalita will attest to that. Therefore, proving yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God above reproach, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, it's a great line, but he's saying the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, don't be
grumblers or complainers. We're 16.
Chapter 2 says they were holding fast, or holding forth the word of life in the midst of this perversity.
That's what they were doing. And this is what generated the hostility and the persecution that they were experienced.
We learned from these little insights that life wasn't going well for the flow.
It was much like the life that Paul was living, a life of hostility and persecution, no matter what Paul says, I have learned to be content.
I've learned to be content. It has nothing to do with my circumstances.
In verse 12, chapter 4, he says, I know how to get along with humble means.
I know how to live in prosperity in any and every circumstance.
I've learned the secret of being filled and going hungry.
Of having abundance in software need, and all I can do of this, and I'm sorry, and all I can do, all I can do all of this to the one who strengthens me, or I can do all things through Christ.
He strengthens me, it's not about what I have.
It is about who is in me, and discontent is always a sin.
Let me put it simply. Discontent is a sin, because it denies the right of God to do with us as He will.
Let's note this discontent is a sin, because it denies the right of God to do with us as He will, and it ignores the promise that God will never allow us to suffer more than we are able.
First Corinthians, verse 10. Verse, I'm sorry. Chapter 10, verse 13, says, no temptation has overtaken you, etc.
Etc. Such as is common to man, and yet he will leave a door open.
So that we might be able to endure it. And of course we're always applying it to sins in our lives.
But also the sin is that we will grow discontent with what God has given us.
So we don't wanna have the sin of denying the right of God to do with us what He will and it ignores the promise that he will never give us more than we can bear.
We want to. We wanna go for the best that God has for us, and not to fall short in that.
He's looking for, to give us the best. Really, and we're promising the Scripture that God is concerned about our best.
Think about this. Whatever he does in our lives, he does for the purpose of making us more spiritually mature.
And isn't that true? It's the same thing with the parenting or correction of a child.
And we remember from Hebrews, whom the Father loves.
He chastens, correction and discipline is for perfection or maturity, and for any of these reasons, or all of these reasons, discontentment is a sin, and you may be wondering why things aren't going well in your life, and you may not be able to link it to a specific sin, or violation of
sub command and the Testament. But you just wonder why isn't your life what it should?
Maybe it's that you're beings literally being sapped in your spiritual energy or spiritual strength.
Therefore your joy and blessing by the sin of discontent is, is being willowed away, or contentment really is a kind of bliss.
Satisfaction is kind of euphoria legitimate kind. Here.
It's a kind of joy. It's a level of peace that just rides across the top of all the trouble.
That surrounds us. Think about that. A piece that passes understanding in the midst of what you're going through.
That's what he promises. Here's Paul, a prisoner, Paul Chain Paul captive, Paul.
Ridicule, Paul. Slandered. Persecuted, yet absolutely content, untouched by circumstances, and so that, introduces the question to us, how do we get to this point?
Now you can listen to.
Kind of pastors, that kind of do a prosperity, gospel, or kind of a feel-good message?
And you know you hear these sermons, and you know the kind of talking about this.
And they're saying what you know, and and but when we're dealing with the Scriptures, which sometimes they're want not to do.
But if you deep, if you're working in the Scriptures, you're going to have situations in your life.
It says this, that our you know, trials and testing for us, and they're there for a purpose.
So, what are the components of contentment? How do we understand practically how to be content?
I think again it revolves around 11. He says this again.
Not that I speak in regard to need for I've learned in whatever circumstance or state, that I'm a to be content.
So here's a list of things that feed into contentment.
Number one. Contentment comes from cultivating the love of others, it's about giving your life away.
Discontentment is primarily the product of self preoccupation.
It's one of the great problems in the Christian life self-absorption, self preoccupation.
It's. It's easy to have that happen. Discontentment comes because you're sucked up into yourself.
And this is kind of implied, but I think it's implied in the opening verses of Chapter 4, we could even stretch it beyond that.
But Paul experienced contentment and satisfaction in every circumstance, because he didn't define his life but the kind of circumstances he experienced he defined his life with a kind of relationship he had with people.
If he could preach the gospel, and people would be converted.
He was content, unsatisfied, regardless of the physical condition.
If he could have a ministry in the lives of people to bring them to a deeper knowledge of the things of God, a ministry that brought about satisfaction through the truth that was enough for him in whatever circumstance, if he could bring a word of comfort to a troubled soul, if he could bring word of
instruction to an ignorant mind. That was enough. It was about people in his life.
If he could lovingly pour out the truth of God to a congregation, he would suffer anything to get that privilege.
And you see this in the opening of the chapter. Let me read these verses here.
The first 3 verse, chat Philippians, chapter 4, verses one, through 3, says, for my beloved, and longed for brethren.
Now those those are very, very interesting words that speak of Paul's affections.
Here, my beloved, and longed for Brother M. My joy and crown.
So stand fast fast in the Lord, beloved. First 2.
I'm sorry Yodia and I floor syndicate to be of the same mind in the Lord.
Verse 3, and I urge you also true companion.
Help these women who labored with me in the Gospel with Clementulse and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are written in the book of life.
Notice, in verse 3, says, I urge you also this, this kind of yoke mate, this this helper of his who's unnamed here, and just really get caught up with the fact that that this man's life is all about people it was about a congregation in Philippi who were beloved
brethren to him so beloved, that they, as he calls them twice in the same verse, they were brethren.
This kind of is like into what Jesus Christ says in, I'm sorry what is said about Jesus Christ.
How he's not ashamed to call them brethren.
We are one of the same Nature's Jesus Christ, and because of that, Jesus Christ is not ashamed to call us brethren.
He is for us, not against us. He can do this, can do this in our lives, so he didn't see himself as somebody over them.
But somebody among them. That's a mark of a an elder or a person that is oriented towards pastorship.
He didn't talk to himself as a father. He talked to himself as a brother.
He found joy in these people, and he found those people to be his crown.
That was the epitome of his life, the ultimate end of life.
You know, we're going through first Thessalonians and second Thessalonians.
In first Thessalonians. Paul is so oriented to preparing people for Christ's return.
He wants them to be prepared. He has poured his life into them, and and many times he expresses his concern in the epistles, and maybe I've repeated myself.
But the point of the matter is, he wants people to be prepared.
He wants his work to yield results to be crowned as the top.
So top everything off and the top for Paul was people he not only spoke to them in general, but he spoke to them in specific.
He spoke of ode, and he spoke with synticate, apparently we're in some disunity or discord.
Encouraging to live harmoniously, and then he spoke of a person who's unnamed, a true comrade, the true yoke fella says to that unnamed person, help these women who labored with me in the gospel with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers who named whose names
are written in the book of life. What an incredible thing to say!
Your name is written in the book of life. Wow! Imagine sending a card, hey?
Your name is written in book of life. I'm sure of it.
It's very concerned these 2 women were getting caught up in something that they get into. Harmony asked this unnamed person to go to their rescue and to give them aid.
And to bring about the kind of harmony that is appropriate to the Gospel.
All of this is very charismatic of Paul. So when you start out in any of Paul's letters, you're always introduced to whatever company he has and when he come to the end of any Paul's letters, he'll give you a list of who's there and people he's concerned, about he's just a people
guy and every one of his letters expresses a concern either for a church or, in the cases, letters to individuals.
In the case of that individual Timothy and Titus, Paul was literally swept up in fellowship, and of course our citizenship is in heaven, in fact, if you go back a little bit in the third chapter, verse 20, Paul says, our citizenship is in heaven, in other words, we're out of place, here. We don't. Belong here.
It's this is not our home, our citizenship is in heaven.
We're waiting for our Savior to Lord Jesus Christ to come from heaven and transverse us, verse 21. The body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself wow.
It's pretty good writing. I'll tell you that.
So we're waiting for our transation. Our home is not here, but in heaven.
We're strangers here we live as strangers in the world.
We live as foreigners, we're citizens of a heavenly land.
We're waiting for the Lord to glorify us. And what He's talking about here is, we're part of an eternal family, and it's with this in mind that he says, my beloved and longed for brethren.
Because we don't belong to this group.
Uhhuh.
Cause. We are the children of God. We have 2 express our love to each other.
The unknown person has got to get these women to get their act together. It could be anybody.
It's not. Women could be mad. Whatever gotta stand fast in.
The Lord got to stand fast in love and stampfast in unity.
So back to chapter one, verse 27, he says this, only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see, or a maps, and I can hear your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together, with the faith of the
gospel. So Paul is the last person in the plan to be preoccupied with his own personal circumstances.
His own personal condition didn't enter into his mind. He was driven to give his life away for others to pour his life out.
As a drink, offering on the work of the Lord, and he sought that the Church would experience the fullness of that fellowship which was so precious.
In fact, we go back to the first chapter. Philippians.
We can show how selfless Paul is flipping. Chapter one says some very interesting things we look at verse 12, chapter one, he says, I want you to know rather, my circumstances, being in prison, have turned out rather for the progress of the gospel.
Have turned out rather fast the the Gospel. In other words, he looked at his imprisonment, and he said, It's a positive it's a positive.
So that my imprisonment in the cause of crisis become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard.
These are the elite arts. In other words, what happened to Paul as a prisoner being chained or Roman soldier?
You think that's a problem for Paul? I don't think so.
It's a problem for the Roman soldiers. I'll tell you that it's a serious problem for them.
Cause. If they have an apostle chain to them, this is an unbelievers, unbelievable sinner's worst nightmare.
Paul change here because he's gonna give you the gospel. He's gonna do it.
24, 7, and consequently because he's under the care of the Praetorian guard.
A very significant group the Praetorian Guard would be the guard assigned to the Governor's palace.
The word was spreading throughout these guards because the guards would be switched to different ones chained to Paul, and everybody else is hearing about this testimony of the Apostle Paul as he's evangelizing every guard that has chained him.
And then in chapter 4, verse 22, he says, with a smile on his face.
No doubt all the saints greet you, but especially those of Caesar's household.
So it made an impact.
What was happening was the Praetorian guards were becoming evangelists in Caesar's household, and that was not a problem for Paul.
And further, in verse 14, he says, not only is my ministry growing, but most of the brothers, and trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear, because Paul being in prison, was having such a great ministry, others, who feared
being taken prisoner long no longer feared it, and encouraged them because they could see what a tremendous blessing it was for Paul.
They could see it just as another evangelistic opportunity.
And so they were becoming more courageous to speak the word of God without fear, knowing that if they were to were taken prisoner it would just be a new audience for them and then he says, it's kind of sad.
To some verse 15, to be sure of preaching Christ, even for Nbian strife.
And who are these people? They were criticizing Paul out of the out of strife, saying, You know, Paul got put him on hold, got put him in prison because, you know, he wasn't doing the work.
His best days are passed. Some were even out of envy and strife, accusing Paul of some sins, and this was some, and that this was some punishment from God, and this jealousy these people were jealousy.
We're so eaten up by envy because of the work that he was doing, the success that he was having, that they were glad he was put in prison and wanted to make sure.
People thought that this was the judgment of God, and Paul, and that they were the heroes.
It was jealousy. Among other preachers, and they were preaching Christ.
That's true. But with envy, and strive against Paul and others, he said, are preaching with goodwill toward me.
The latter do it out of love for Corinthians. Chapter one.
For 17, and they love me. Another situation with respect to contentment that we can find is.
Chop this down a little bit. Here!
There's another element that feeds into our understanding of contemptment.
Contemptment comes from giving your life in the fellowship, but it also involves cultivating a spirit of rejoicing.
Cultivating a spirit of rejoicing. We know that's because of verse 4, he says, rejoice in the Lord always again, I will say, rejoice, and that's a command, and if it's command, then it can be obeyed, isn't that true, rejoice in the Lord
always? Why would God give us a command if we couldn't obey it?
It's a present imperative. Keep on rejoicing.
Make it continual. Habitually practice rejoicing in one way or another.
We're told to do that 70 times in the New Testament.
Rejoice rejoice, rejoice! Be happy, be joyful, and it doesn't have to do with our circumstances, because in Acts 15 verse I'm sort of chapter 5, verse 41, it says, these apostles were called before the Council, the Jewish Council who were
flogged. They they were whipped, and then ordered not to say anything more about the name of Jesus.
They went their way from the presence of the council, next word, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for his name, and every day in the temple and from house house he kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus.
They never stopped.
Another. The situation, and we can say, as the primary source of joy is obedience, the disobedient Christian is not going to experience joy, but an obedient one has the promise of joy, listen to this.
If you abide to me. Jesus says in John 15, If you abide in me my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so that you will be my disciples as Father, loved, me, i've also loved
you abide in my love, if you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I've kept my father's commandments in abide in His love.
These things I've spoken to you that my joy may remain in you, and your join may be full.
So if you want full joy, then obey the Lord, obey the commandments, obey the word, and that's part of being in the local rejoice in the Lord.
So happiness is a choice. It really is. It's a talking about some kind of gimmick.
We're training the heart to rejoice in the glorious truth.
The Lord is your shepherd, and you shall not want if you're going to know the fullness of His blessing.
When you buy a bam, when you'll bam.
That's the simple path to joy for the kingdom of God it's not about eating or drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, contentment comes from learning to accept less than you are due.
This is a line from John Mcarthur's Commentary.
This is just a gem, except less than you are doing.
It comes from learning to accept less than you or do. Everyone wants their rights.
Certainly you violate their rights. They're going to sue you silly, and try to extract every penny from you.
Everybody thinks they can define for themselves what they are doing.
But that's the opposite of how true contentment comes.
Those people are never content when they get what they want. If you notice in verse 5, his statement, chapter 4, let your gentleness be known to all men and commentators will say it is sometimes translated sweet reasonableness, you could translate it your generosity or your humble willingness, to
be disgraced, your humble willingness to be treated unjustly, or mistreated, without hatred or without bitterness, without retaliation.
It's kind of meekness and gentleness in the face of hostility, and it doesn't talk about rights.
This is the attitude of Christ. Second Corinthian standard.
One says it's now I, Paul myself, and pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ. I think one of the most amazing things about Christ is that he was willing to take the lowest place.
Once you think that's true.
So he was a do absolute in total worship, but he was willing to accept far less than he was to do in meekness and generous.
And that's really amazing. Another element we can look at.
Fourthly, as a confident faith in the Lord. It involves a confident faith.
Notice in verse 5 flippings for the Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing. What a great statement! Lord is at hand!
The anxious for nothing. Be anxious for nothing. And that's really practical, isn't it?
Don't forget the Lord is near. He's not talking about Florida's second coming.
He's saying he's in you. That's how near the word is.
The Lord is at hand. He's talking about being near.
You can mean that he's he's near in space and time.
He's nearby. The intent is personal presence. The idea is personal.
Presence. He is near many times in the Old Testament.
We were reminded of the nearness of God, he is sticking closer than a brother, he never leaves us, or for sakes us!
He's your true security or securities, not in money or in your career, or in your reputation.
Your security is in the lorry.
So what's that worry about?
Therein is the heart and soul of your contentment. The Lord is here, so, to sum it up, we have contentment, then, as a product of living in love with the saints.
Number 2, cultivating joy in your heart, in the Lord, number 3, sixing life, with a patient, humble, sweet reasonableness that accepts very little, and never makes demands, and ever insists on rights, and before all built on a confident trust in God, who is near and who is sufficient these are high standards
high standards for me and everyone else. Certainly number 5. Contendment calls for reacting to your own problems with thankful prayer, reacting to your problems with thankful for prayer.
Verse 6, chapter 4, says this, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God, and that's pretty interesting.
Don't wait till God answers the prayer the way you wanted to.
Just be thankful. Ask with thanksgiving, how can you do that?
Can do it pretty easily. Lord, here is my prayer, and I think that we can.
I think that we can pray all sorts of prayer.
I have a Bible CD. In my car, and when it gets to Fusion 6, I think it's an Iv.
Or some offshoot, or whatever, but it says pray all kinds of prayers.
I love that line in everything, he says, instead of worrying prey, take your supplication, take it with thanksgiving, because you know the Lord will give you the answer that is best.
Just leave it there.
And then, of course, the answer is, it's not.
The answer is the issue. It's taking the burden and leaving it there, and he says it in verse 7.
Just take it there and leave it there. And immediately the piece of God which suppresses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus once you've unloaded your burden on the Lord your you're flooded with with what peace peace comes from resting in the
wisdom and the power and the purpose of God, not peace with God.
That's salvation, but the peace of God, the inward tranquility that God Himself possesses. It's transparent to us. These are the fruit of the Spirit.
And finally, number 6, if you want to have contentment in your life, you have to think on godly things.
We had a book for Men's Conference, and it was the the godly. Huh! Boy.
What is the title? The discipline of a godly man?
Sorry I loved reading that book, and there's a portion on it where we're talking about meditating on the Scriptures, and it likens it to an animal that's eating food and deeply satisfied with it and making these sounds these cooing sounds or sounds of satisfaction someone if you look at
that there's an interesting kind of a transaction that occurs.
It says, the man of God delights on the word of God.
I'm sorry, meditates on the Word of God day and night, and the more that he meditates, day and night, the more day and night, the more that he he delights in the Word of God.
So there there's more delight than there's more meditation, the more meditation. There's more delight.
It just keeps going on and on and on, his roof is, it was rude as deep in the Word of God.
Meditating on it, verse 80 says finally, brother, and this is my final point on the subject.
Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good reports.
If there is any virtue, and if there's anything praise where they meditate on these things.
You know how to get discontent. Just rehearse everything that's wrong.
Just keep reinforcing it all the time in your mind.
Keep going over it and over it and over it, and you'll feed your discontentment but, on the other hand, if you think about what is true, that is to say, the truth of God, whatever is honest, worthy of respect, noble, dignified, reverent lofty whatever is righteous, whatever is morally
pure, if you think on these things, you create a habit, and you let your mind dwell on these things and and the more that your mind dwells on these things, the more your contentment grows discontent is a result of negative thinking about yourself, about your suffering, about what you don't have what's not
going right. What you don't like, and it's a monster that if that gets fed, that's a real problem.
It's like not forgiving. Or what have you? It grows to be something very large.
Number. Rc. Chapman wrote a couple of books. He destroyed most of the stuff they wrote.
He would always talk about sins, how they can become a very, very great thing in the life.
But we have obviously someone that we can appeal to.
But this one here discontent can become a very, very great thing.
A rote of bitterness. Certainly. Bad process to get caught in.
Paul says, if there's any moral excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, then turn to the positive.
These things are where the phrase, so where do you get contentment being caught up in the love of the fellowship?
Cultivating, join the Lord, accepting little with humble patience and sweet reasonableness.
So basically essential praying thankfully and offload, loading your burden on the Lord and receiving His peace, focusing on positive things, knowing that the Lord is ever present to supply all your needs.
And one other, thought. Paul says in verse 9, you need to follow a good example.
It really helps to have an example. Paul says the things you've learned and received and heard and seen in me practice these things.
And the God of peace shall be with you. Paul finally says, look, just do what I did.
You saw my life. He was an example, the greatest example that we have.
Look at my life as an example of contentment in the, in the really tough circumstances.
What you saw, you learned, you received your heard, do what you saw, what you heard, and what you learned, what you received, do what I showed you to do, and you'll enjoy the God of peace and all those blessings, find a good example and pat your life after a good example maybe it's Paul.
There is a sense, however, in which, no matter how sad we are, we'll never finally get satisfied until we get to heaven.
Psalm 17, verse 15, says, this, David says, this, I shall be satisfied when I awaken your likeness.
Wow! That's the ultimate satisfaction. And we and and that will come to us, and there'll never be.
There'll never be another moment of dissatisfaction with the Lord.
Think on these things. Father. We thank you for the reminder that that this wonderful portion of Scripture is to us that we need to have your thoughts to be content.
Thank you for encouraging us to be content. Enjoy the rich piece of a life that is totally cared for by the Great Shepherd.
Why should we fear? Why should we worry? Why should we be distressed?
Why should we be discontent is satisfied, unfulfilled when you know your shepherd, and you shall not want, he will lead us in every green pasture, and buy all the still water you will anoint our heads with oil, and you will give us.
We'll give until our cup runs over in our lifelong well, life will be a story of goodness and mercy, and when it's over we will dwell in your house forever.
Help us to be content, Lord, to please you, make our contentment to be a testimony to your saving power, and we pray this in the name and mighty precious name of her Lord Jesus Christ.
We have one song right?
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