The Secret of Contentment

            I would like to begin our lesson this evening by reading a passage of Scripture from the book of Philippians, which is going to be the text for this lesson. It is a very well-known passage.

But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length ye have revived your thought for me; wherein ye did indeed take thought, but ye lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know also how to abound: in everything and in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want. I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me. Howbeit ye did well that ye had fellowship with my affliction. (Phil. 4:10-14)

            In the 12^th verse of that passage Paul tells us that he has learned a “secret” if you are using the ASV or NIV. The King James uses a little bit different wording there. But, Paul has learned a secret. There is something different about that word. It makes our ears perk up and people lean in as they whisper, “what is it.” If someone has a secret, naturally, I’m going to want to know what it is. Is there going to be a surprise party? Is someone going to be surprised by that dream vacation they have always talked about? Is someone coming over for a surprise visit? If Paul has a secret, I’m going to be curious and want to know what it is. Unlike a surprise party or something like that, though, Paul is of course, talking about something spiritual.

            We can’t believe every secret we hear, and religiously, there are a lot of secrets out there that just aren’t true. In that case we don’t need them and we’re better off without them. A secret that’s not true is no good to anybody. But, that’s not the case with Paul, his secret is genuine, it is important, and it is one that we all need to hear. In fact, it has been said that it is the only secret that we really need. If we know this secret, and when we find out what this secret is, I think we will all agree that it is more important than any other. And it isn’t so much the contentment part of this that makes it so significant. Though, that is certainly important and necessary for us to as well, the most important part of it is the secret behind Paul’s contentment, from where he draws his strength. That is the great truth that is intended to be communicated to you in this lesson.

            As Paul was nearing the end of his letter to the Philippians, he had one final task: to express his appreciation for the gift that was sent him by Epaphroditus. In doing that, Paul included some things that are very important and useful for us to know as well.

There is an Occasion for Rejoicing

            Verse 10 says, “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly.” Not only was there an occasion for rejoicing, but Paul said it caused him to rejoice “greatly.” He was extremely happy about something. What was he so happy about? It was the Philippians’ gift that was sent to him with Epaphroditus. But, as I think we will see, it wasn’t the gift itself that made Paul so happy. I’m sure that he was glad for it, but that isn’t what this passage is about. What he was rejoicing over wasn’t the gift itself but the concern for him that was behind it. The sending of Epaphroditus with that gift from them showed their great concern and love for him. His great joy and cause for rejoicing was on the givers of the gift, it was on the people, not on the thing itself. He wants them to know that he appreciates them and their concern for him that is shown by their gift.

            You almost get the impression that there was a time that the Philippians’ concern for him became kind of relaxed. Like they were concerned for a while, but then they lost concern, and then they became concerned again, but that isn’t the case. It wasn’t their concern for Paul that came and went and came again, but the opportunity that they had to express their concern for him is what was, wasn’t, and then was again. They didn’t lack concern (NIV) or care (KJV), that was always there, the problem was that they lacked the opportunity. Paul had been in their thoughts the whole time, he just wasn’t within their reach. They couldn’t do anything about it. Why did they lack opportunity? I don’t know. Whatever it was though, it would out of their control and they could do nothing about it. When that was out of the way, as soon as they could, their care for him was made evident once again.

            “But I rejoice in the Lord greatly, that now at length ye have revived your thought for me; wherein ye did indeed take thought, but ye lacked opportunity” (Phil. 4:10). W.E. Vine says that that word translated “revived” there, in the original Greek meant “to flourish or blossom.” What happens to the trees around here in the winter? I said around here, because in Florida, where I grew up, the trees have leaves all year. But here, all that green, all those trees that looks so alive and healthy turn colors in the fall, and it looks so nice, but then all of that goes away. The trees look dead. But then when the spring comes back around and they get all of the warmth and rain and sunshine, they begin to blossom and flourish again. Paul is saying that that was how their concern for him was. It looked dead for a while, even though it really wasn’t, but now it was blooming and blossoming once again.

Paul Had Learned Contentment

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know also how to abound: in everything and in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want. Howbeit ye did well that ye had fellowship with my affliction (Phil. 4:11,12,14)

            We just saw how Paul expressed his joy over receiving the gift that was given him, so might expect the next thing for him to say would be, “I really needed what you sent.” But that isn’t what he said at all. Was it because he didn’t need any help? No, there can be little doubt that he needed what they had sent. In verse 14 he mentioned his affliction. Again, Paul wanted to let them know that what he was so happy about wasn’t what was sent, but the concern behind it. “Not that I speak in respect of want.” His joy is not selfish, it is not because of his own want being fulfilled, and he was not hinting for them to send more, he was talking about them.

             There was a child one time who had found a piece of a 2x4 in the barn behind his house. He was young and didn’t have any money or anything, but he wanted to make something for his dad. So he got that 2x4 and he went and grabbed a chisel and a hammer out of his dad’s toolbox, and he started hammering away at that 2x4. He put “the world’s greatest dad” across the front of it. That was probably one of the best gifts that father could have gotten and it had nothing to do with the gift itself, it was just an old 2x4 with some sloppy looking letters hammered into it by a child, but the thought behind it and the effort that went into it was the real gift.

            Next Paul makes a declaration: “I have learned, in whatsoever state I am…” Whatever the circumstances may be, or whatever the situation is… Whatever the next thing life had to throw at him, whether it was good or bad, that is what Paul is talking about here. You might say he is talking about the ups and downs of life—the good times and the bad. Paul wasn’t always in a shipwreck. He didn’t spend his entire life in prison. He had more than his share of hardships for sure, but he also had some good times as well. Either way, though, Paul was content.

            There is a danger that comes with both the ups and the downs of life. When we are going through the tough times there seems to be a tendency to get depressed, to get discouraged, to want to give up, etc. When the things around us and in our lives start to get bad our response to them is often bad. Then on the other hand, when things are going good and everything seems to be looking up for us, there is a temptation of pride and a swollen ego. Paul didn’t let the downs bring him down, and he didn’t let the ups exalt him. Paul was not defined by the circumstances of his life! What was happening all around him or to him did not define who Paul was. He knew that the things in this life can change in an instant. If he allowed them to change who he was, then he would be constantly changing, he would be unstable, like a yo-yo constantly going up and down; he would have always been up or down. I think there is a lesson there for us. Who we are should not be defined by our surroundings or circumstances in life. We need something stable and firm. We need something that isn’t going to change on us. So, what defined Paul? What kept him so grounded and stable? We’re getting to that; that’s the secret we’re about to get to in just a moment. I can tell you what a big part of it was though, it was the fact that Paul knew that he was not going through this life alone; he trusted God and knew that he was not dependent on himself alone to get through whatever situation he found himself it. “Be ye free from the love of money; content with such things as ye have: for himself hath said, I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any wise forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). The very last words we read in the book of Matthew are these:

And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. (Mt. 28:18-20)

That isn’t the whole story though. There was something within Paul himself, a strength that he had in himself to be content. In addition the outside strength and help that comes from God and his providence, he also had an inner strength that he had acquired. He said that there was still some secret that he had “learned” (v. 11).

            What exactly did Paul mean when he spoke of being “content”? Being content when things aren’t quite the way that we would like for them to be doesn’t mean that we are ignoring the situation. We don’t just pretend that things are okay when they really aren’t and call that contentment, because that’s not what it is. And contentment is not something that is had through ignorance.

            It’s like the person who doesn’t want to go to the doctor because as long as he stays away from the doctor, then as far as he is concerned, he is healthy and happy. But, if he goes to the doctor the doctor might find something wrong.

            First Timothy 6:6-8 says,

But godliness with contentment is great gain: for we brought nothing into the world, for neither can we carry anything out; but having food and covering we shall be therewith content.

The word translated “content” there is arkeo, which means, “sufficient, to be possessed of sufficient strength, to be strong, to be enough for a thing” (Vine, W.E. Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words). In other words, if you have food and covering, let that be sufficient, be satisfied with that.

            In our text over in Philippians 4:11, there is a slightly different word that is translated into the same English word—autarkes. It is a compound word that combines the word of First Timothy 6:8, meaning “sufficient”, with a word that means “self.” So literally translated, the word we find here in Philippians means, “self-sufficient.” The word was used to describe the person who through discipline had become independent of external circumstances, and who discovered within himself resources that were more than adequate for any situation that might arise. So, when we look at what Paul was saying there with this understanding of the word he is using there, we see that Paul’s contentment was not based on an outward situation, but on inward sufficiency. It comes back to this secret that Paul has learned and has developed within himself over a period of time.

            There is another word that is important here in this passage, and that is the word “learned.” What we are talking about here is not something that we are born with. This was not something that Paul was born with, but it was something that he had to learn. It wasn’t something where he just kind of took a back seat to and it was done to him or for him, but he had to learn it.

            The Christian life is a learning experience. I wish that when we went down into that baptismal water and our sin was washed away, we rose back up a full-grown, fully-developed Christian. But unfortunately, that’s just not the way it works. In fact, we have only just begun our journey at that point. If we want to be content like Paul, it won’t happen to us in baptism. If we want to be content like Paul was, we have to learn to be content as Paul had to learn to be content. 

            How did Paul learn to be content? Part of his learning process involved painful experiences:

And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. I am become foolish: ye compelled me; for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing was I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing. (2 Cor. 12:7-11)

I pointed out a little bit earlier that in our text, Paul said that he knew how to be content when things were good and when things were bad. When things were going well he did not become exalted by it. Where did he learn that? He learned it from things like this thorn in the flesh we read about there in Second Corinthians, chapter 12.

            If Paul could learn to be content, then why couldn’t any of us learn to be the same way?

The Secret Revealed

            “I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me” (v. 13). This is perhaps, one of the most well known verses of the Bible. Right up there with John 3:16. He says, “I can do all things,” meaning, “I have the strength, the power, the personal fortitude to do all things.” What things? Leap tall buildings in a single bound? Stop a racing locomotive with his bare hands? No. He was able to hold up under any situation that he found himself in. But, the real key to it all, the secret behind Paul’s contentment goes back to the source of this strength and power to do all things. It doesn’t go back to Paul, but it goes back to Christ. Yes, he can do all things, but how? The answer is “in him that strengthened me.” The secret to contentment is Christ.

            The secret to our contentment is Christ. If we go looking for it any other place than that, we are looking in the wrong place. Contentment is not found in money. If we are trying to find contentment in money we are looking in the wrong place. How much money would it take to be content? There will never be enough money; that’s how much. If that is what we are after, no matter how much we have, we will always want more. True contentment is not found in education. If that is where we are looking for contentment, we will never be content. No matter how much we learn, there will always be more that is yet to be learned. Contentment is not found in some fancy career, there will always be more fancy and more attractive careers out there than the one you have. Contentment is not found in the most beautiful, or the most handsome person we can find to be with, there will always be someone that looks a little bit better. Contentment is not to be found in the things of this world, or situations and circumstances that we might like to find ourselves in. Paul said, “in whatsoever state I’m in...” It wasn’t what was on the outside that mattered to him; it was on the inside. Contentment is inward, not outward. Well, what was in Paul? Christ was in Paul—not literally, but Christ dwelt in Paul by faith and that gave Paul the strength that he needed to power through anything he came up against.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God. (Eph. 3:14-19)

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy. (Col. 1:9-11)

When a baby drinks that milk from its mother it gives him the nutrients and thing that he needs to grow up and to be strong. The Christian gets his strength from the sincere milk of God’s word, and the more he eats of it the stronger he will become and the more he will grow. How does Christ dwell in us? By faith. Where does faith come from? “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Ro. 10:17, KJV).

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (Jn. 15:1-7)

I think that pretty much sums it all up, don’t you? Without Christ we can do nothing. But with Him, as Paul says, “I can do all things.” How Paul? “Through Christ who strengeneth me.”

Conclusion

            Are you content this evening? If not, the solution is Christ. When we are faithfully serving Christ and doing His will, and when we are reading God’s word, we will have that secret of contentment that Paul said that he had learned there in our text this evening.

(The following outline was used in the preparation of this lesson: Moore, Tom. The Secret of Contentment www.preachersfiles.com/the-secret-of-contentment)