The Secret of Content

Phil 4:10-20

Mulee Bungee! - hello from your brothers and sisters in Malawi. Next Sunday Eve I will try to get a slide show together and a report on all that I saw. I think I am still processing my feelings about everything I experienced over there.

Last week I saw true poverty. We took food to a village that had 3000 or more orphans and couldn't feed them any more. They have places in Malawi that people are starting to starve to death as they wait for their crops to mature and harvest in the next 2 or 3 months. It is a continent of the very wealthy few, and a vast amount of the unbelievably poor. Yet most of those poor people were content with what little they had.

Most of us think we would be content if we just had x amount of money more. If we just had that amount it would take care of all our present needs. Some time ago, a woman had her wish granted. Her boss overheard her say if she just had $10,000 she would be perfectly content. He knew his vast wealth alone didn’t make him content, so he walked over and wrote her a check for $10,000 and said “here you go, I hope you will be truly content.” He wasn’t even out of the room when he heard her say to her co-workers, “Oh, why didn’t I ask for $20,000!”

There is a secret to being content, but it isn’t usually what we think the answer is. Paul had found the secret and shared it with the Philippians. I want to share it with you today.

PRAYER

I. Content In All Circumstances

A. God doesn’t expect us all to be alike

1. I have found that even in this congregation, we are all in different circumstances.

2. Some are rich, some are poor, some are tall, some are short, Some are beautiful, and some have hair.

3. We all have different circumstance in life.

B. Contentment is hard to learn

1. I understand what Paul was saying here, but it’s really hard for me to put into practice.

2. I don’t think I’m alone in dealing with this.

a) A few years ago my dad’s congregation hired a youth minister. He was a good guy, but his move here was a struggle from the beginning. Their house didn’t sell in Texas and it was a major burden on them. He left a lucrative secular job to do the youth ministry at Noblesville, and the teens had enough problems for two youth ministers to handle. On top of all of that, as much as they were loved by the church and they loved the church, his wife was very homesick. They ended up moving to try to be closer to her family. To shorten the story, as the church looked for a man to replace him, he called and asked if he could submit a resume. He realized that what they had here was a good thing.

b) More times than not, the grass isn’t greener on the other side.

C. So, how do we learn contentment?

1. First we need to get the right focus

a) We can make a million dollars a year and not be content.

b) We can have the perfect job and not be content

c) We can have everything going right for us in life and not be content.

d) Some of the most miserable people in the world are the ones who seem to have it all.

e) Do you know why? Because they are never content with what they have.

f) We need to realize what matters most in life and focus on that.

g) Remember those pictures where you focus on one spot and then the whole picture comes into view? That is the concept I’m talking about. If we are focused on what matters most, the rest of life’s picture makes sense.

2. God Needs to be our focus

a) If we focus on God, then life makes sense.

b) We can realize that it doesn’t matter where we live, how much we have, how good our job is, we know that God is in control and we have our faith in him.

c) The secret is letting God be in control and trusting him.

d) I had to learn that while in Africa, because I sure wasn't in control. For the first couple of days, I was so nervous I couldn't eat. Everything was new. The night sky was new. The armed guards at the airport was new. The dangers from the misquitos, snakes, scorpions were all new. The fact that very few spoke my language was new. The only constant was God. When I finally said "God, I need to put this in your hands, it was like an instant relief.

e) When I focused on God, everything else came into proper perspective. Most of my worries, were needless.

f) That’s really simplistic you may argue, and I agree that it is, but simplistic or not, that’s the answer.

g) Life may not make sense, but knowing that God can make sense out of all of it allows us to navigate life with confidence in his leading.

II. The Source of Contentment

A. Difference between the world and Christianity

1. Alexander the Great died at 33 years of age. Close to his death history says he became very melancholy and once was said to be crying “ What will I do. There is nothing more left to conquer.”

2. He died an empty man.

3. Jesus also died at 33 years of age. Yet he had a very different view of life. His last words were, “father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

4. That’s still the difference between the world and Christianity.

5. We know life and death have meaning.

6. The world fears death more than anything and so struggle to find any meaning in life.

B. We know we can do all things through Christ

1. He beat death and Satan.

2. He is the son of God.

3. He is our atonement sacrifice.

4. Our source needs to be Christ and Christ only.

5. All other sources of strength are simply cheap imitations that can never measure up to the real thing.

C. Who gives us strength

1. I like the way the New Century Version translates this verse. “I can do all things BECAUSE Christ gives me the strength.”

2. You can find contentment because Christ gives you the strength to see the truth, not our distorted picture of life.

III. The Result of Contentment

A. Personal relationship with God

1. As we learn to be content, it frees up all our worry time for prayer time.

2. I don’t need to spend all my time complaining about how bad I have it.

3. I can spend my time thanking God for his rich blessings in my life.

4. All you have to do is spend some time in Africa or some place like that and you will quickly realize, just how blessed you are with what you have. I couldn't really imagine that until I saw it and experienced it with my own eyes.

5. It humbled me that many of them thanked for what they had. And it made me realize how much I need to be thankful to God.

B. Will meet all our needs

1. Contentment comes from having adequate resources.

2. When our resources are from God, we can know that we will have those needs filled to full as the Greek says because the resources of God are inexhaustible.

C. His glorious riches

1. there is a story of a man who asked Alexander the Great to give him a huge sum of money in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage. The ruler consented and told him to request of his treasurer whatever he wanted. So he went and asked for an enormous amount. The keeper of the funds was startled and said he couldn't give him that much without a direct order. Going to Alexander, the treasurer argued that even a small fraction of the money requested would more than serve the purpose. "No," replied Alexander, "let him have it all. I like that fellow. He does me honor. He treats me like a king and proves by what he asks that he believes me to be both rich and generous."

2. When we go before God in prayer, remember how much he has to give and wants to give to meet our needs in Christ.

3. Physical wealth is fine for our short term needs, but spritual weath is what is real wealth.

4. Ask God for the greatest treasure imaginable. Salvation. Grace, love.

5. We had a couple of days at the end of the trip where Mom, dad and I went to a game park. That first night we saw things that even our guide who had been doing this for 30 years never saw at one time. The other drives were almost a little bit of a let down after that incredible experience. Yet, it's an opportunity that very few will ever have the change to know! How could that be mundane!?

6. As Christians, the same thing happens. We are so amazed at our initial salvation, that all of God's wonders seem a little ordinary as we go through life. We forget this is all a once in a lifetime opportunity that most will never get to experience.

7. Be content with those things. Nothing else will make you content.