Susan Heck - Being Content No Matter the Circumstances

[Music] [Music] thank you well we are coming to our second session on biblical joy and making sure that our joy is not only in our speech but also in our circumstances and with the people in our life so if you would turn to Philippians 4 and we're going to be looking at verses 10 to 13. oh one of the lies of our age is this contentment in life is dependent on my circumstances or the people in my life if only I had a good marriage I would be content if only I was married I would be content if only I was single I'd be content Martha P says there's two types of women she counsels those that are married that want to be single and those that are single that want to be married it's either discontent if only I had a new car I'd be content if only I had a new house or a bigger house I would be content if only we had different neighbors I would be content I hear this a lot lately if only I had a good church I know covet has produced a lot of false churches and a lot of false Shepherds and I hear from women all over the country could you please help me find a good church if only I had a good church I'd be content if only I had a different Pastor or a different pastor's wife I'd be content if only I had some friends I would be content if only my life wasn't so busy I would be content if only I wasn't so lonely I would be content if only I didn't have this physical problem I would be content if only I could take a vacation I would be content if only I didn't have small children I would be content oh if only I had children I would be content if only I didn't have rebellious children I would be content money I would be content only I could buy a new outfit I would be content if only I could lose some weight I would be content not for you all your skinny ones out there if only I could have all this and more I would be content ladies the matter the truth is this the more we want the more I mean the more we get the more we want right the more you get the more you want we are rarely satisfied rarely in fact one of the most important lessons we can learn early in life and teach to our children and our grandchildren is this if I'm not satisfied with what I have right now I will never be satisfied with what I want ladies if you are not content right now with every relationship every circumstance you are in you will never be content with what you think you need still need to be content so if you and I are to be content what is it how do we get it how do we get contentment how do we lay hold of it well I'm so thankful the word of God has answers because the Apostle Paul our dear brother who's now in glory has four answers for us tucked away in these few verses in Philippians and ladies he leaves a legacy to us his life was not hunky-dory peachy King it was difficult false teachers were after him people hated him I mean he was beaten he was stoned and yet through all of these trials in his life he learned contentment and so he leaves a legacy for us and I hope that you will find this valuable in your life these four keys to contentment so let's read the passage together Philippians 4 10-13 Philippians 4 10-13 notice what Paul writes but I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last your care has me care for me has flourished again though you did care but you lacked opportunity not that I speak and respect to want for I've learned in whatever state I am to be content I know how to be amazed how to bound everywhere in all things I've learned both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and suffer need I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me so in this lesson we're going to learn four valuable keys to contentment there's one in each verse so that should help you one in verse 10 11 12 and 13. so let's look at the first valuable key that Paul gives to us so that we can be content look what he says verse 10. I rejoice in Lord greatly now at last your care for me has flourished again though you did care but you lacked opportunity um Paul in these this epistle he mentions Joy rejoicing 16 times but now he doesn't just say Be Joyful I Rejoice I'm glad he says I am greatly rejoicing which in the Greek means I'm exceedingly rejoicing what is the cause of Paul's rejoicing in the Lord it's not that he hopes that he's not going to be beheaded by Nero or it's not that he hopes that when he gets out of prison he'll have some food and water because they had very little or that he'll get to you know have a place that doesn't stink it's not anything like that notice his reason for greatly rejoicing he says I'm greatly rejoicing why because your care for me has flourished again what's he talking about well if you know anything about the epistle to the Philippians it had been about 10 to 12 years since Paul had been there at the church and yet even though he's sitting there in the Merrimack prison in Rome the church at Philippi had not forgotten about him they knew he had a need in fact they sent their Pastor epaphras to bring the the monetary gift to Paul and remember the the journey from Philippi to Rome is 800 miles and the average Walker in the biblical world would walk 20 miles a day and they didn't have Nike tennis shoes and so it was hard it was rigorous and remember according to chapter two epaphras almost died I remember said but Paul had mercy on him at least I should have sorrow upon sorrow he was sick unto death and so that Journey almost killed the pastor and yet the church at Philippi knew that Paul had a need they hadn't forgotten about him but ladies did you notice in this verse Paul did not beg he didn't demand the church at Philippi to provide for his physical needs what did he do he entrusted his need to God and he learned contentment so key number one to contentment in your life is this entrust your needs to God entrust your needs to God Paul did maybe you have a financial need as Paul did as he was sitting there in prison writing this letter entrust it to God if it's Financial maybe you have a physical need maybe you have some other needs but ladies whatever your need is God is faithful right has he been faithful to you in the past is he faithful to you today do you think he's going to be faithful to you tomorrow next week next year he is faithful he's faithful Paul didn't fret he didn't worry because the money wasn't on time they wanted to help him but yet notice what he says you lacked opportunity why because of what I just mentioned that a papers had a hard time getting there he had his journey got stopped temporarily because he was sick and he almost died but Paul knew that they cared about him but ladies notice Paul didn't think bad about the Philippian Believers that's where he lives out what he says in Philippians chapter four whatever things are lovely true good report think on that right so he was thinking the good in fact I was married to a man like that that thought the best of everyone and I was like what and uh so we kind of evened each other out and in fact I was like I would say what he'd say Susan think the best of everyone and that's what Paul did he thought the best of the church at Philippi what an example for you and I to follow right now the reason he didn't receive the gift before now was not because of the church at Philippi and their neglect but because of the difficulty notice what he says though you surely did care but you lacked opportunity they did care and as we know that is the it is the church's responsibility to care for their pastor's need right Paul himself wrote those who labor in the word and Doctrine they're worthy of double honor so Paul knew that but yet the church was not able to get him the money remember ladies there's there's no Apple pay whatever that is now you just tap and pay or some it's going to be it's going to come someday where I can just think and my money will go into your bank account I mean that's that's where we're heading and it's very creepy right uh there's no mail there's no federal express there's no Western Union there's no there's nothing like that if you were traveling in the biblical world you had to actually take the money in fact Exodus talks about if you go on a vacation or you have to go on a trip I doubt they went on many vacations but you have to go on a trip talks about leaving your money with somebody while you're gone so a thief doesn't come in and steal your money and so Paul was dependent on somebody keep bringing it by foot that's a long journey 800 miles now Paul uses a very interesting word he says when he says their care for him is flourished the word flourish means to revive again to put forth new shoots it's like I know it's not here in California you guys have flowers like 12 months out of the year I know every time I used to come visit my mother in Costa Mesa there was always flowers everywhere in Oklahoma it's not like that we have all four seasons and so just about a month ago all the flowers started coming up the Tulips the jonquils and it's beautiful you have Beauty all the time that's one reason to live in California that's on my Pro thing but the traffic's a con the flowers are a pro but that's the Greek word here he says your care for me has flourished again it's it's like those spring flowers that come up it's beautiful it's encouraging it sprung up Anew and ladies this this behooves us if you have an opportunity to encourage missionaries on the foreign field do that if you have an opportunity to encourage anyone who's involved in Ministry do that Paul says your care for me is flourishing and you don't know how how this has blessed me and we have so many more opportunities in the 21st century than in ad60 when Paul wrote this well Paul gives the second key to contentment in verse 11. not that I speak in respect to one or in regard to one but I've learned in whatever state I am to be content now Paul says I'm not speaking in regard to need in fact the word need means want and it comes from the verb behind what's he saying I'm not behind in anything I don't have anything but I'm not behind in anything and then it gives the reason why he was content and it's not because he has a you know a bank account at the bank of Rome that he's looking forward to digging into and he gets out of prison but notice what he says he says because I've learned in whatever state I am to be content the word learn here means to learn by experience to learn by experience ladies contentment doesn't come by osmosis and I think we have to stop and realize that I mean the day my husband died August 17th at 1 23 in the morning I just didn't immediately become content as a widow I've had to learn and I'm still learning and this passage encourages me because contentment doesn't come by osmosis we have to learn it we have to learn it through the hardships of life and as we go through the hardships of life with difficult people difficult circumstances we learn contentment so ladies principle number two and the key to contentment is this learn contentment by the hardships of life learn contentment by the hardships of life ladies let the circumstances of your life teach you something valuable don't waste your trials don't waste your suffering don't waste the difficult people in your life let that teach you something and let it teach you contentment listen the Apostle Paul went through a lot of things you and I don't even have to think about and yet he didn't whine he didn't complain he was content I want you to turn back to Second Corinthians 11. you think your life's hard in fact I was reading Debbie and a text message this morning I got from a gal in another state and I said boy we think we have problems and I started reading this lady's text message to her everything going on her life In fact when I got done reading it it was so long I wrote her back and I said I just started reading job this morning in my personal reading and I said you sound like job and I said but let me encourage you with job 23 10 for he knows the way that I take and when he's tried me I will come forth as gold right that's that was one of my husband's favorite verses but let's look at Paul notice what he says verse 24. well verse 22 let's start there are they Hebrews so am I or the Israelites so am I are they of the Seed of Abraham so am I are they Ministers of Christ I speak as a fool I'm more Labor's more abundant Stripes above measure prisons more frequently death often from the Jews five times I received 40 Stripes minus one that's 39. three times I was beaten with rods once I was stoned three times I was in a shipwreck a night in a d I've been in the Deep in Journeys often in Perils of waters and Perils of robbers and Perils of my own countrymen Perils of the Gentiles perils in the city perils in the wilderness perils in the sea perils among false Brethren weariness toils sleeplessness often hunger thirst fasting often cold naked beside the other things which come upon me daily the care of all the churches who is weak and am I not weak who is made to stumble and do I not burn with indignation if I will boast I will boast of the things which concern my infirmity the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ knows I'm not lying in Damascus the governor ardius the king kept the city of the Damascus with the Garrison Desiring to apprehend me and throw a window I was let down by a basket down the wall I escaped from his hands sounds like fun right would you like to go to school with the Apostle Paul doesn't sound like a lot of fun does it then to me but it's the schooling God used to teach him to be content maybe some of you in this room need to pray for more trials more hardships so that you can learn contentment in fact Paul's life always seemed to be in danger on two occasions Jews tried to kill him as I mentioned in the last session 25 percent of his life was spent in prison you know how Roman imprisonment started it was preceded by being strip naked then flogged a humiliating painful and bloody ordeal the bleeding wounds went untreated and so the prisoners would sit in these painful leg or wrist chains with open bleeding sores mutilated Blood Stained clothing was not replaced even in the cold of winter remember in one of his Epistles Paul tells Timothy please bring me a coat I'm cold here in prison most cells were dark unbearably cold lack of water cramped quarters and sickening stench from few toilets made Sleeping difficult and waking hours miserable male and female prisoners were incarcerated together which led to sexual immorality abuse prison food when available was poor and as I mentioned most prisoners ask for a speedy death and a lot of them just committed suicide 25 percent of his time there very different from our prisons where you get to go to the canteen get a Snicker bar if you want you have a computer you can work you can work out you have a bed to sleep on nothing like that in Paul's day we might well Susan he got to travel on ships you know the Carnival Cruise and go on these boat rides yeah he did travel more than halfway around the world covering 8 000 miles but ladies even when he did go on the ship again they they had to pay and there was no water hardly any water any food on the ships and remember the greatest danger was sailing in Winter and the shipwrecks and he mentions what three times I was in a shipwreck and one time I was floating open in the sea that sounds really creepy right but he learned to be content you know I had hoped that covid-19 might change some of us you know when we were all shut down and we were without a lot of the things that we enjoyed so much that Americans would learn to be content I remember after 9 11 a year after 9 11 my husband asked his sheep how many of you have changed the way you've lived since 9 11. it was a year later not one hand went up not one hand sometimes those things are short-lived you know I'm gonna this is gonna be a forever Game Changer in my life ladies I think the reason that American Christians are discontent is because we have so much we have so much do you know Americans spend more on storage units than they do combined every year with McDonald's Wendy's and Burger King we spend more on storing our stuff up in those storage units in a year than we do at McDonald's Wendy's and Burger King and you know how we love our fast food right we're not content I think often we are like the church at laodicea in Revelation that John says you're rich and increased with goods and little do you know you're blind you're miserable you're wretched and you are naked ladies also noting here Paul does not make any demands on God as I have seen some Christians do I've seen some Christians bang on the pulpit where I live in Tulsa Oklahoma remember Oral Roberts some of you that he's dead now but he has a university there and God was going to kill him if you know he didn't build this huge city of faith building and so he demanded all this money from people Paul didn't make demands on God like I have seen many false teachers do just because his conditions were not the best by human standards Paul rested in the fact that he was in a real Christian School he was learning contentment he was in contentment 101. and we should join him you know some people have the delusion that coming to Christ means health wealth Prosperity ladies that is not biblical Jesus said take heed and beware of covetousness for a man's life does not consist in the abundance of the things that he has Paul says in another place to Timothy now godliness with contentment is great gain we brought nothing in this world and it is certain we're going to carry nothing out there for what with food and clothing be content you've got clothes on praise God I'm thankful you do and you're modest thank you and you're going to have some food in a little bit right so with food and clothing be content and yet we're not the writer to the Hebrews said this let your conduct be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have why for he has said I will never know never know never know never that's five times no never leave you or forsake you ladies we have the Lord he is enough Paul knew what the real key to contentment was and it wasn't anything this world had to offer it wasn't getting a vacation to Costa Mesa even though I had a great time it wasn't in buying the latest fashions please don't buy the latest fashions they're strange they don't clever your body you know there was a time it was nice to buy the latest fashions it wasn't in having I've my daughter said mom I've never seen so many Teslas I said well they don't have those in Oklahoma but you guys drive expensive cars out here but even that wasn't what made Paul content it wasn't in going to the finest restaurant in town but it was in his relationship with Christ that's where his contentment was in fact he goes on to describe his contentment in a little more detail in verse 12 when we move on to our third key to contentment he says I know how to be a base and I know how to bound everywhere in all things I've learned to be full to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need now when Paul says he knows how to be a base he means I know how to be in circumstances of want humility when things are hard I can be content but also he says I can be content if I'm abounding super abounding if everything's going great circumstances are good people are good simply put he knew feast and famine and he was content with both and not only that Paul says I'm content with little or much but also I'm content everywhere and in all things which means the totality of all relationships in all circumstances does that describe you are you content with every circumstance and every relationship you have today then he says I've learned both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and suffer need the word learned here instructed was a common word used in relation to mystery religions that were in Paul's day the gnostics they thought they had the secret the secret knowledge to God so he's using a play on those words he goes I've learned the secret I've learned the secret to contentment to some of us it's still a mystery but not to Paul he says I've learned it I've learned I've been initiated I possess the secret and he says I'm content goes on to say I'm full I'm hungry full describes a supply of food in abundance it's a word that was used in the biblical world to describe feeding the animals fattening them up before they went to the slaughter and had their head chopped off you know how they fatten them up and he says I'm content if I'm full we'd say you know I'm content if it's Thanksgiving day and I've eaten way too much food and I can't even pin my jeans I'm still I'm content after I take a nap hungry means to be famished famished that's foreign to us isn't it we don't really know what it means to be hungry I don't know about you I I don't like the feeling of being really really hungry but that's what Paul's saying like so hungry I remember one time I was the hungriest I'd ever been I was my daughter and I were going she was her idea not mine she came home from college One Summer She Goes Mom let's go on the maple syrup lemonade diet what's that honey it was fun 10 days we're gonna lose 10 pounds like oh well whatever's okay let's do it so don't do that at home that's my Godly counsel to you don't do the Maple syrup lemonade diet anyway we did it and so on day eight I went to where my daughter was and I said honey I I can't do this anymore I said I really I really felt I was going to die I was that hungry and I've been blessed with two stomachs and they both function and I'm not lying to you I really do have two stomachs and they both function so I get more hungry than the average person and I can eat more than any of you can but anyway I was truly starving to death and so I went into the pantry opened up and there was some saltine crackers and I was like you're my best friend ever I took them out of the package and oh man they were so good and that is the most hungriest I can ever remember being I really did think I might die and and Paul said I I'm content I'm content whether I'm so full that I can't put one more bite of food in my belly or if I am so hungry I think I might die I am content and then he goes on to say I'm content both to abound and to suffer need these conditions are repeated what he just said I'm just content no matter what ladies key number three to contentment is this live independent of your circumstances live independent of your circumstances it didn't matter to Paul full I'm content hungry I'm content I have everything I need I'm content I have nothing I need I'm content good relationships I'm content pretty bad relationships I'm content you might say Susan how did Paul do this was he on Prozac did he have a good psychiatrist I mean did he have a self-help group I mean how did Paul do this how did he learn contentment well one thing he held the things of this world Loosely right he says in Philippians our citizenship is what in heaven it's not here ladies this is not our home he didn't mind Earthly things like the enemies of the Cross of Christ he said whose God is their belly their appetite Paul's key to contentment was in his relationship with the Living God as seen in verse 13. notice what he says we're going to finish up with our fourth key to contentment I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ladies notice what he says here I what what do most Christians say I can't I can't and what we're really saying is I won't can't is not a word that should be in the Christian's vocabulary when you really realize what Paul's saying ladies we have the power of the resurrected Christ the same power that Paul had and he says I can do these things I can do this in fact the word do means I'm able I'm strong I can be strengthened and Paul says I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me and ladies the all things is contentment this verse has been taken out of context to try to prove things that are not in the text what's he taught what have we been talking about contentment and so now he says I can do this I can do what I can be content in all circumstances I can do this how through Christ who strengthens me ladies we are able to be content in the most unusual circumstances how through Christ who infuses strength in us that's the Greek word who infuses strengthen us ladies the fourth key to contentment is this then draw upon your resources in Christ and I'll talk about that in just a minute draw upon your resources in Christ Paul says I can do this through how Christ who strengthens me ladies how do you think Paul endured all those hardships we just read about in second Corinthians shipwrecks being beaten big sores being chained to a Roman guard thirsty cold naked floating out in the sea how do you think you did that the answer lies in this verse through Christ who infuses strength in me in fact Paul says in another letter yay and all these things were more than conquerors through what through through him who loved us so we're conquerors we can do this second Corinthians 3 5 says not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves but our sufficiency is of Christ ladies we can't do it on our own you can't muster up contentment you cannot do it but you can do it through Christ it's just like Paul when he's begging God please take this Thorn away please take it away from me I I don't want this and God said no no Paul my grace is sufficient for you my strength is made perfect in your weakness and so Paul goes on to say therefore I will glory in my infirmities why so the power of Christ will rest on me I want to see Christ Infuse that strength in me when I am discontent ladies without the connection to Christ you and I can't do anything we cannot be content we will never know contentment without the power of the resurrected Christ infusing his strength in US well each one of us has a choice in the area of contentment in fact did you notice in those four verses Paul's will in all of this I rejoiced I have learned I know how I know how I can do Paul had a choice you have a choice I have a choice Paul chose contentment so ladies do you desire contentment in your life today is your life one of contentment or are you continually focusing on what you still have and what you still need to be content there are four keys to contentment according to this text number one interest your needs to God what are your needs what are your needs today what do you need what are you doing about them are you fretting about your needs are you worrying complaining murmuring maybe some of you are even sinning to attain those needs ladies entrust your needs to God cast your care on him he cares for you throw all your concerns on him he loves you he cares for you find Rest In Christ number two the key to contentment is learn contentment by the hardships of life do you shrink at the trials that God brings into your life well no Lord not that one I don't want that one please don't bring that in my life do you see it as a part of the course you enrolled in when you committed your life to Christ did you really consider the cost of his lordship we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of heaven do you allow trials tribulations difficulties to teach you contentment maybe some of you in this room need to pray for more hardships it's like praying for patience because then you're going to have trials right key number three to contentment is live independent of your circumstances what are your circumstances today are you rich are you poor are you lonely are you too busy are you sick are you well are you childless are you single what are the circumstances you're in ladies whatever they are live independent of them this isn't your home life is a hiccup turn eternity is before us we are just passing through live independent of your circumstances I know my husband thought about his death every day and because he thought about his death every day it taught him how to live in fact he died alone that was hard for me as his wife but I remember few months after he passed one of the young men in my church came up to me said I'm glad Doug was by himself and I said why I wasn't he said because I remember his sermon in first John and he said when it comes time for me to die I don't want anyone around my bed because I want to make sure I'm ready to step into eternity ladies live for the kingdom to come live independent of your circumstances this isn't our home we're living for the kingdom to come number four draw upon your resources in Christ draw upon your resources in Christ what things are causing you discontent today are you drawing upon Christ what I mean by this when I mean drawing upon his resources ladies this is one of the resources right here do you read these 66 books I'm always shocked when I meet women who have never read the 66 letters that crisis left for them my husband used to tell his congregants to read massive amounts of scripture he himself read his Bible through two or three times a month ladies that's a resource that you have is God's word prayer we're to pray without ceasing I know since I've been a widow I pray more now than I ever have because I don't have a husband to ask wisdom and guidance from we should be drawing upon the word we should be drawing upon prayer what about right here the body of Christ right this is a resource Christ has provided for you we're to be with each other and so much the more as we see the day approaching so God's word prayer his people the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit that's something you can draw upon lazy ladies these are just some of the resources that God's provided for you so you can learn contentment learning contentment comes by yielding to whatever God allows and then allowing whatever he allows to draw you close to him well that same daughter that I went on that crazy diet with she and I also went to Honduras several years ago I was going to teach the ladies there and it's my first time to go out of the I think three times I've been there now but I just remember going and thinking oh it's going to be so fun going to third world country and you know blah blah blah and I thought you know this would be a blessing I'll be a blessing and I didn't know what was going to happen to me and so that was a good thing but anyway one of our free afternoons one of the missionaries asked my daughter and I if we'd like to go in the village where her and her husband ministered and I said sure I'd love to do that so we climbed up in her Jeep and if you've ever been to Honduras or anything like that there's no roads really it's just kind of a lot of rough terrain and so we pulled into this little village and we walked up to this home that was not really a home it was made out of cardboard and metal and those kinds of things and so we were invited in the lady had no teeth and she had five children she was pregnant with another one and her husband had gone out to try to find some food for them they'd been without food for three days and so anyway she invited us in and so we came in her home which was no bigger than my closet at home and she invited us to sit down only there's nowhere to sit but the dirt floors so Cindy and I and this missionary named Ginger sat down and we started listening to this woman with no teeth starting to talk to us through Ginger about the faithfulness of God she was smiling she was saying you know the Lord's been so faithful you coming to visit the Lord's been so faithful because ginger has provided prenatal vitamins for me the Lord is so faithful because my children have been provided worm medicine we found out after we left there most children don't get that privilege of having deworming medicine so after a while the worms start coming out of their noses their ears their mouths and so she was just she went on and on about the faithfulness of God and I remember coming home and and coming to worship the next Sunday and I was standing there singing and I thought what's wrong with American Christianity something is really wrong we have medicine for our children we have houses we have we have food we have clothing and I thought and yet Christians in America are anemic in their faith they're anemic they're not happy they're not content this woman had nothing she didn't have any teeth she was destitute but she was content there was no complaining out of her mouth I didn't hear it one time only praising God for his Mercy this woman you know what prime example of what Paul's saying she learned contentment not by getting this thing or that thing or this person or that person but she learned contentment by these four principles she entrusted her needs to God she learned contentment by the hardships of life she learned contentment by living independent of her circumstances and she learned contentment by drawing upon her resources in Christ Jesus this woman had genuine joy in her heart because her Joy came from Christ Alone and he is enough let's pray [Music] thank you

Channel: Mission Bible Church

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Length: 38min 46sec (2326 seconds)

Published: Thu May 18 2023