Give Thanks - part 3
To Find Contentment
preached Nov. 17, 2019
Be Thankful : Philippians 4:4-8, 11-13
(4-8) Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
(11-13) Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:4-8, 11-13
When we began our series, I started in Philippians 4. Paul tells us to rejoice in the Lord always, and in everything let our requests to God be known by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Having thanksgiving permeate our prayers and our hearts would bring the peace of God into our lives, which is what we so desperately need in our world today. However, Paul continues.
A thankful heart is a peaceful heart.
Philippians 4:8 is a beautiful reminder of how to focus your mind. Notice Paul does not give a definitive list, but it encompasses that wonderful word ‘whatever’. What should we think about? What should we focus our attention on? The ESV uses ‘think’. This same Greek word is translated ‘count’, ‘to number’, or ‘regard’. It is a fixation of the mind.
Part of rejoicing in the Lord, and part of the thanksgiving attitude, is to focus our minds on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable. “Count your blessings; Name them one by one” Is not just a great hymn. It is exactly what Paul means.
A thankful heart requires a thankful brain.
Now, some may say, “But you don’t understand everything happening to me!” That’s true. But, as you will recall from last week, we can be thankful through trials, because it is the trials of life that prove God is still working in us. That is a true statement and worth your focus. It is a lie from Satan that your life is no good.
If we skip down a few verses, Paul states our lesson in giving thanks for today. In Verse 11, Paul tells us that he has learned to be content in whatever situation. How is that? He answers with a well-known verse that is plastered all over Hobby Lobby out of context. “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Typically, this has been used to encourage people to attempt great things, start a business, or get more touchdowns. That is all well and good, but these miss Paul’s point. The secret to enduring abundance or hunger is Christ. Christ is sufficient. And once more, He is faithful to care for His people.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 to consider the birds of the air and flowers of the field. If our Father is faithful to care for these, how much more will He be faithful to care for His own children?
A thankful heart remembers the Father’s provision.
Doctrines in balance
There are two great doctrines of the Christian faith that must be held in balance. One is the promise of blessings, and the second is the danger of abundance. This morning, as we examine what it means to be content, I believe it will be helpful for us to look at both of these doctrines of Scripture.
Truth #1 : God wants to bless you.
There is a prevailing teaching in America that focuses on the fact that God wants to bless you. Before we dismiss all white-toothed, slick-haired preachers as charlatans, we should remember that God does in fact bless His people. Salvation is an act of blessing, so it is not that far-fetched to say God wants to bless His people.
2 Corinthians 9:8 - And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
Deuteronomy 28:12 - The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands.
Ephesians 3:20 - Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is a work within us…
James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
Matthew 6:33 - But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Philippians 4:19 - And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.
Hopefully, with these verses, you will see a pattern develop. God wants to bless you. It is not wrong to ask for blessings. We must simply remember to make all our supplications with thanksgiving. God is certainly not a heavenly ATM that if only we punch the right numbers we can get whatever we want. But, God is also the God of love, and our Heavenly Father who cares for His children. He will meet all our needs, and so much more, if we will only go to Him and ask. The problem arises when we don’t heed James’ warning in James 1:6-8. James reminds us to ask in faith without doubting, because the one who doubts “is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”
James is the same one who said that every good and perfect gift is from the Father, and that we should rejoice in trials, because those trials perfect our faith.
God wants to bless you. The only caveat is to remember that every good gift is from the Father, and if the Father is withholding a blessing, it is for your benefit, because He is perfecting your faith through endurance. Consider our last verse:
Psalm 34:10b - Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
The Lord does not save you and ensure your eternity, only to abandon you on earth.
He is a good, good Father. Never doubt His willingness to bless His children.
Truth #2 : Abundance can be a dangerous thing.
The second doctrine is just as important. Many are willing to accept God is ready to bless them. However, few in our day are willing to acknowledge the danger of abundance.
Consider Paul’s warning to Timothy:
But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:6-12
In the pursuit of material blessing, it can be easy to fall into the trap of selfishness and greed. Be sure to hear that correctly. It is not the riches that are the problem. Shiny things and pieces of paper are simply objects. There is no good or evil in them. They are just there. But, when our hearts turn toward the pursuit of shiny things, and not the pursuit of the Kingdom of God, then the shiny things become our idols. And it is idolatry.
Pursuing abundance can take our eyes off Christ.
Jesus said (Matthew 6:24), “No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (“mammon” or “possessions”). To claim to be a Christ follower, and devote your life to the pursuit of things, is to lie about your allegiance. That is the danger of the so-called ‘prosperity gospel’. It is greediness and selfish ambition disguised as Christian devotion.
But look at what Paul says happens to those who wander from the faith because of this craving. They have “pierced themselves with many pangs.” That is an odd word that isn’t used much today, unless you happen to be in medicine. It is a sudden sharp pain or painful emotion. Those who spend their lives pursuing material things—the consumerism, commercialism, the culture of debt—this pursuit inevitably ends the same for all: with emptiness and remorse.
Now, some of you might be thinking, “Yeah, but that money can buy me a boat.” True, but I would argue that people without money should talk to people with money more often. Because, every boat owner I know has told me the same thing, “The two best days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.” I read one guy who said, “You aren’t ready to own a boat until you can burn $100 bill without crying.” Why am I harping on boats? Because I love the water and would love a boat, but I’m not ready to burn a $100 bill. And, if we are honest with ourselves, and really examine our own hearts, we will realize that it isn’t the lack of things in our lives that is the problem. It is the lack of peace. Contrary to what you’ve heard, money does not buy peace.
The great philosopher, Christopher George Latore Wallace, taught us, “Mo money, mo problems”.
The promise of peace from anything other than Christ is an empty promise.
No instead, what does Paul write? Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, godliness. And ‘steadfastness’ is the same word used in James 1 which tells us to rejoice in trials, because they produce ‘steadfastness’ or ‘endurance.’ Fight the good fight, and take hold of eternal life. It is the abundant life from Christ that will satisfy your every longing.
Last, turn with me to Proverbs 14:30.
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Proverbs 14:30
Notice what Solomon records for us. A heart at peace gives life. But notice, it is not murder, adultery. It is not slander or the various immoralities we are all ready to denounce in our society today. It is envy that rots the bones. And, how easy is it for us to envy? Whenever you see or hear of someone being blessed, what is your first instinct? Is it to say, “Good for them!”, or “Well, I wish that would happen to me”?
Honestly, that’s the only reason I would like to go to an Ellen show. I just want the free stuff. I don’t really care for Ellen DeGeneres. She’s sweet, and every once in awhile I see a clip that is funny. But, at the end of the day, if I got a ticket to her show, I’d be more ready for whatever free gift I would get.
How many of us treat God the same way? “Sure, He can be entertaining. Have you read the Old testament? Yeah, Jesus says some nice things. But, I’d really just like to know how get God to give me some free stuff.”
True peace comes from Christ, not from Christ’s stuff.
A wise prayer
As we close, I want to leave you with a wise prayer.
Proverbs 30:7-9 is a prayer that I believe we should all pray more often:
Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.
Contentment is not denying blessings when they come. That is called asceticism, which is altogether different. Contentment is also not pursuing blessings, that is called selfishness, and is still a sin. True contentment is being thankful for what we have, knowing that God will provide our every need, and because He is a good Father, He will even throw in some wants when our hearts are ready for them.