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Guest (Male): Calling all Christians to contentment. Here's Pastor Thom Keller.

Pastor Thom Keller: Contentment. Remember, it's a decision, not a destination. You can be content today if you decide to be content. And if you decide not to be, you will never be. There is nothing that will get you there. You're just going to burn those bearings out of that treadmill. Make a conscious decision to be content.

Guest (Male): Someone has said that a harvest of peace is produced from a seed of contentment. This linking of peace with contentment assumes a decision. We'll learn more about that connection and how it occurs today on Study the Word with Pastor Thom Keller. We're about to pick up where we left off in Philippians Chapter 4 and learn a thing or two about a peace that surpasses understanding. Here now is Pastor Thom.

Pastor Thom Keller: If I had a daughter who was of marrying age and if she asked me what character attributes should I look for in a guy, my number one of course would be a strong faith in Jesus Christ. And I don't mean a player. I don't mean someone that comes to you in church and holds your hand and says he loves being there, but in his mind when he gets you in the castle and brings up the drawbridge, he's never going back to church again and he knows it, but you don't. I call that theft by deception. You make sure he has a strong faith. Number one, a strong faith in Jesus Christ. But the second is self-discipline.

Second attribute. Why self-discipline? Because it doesn't matter what the next five important character strengths are if he doesn't have self-discipline to put them in place. Because without discipline, he won't live out those other strengths. Listen, this is what you'd say: if he doesn't have self-discipline, you would say he's moral most of the time. He's honest most of the time. He doesn't view porn most nights. He doesn't come home drunk most of the time. What protects that? Self-discipline. And this is Paul's point here in verse nine.

He says this: "What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice." What does it mean? To do repeatedly. Practice these things. Wake up, do the right thing. That's what he's saying. If you look at the Greek, the Hebrew, Swahili—you look at the word, it means wake up, do the right thing, go to bed. Wake up, do the right thing, go to bed. Wake up, do... that's what practice means. Practice these things. And what Paul says is: "And the God of peace will be with you." Self-discipline leads to peace. It's so true. Why? Because consistently doing the right thing consistently produces good outcomes, which results in peace.

You know, this idea of fasting and prayer. I've told guys that struggle with pornography: I think if you really want to get serious about that, I would take up fasting. Because the truth is biblical principles transfer. You learn it in one area, you can move it to another area. If it benefits you in one area, you can move it to another. Fasting is a case in point. Fasting is all about discipline, self-discipline. So if you want to undertake this, start by skipping a meal a day. It means water only, no food. Make it one meal a day. So you have breakfast, you skip lunch, you have dinner. And you do that until that's second nature to you.

And when you get to that point, then you take another meal. So you skip breakfast and lunch and just have dinner. And you do that until that's second nature to you. Do that weekly. And then once you get that to that second nature to you, then skip breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Go a whole day. You know, this is something the Jews practiced before the time of Christ, during the time of Christ, and the early church practiced it regularly, two days a week. They fasted for an entire day. It teaches self-discipline, and then you can move that to other areas of your life.

So moving on. In verses 10 to 14, it says this: "How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you've always been concerned for me, but you didn't have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need—these are beautiful words—for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do all things, everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulties." These are beautiful words. Just looking at verse 10 by itself.

"How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you've always been concerned for me, but you didn't have the chance to help." Now we saw back in chapter two, Epaphroditus brought a gift to Paul from the Philippian church. We find that in Philippians 2:30. It says: "He risked his life for the work of Christ and he was at the point of death doing for me what you couldn't do from far away," the Philippian church sending him to Paul. But the commentators speculate that this gift was brought soon after Paul had gone into prison, but there had been no more gifts from the Philippians since then. And they say that's been about a ten-year period of time where they've sent no additional help. And Paul is saying in verse 10: "But for a while, you didn't have the chance to help me." That's ten years.

Now the idea in Paul saying this is either that the Philippians were going through difficult times themselves and found it difficult to help a second time, or as a commentator Gill says, quote: "Paul being at such a distance in Rome and the Philippians having no convenient person to send to him, or were hindered through having so much business on their hands that they could not attend to Paul's needs. And so the Vulgate Latin version renders it: 'But ye were busied,' meaning that they were taken up in employment and too busy to help him." So it's possible Paul might have intended a slight rebuke here. It's possible. But the main takeaway is Paul's amazing degree of contentment. Listen again to verse 11 and 12.

"Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little." Contentment. In Greek, the word contentment is *autarkeia*, and it means contented with one's lot, with my means, even though they be the slenderest. The root word is *arkeo*, which simply means to be satisfied. To be satisfied. The Stoic philosophers of Paul's day believed that contentment meant a state of mind in which a man was absolutely independent of all things and all people.

The Stoics believed that contentment was not achieved by possessing much, but rather by wanting little. The Stoics had a famous line: "If you want to make a man happy, do not add to his possessions, but take away from his desires." That's pretty good. Socrates was once asked who was the wealthiest man he knew. He replied, quote: "He who is content with the least." Now all those are great statements. The Stoics' strategy to find contentment was shallow at best. Their solution was to eliminate all emotion from life so that you don't care about what happens to you or anything else. So if something of yours breaks, you say, "I don't care." Or if you get hurt or injured by someone, you say, "I don't care."

So the Stoics' aim was to remove every ounce of feeling from the human heart in order to eradicate desire. A commentator, Glover, said this, quote: "The Stoic made of their hearts a desert and called it peace." So the Stoics taught self-sufficiency, looking to self to accomplish that. But Paul teaches God-sufficiency. And note that Paul wasn't taught this, he didn't observe this, Paul lived this. In verse 11 and 12 again: "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, to both abound and to suffer need." Paul had to learn contentment personally. One commentator said this.

The considerations by which Paul had been taught this, he does not state. But they were probably some of the following: that it is wrong to complain at the allotments of Providence; that a spirit of impatience does no good, remedies no evil, and supplies no want; that God could provide for him in a way which he could not foresee, and that the Savior was abundantly able to sustain him. A contented mind is an invaluable blessing and one of the fruits of faith in the soul. It arises from the belief that God is right in all of his dealings with us. Why then should we be impatient, restless, discontented? What evil will be remedied by it? What want supplied? What calamity removed? He ends by saying as Proverbs 15 says, quote: "He that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast."

And folks, this is true of each and every one of us. Contentment is a present condition, not a future goal. Contentment is a present condition, not a future goal. I've often said contentment is its own reward. And God says if you're not content, you'll never be content. If you're not content, you'll never be content. It'll always be more. I've said this before: the people that I feel sorry for more than any others—and I was one of these guys—are the hard chargers, the A-types, who are running that treadmill ragged, burning the bearings out on that thing, thinking that they just need to run a little harder, get a little further, buy a little bit more, and then they'll find happiness. And I feel so sorry for those guys because they burn their life out.

They burn ten times the calories of anyone else trying to find that elusive prize and they never will find it. They'll never find it. And folks, this is true of every one of us. Again, contentment is a present condition, not a future goal. And I personally believe that once you're saved, contentment becomes that brass ring that we all really are seeking, but many don't know that that's what we need. 1 Timothy 6:6 says this: "Godliness with contentment is great gain." And Psalm 84 explains why our sufficiency is not from ourselves but from God. Psalm 84:11: "The Lord is a sun and shield. The Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

And this sufficiency is promised to us if we make God's priorities our priorities. Matthew 6:31, Jesus speaking: "So don't worry about these things saying, 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs." The very next verse says this: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." So contentment is a promised byproduct of keeping God first. God says, "Listen, the world is concerned about all these little things. They're little things to Me, but they're big things to the world. But I'm telling you this little secret: if you will make My priorities your priorities, all of those things that the world chases after in their area of need, I will take care of that if you just follow Me. I will be your sufficiency."

Luke 12:31: "Instead seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you." And then Jesus adds this: "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. To give you the kingdom." It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. And if and when you seek after His kingdom and not yours. Tertullian said this, quote: "This is good. Listen: God always gives His best to those who leave the choice to Him." Philippians 4:12: "I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little." Paul says, "I am instructed." The Greek for "I am instructed" is a technical term in Greek. It was commonly used in relation to the mysteries and being instructed in the secret doctrines that were taught only to those who had been initiated into Paul's understanding here by the way of both the extremes of both abject poverty and full prosperity. And to what does Paul credit his ability to live fully contented in every possible situation of life? The next verse, verse 13.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I love those words, those two words: all things. All things. You know, God loves those two words as well. Listen to these: Matthew 21:22: "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." Mark 9:23: Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." John 3:35: "The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hands." Romans 8:28, you know this: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." 1 Corinthians 13:7, the love chapter: "Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new." Aren't you glad that you can walk away from your old life knowing that all things have become new?

And then lastly, same book, 2 Corinthians 6. It says this: "Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing and yet possessing all things." And again, our verse for today, verse 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Just a little caveat here, you know as commentators made this point and it's a good point: don't misuse this verse. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Don't jump out of a 20-story building and think you're going to fly because I can do all things. Okay, you get the point. When God calls you to do something, He will enable you to do all things, everything, anything He calls you to do.

When God calls you to do something, don't say, "I can't do that." Listen, if He calls you, you can do all things. "I can't preach. I can't teach. I can't. I shouldn't." Here I am. My wife and I laugh about it all the time. It never should have happened. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Even me. He can use me, even me, because He's called and He gives that enablement. I can do all things.

So how does today's lesson apply to me? Number one: remember when you go something really difficult and you find yourself asking God that "why did it happen" question, try to train yourself to ask yourself an immediate question: "Why am I seeking to understand why this happened?" And your answer's going to be, "So that I can be at peace about it." And then remember this verse, verse seven: "And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." He promises to give you a peace that surpasses understanding. If I trust God in this through this, God promises that He will take me right to peace and bypass the understanding part. And then think this thought, which is a really good thing, because if my finding peace requires me to first understand why, I will live a tortured life. And this event will torture me. Let Him take you right to the peace. That's number one.

Number two, your homework this week is a repeat of last week: don't look at, watch, dig up anything on the internet unless it is as Philippians 4:8 says: whatever is honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, anything worthy of praise, think about those things. Number three, make a conscious decision, a conscious decision to be content with where you are, who you are, and what you have. Remember 1 Timothy 6:6: "Godliness with contentment is great gain." You know, as I prepared this and I thought back to the men and women in my life that I've admired—and I've told you this before, but those people—I think of Nell Svernstrom, which was R.G. LeTourneau's private secretary. R.G. LeTourneau was short. A godly man. But my point is these men, these women that I admired, when they put their feet down, there was nothing going to move them. Their roots went down 30 feet into the ground. They were just iron held to that ground. But my point is what they all had was contentment and peace. They were content with who they were, where they were, what they have done. You could just feel it, it was so winsome, that contentment.

Remember, it's a decision, not a destination. You can be content today if you decide to be content. And if you decide not to be, you will never be. There is nothing that will get you there. You're just going to burn those bearings out of that treadmill, buddy. You're going to. Make a conscious decision to be content. In Matthew 6:33 says this again: "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." And Jesus says here, if you make the main thing the main thing, if you make what's important to Me important to you, instead of you building your own little kingdom, you will find everything you need.

You know, it's really a lot like—it's the same idea as finding peace that surpasses understanding. He can bypass the understanding and take you right to peace. We make money to buy things to make us happy. He can bypass the "buy things" part. We can have our jobs and not buy things and He can still take us to happiness. He can bypass all that stuff. And He will. If you make the main thing the main thing. And remember, contentment with godliness is great gain, is great gain.

Guest (Male): We're going through Philippians one verse at a time on Study the Word with Pastor Thom Keller. You can hear this message again anytime of the day or night online at ccleb.com or subscribe to our YouTube channel at Calvary Chapel Lebanon. If you'd rather have a CD copy, call us at 717-273-5633. Hey, have you been helped by the ministry? Let us know that. It would be so encouraging to Pastor Thom and all of us at Study the Word. Give us a call at 717-273-5633 or write to Study the Word, 740 Willow Street, Lebanon, Pennsylvania, 17046. You can email us through the website as well at ccleb.com.

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