“Pouring Out From Abundance: Abundance Through Learning Contentment”
Sermon Title: Pouring Out From Abundance: Abundance Through Learning Contentment
Scripture: Philippians 4:10-13 ESV
Introduction
Philippians is called the letter of joy because it is the most upbeat and joyful of all his letters to the churches. We see Paul’s affection for this church that has demonstrated such love and generosity towards him in various ways such as financial support, especially when he was in prison. Ancient Roman prisons did not feed their prisoners and the care of the prisoner was the responsibility of family and friends. Paul expresses his gratitude in his letter and at the same time, he wants them to know something about his life in Christ and what it means for them.
“Bigger is better and having more is a must.” This is the belief that most people in the world live by. People live in pursuit of a bigger house, more luxuries, bigger paycheck, more power and status, and a bigger portion of everything. In the pursuit of something bigger and better, we become endlessly fixated on what we don’t have rather than what we do have. This endless pursuit exhausts our souls and compromises our joy. The truth is that we all have this temptation to be discontent, but the Lord shows us in today’s passage that the level of our joy is determined by how we nurture our contentment. Contentment is NOT about complacency, laziness, refusing to try new things. Contentment is about resisting the lie that something more will make you happy and having more of something makes you something more. Discontentment is a never-ending search of something bigger and better, but contentment is being free of this cycle.
Three simple but powerful questions can help us determine whether our lives are marked by discontentment: (1) How much time do you spend complaining about what you have? (2) How much time do you spend coveting what others have? (3) How much time do you spend comparing your life to others?
Learning to be content – “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” (v.11)
· “… I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content (v.11).” We often credit Paul as a natural-born super Christian, but we discover that even Paul had to learn contentment! This means that even Paul had a time when he was discontent!
· This shows us that contentment does not magically happen, but it is something that must be learned and it takes work. On the other hand, in our sinful nature, discontentment is something we are naturally born with. Contentment is counter intuitive to us and may prove to be a hard lesson.
· Wanting more in itself is not bad because we know we need more when it comes to our necessities for survival. We can recognize that it is no longer a matter of survival when we compare ourselves with others and become discontent with ourselves and we begin to idolize the things we don’t have. We have moved from necessity to idolatry, and wanting more is now about feeding our selfish desires and ego. Furthermore, we begin to define our identity and self-worth based on what we have or don’t have in comparison to others, and the pursuit of something bigger and better is for the purpose of elevating your self-worth.
Thomas Merton, in No Man is an Island, says: “One who is content with what he has, and who accepts the fact that he inevitably misses very much in life, is far better off than one who has much more but who worries about all he may be missing out on… We can only get rid of this anxiety by being content to miss something in almost everything we do. We cannot master everything, taste everything, understand everything, drain every experience to its last dregs. But if we have the courage to let almost everything else go, we will probably be able to retain the one thing necessary for us - whatever it may be. If we are too eager to have everything, we will almost certainly miss even the one thing we need.”
· Our fixations are not always material things. Our experiences (the lack of) can be the source of our discontentment. Social media has given us access into other people lives and experiences. Comparing our lives to the excitement and thrill of new places, new people, new foods and culture, and amazing new sights, may make us feel that we are missing out on life.
· As Christians we see our non-Christian friends enjoying the worldly excitement and pleasures (attending wild parties, drinks and drugs, sexual promiscuity, and indulging in immoral pleasures). Our discontentment may result having one foot on each side. By compromising with the world, you lose out on growing in your relationship and intimacy with God. Contentment is choosing to say no to everything else, so that you can be present in this particular moment.
· Just like how you miss out on the lives of your family and friends when you are not present and you are fixated on all other things, We must learn this just as Paul had to learn this.
How do we learn to be content?
There are three questions that we can think and pray about whenever we experience discontentment:
1. What is the story/lie you are telling yourself?
· “I am NOT ________ enough.” When discontent, the lie we tell ourselves is that “something is not enough,” that “I am not enough.” For example: I am not rich; smart; beautiful, gifted, blessed; or good enough. We go to lengths to try to save, justify, and prove ourselves to escape this paralyzing effect of feeling inadequate.
· The truth is that in Jesus Christ, you are more than enough!
2. What is the illusion you are believing in?
· What you perceive about other people is often an illusion. Social media is an example of how we see other people’s lives through a filtered lens. We make conclusions based on the little we see. We often don’t see the reality and pain that may be underneath the glamour and fluff. Discontentment arises when we are sold on the illusion and we become fixated on making the illusion the benchmark that guides our decisions.
3. What are the gifts you need to acknowledge?
· All of us have received certain gifts from God… they might not all look the same, and there may be varying degrees to what those gifts might entail, but we all have received some kind of gift from God. and yet we often fail to acknowledge it. If you take a moment to recognize the gifts that you have and praise and thank God for those gifts, we begin to learn how to be content.
Contentment through Christ-Sufficiency
· “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (v.13).” This is the secret to Paul learning how to be content. This verse is one of the most misused and misunderstood verses in the entire Bible because it is always taken out of context. There are clearly many things we cannot do through Christ. Paul is not talking about doing the impossible, he is talking about contentment when he says, “all things.”
· Christians often use this verse as an excuse to justify their discontentment and their pursuit of the bigger and better by saying that they have no limitations in Christ. Paul tells us that it doesn’t matter how much or how little he has, nor does it mater how great or how small he may be, Paul is content because God is with him and strengthens him. Jesus Christ, who strengthens him, is sufficient to help him be content with what he has.
· Contentment is not about self-sufficiency, it is Christ-sufficiency, because true contentment comes from outside of ourselves. It is not about your willpower nor your own strength, but by the power of Jesus Christ. We are able to be content when our life is about Jesus Christ. If you let Christ be your life, then you will be free from the shackles of discontentment. Christ will set you free from consumerism, materialism, and from all that tempts your heart.
· We are called to represent God’s kingdom and pour ourselves out to those around us, may we be individuals and a church that live out our lives in contentment, acknowledging that regardless of whether we have or don’t have, whether we are in lacking or in abundance, we are enough in Christ, and that Christ is sufficient for all our needs.
Reflection and Response
We often find ourselves living lives of obsession, compulsion, and under the bondage of always wanting more. And in so doing we do violence against ourselves and others. others. We do violence against the stewardship that God has entrusted us with (money, relationships, gifts, etc). The Lord reveals to us that in Christ we can be free from this vicious cycle, and we are free to live within the joy of contentment.
· In what areas of your life have you felt discontentment? What’s robbing you of joy? Are you comparing yourself with others? What are you fixated on that you believe will bring you joy and happiness? What stories are you telling yourself? Have you ever felt ashamed or embarrassed for what you didn’t have (especially in comparison to others)?
· Consider the gifts God has given you. What gifts do you recognize in yourself that God has given you? Are there any that you have not recognized as valuable and have not given thanks to God for?
· What are you fixated on in your life that it defines your very identity and self-worth? If those things are taken away or disappear, then who are you?
Today, as you trust and rely on the Christ’s sufficiency, may the strength of Jesus Christ liberate you to live and pour out your lives in deep joy and contentment.