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Paul is sitting in prison when he writes Philippians and the other Prison Epistles Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon.

. Some have suggested this prison was in Ephesus or Caesarea, but the Prison Epistles were most likely written while Paul was under house arrest in Rome and not later when Paul was in the Mamertime dungeon in Rome at the end of his life. The fact that this hopeful letter of joy and contentment was written in such circumstance is, by itself, astounding.

We learn from Acts 16 that the first members of the Philippians church were the businesswoman Lydia in whose house the church may have met at first, a young girl delivered from demons, and a Roman jailer whose very life Paul and Silas had saved. This church likely had predominantly pagan roots as there wasnt even a synagogue in Philippi when Paul visited on his second missionary journey. Philippi was a proud Greco-Roman city, named after Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, and a city in which faithful Roman soldiers had been given land in retirement. Given the overwhelming positive tone of this letter, we can tell Paul was especially fond of the Christians in Philippi. They had given him great financial and moral support on his journeys most recently in a love offering sent with Epaphroditus. At least part of Philippians is simply a thank you letter for their generosity. Paul also must have sensed that he was closer to the end of his life and ministry than the beginning. As any father would want to do, Paul also takes advantage of the opportunity to warn against false teaching, encourage them to stand firm in hardships, and to find their center for attitude and actions in the example of Jesus. More than almost any letter in the New Testament, Philippians exudes a confidence about life. Paul has learned the secret to being content no matter the circumstances (4:11) and wants his children in the faith to know it too. With its 16 uses of some version of the word joy, there is no wonder why this short epistle is a favorite of many people.

Overcoming Discontentment SERMON ON CONTENTMENT INTRODUCTION: A. Contentment is a pearl of great price, and whosoever procures it at the expense of ten thousand desires makes a wise and happy purchase (John Balguy). 1. Contentment is a very precious commodity to possess in this life of disappointments and heartaches. 2. All Christians should join with King David and say, He maketh me to lie in green pastures (Psa. 23:2) Thats a great picture of contentment B. Many today are like the two little teardrops floating down the river of life. One tear drop asked the other, Who are you? I am a teardrop from a girl who loved a man and lost him. But who are you? The first tear drop replied, I am a tear drop from the girl who got him. 1. Life is like as is seen in these teardrops. 2. We all too often cry over the things we cant have, but we might cry twice as hard if we had received them. DISCUSSION: A. DEFINITION OF CONTENTMENT? 1. Viewed negatively a. Contentment is not insensibility. 1) The Stoics strove to eliminate all feeling and all emotion until they could say, I dont care if a plate has broken, or if some bodily injury happened to them. 2) Contentment does not destroy all possibility of caring. b. Contentment is not self-satisfaction, to be so happy with yourself that you never try improve yourself. c. Contentment is not apathetic indifference. 2. Viewed positively a. To be content means to rest satisfied, to be well-pleased; not to be disgruntled or disheartened. b. Webster says that contentment means freedom from care and discomfort. c. Content comes from autarkhs and means: 1) sufficient for ones self, strong enough or processing enough to need no aid or support

2) independent of external circumstances 3) contented with ones lot, though the slenderest B. WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES SAY ABOUT CONTENTMENT? 1. Be content with your wages (Lk. 3:14). a. Such was the teaching of John the Baptist to the soldiers. b. Such contentment would prevent them from intimidating others, and practicing blackmail because of their low wage scale. 2. Philippians 4:11 a. Paul penned this while he was in prison! Yet, he was content!! How could this be??? b. Well, Paul had learned that contentment and happiness are not dependent on external circumstances, but inner qualities of the heart, and upon a right relationship with the Lord. 3. 1 Timothy 6:6-8 a. Someone once said, The poorest man in the world is the man who has more than he needs but feels like it isnt enough. b. In godliness and contentment there is GREAT gain. 4. Hebrews 13:5 a. This text is not teaching that we should not try to improve our status in life; but, rather that we should avoid a misplaced emphasis on the material things. b. This verse does not forbid all lawful efforts to improve our own condition and that of others, for that would be inconsistent with Bible teaching. 1) Ephesians 4:28 work to be able to give to others 2) Romans 12:11 diligent working is serving the Lord c. What Paul sets forth in this verse in Hebrews is, that no matter what the circumstances, put your trust in the Lord, and things will work together for our good. C. FOES OF CONTENTMENT 1. Covetousness a. In Hebrews 13:5 covetousness is put over against contentment as the antithesis of contentment, and even as an enemy of contentment.

b. The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have and being able to loose all desire for things beyond your reach. 2. Unbelief a. The Lords instruction to be content is based upon His promises that He will not forsake us, that He will never leave us, that He will help us and that we need not fear what man may do Hebrews 13:5-6 b. He promises to sustain us with the physical necessities of life . Matthew 6:24-34; Psalm 37:25 c. If we believe God how can not help but be content? 3. Envy a. Envy is the chagrin or discontent at the excellence or good fortune of another. b. Saul was content with the praise he was getting until he saw David getting more (1 Sam. 18:8-9). c. The Philistines were content with their lot until they saw the possessions of Isaac (Gen. 26:14). d. Haman was contented until he saw Mordecai sit in the kings gate (Est. 5:9-14). e. Envy is an insidious evil which must be eradicated from our hearts. 4. Pessimism a. Illustration . shoe salesmen in Africa b. The discontented pessimist when asked how things are will reply, They are so much more worse than yesterday, and so much better than I expect them to be tomorrow. 5. Self-pity a. The prodigal son was discontent personified, and he was guilty of self-pity (Lk. 15:29). b. Too many cry, Life has cheated me, or Im so unfortunate. c. Pity is good, but it ought not be wasted on ones self. 6. Complaining a. The discontented person is seldom willing to keep his discontent to himself. b. I complained about having no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet. I complained about no one visiting my family until I found a person who had no family. I complained about the members until I mover where there were none. I complained about the Bible teacher until I tried teaching. I complained about not having fine clothes until I saw one in rags. D. HOW DO WE CULTIVATE CONTENTMENT?

1. Work at it! a. Paul had to learn contentment (Phil. 4:11). b. If we close the doors to the foes of contentment and develop the things which cultivate it. 2. Count your blessings a. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 b. Ephesians 5:20 3. Transfer your attention and affection to higher and holier matters a. Matthew 6:33 b. Christ was contented; and, His meat was to do the will of His Father (Jn. 4:34). c. You will seldom find a discontented person who is not also materialistic 4. Keep busy a. An idle mind is the devils workshop b. Be like Jesus who went about doing good (Acts 10:38). c. Then we will not have time to enlarge our bruises 5. Think about how bad it could be a. Things can always be a lot worse b. You do not have to look far to find someone worse off than you 6. Learn that happiness is not tied to things a. Luke 12:15 b. Our society does not believe this thus, many are discontent

True contentment comes only from our Lord, and enables believers to be satisfied and at ease in the midst of any problem. Autarkestherefore describes the man who needs nothing externally to be satisfied in life for all he needs is within. the believer who has Christ dwelling within. GODLY CONTENTMENT - Contentment is never the result of multiplying riches, increasing pleasures, or gaining fame. All these only incite discontent, for when one obtains them, he finds he still is not satisfied. Contentment does

not depend upon things on the outside, but results from conditions on the inside! Paul had suffered more for the sake of Christ than probably anyone else (2 Cor. 11:23-28); yet this is the man who says, "I am content." The apostle was able to interpret all the experiences of life in terms of God's will for his eternal good (Rom. 8:28). Paul did not come to this happy philosophy of life in a moment. He says, "I have learned . . . to be content." Aspiring to be what we are not, or grasping after riches which elude us, is not the way to happiness. We must rather do our very best with God's help to accomplish our life's task with the talents and opportunities He presents. In his famous lecture on "Clocks and Watches," Dr. Joseph Parker related the following story: A little watch, delicately strung, was dissatisfied with its restricted sphere of influence in a lady's pocket. It envied the position of Big Ben, the great tower clock. One day as it passed with her ladyship over London's Westminster Bridge, the tiny watch exclaimed, "I wish I could go up there! I could then serve multitudes, instead of just one individual." "You shall have your opportunity, small watch," she said. The lecturer then dramatically described how the pocket timepiece was drawn up the side of the mammoth tower by a slender thread. When it reached the top, it was completely lost to view. In his dramatic way, Dr. Parker concluded his lecture by exclaiming, "Its elevation had become its So what does contentment mean? It is an inner sense of rest or peace that comes from being right with God and knowing that He is in control of all that happens to us. It means having our focus on the kingdom of God and serving Him, not on the love of money and things. If God grants us material comforts, we can thankfully enjoy them, knowing that it all comes from His loving hand. But, also, we seek to use it for His purpose by being generous. If He takes our riches, our joy remains steady, because we are fixed on Him (see 1Ti 6:6, 7, 8-note, 1Ti 6:9-note, 1Ti 6:10-note, 1Ti 6:7, 18, 19). Contentment also means not being battered around by difficult circumstances or people, and not being wrongly seduced by prosperity, because our life is centered on a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. So no matter what happens to us or what others do to us, we have the steady assurance that the Lord is for us and He will not forsake us. HOW DO WE ACQUIRE CONTENTMENT?

The world goes about the quest for contentment in all the wrong ways, so we must studiously avoid its ways. Pauls words show ... The secret for contentment in every situation is to focus on the Lord--as Sovereign, as Savior, and as the Sufficient One. He is the Sovereign One to whom I must submit; He is the Savior whom I must serve; He is the Sufficient One whom I must trust. If I know Him in these ways as Paul did, I will know contentment.

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