The Secret to Contentment
February 2, 2025

The Secret to Contentment

Preacher:
Passage: Philippians 4:10-13
Service Type:

What Is the Secret to Contentment?

The Human Heart’s Lack of Contentment

One of the easiest ways to learn about human nature is by watching young children. Kids don’t have the same level of self-awareness and self-restraint that many adults do. Often what you hear from them, and what you see in their behaviors, gives you insight into the condition of their hearts. And – you usually don’t have to watch long – one of the most common attitudes you’ll see expressed in young kids isn’t contentment, but discontentment.

For example, you might be happily reading a book with little Johnny – but suddenly, little Johnny sees his sister walk by, holding one of his stuffed animals. She’s not even hurting it or anything – just giving the bear some cuddles. And for little Johnny, it’s like his life is falling apart. His smile twists into a grimace, almost like he’s in pain. His face turns red. And he demands that his sister must give him his toy. He’ll tell you that he needs it. It’s fascinating, isn’t it? Just a minute ago, Johnny was as happy as a honeybee in a flower garden. He was perfectly satisfied without the bear. But now he’s angry, inconsolable and miserable. And by watching Little Johnny, we see what’s in his heart: discontentment. And the same thing is in our hearts, as well.

But, of course, you already knew that. Because I imagine that even this morning, many (if not all) of you are wrestling with displeasure in one thing or another: discontentment in your work place, or your marriage. Discontentment with your pastor – we can be honest, that may be a real thing from time to time. Discontentment with your house, your car, your body, your electronic devices, your friends, your professors – even discontentment with your feelings of discontentment. The human heart is vulnerable to this attitude of dissatisfaction.

But in our text this morning, in Philippians 4, God’s Word tells us about a contentment that withstands all kinds of circumstances. And so let’s turn our attention there – to Philippians, Chapter 4, If you’re using one of our church Bibles, you can find it on page 923. I’ll read verses 10 through 13. But before I read our text this morning, here, let’s pray:

[Pray/Read Text]

Supernatural Satisfaction

It’s important to remember, the man that God spoke through to give us this part of the Bible – named Paul – he knew what it meant to suffer. As a faithful servant sent out by Jesus, Paul had given his life to teaching, mentoring, and, bringing disciples into churches for further discipleship. But along the way, Paul’s life was threatened multiple times. He was persecuted. He was often left without food or shelter. Even at the time that Paul was writing this letter, remember, he was imprisoned, under house arrest, because of his faith.

And yet, Paul’s outlook is mysteriously upbeat. He’s thankful – even joyful. And this should get our attention. Because Paul isn’t just telling us about contentment as some sort of abstract theory that he’s never experienced, but he’s teaching us about something that he personally has – something that he has personally held on to despite all that he’s had to deal with.

When the Philippians heard about Paul’s imprisonment, they were concerned and sent some assistance – Paul mentions this briefly in verse 10: “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me.” He’s genuinely thankful for their care. And yet, the fullness of Paul’s contentment comes from a totally different source. Even as a prisoner, Paul didn’t view himself as needy, but as sufficiently equipped and satisfied. Because he goes on to say in verse 11: “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”

So Paul is thankful for the Philippians! He’s rejoicing in their care for him! He genuinely appreciates the practical ways that they sent resources to meet his needs. And yet – Paul’s reminding them that his contentment didn’t depend on those things.

And as we aim to better understand Paul’s contentment here – I’ll work through our text under two main points: First, we’ll give some thought to understanding the pervasiveness of discontentment. And then second, I want to explain the Power Source for Contentment that Paul describes.

The Pervasiveness of Discontentment

So first, the pervasiveness of discontentment. I’m aware that the word discontentment doesn’t show up in our text. But it is assumed by Paul – it’s assumed in verse 12 – that discontentment is the standard human experience, in all kinds of situations. Because notice, in our text, right after Paul says, “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content,” he goes on to explain, “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.” In other words, he, Paul, knows how to face all these things with contentment. But it’s implied quite strongly here that humanity, in general, doesn’t.

And that’s why Paul’s contentment is so significant – so remarkable. That’s why he refers to it as a secret that he’s learned. Because has been able to withstand multiple years of hardship and suffering with confident endurance and satisfaction. Meanwhile, the rest of humanity is naturally plagued with a deep-rooted sense of discontent. And they don’t know how to resolve it.

Now, just so we’re clear, the discontentment that we’re talking about here is that inner concern that people have that they don’t have enough of something. When you feel like there’s something lacking from your life that you need to be complete or successful that’s discontentment. We might use different words to describe it. We might say that we’re dissatisfied or discouraged. But they’re all related.

And there’s a reason why humanity is naturally plagued with discontent. It’s because of sin – because of human corruption, which has estranged us from God. At the beginning, when God established the world, discontentment wasn’t a thing. The early chapters of Genesis in the Bible describe how humanity had a perfect relationship with God – perfect contentment. But it was ruined because the first man and woman – Adam and Eve – they believed Satan’s lie that God was an obstacle to their happiness. So they rebelled. But by trying to get away from God – by cutting ties with God – humanity didn’t find greater happiness. Instead, fellowship with God was broken. Favor with God was lost. Fullness in God was forfeited. And ever since, the human heart has been aching for more – more of something. We have been left with a constant awareness that we are lacking.

And you have to realize, this is something that doesn’t just affect people who are poor and needy – but it affects everyone, including the richest billionaires. Pay attention to what Paul’s saying here in the text. He says that he has learned in whatever situation he is, to be content. Not only when he’s being brought low, but also when he’s abounding. He has contentment, when he has plenty and when he has hunger. And he’s pointing this out, because he recognizes that discontentment affects people both when they’re in wealth and when they’re in want.

The root issue of our discontentment isn’t simply that we don’t have enough money, or that we don’t have enough free time. It’s not just an earthly, material problem. Instead, discontentment is evidence that we have a malfunctioning soul. The problem isn’t with our circumstances. The problem is with us. Our inner being is affected by sin. And that’s why our hearts continue to invent excuses for why we aren’t happy. That’s why a human heart without God will continue to feel like it needs more and more in order to be satisfied.

It’s actually kind of absurd, when you think of all the different reasons why people experience discontentment. Some people are discontent because they don’t have many possessions to enjoy. Other people are discontent because they have too many possessions to manage. Some people are discontent because they don’t have a spouse or family to take care of. Other people are discontent because they do. Some people are discontent because they don’t travel enough. Other people are discontent because they travel too much. Some people are discontent because they don’t have enough free time. Other people are discontent because they don’t know what to do with the boatloads of free time that they have! It should be obvious that no amount of these things is the key to our happiness!

And yet on top of all this, we live under the constant illusion that contentment is just barely out of reach. Yes, you almost have enough of that good thing that you see, but you just need a little bit more, and then you’ll be satisfied. Yet we never are. There’s always something else that pops into our mind. Our heart always invents another reason for why you aren’t satisfied. But the problem isn’t ultimately connected to that thing. The problem is connected to sin, as it affects the human heart. Our great deficiency – the ultimate that the human heart is naturally lacking is God. That’s at the root of all discontentment.

The Power Source for Contentment

And since this is the case, God’s the one we should look to, to take our discontentment away. That’s essentially what Paul is encouraging us to do, here, as he tells us about the power source of his contentment. This brings us to my second point – the power source for contentment. After telling us in verses 11 and 12 that he has learned the secret to being content in all kinds of circumstances – Paul tells us the secret in verse 13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

And I want to do a side-by-side comparison of what Paul’s saying here, versus how the human heart naturally functions. Because I want you to understand where Paul’s getting his contentment from. The human heart naturally says, “I will be content if my circumstances go my way.” Paul here is saying, “I can be content in all things – all circumstances – even if they don’t go my way. The human heart naturally says, “You can make yourself content.” Paul insists, “Only God can do that.” The human heart says, “My strength and satisfaction must come from me, and what I accomplish.” Paul says, “My strength and satisfaction must come from the infinite perfections of God, and what He accomplishes.”

I hope you can see, these two attitudes of the heart are worlds apart from each other. The natural tendency of the human heart is to believe that if could just have unrestrained freedom and power – if we could just control our lives however we wanted, then we’d be happy. Which is really just to say, we naturally want to be God. And when people, events, and the Bible align with what we want, that’s all well and good. But if they don’t, we can often find ourselves desperately trying to control people and things – yes, we might even try to control God – in order to get life to go our way. It’s a mission that’s doomed to failure. And yet our heart is hardwired to believe that having God-like control is what we need – that that’s the only way to gain contentment.

But Paul shows us a totally different kind of heart. Because from the very beginning, he recognizes that in himself, he is lacking. He is an insufficient creature. He is not strong. He is not in control. And we know this because he doesn’t just say, “I can do all things.” Or “I can do all things through flexing my awesome muscles of self-sufficiency.” Instead, he points to something outside of himself – not just to another finite creature of weakness, just like him – but he points to the fulness of the Creator. He points to the Almighty God who spoke the universe into being. And Paul says that that’s the indestructible power source that fuels his contentment. That’s where his strength is coming from.

But let me point out here – some people misunderstand what this verse is saying. And they assume that this verse is promising that God will give them the strength to do whatever they set their mind to. They imagine this means that God will strengthen Christian athletes to win their games, that God will help students ace their exams, that God will help cancer patients heal from their surgery – and so on. But the point here isn’t that God will strengthen Christians to achieve whatever form of worldly success they’re dreaming about – but instead this strength from God is what gives us contentment and peace, even when we lose the game, even when we fail the exam, even when we don’t get better from our cancer. That’s the type of strength that Paul’s talking about in the text. The text to find contentment in all circumstances.

But even though we’ve identified that God strengthening Paul is the source of his rock-solid contentment, how does that really work? What does it look like for God to give Paul that strength?

This is actually a really practical question. Because what I’m essentially asking is how does God bring satisfaction to you and I, in the midst of our discontentment? What does it look like, really, for God to strengthen you?

Now, the text here in Philippians 4 doesn’t give us a straight answer. But in Ephesians 6, Paul commands Christians to be strengthened – same Greek word – and he gives instructions on what that should look like. In Ephesians, Chapter 6, verse 10 Paul says, “Finally, be strong [or be strengthened] in the Lord, and in the strength of his might” and then Paul explains how this is done with an analogy. It’s like putting on spiritual armor. Christians strengthen themselves with the Lord’s strength by equipping their hearts with truth (reading and knowing the Bible), by putting on righteousness (committing ourselves to doing good for God and for others), by arming ourselves with readiness to talk about the gospel and with faith. Really, the whole list in Ephesians 6 helps us to see that being strengthened in the Lord and in his strength – that’s a process that doesn’t just happen to us, but it’s something that you and I are urged to be active in.

There are certain ordinary means of grace – ordinary methods that God uses to set our hearts on Him. And these things, which bring our hearts to God, to humbly receive his grace – those are the sorts of things that God uses to strengthen us. As you listen to God’s Word and internalize it – like you’re doing right now – God uses that to strengthen you for your contentment. As you pray in the midst of your anxieties and challenges, as you set your mind on the character of God, as you process the Lord’s ongoing work in your life with brothers and sisters in the faith – they may seem like ordinary things. But God works through them for the extraordinary strengthening of our faith, our peace, and our contentment.

I’m not saying that these ordinary activities, in themselves, give us strength. But they direct our attention to the One who does. And we shouldn’t despise the ordinariness of these things. But instead we should be thankful, that God strengthens us in ways that are so accessible to each one of us. He doesn’t ask us to perform expensive pilgrimages to Jerusalem. He isn’t requiring us to undo every wrong we’ve ever done in life. He doesn’t order us to perform some sort of elaborate humanitarian project before we start to be strengthened by his grace. But he simply urges us to bring ourselves to His Word, to prayer, and to His people – to be strengthened and built up by his grace.

But there’s another practical question to consider here. What should we expect this strengthening work of God – gaining contentment in all circumstances – what should we expect that to feel like?

I think one of the worst mistakes we can make is to assume that this contentment that Paul’s talking about is simply a feeling – an emotion. And so people might think, “Great, all I need to do is read the Bible a little more, and have a little bit more of God in my life, and I’ll start feeling more happy and satisfied!” But this word that Paul uses for contentment isn’t so much talking about a feeling, as much as it is an actual state of being.

Paul isn’t just saying that he has found the secret to feeling content – to feeling like he has enough. Instead he’s saying that he has found the secret to being content – to actually having the enoughness he needs to handle every situation in life, through the strength provided by the Lord.

But you and I should be aware, having all that we need from God and feeling like we have all that we need from God – those are two different things. And as you and I are still affected by the lingering influence of sin, our feelings don’t consistently match up with what’s true. We’re still tempted to live in terms of what we feel and see, instead of finding our contentment in what God has accomplished and promised.

And it’s important to point this out – because there are many Americans – many Christians, even – who believe that Christianity is all about experiencing positive feelings. If you just become a Christian, then you’ll feel peace, you’ll feel happy, you’ll feel content. This false version of Christianity claims that the good news is that Jesus helps you feel good. But the problem with this is that those feelings aren’t stable. And for a lot of people, when they’re suddenly hit with a panic attack, or those old feelings of discontentment roll back in – they assume that Jesus has failed them.

But that’s not what the Bible has promised. The good news of Christianity is that even when those feelings come – even when your world is turned upside down, and your family’s against you, and every good gift is being stripped away – even if you’re verbally abused, physically beaten, starved, and thrown in prison like Paul was – the good news is that Jesus Christ has provided everything you need for your everlasting security and satisfaction. And that includes right now. In this life, Jesus himself is providing you with the enoughness you need to get through your stressful workweek. He isn’t saying, “Oops, sorry, I ran out of grace – I can’t help you!” But he is always, forever the source of our strength, to help you navigate your family crisis, to bring you through every season of feeling spiritually dry, to uphold your faith in hostile environments – the grace of Jesus toward you is enough. Even when it feels like you’re just barely getting by.

So contentment from the Lord may not feel like a huge boost of positivity and energy. You may not feel a giddy, slap-happy sort of pleasure while you’re struggling through the deep valleys of life. But that’s okay. You shouldn’t expect those things. As we seek strength from the Lord, he probably won’t overwhelm us with strength and confidence all at once, to get us through the whole upcoming year. Instead, Jesus gives us what we need today. And this is the secret to Christian contentment: the Lord will supply you with the strength you need when you need it.

And because of all this, as Christians, we should have a determination and a confidence to live out our faith, in all types of situations. When you’re faced with plenty and hunger, in times when you abound, and in times when you feel exceptionally needy – it doesn’t matter how strong you feel. That’s not the point – that’s not what your confidence should be rooted in. What matters is that the Lord of heaven is strengthening you to have what you need, for every situation he puts you in.

A Puritan, Jeremiah Burroughs, once said, “Indeed, our afflictions may be heavy, and we cry out, Oh, we cannot bear them, we cannot bear such an affliction. Though you cannot tell how to bear it with your own strength, yet how can you tell what you will do with the strength of Jesus Christ? … You will say, Can I have the strength of Christ? Yes, it is made over to you by faith: the Scripture says that the Lord is our strength, God himself is our strength, and Christ is our strength. There are many Scriptures to that effect, that Christ’s strength is yours, made over to you, so that you may be able to bear whatever lies upon you.”

Don’t you agree? – this should make us all the more eager to lean into him, and to live out of the sufficiency of his grace. He supplies the strength for us to resist temptation, and to put away our besetting sins. He supplies us with promises, to encourage us with hope, in the midst of our discouragements. He gives us what we need, when we open our mouths to speak about what Jesus has done for us. He gives wisdom to those who ask for it. Whatever he provides – with that, we can be content.

There’s one more question I want to cover here – in explaining the power source for our contentment. And that is simply what should our contentment produce?

And part of the reason I raise this question, is because I want to make sure that we apply the text here correctly. Because some of us might associate contentment with the idea of complacency. As in, “I’m content with where I’m at in life. I’m content to wait. I’m content to do nothing.” We might assume that being content  would cause us to stop being ambitious – we stop being concerned about doing things.

But Paul views contentment differently. Because he doesn’t see contentment as the end goal of his life. He isn’t just seeking contentment in order to lazily bask in the experience of it. But his contentment is actually what enables him to keep going in his work and ministry. Paul’s contentment explains how he had the mental and emotional stamina to keep preaching, to keep defending the Lordship of Jesus, to keep testifying to the historical resurrection of Jesus from the dead – even while people were trying to kill him and discredit him.

So in a similar sense, your conviction that you have all that you need in the Lord, and in what he provides – it shouldn’t create apathy and inactivity in you and I. Instead, it should actually make us eager and ambitious people. We should expect that we’re going to see the Lord provide for us. We should expect to see the Lord work through us. We should expect, that for as long as God has good work for us to do on this earth, he will work through His Word and through our prayers to strengthen us for all of it.

Paul’s contentment didn’t make him a complacent person. It made him courageous. It compelled him onward. And that’s one of the things that our contentment should produce in our church in Mount Pleasant, MI, as well.

But in addition to this, our contentment in the Lord should destroy the power of sin over us. Because sin has its power in convincing us there’s something that you need to be happy – there’s something that you need to be complete – you need the knowledge of good and evil. That’s the lie that Adam and Eve fell for, in the garden. But sin can also entice us with other lies, saying that to be complete, you need a different spouse, or more time watching sports, or less responsibility to care for your family. Sin might suggest you need to get your way in this argument. You need to prove to everyone that you’re worth something. But if you have contentment rooted in the fullness of Jesus Christ, then the lies of sin will not disturb you. Contentment should make us godly, wholesome people. Paul suggests as much 1 Timothy 6:6 – “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Godliness and contentment go together.

But finally, our contentment should produce greater joy in Christ. Make sure you remember why it is that Jesus strengthens us in our weakness. There’s no law out there saying that he has to do it. No one is twisting his arm. No one is nagging Jesus, “You know, you really should do something.” No, as Jesus comes close, and gives us everything, and strengthens us for all that we have to face, he’s doing it out of the rich treasure house of his love and goodness. When Jesus went to the cross, to deal with your sins – it was because of the fulness of his love. When Jesus rose from the dead, to bring you new life – it was because of the fulness of his power. When Jesus ascended to heaven – it was because of the fulness of his glory. There is no deficiency in Jesus – there’s no sense in which Jesus isn’t enough. Colossians 1:9 reminds us, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and” – verse 10 – “you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

Brothers and sisters, we have all that we need in Christ, in all things, for all time. So let your contentment rest in him this week. Please pray with me: