[0:00] How are we doing this morning? Good. Alright, let's go to the Lord in prayer. Father God, Lord, we come to you on bended knee, with hearts open, ready to receive your awesome Word.
[0:18] Lord, your Word is just so amazing, so awesome. And we praise you because of that. You let your Son die on the cross for us.
[0:30] You go out of your way to love us and to care for us and to bring us to where you want us to be. We're all just a bunch of sinners, Lord.
[0:44] We need you so badly. I ask that you are the one that's preaching today and not me. I'm going to go sit down in the back, back here and let you take over.
[0:57] because I know it's all about you. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen. So we're going to finish up Philippians today.
[1:11] So, unfortunately, you get me for the last sermon on Philippians. Last bit of the book. And, you know, and really, today is about contentment and being content in the situation you're in.
[1:33] And Paul really brings that to light here in this, about being content, about knowing that it's not about how much money you have or how many things you have or whether or not you have the fanciest car or whether or not no matter what it is, just be content in your situation.
[1:54] And that, Paul really brings that to light in here. Because, you see, Jesus is the one that brings us through it all.
[2:06] So we should just be content with where we're at. I heard this story this week and this story was from like about six or seven years ago and this pastor was talking about how he read in the paper somebody had won and was walking around with a lottery ticket for $24 million in their pocket.
[2:35] And that's what the guy was talking about was how here's some person is, think about that, $24 million, that's a lot of money, isn't it? That is a lot of money.
[2:46] So somebody's walking around with their pocket because they won $24 million and they haven't come forward. And in the article the guy was reading, he talked about how the, these people had, the lottery people would tell people, they tell people when you go to collect your money, don't tell anybody.
[3:08] Because if you do, they're going to come out of the woodwork to take it from you. Because all they cared about was that money. But we know there's more to life than money, right?
[3:23] There's this guy that 2,000 years ago he went up on the cross for us. And his name is Jesus. Jesus. And you know, the reason I emphasize his name, I want you all to know why, is because I love Jesus so much.
[3:42] And I know he went out of his way for me. So I want to emphasize the name of Jesus. Because he's not Matt, he's not John, he's not Glenn, he's not Steve.
[3:57] You see how I just, those are normal names. But Jesus is a special man. And Jesus did that for you and me. So, let's turn our Bibles to Philippians.
[4:12] Chapter 4. And we're going to go through verses 10 through 14 first real quick. It says, I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me.
[4:25] Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything. I am not saying this because I am in need for I have learned to be content in any circumstances.
[4:38] See here, Paul says, I have learned to be content in any circumstances. I have experienced times of need and times of abundance.
[4:49] Haven't we all done that? Haven't we had times when we had the most amazing day or the most amazing time where somebody blessed us with something and we're like, wow, look at this, I got all this, right?
[5:04] And then there are other times where like, man, I'm having a bad day. Everything is going wrong. Don't we all deal with that?
[5:15] Every day, every week, every month. And in any event and in every circumstance, I have learned the secret of contentment.
[5:29] Whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing, I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my troubles.
[5:45] As we look at 15 through 19, which is the next slide, Mark. And as you Philippians know, at the beginning of my gospel ministry when I left in Macedonia, no church shared with me in this matter of giving and receiving except you alone.
[6:02] So he's really lifting up the church in Philippi here. For even in Thessalonica, on more than one occasion, you sent something for my need.
[6:13] I do not say this because I am seeking a gift. Rather, I seek the credit that abounds to your account. For I have received everything and I have plenty.
[6:24] I have all I need because I receive from Epathias what you sent, a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God.
[6:37] And my God will supply your every need according to His glorious riches in Jesus Christ. Think about that. God's going to supply every one of your needs through Him that strengthens us.
[6:55] So who is it that strengthens us? Isn't that Jesus that strengthens us? Isn't that Christ who strengthens us? Isn't it no matter how bad of a day, a week, a month, a year you're having, doesn't Jesus lift us up and give us what we need?
[7:14] Not what we want, what we need. I remember when, and this is what we call a storm of life, I remember not knowing if I was going to make enough money to pay the rent that month.
[7:32] Not knowing if I had enough money to make the car payment. Not knowing if I had enough money to do anything. And this was just a few years ago. And it wasn't because I had turned my back on God.
[7:45] It was because I was going through a season. But you know what? Every month my rent got paid. Every month for the most part my car payments got made.
[7:55] Sometimes I got a little behind but I always caught it up. Every month the basic needs got met. and it was through Jesus Christ not through me.
[8:09] So storms of life. I want to share this story and this is from the Bible. And this is in Matthew chapter 8 verses 23 through 27 and it says as he got into the boat his disciples followed him and a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat.
[8:33] But he was asleep. Talking about Jesus was asleep. So they came and woke him up saying Lord save us we are about to die. But he said to them why are you cowardly you people of little faith?
[8:47] Then he got up rebuked the wind and the sea and it was dead calm and the men were amazed and said what sort of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him.
[8:59] And I bring that story up so you understand that no matter how bad the storm you're going through is Jesus is going to take care of it. No matter how bad the storm is God's got this.
[9:14] I don't care if you got cancer God's going to bring you through it. He's going to know how to get you through it. If you your children are so busy and being so angry and so bad God's going to bring you through it.
[9:35] Whether they're adults or their children still God's going to bring you through it because he loves you. That's why he sent his son Jesus to die on the cross because we can do all things through him that strengthens us.
[9:55] Now if we think to what Paul wrote he says in every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment whether I go satisfied or hungry at plenty I am able to do all things to the one who strengthens me.
[10:16] Now let's think about Paul. Paul had it really hard. he had a thorn in his flesh didn't he? But guess what? Jesus brought him through that because he believed in Jesus.
[10:32] He believed that God would take care of him. He put everything all everything to him. in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 verse 6 through 10 it says for even if I wish to boast I will not be a fool for I would be telling the truth but I refrain from this so that no one may regard me beyond what he sees in me and what he hears from me even because of the extraordinary character of the revelations therefore so that I would not become arrogant a thorn in the flesh was given to me a messenger of Satan to trouble me so that I would not become arrogant that's why he had that thorn so he wouldn't become arrogant because didn't Paul have just wonderful things happening to him during that time but they allowed him to have that thorn and I asked the Lord three times about this that it would depart from me but he said to me my grace is enough for you for my power is made perfect in weakness think about us in that
[11:45] God's power is made perfect through our weakness our inability to be perfect because we lose our temper our temper can be a thorn in our side God the fact that we're more interested in drugs or more interested in alcohol or more interested in smoking cigarettes or more interested in this or that or whatever it is than following God every day all day long those are things we need to work on but guess what through Christ Jesus were made perfect through Christ Jesus so then I will boast gladly about my weakness to that the power of Christ may reside in me therefore
[12:46] I am content with weakness with insults with troubles with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ for whenever I am weak then I am strong so there was a movie star and I share this to you this story and I know his first name is Jim but I can't remember his last name but he was a comedian and a movie star and I think he's passed on now but he said I wish everybody could be filthy rich and have their life's dreams just so they can realize it ain't all that think about that do you think if you're filthy rich it's going to bring you through everything no it's not because guess what you can't take it with you can you it's going to be here left decaying if you're addicted to drugs and do you really think that drug can get you through anything no but
[14:01] Jesus can can he Jesus can bring you through anything no matter how bad it is and all we've got to do is be content in the situation we're in in the house we live in we all don't need three or four thousand square foot houses and you know there's some subdivisions that they're building these new subdivisions whether it's here or Fayetteville or wherever they build them and all these big fancy houses are in them they're all like two three four thousand square feet do we need that square footage I mean really I mean I'm very content living in the eleven hundred square foot house I live in I got like a living room and a kitchen and a little dining room three bedrooms two baths isn't that enough for the amount of people living in my house if it was just Tammy and I I'd be content with a one or two bedroom house because it's just
[15:04] Tammy and I but Mark lives with us Mark's best buddy lives with us so I need that there's extra bedrooms but if it was just Tammy and I I wouldn't need those extra bedrooms be content because we don't need all that stuff all we need is what it says in Philippians 4 verse 13 I am able to do all three things through the one who strengthens me that's it that's all we need because he'll bring us through it think about it how little a church are we a little bitty church or a big fancy church what amazing things as a church that we do think about that how many years did we go to South America okay 11 years and during those 11 years we were there four times a year sometimes right three four times a year am I right how many big churches do that we don't know
[16:22] I can't say that I know but I don't think big churches go and do that they may donate some money here and there and maybe they go on one or two mission trips but we were at like clockwork do you not think God made that work that was a God thing that was a Jesus thing and that's my point be content in our situation be content where we're at and Jesus no matter how bad it seems will bring us through it and if you need someone to pray with I'm always here for you and if you need someone to pray for you Matt and John and the other deacons are always here for you and we'll pray that Jesus will bring you through whatever you're going through because we know he will because we know he loves you beyond every shadow of a doubt he died on the cross for us he shed his blood for us shouldn't we revere him and his name shouldn't we be content because he said to be content we're studying
[17:43] Mark in Sunday school and it was so funny the way the part of Mark we were studying went so far with a sermon it's important that we understand that that Jesus is here for us Jesus loves us Jesus wants us in his hold and that's what we need to do as a church let's go to the Lord in prayer Father God thank you for these words because I know they came from you and they did not come from me Lord we know how awesome you are God how you just take care of us how you worship we worship you how you just lift us up Lord just continue to do that for us continue to love on us continue to show us your ways I pray this in the name of Jesus Amen