Peace, The Fruit of Contentment

Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest. Let's bow and ask the Lord to bless our time in the Word. Father, again we bow before You as we've confessed with our lips our frailties, our weaknesses, and we hear the gospel that reminds us that in Him we have been made right. Help me, I pray, Father, to minister Your Word according and wise by your perfect plan.

We thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Contentment. Wow. As I pondered it over the past few weeks and the busyness of time, It's a battle. It's a battle because our hearts are anxious.

They're anxious. They want things right away. They want it now. We live in a time where everything's instant. We have instant coffee. We have instant meals.

We can call somebody right now. somebody's probably calling somebody right now texting, hey I'm in church don't bother me but we live in a culture that pushes us this and it conforms our thinking and doesn't help us in a way of slowing down and understanding what God has for us contentment in the Greek it means self-sufficient and the context that Paul writes it it's being satisfied it's being reminded of who we are in Christ our union with him that we are steadfast to him that we are made right with God with him it's all it's so significant in our walk we were talking about prayer in Sunday school how appropriate it was because our prayer life is chiseled away because we become too anxious about things. We don't think we have the time. But God is always faithful and He reminds us these things.

And as we meet together, we're reminded of the things that need to be corrected, but we're strengthened again by the Gospel. So I'll have you turn to Philippians chapter 4, and we'll start in verse 4. I'm sure if you've been a Christian for some time, you've read this passage over and over again, because it really accelerates what we need to do, and at times we don't feel like what it says here.

Verse 4, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable. If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you.

I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You indeed concern for me, but you have no opportunity. Now that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am be content. 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, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. he closes this this book out again paul's in prison which which fortifies it all the more as you read it someone being content in the situation here's paul and you got to think of his mindset okay i'm in prison i'm supposed to be suffering for jesus and bringing honor and glory to him and the Lord has me locked up and it speaks volumes to us in our own lives God knows what he's doing you'll be in the roughest situation you might be or you might be in the easiest situation but you need to be reminded that God is in total control he is our sovereign providence which can be dark at times. I love what Ian Murray says. He says the darkness of providence, the cloud of providence can cover.

I'm trying to do this by memory. I shouldn't do it. But there's always a loving, smiling face of a heavenly father behind that providence. So let look or just see what Paul put here in the early part of Philippians and just kind of bring it to the end here In chapter 1 he says you filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God He gives us this example of being anxious, tied in.

I think this speaks volumes to it. In chapter 2, he says, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own inners, but also to the inners of others. Now we think of ambition. We should all be ambitious. But what gets in the way of our prayer life and doing service to the Lord is our selfish ambition.

We wouldn't provide for the poor and needy in our community and even in our own congregation. If we weren't ambitious, we have to earn money, don't we? It's part of our life. I think in a time right now, people are struggling with their means. It's a good time to be reminded that God is sovereign. He is going to provide for my needs.

And speaking from Paul's perspective, in a prison cell, which I'm sure sometimes he didn't get all the provisions just to eat. But he says, be on guard of this selfish ambition. But he says, look to Christ. Have the same humility as Christ. Our perfect example, chapter 2, verse 14, do all things without grumbling and disputing, that we may be blameless and innocent children of God, without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

I don't know about you, but I catch myself grumbling. It's raining. I want a plant. Lord, do you want me to plant a crop? Oh, I might not say it. In each of your situations, you all have situations where it hits you right here.

How am I going to provide? And again, this union with Christ, being satisfied in Him. Lord, you will provide. How will I honor your name? He says, to be a blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation. We know we're blemished, but by him we are made right.

Habitual sin is what perverses all that Christ has done. If you're a Christian and you're not faithfully following Christ, it's a warning here. He says, holding fast to the word of life and the day of Christ, I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. I had an example of this. A couple of weeks ago, my mother-in-law passed away. She had a really tough week.

Just really suffering. But she had time to minister to the health workers that came in, dying, but being faithful to the call of Christ. These are little tidbits we get in life. God shows us, not only in His Word, but in providence and people in our lives. Let's move on to chapter 3. Paul says, Though I have myself, I have reason for confidence in the flesh also, if anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more.

He had more confidence in the flesh, but he says, it's all rubbish. I want Christ. I want Christ. I think of when he's writing this down by the Holy Spirit's inspiration. they remember the man that he was supposed to go into Damascus was it Damascus? anyway, but he I've got to look it up just clarify my thinking I'm going the wrong way that happens he was supposed to give word to him it was in he said rise up he's talking to this this yeah now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias the Lord said to him in a vision Ananias he said here I am Lord and the Lord said to him rise up and go to the street called straight at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul for behold he is praying he's seen a vision of a man named Ananias come in and lay hands on him that he may again regain his sight.

And he's like, oh, that's the guy who's been persecuting us. But he says, go, the Lord's telling him this in the vision, go for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and the kings and children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. I wonder if Ananias told him that. You're going to suffer for Christ. and Paul was willing.

It should say something about our faith. If we're willing for the Lord's sake, He will take us through the darkest places but He will always love us like a heavenly father He will always guide us through these things Paul again he confesses he got more to boast about But he says, no, I suffer the loss of all things and count them as rubbish in order that I may gain Christ. And we come to this passage. he says rejoice in the Lord again I would say rejoice let your reason be known to everyone let your sound judgment let your what is so uncommon in our day and age common sense God is my creator that's what people need to hear you know you're created by God you have a heavenly father you're not a a random of chance i was looking at a program they were moving these large satellites and i was saying to my son i go i wonder if those men know how glorious god is as they're looking and it says they're looking for the origin of life That's how nonsense is in the world.

Now I'm sure there's some Christians in there. I don't know. But again, He is our Creator. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. let your requests be known to God why do we withhold our requests do we think we're sufficient in our own if we're truly satisfied in who God is and his providence we're going to lay these requests he commands us he commands us to lay them before him but at the heart of being content and satisfied in god is a heart of thanksgiving see contentment there's a lot that goes off from that it was the title of the sermon's peace that's one that's one of them but when you you have a grateful heart and you're satisfied with god himself and nothing else.

I don't need anything else. That's a hard thing to comprehend, isn't it? Would I be like Job if he stripped everything away? Would I still worship God? I hope I would. I hope these examples can press a faith that wouldn't be moved. what is our purpose this gospel ambition that's what that would drive us to a thanksgiving when we understand God's purposes in our life you've been brought out of darkness into his glorious light and now you can be partakers of him as Paul says in Ephesians imitators not that we're God but we can strive after this loving God and loving neighbor.

The Son showed the Father the perfect love as He walked this land. He was always in prayer. See, I came back to prayer again, Dan. It's so significant. Our hearts are busy. They're anxious.

I've got to get this done. selfish ambition I think it's the one thing that that kind of goes through these things which he says in the peace of God and everybody in this room would ask that well I want peace I want peace in my heart will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus and these noble things to think about. He says, finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, just think about these things. I've never heard anybody praising sinful behavior.

I think this is a great thing. You know, committing adultery. Oh, you know, I ran over the neighbor's dog. Ha ha. Nobody's. These are the things that are right are the things of the kingdom.

Things that are honorable for our King. our King Jesus who sits at the right hand of the Father who anticipates us coming before Him with thanksgiving. Have you ever prayed with not a thankful heart? I think we all have. Or prayed through a prayer that never I think it reached the lights. But in Christ He hears our prayers. He understands us completely.

He understands our hurt. He understands our happiness. He understands where we're at right now. Right now. I like what Jeremy burrows, which is, and I have to confess, I was reading through this book that William Barclay on contentment. that we did a few years back in Men of Faith So I got a lot from that Because like Tim says if you writing a sermon you're posting paste, which I can't even do on a computer.

Jeremy Burr defines this, Christian temptness is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits into delight in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every situation. Even the toughest situations in your life, it might be right now. I read this from Hebrews. For the moment all discipline seems painful, rather than pleasant. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

I don't know about you, but when hardship comes, I am drawn to my knees. there's no other place I can be before my holy God. It draws me there. And when time of ease is going on, I'm lacking. I'm lacking, and I'm driven back to this self-sufficiency that we all battle with. God breaks us because we need to be broken. fathers you know what it's like mothers you do too fathers are supposed to lead their families in discipline discipline was the toughest time but it was the sweetest time as you observe your children in all their weaknesses forgive me for it's just something that as a heavenly father he does it's not like he brings it willingly he goes but this has to be done it has to be done to bring him to a place of calling out as your children wept there was nothing better We get this reminder of who God is.

No greater love has the one granted us. When we read this righteousness, somehow we seem like we're foreign from it. But yet, he draws us to what we need to do. Be satisfied in me. be content with what I'm giving you because I'm a loving Father that knows you completely. You withhold gifts from your children. You don't just spoil them and lavish them with things.

You're teaching them to be content in the simplest things, to enjoy the simplest things. The one thing that is most free is the one thing that's most neglected in our society. The grace of God in Christ Jesus. But it cost God everything. He had to separate himself from the Son. He had to pour his wrath upon his Son for our behalf.

These things, the gospel that is, reminds us, oh, we'd love to hear the gospel. If it ever becomes dull to your ear, repent. Repent. Come before Him and ask forgiveness. How something so great and so rich, something that pulled us from death to life. I want to go back to 1 Timothy here. as it speaks of this godliness with contempt and this great gain.

He talks about money. It's not money that's the problem. It's our heart. He says, God would put it this way. I want you to be devoted to me. You can't serve two masters.

Christ Himself said it on the Sermon on the Mount. You either serve money or me. serve me I'll give you money because I love you I'll provide what you need look what he says in verse 11 but as for you O man of God flee from these things pursue righteousness godliness, faith, love steadfastness, gentleness fight the good fight of the faith take hold of eternal life which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. We just had baptism last week.

That was it's a witness to the body. He said take hold of eternal life. The problem of our anxiousness is we've got eternal life but we got this finite heart that needs to be transformed more and more to God's eternal plan. He says these short moments, Paul says in 2 Corinthians, these short and momentary afflictions. It doesn't seem so short and momentary.

I'm facing big obstacles, whatever it be. He would tell you in His Word that take hold of this eternal life. Things are eternal. There's nothing greater for the older to the younger generation to leave than the legacy in Christ. that we would be examples to the younger ones that they would say yes, they love the Lord. Is there someone that you can mentor?

I'm sure there is. Say, well, I'm shy. The Lord says, I'll provide you all you need. Someone you can pray for. someone that would give you the mindset of eternity I want them in eternity I think part of our as we think about selfish ambition and we're trying to do things we've got jobs, we've got families keeping these things in perspective we have a kingdom to build Christ's kingdom must be built in Psalm 90 Moses gives this description of the span of life and how short it is and he says teach me to number my days aright that I'd have a heart of wisdom that passage I pray it every day because I'm not as wise as I need to be in the urgency to minister the gospel to someone or care for their need or provide something that isn just for my selfish ambition You see how the things Paul writes in the letters of the epistles you got to read them straight through because they all tie together He's trying to get this message to the believers in the church to take heart, be strong, be content.

Boy, Paul's in prison. I surely can be content. Be content. Think of these things. things that are honorable think about that in your prayer life you know we're never quite content you know because I know in my heart I need to be more and more in love with my Jesus. So a contented Christian is one not satisfied with himself. Yeah, we have peace with God.

But listen to what the psalmist says. As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God, when I shall come and appear before God. I want to stand before my Jesus, your Jesus. I want Him to say, well done, good and faithful servant. I can't do anything without His His yokeship that He's promised.

He says, learn from me. It's not easy to learn. Students, you're finishing up high school. Aren't those tests wonderful? They're hard. You have to work at it.

God was Paul was always adamant about when I working God at work And that why he learned this by training his mind and his heart to meditate on what God says in His Word If there's the three common things that we need, so common, aren't they? Faithful prayer life, communing with our God, having union with Him, having fellowship with Him, reading the Bible wow heard that a few times children you hear that over and over kids are your parents are trying to teach you something in fellowship fellowship with the body serving the body learning to be more Christ like in the body because we're imperfect and we need one another as we are iron sharpening iron. We're perfecting one another's faith, whether you know it or not, even in our weaknesses.

And the God of peace will be with you. Now I want to speak to you who have tasted the goodness of God. that you see how God is good by His common grace. He says in Romans, He says, For His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made so that they are without excuse.

You know what? that was our first judgment against us wasn't it we didn't come out of the womb and grow up and go man i love god now he says in chapter three and i i i address you unbelievers who have not surrendered your life to christ there is none righteous not no one no one understands no one seeks God then what do I do Well if God brings conviction on your heart you bow your knee and know that Jesus Jesus paid it all All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He'll make you white as snow.

We're all imperfect. We're all sinners here. We have looked at the Lordship of Christ as He pricked our heart. That day when we saw the Scriptures for what it was, He gave us His Spirit. He said, come. Come to Me, all who's heavy laden and weary.

This world will make you weary. But God will give you peace in all things. That's what I want. And as we take this communion, as Dan serves it. The choir's going to sing for the bread, but not yet. But think about what we have.

We're wealthy. We have Jesus. It didn't cost us a thing. It was all His divine plan. Let's bow in prayer. Father you are so good you are so loving and we at times can be like Asa and forget who you are thank you for your chastening thank you for your spirit that reminds us as Asa called out whom have I in heaven but thee on earth I desire nothing besides you may my heart and my flesh seek you out and you be my portion Father thank you for all your goodness now bless our time in communion in Jesus name, Amen