True Contentment: Philippians M 8 (June 18, 2006)
Philippians M 8 True Contentment June 18, 2006
BI We experience true contentment when we experience Christ as our treasure and our power…
If you eat enough of the right kinds of food there comes a time when your stomach is satisfied….
But, the heart doesn't seem to work in quite the same way… The heart seems to be a bottomless pit that no experience on earth can satisfy….
When was the last time you acquired, achieved or experienced something that brought lasting contentment?
Perhaps some of us here would say… if only I had more success or money or popularity… I'd feel content.
Tom Brady, Sports Illustrated's most recent athlete of the Year…and the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots is someone who's experienced great success, wealth, and popularity.
Is Tom experiencing contentment?
You would think he would be…
Tom was considered too skinny, not possessing a strong enough arm, and too slow to be a successful professional football player and he was drafted late…
While still in his late 20s… he has already won three Super Bowls, an accomplishment that ranks him with some of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game. Not only is he a great player, but he's also a great, self-less person who everyone wants to play with.
But is he content? He told 60 Minutes: "Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, 'Hey man, this is it. I reached my goal, my dream, my life.' I think, God, it's got to be more than this. I mean this isn't, this can't be, what it's all cracked up to be."
"What's the answer?" asked interviewer Steve Kroft.
"I wish I knew," Brady replied. "I wish I knew."
The heart seems to be a kind of bottomless pit—that no amount of achievement, money, and popularity and fame, can fill… so when Paul aptly says…in 1 Timothy 6:6 that godliness with contentment is great gain… he's not exaggerating.
Paul in the final words of the book of Philippians describes how a person can become content…
Again Paul is not writing as some armchair academic… Paul writes this letter to the church in Philippi from a Roman prison, where he's being held because of proclamation that Jesus, not Nero, is Savior and Lord. The prisoners were usually secured by a chain attached to their ankle or wrists. There was no proper feeding system in the prison and it was cold and many prisoners begged for a speedy death.
It's from this kind of context that Paul writes about contentment…
If you have your Bibles please turn to Philippians 4 vs. 10
Thanks for Their Gifts
10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Paul says, 10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
As I've mentioned in those days there was no feeding system so don't image Paul in orange uniform standing in line at the cafeteria with his food tray…
Paul, like other prisoners of his day, was dependent on the good will and generosity of people outside the prison to bring him food and drink… The church at Philippi supported a short-term missionary named Epaphrodities to bring food and drink to Paul…
Paul in this final section of Philippians, as would been customary in these kinds of letters of his day, expresses his gratitude… in vs. 10 as he says I rejoice in the Lord for your concern for me. Later in vs. 14 Paul says it was good of you to share in my troubles…
Then, at the risk of sounding terribly ungrateful Paul says… in Vs. 11 I am not saying this (i.e. giving thanks for your gift) because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need (to be intensely hungry), and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Paul says I rejoice in the gift you sent me, but I've learned the “secret” of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry.
So what is Paul's secret to being content?
First let me talk about what it's not…
It's not what would have been the path of contentment for many people in the Greco-Roman world of his day: it's not the path of stoicism: Stoics were people who sought to be detached from their emotions, ideally indifferent to pleasure or pain.
A Stoic might say “Don't get attached to any one team in the world cup and you won't be hurt!”
Paul didn't pursue the path of contentment by being a stoic…
Nor did Paul seek contentment the way many people in our day seek it by seeking to acquire more of this or that.
Some people think the key to contentment is having a little bit more of this or that: maybe more education, a better career, more money or more of a certain kind of person, or more of a certain kind of family…
C.S. Lewis says, we think when we land the right job, or meet the right person, or perhaps are in the boat with the water lapping against the side…. We think that certain something we've been looking for is breaking into our lives and just as we get our arms around “it”… “it” eludes us… Lewis says nothing on this earth can fully satisfy us… because we were made for a reality beyond this earth--we were made for our creator…
Paul says…the secret of my contentment, isn't stoicism—it isn't about becoming detached from my emotions, it's not about… getting more of this or that..
It's having Christ at the center of my existence…
Paul says in vs. 12
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Paul says the secret to my contentment, whether in plenty or in need is Christ… Paul says I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength…
A lot of people with good intent take this out of context. They just read Paul's words in this context about through Christ I can do anything… through him I can graduate at the top of my class, I can record a song that will rise to #1 on the charts, through Christ I can win the Vancouver marathon…
When Paul says, I can do all things through Christ… what Paul means in the context is that in Christ I can be content in any situation…
How so?
Paul's life was radically centered on Christ… and therefore he knew what a treasure he had, how truly rich he was… He says that though I have nothing, I have everything.
Paul in 2 Corinthians 4 in speaking of Christ says I/we have this great treasure in jars of clay, meaning our bodies… when we recognize Christ is at the center of our life, we recognize we have this great treasure… When we recognize we have a great treasure, we tend to be more content even if we lose something…
If you were given King Louis XIV priceless, blue diamond… then you ended up losing a loonie trying to buy a coke on a broken vending machine…. you're probably not going to turn it upside down, to try to retrieve it… you know how much you have…
When we have Christ it's like having something of far greater value than the priceless blue diamond… if you lose a quarter or a nickel or a loony… it's not going to really disturb you, it might bother you a little, but it won't destroy you because you know you have the greatest treasure in Christ…
Because Paul has this great treasure, Christ, at the center of his life, he can say, I've learned to be content even when deprived of other things like food, warmth, the basic comforts of life…
If Christ is at the center of our lives, not in the suburbs, we can be content in any circumstance…
If something other than Christ is at the center of our life… chances are we won't know lasting contentment… If work is at the center of our life and things go wrong with work, we won't be content, today is Father's day: if fathering (or mothering) as important and as noble as that calling is, is at center of our lives and the kids go wayward, we won't be content…
But if Christ is at the center of our life and not in the suburbs of our life, then we like Paul can also be content in any situation… if Christ is at the center of our lives it doesn't mean that we won't mourn and grieve our losses, but we won't fall apart because that is not our ultimate treasure, Christ is…
Paul writes about contentment while suffering in a Roman prison…. We also know Paul had some kind of physical affliction, that he described in 2 Corinthians 12 as a thorn in the flesh and he prayed God would take it away, but God said… I won't take it away but my grace will be sufficient for you…
There are times when we are in a difficult situation and God will not take away that situation, but says my grace will be sufficient for you in it…
Some years ago, I experienced a deep and painful loss… that seemed to drain away my life energy… I had a habit of waking up early and going running each morning along the ocean…. eager to drink in each new day… but during that season, it took a Herculean effort just to get out from under the covers… I couldn't really pray… but in that time of darkness, there were moments when God's presence was so sweet that I thought I could barely contain it…
I had no human reason to feel that sustaining joy and hope… and I believe with all my heart it was God…
We can be content in all circumstances if Christ is at the center of our life because if he is our treasure, this Christ will give us strength…
After speaking of contentment, Paul goes on…
After expressing gratitude for the gift from the church at Philippi which was not at all wealthy, and Paul says, in vs. 17 it's not so much that I desire your gift (I've learned to be content in any situation) but what I desire more is that something is credited to your account…
Paul is so frank, that in our culture he would seem rude (but apparently according to the commentators what he's saying is not necessarily rude in their culture). But I am glad he's frank because he's making important point…
Their giving food and drink did benefit Paul… it kept him alive… our individual and corporate giving does benefit others…
Researchers, John and Sylvia Ronsvalle have estimated that $100 billion a year could meet the most essential human needs around the world. "We would really be on development curve overcoming the poverty that now kills and maims so many children and adults."
"If each Christian in North America would tithe (that is follow the Biblical call to tithe, which simply means giving 10 percent of their income to God) there could be an additional $100 billion available for this kind of mission work."
But while the Philippian church's giving does help Paul, Paul doesn't emphasize this… he says… it's not so much that I desire your gift, but I desire something to be credited to your account.
We tend to think of giving as something that will bless other people… and it does...
But what Paul is suggesting is that when we give we are even more blessed than the recipient of our gift.
Paul says I want you to give to God's work so that your gift may be credited to your account. He's not talking about our RBC or HSBC account he's talking about our account in heaven. When we give to God it builds some kind of heavenly account.
Jesus said don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is there your heart will be also…
When we give--we store up a treasure in heaven—Jesus said where your treasure is there your heart will be also….
If we really want a heart that is centered in God as our treasure, one way this can happen is if we store up our treasure with God…
Today is Father's day… ever wonder how a dad (or mom) can love a son or daughter who seems to have no real virtue, no socially redeeming qualities? It's likely because from the time that child was very little, the father (or mother) invested… deeply in that child's life, prayed for that child, sacrificed time, money and a lot of sleep for that child! They've invested and invested and invested so that the child… though perhaps a treasure to no one else has become a treasure to that parent…
When we invest in God, through our tithes and financial giving and through our service: whether through a ministry to kids or the elderly, building a home for a poor family in Mexico, leading a small group… it's an investment that builds our treasure in heaven…
When we give and invest in the things of God… we think the others are greatest beneficiaries, but Paul is saying we are, because we are storing up a treasure in heaven, if treasure is there our heart will be there, and if our treasure and our heart is with God, we will experience contentment…
Paul…says your giving, he's talking about financial giving, but he would also say whether it's through service, prayer… it is credited to your account. Build your treasure there, set your heart on God, it transforms you…
There are always people who may for understandable reasons think they cannot tithe or serve others or pray for people… because they think they can't afford the money, or energy, or the time… Paul is aware of this as he writes to this impoverished church and so as he says, he wants to keep giving to the work of God, so that their giving can be credited to their heavenly account. Paul, right after he affirms the church at Philippi for their faithful giving; says “My God shall supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus…” Again many people take this verse out of context, “God will always meet anyone's needs according to his riches…” and apply to everyone. But the context here is one where the promise is given to those who are honoring God in their giving that Paul says my God will supply their needs according to God's glorious riches in Christ Jesus…
Ken Davis tells a story about a pastor friend who went to visit some missionaries in Eastern Europe. He asked some friends who had been in the area for ideas about what he should bring with him. Everyone agreed that he would be wise to bring extra food to carry him over if food didn't agree with him.
One missionary had warned him that he might have to be ready to have some of his food confiscated by the customs officials.
As he wandered through the shop where he was buying his supplies the pastor was trying to think of the kinds of things he could take with him that would not catch the eye of a customs official. Or the kinds of things that would not spoil or that would serve as an energy boost (use props).
He also prayed.
“Lord you know the things I'll need and the things that will make it through customs. I'm just going to walk down these aisles, trusting you to prompt me to select the right items.”
He started to notice some things on the shelf which he put into his shopping trolley. There was a king-size pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. There were some tapioca pudding snack packs. He also took some cans of fruit cocktail, some gum and some hard candy. He thought that these would keep him going if he got hungry.
On the fourth day of his trip, he arrived in Timisoara, Romania. He was going to spend several days with some people who had worked there for fourteen months.
The conditions they lived in were not easy. They often had to go for days without heat and electricity. This pastor and his team were the first English speakers these missionaries had seen for six months. They had two teenage daughters who, as you could imagine were desperately missing everything American.
Just as he was about to leave, the American guest thought of the supplies he had brought with him on the trip. It occurred to him that although it was only October, it would be a nice idea to use the supplies to celebrate an early Christmas.
So he asked the teenage girls “If you could have one thing from North America, what would it be?”
“Candy,” they said with one voice.
“What kind?” he asked, thinking that they would happily take anything he had with him.
The mother chipped in at this point: “The girls love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but they're not available in this part of the world.”
So he reached into his rucksack and took out the king-size package he had brought with him.
He then asked their mother, “What item from back home would brighten your day?”
“I miss fruit”, she said, “especially citrus.” Out came a can of fruit cocktail and a tin of mandarin oranges.
By now everyone was laughing and wiping away the tears. There was still the father. The visiting missionary thought about removing the last few items and asking the father to make a selection from what was left. Two out of three miracles is not bad, why push it?!
But instead he asked the father, “Gary, what's your favourite dessert?” Gary smiled and said, “It's something no one else in the world likes – tapioca pudding.”
God is able to provide…
If we honor God he always provides all that we need, and sometimes he provides what we want…
Paul… says I've learned the secret of contentment by making Christ my treasure and by coming to believe that this treasure can supply all of our needs…
Some cynic might, say, well isn't it true that Paul ended spending 25% of his missionary life in prison and that he ended up dying in a Roman prison?
Yes, that's true…
But to Paul… all he needed was Christ… to live was Christ to die was gain…
When we realize that Christ is our treasure and that he can always deliver us, but are willing to lay our life down for Christ, the paradox is that when we are willing to lay our life for Christ, we experience the true life… Because living for Christ, when dying is gain is not the secret to contentment, it is the greatest life in the world.
(The sermon can be heard online at: http://www.tenth.ca/audio.htm)
BI We experience true contentment when we experience Christ as our treasure and our power…
If you eat enough of the right kinds of food there comes a time when your stomach is satisfied….
But, the heart doesn't seem to work in quite the same way… The heart seems to be a bottomless pit that no experience on earth can satisfy….
When was the last time you acquired, achieved or experienced something that brought lasting contentment?
Perhaps some of us here would say… if only I had more success or money or popularity… I'd feel content.
Tom Brady, Sports Illustrated's most recent athlete of the Year…and the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots is someone who's experienced great success, wealth, and popularity.
Is Tom experiencing contentment?
You would think he would be…
Tom was considered too skinny, not possessing a strong enough arm, and too slow to be a successful professional football player and he was drafted late…
While still in his late 20s… he has already won three Super Bowls, an accomplishment that ranks him with some of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game. Not only is he a great player, but he's also a great, self-less person who everyone wants to play with.
But is he content? He told 60 Minutes: "Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there's something greater out there for me? I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, 'Hey man, this is it. I reached my goal, my dream, my life.' I think, God, it's got to be more than this. I mean this isn't, this can't be, what it's all cracked up to be."
"What's the answer?" asked interviewer Steve Kroft.
"I wish I knew," Brady replied. "I wish I knew."
The heart seems to be a kind of bottomless pit—that no amount of achievement, money, and popularity and fame, can fill… so when Paul aptly says…in 1 Timothy 6:6 that godliness with contentment is great gain… he's not exaggerating.
Paul in the final words of the book of Philippians describes how a person can become content…
Again Paul is not writing as some armchair academic… Paul writes this letter to the church in Philippi from a Roman prison, where he's being held because of proclamation that Jesus, not Nero, is Savior and Lord. The prisoners were usually secured by a chain attached to their ankle or wrists. There was no proper feeding system in the prison and it was cold and many prisoners begged for a speedy death.
It's from this kind of context that Paul writes about contentment…
If you have your Bibles please turn to Philippians 4 vs. 10
Thanks for Their Gifts
10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Paul says, 10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
As I've mentioned in those days there was no feeding system so don't image Paul in orange uniform standing in line at the cafeteria with his food tray…
Paul, like other prisoners of his day, was dependent on the good will and generosity of people outside the prison to bring him food and drink… The church at Philippi supported a short-term missionary named Epaphrodities to bring food and drink to Paul…
Paul in this final section of Philippians, as would been customary in these kinds of letters of his day, expresses his gratitude… in vs. 10 as he says I rejoice in the Lord for your concern for me. Later in vs. 14 Paul says it was good of you to share in my troubles…
Then, at the risk of sounding terribly ungrateful Paul says… in Vs. 11 I am not saying this (i.e. giving thanks for your gift) because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need (to be intensely hungry), and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Paul says I rejoice in the gift you sent me, but I've learned the “secret” of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry.
So what is Paul's secret to being content?
First let me talk about what it's not…
It's not what would have been the path of contentment for many people in the Greco-Roman world of his day: it's not the path of stoicism: Stoics were people who sought to be detached from their emotions, ideally indifferent to pleasure or pain.
A Stoic might say “Don't get attached to any one team in the world cup and you won't be hurt!”
Paul didn't pursue the path of contentment by being a stoic…
Nor did Paul seek contentment the way many people in our day seek it by seeking to acquire more of this or that.
Some people think the key to contentment is having a little bit more of this or that: maybe more education, a better career, more money or more of a certain kind of person, or more of a certain kind of family…
C.S. Lewis says, we think when we land the right job, or meet the right person, or perhaps are in the boat with the water lapping against the side…. We think that certain something we've been looking for is breaking into our lives and just as we get our arms around “it”… “it” eludes us… Lewis says nothing on this earth can fully satisfy us… because we were made for a reality beyond this earth--we were made for our creator…
Paul says…the secret of my contentment, isn't stoicism—it isn't about becoming detached from my emotions, it's not about… getting more of this or that..
It's having Christ at the center of my existence…
Paul says in vs. 12
12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Paul says the secret to my contentment, whether in plenty or in need is Christ… Paul says I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength…
A lot of people with good intent take this out of context. They just read Paul's words in this context about through Christ I can do anything… through him I can graduate at the top of my class, I can record a song that will rise to #1 on the charts, through Christ I can win the Vancouver marathon…
When Paul says, I can do all things through Christ… what Paul means in the context is that in Christ I can be content in any situation…
How so?
Paul's life was radically centered on Christ… and therefore he knew what a treasure he had, how truly rich he was… He says that though I have nothing, I have everything.
Paul in 2 Corinthians 4 in speaking of Christ says I/we have this great treasure in jars of clay, meaning our bodies… when we recognize Christ is at the center of our life, we recognize we have this great treasure… When we recognize we have a great treasure, we tend to be more content even if we lose something…
If you were given King Louis XIV priceless, blue diamond… then you ended up losing a loonie trying to buy a coke on a broken vending machine…. you're probably not going to turn it upside down, to try to retrieve it… you know how much you have…
When we have Christ it's like having something of far greater value than the priceless blue diamond… if you lose a quarter or a nickel or a loony… it's not going to really disturb you, it might bother you a little, but it won't destroy you because you know you have the greatest treasure in Christ…
Because Paul has this great treasure, Christ, at the center of his life, he can say, I've learned to be content even when deprived of other things like food, warmth, the basic comforts of life…
If Christ is at the center of our lives, not in the suburbs, we can be content in any circumstance…
If something other than Christ is at the center of our life… chances are we won't know lasting contentment… If work is at the center of our life and things go wrong with work, we won't be content, today is Father's day: if fathering (or mothering) as important and as noble as that calling is, is at center of our lives and the kids go wayward, we won't be content…
But if Christ is at the center of our life and not in the suburbs of our life, then we like Paul can also be content in any situation… if Christ is at the center of our lives it doesn't mean that we won't mourn and grieve our losses, but we won't fall apart because that is not our ultimate treasure, Christ is…
Paul writes about contentment while suffering in a Roman prison…. We also know Paul had some kind of physical affliction, that he described in 2 Corinthians 12 as a thorn in the flesh and he prayed God would take it away, but God said… I won't take it away but my grace will be sufficient for you…
There are times when we are in a difficult situation and God will not take away that situation, but says my grace will be sufficient for you in it…
Some years ago, I experienced a deep and painful loss… that seemed to drain away my life energy… I had a habit of waking up early and going running each morning along the ocean…. eager to drink in each new day… but during that season, it took a Herculean effort just to get out from under the covers… I couldn't really pray… but in that time of darkness, there were moments when God's presence was so sweet that I thought I could barely contain it…
I had no human reason to feel that sustaining joy and hope… and I believe with all my heart it was God…
We can be content in all circumstances if Christ is at the center of our life because if he is our treasure, this Christ will give us strength…
After speaking of contentment, Paul goes on…
After expressing gratitude for the gift from the church at Philippi which was not at all wealthy, and Paul says, in vs. 17 it's not so much that I desire your gift (I've learned to be content in any situation) but what I desire more is that something is credited to your account…
Paul is so frank, that in our culture he would seem rude (but apparently according to the commentators what he's saying is not necessarily rude in their culture). But I am glad he's frank because he's making important point…
Their giving food and drink did benefit Paul… it kept him alive… our individual and corporate giving does benefit others…
Researchers, John and Sylvia Ronsvalle have estimated that $100 billion a year could meet the most essential human needs around the world. "We would really be on development curve overcoming the poverty that now kills and maims so many children and adults."
"If each Christian in North America would tithe (that is follow the Biblical call to tithe, which simply means giving 10 percent of their income to God) there could be an additional $100 billion available for this kind of mission work."
But while the Philippian church's giving does help Paul, Paul doesn't emphasize this… he says… it's not so much that I desire your gift, but I desire something to be credited to your account.
We tend to think of giving as something that will bless other people… and it does...
But what Paul is suggesting is that when we give we are even more blessed than the recipient of our gift.
Paul says I want you to give to God's work so that your gift may be credited to your account. He's not talking about our RBC or HSBC account he's talking about our account in heaven. When we give to God it builds some kind of heavenly account.
Jesus said don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasure in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is there your heart will be also…
When we give--we store up a treasure in heaven—Jesus said where your treasure is there your heart will be also….
If we really want a heart that is centered in God as our treasure, one way this can happen is if we store up our treasure with God…
Today is Father's day… ever wonder how a dad (or mom) can love a son or daughter who seems to have no real virtue, no socially redeeming qualities? It's likely because from the time that child was very little, the father (or mother) invested… deeply in that child's life, prayed for that child, sacrificed time, money and a lot of sleep for that child! They've invested and invested and invested so that the child… though perhaps a treasure to no one else has become a treasure to that parent…
When we invest in God, through our tithes and financial giving and through our service: whether through a ministry to kids or the elderly, building a home for a poor family in Mexico, leading a small group… it's an investment that builds our treasure in heaven…
When we give and invest in the things of God… we think the others are greatest beneficiaries, but Paul is saying we are, because we are storing up a treasure in heaven, if treasure is there our heart will be there, and if our treasure and our heart is with God, we will experience contentment…
Paul…says your giving, he's talking about financial giving, but he would also say whether it's through service, prayer… it is credited to your account. Build your treasure there, set your heart on God, it transforms you…
There are always people who may for understandable reasons think they cannot tithe or serve others or pray for people… because they think they can't afford the money, or energy, or the time… Paul is aware of this as he writes to this impoverished church and so as he says, he wants to keep giving to the work of God, so that their giving can be credited to their heavenly account. Paul, right after he affirms the church at Philippi for their faithful giving; says “My God shall supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus…” Again many people take this verse out of context, “God will always meet anyone's needs according to his riches…” and apply to everyone. But the context here is one where the promise is given to those who are honoring God in their giving that Paul says my God will supply their needs according to God's glorious riches in Christ Jesus…
Ken Davis tells a story about a pastor friend who went to visit some missionaries in Eastern Europe. He asked some friends who had been in the area for ideas about what he should bring with him. Everyone agreed that he would be wise to bring extra food to carry him over if food didn't agree with him.
One missionary had warned him that he might have to be ready to have some of his food confiscated by the customs officials.
As he wandered through the shop where he was buying his supplies the pastor was trying to think of the kinds of things he could take with him that would not catch the eye of a customs official. Or the kinds of things that would not spoil or that would serve as an energy boost (use props).
He also prayed.
“Lord you know the things I'll need and the things that will make it through customs. I'm just going to walk down these aisles, trusting you to prompt me to select the right items.”
He started to notice some things on the shelf which he put into his shopping trolley. There was a king-size pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. There were some tapioca pudding snack packs. He also took some cans of fruit cocktail, some gum and some hard candy. He thought that these would keep him going if he got hungry.
On the fourth day of his trip, he arrived in Timisoara, Romania. He was going to spend several days with some people who had worked there for fourteen months.
The conditions they lived in were not easy. They often had to go for days without heat and electricity. This pastor and his team were the first English speakers these missionaries had seen for six months. They had two teenage daughters who, as you could imagine were desperately missing everything American.
Just as he was about to leave, the American guest thought of the supplies he had brought with him on the trip. It occurred to him that although it was only October, it would be a nice idea to use the supplies to celebrate an early Christmas.
So he asked the teenage girls “If you could have one thing from North America, what would it be?”
“Candy,” they said with one voice.
“What kind?” he asked, thinking that they would happily take anything he had with him.
The mother chipped in at this point: “The girls love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, but they're not available in this part of the world.”
So he reached into his rucksack and took out the king-size package he had brought with him.
He then asked their mother, “What item from back home would brighten your day?”
“I miss fruit”, she said, “especially citrus.” Out came a can of fruit cocktail and a tin of mandarin oranges.
By now everyone was laughing and wiping away the tears. There was still the father. The visiting missionary thought about removing the last few items and asking the father to make a selection from what was left. Two out of three miracles is not bad, why push it?!
But instead he asked the father, “Gary, what's your favourite dessert?” Gary smiled and said, “It's something no one else in the world likes – tapioca pudding.”
God is able to provide…
If we honor God he always provides all that we need, and sometimes he provides what we want…
Paul… says I've learned the secret of contentment by making Christ my treasure and by coming to believe that this treasure can supply all of our needs…
Some cynic might, say, well isn't it true that Paul ended spending 25% of his missionary life in prison and that he ended up dying in a Roman prison?
Yes, that's true…
But to Paul… all he needed was Christ… to live was Christ to die was gain…
When we realize that Christ is our treasure and that he can always deliver us, but are willing to lay our life down for Christ, the paradox is that when we are willing to lay our life for Christ, we experience the true life… Because living for Christ, when dying is gain is not the secret to contentment, it is the greatest life in the world.
(The sermon can be heard online at: http://www.tenth.ca/audio.htm)
posted by Shigematsu at 4:41 PM
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