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Contentment
Contentment
I am so thankful that Florence didn’t leave us guessing about what she wanted for her service. A lady THAT special deserves the service celebrating HER life … to be EXACTLY the way she wanted it.
Florence said she wanted Philippians 4:10-13 to be read at her service – so we’ve read it and now I want to spend a few minutes with you, turning our attention to this portion of God’s word and meditating on it.
Verse 11 is the heart of the passage: Paul writes, “I have learned in whatever situation I am … to be content.”
On the paper where Florence had written out her wishes for the service – there was the list of hymns she wanted us to sing – and there was a list of Bible verses, there in her own handwriting. It was precious – and so Florence. There she listed, “Philippians 4 – verses 10-13” and then, immediately following the verses, she wrote this: “These I have lived with. I am CONTENT with my life.”
So Paul says he’s content. Florence says that the Apostle speaks for her – because SHE was content. And I say, “AMEN!” But, oh, what a radical idea that is in our society – Contentment?! There are a lot of words I would use to describe our society today: “Anxious, fearful, divided, hostile …”. But one word I would NOT use to describe North America, 2020 is: “CONTENT”.
… Instinctively – you know that
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But what is Paul talking about – when he says he’s ‘content’? What does Florence mean by it?
Well, if you want to understand what this text means, you need to understand the context.
Paul is writing these words, not from a resort on a sunny Mediterranean beach; not from a spacious corner office with a garden view … Paul is writing from Rome. As a prisoner for his faith – for the ‘crime’ of sharing the Good News of the Saviour Jesus Christ. Paul is wiring this letter, chained to a Roman soldier … shackled and bound.
The Christians in the church at Philippi have sent a gift to Paul – some kind of financial support to help sustain him, since he can’t exactly move around and make money. The only way he eats, is through the gifts of others. And in this letter, Paul says to the Philippians, ‘Thanks’. But it’s a careful thanks. The apostle appreciates the kindness, but he wants to make sure he doesn’t send the wrong impression and somehow give a false idea that he’s desperate for their help.
In these verses, Paul’s point, even in giving thanks for the gift, is that – even here in prison – his earthly future is uncertain … death may be around the corner – but PAUL IS CONTENT. That was Florence’s message too, when she wrote her wishes for this service, not many years ago. “Death is coming for me - - I don’t know how long I have on this side of eternity … but I AM CONTENT.” And if you knew her at all – you know that she lived contentment.
But what exactly does Paul MEAN when he says that he has learned in whatever situation to be content? We need to get the definition of ‘CONTENTMENT’ straight because there’s a lot of confusion about what exactly that word means.
The Greek word Paul uses here means, “self-sufficient” – “not controlled by circumstances”. In other words, he doesn’t need everything to go his way, in order for him to live well.
Now let me make sure you know what Paul DOESN’T mean here. Paul is NOT teaching the STOIC philosophy of his day, or the Eastern philosophy of our day that says, “Life is suffering – so guard yourself against emotion … detach yourself as much as you can, from the events around you … keep a stiff upper lip. Just try not to FEEL.” Then you won’t be moved by hard times or tragedy.
That’s NOT Christian contentment.
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Paul wasn’t detached from suffering – this is the guy who, the first time he went to this very city of Philippi – he and his partner Silas were arrested, thrown into jail for their preaching of Jesus. And what did they do through the night? Stage a protest? Go on a hunger strike? NO – they stayed up all night, stuck int the stocks … singing hymns. And when an earthquake shook the jail so much that the cell doors flew open and the stocks broke apart – Paul didn’t run … ‘we’re on a mission’ he and Silas said … so they stuck around and led the terrified and suicidal jailer to Jesus.
Florence didn’t detach herself from feeling or the possibility of being hurt, either. Her contentment was just like Paul’s.
She had her share of hurts and heartaches over the years, but she didn’t complain.
And more than that - Florence lived in love – and let me tell you all – she loved her family so very deeply. ALL of you. Lloyd read the letter that she wrote years ago – to be read on this very day. WHY would anyone think to DO that ahead of time? Only because of love.
Every time I would visit with her and Scotty and then, when she was gone, just talking to her – she would inevitably talk non-stop about all of you. And there are a LOT of you – do you know how many years it took me before I could finally start connecting family members together – who belonged with who? She spoke about all of you by name and overflowing with love.
If you were celebrating something in your life – Florence was celebrating too – and bragging on you. All of you. If you were struggling – going through hard times … Florence was suffering with you all – and asking others to pray for you. She wasn’t detached at all!
Verse 12, “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.”
THAT’S CHRISTIAN CONTENTMENT: not a negative – but a positive mindset that says, “I’m FREE! When things are going well – I give thanks and enjoy it … when things aren’t going great – I’m not consumed with grabbing for more.
Scotty knew physical storms on the sea in his years of work on the tugboats – I remember hearing stories from the two of them, when I would visit them at the house. Some terrifying stories of ferocious storms – especially considering the guy hated water and couldn’t swim. Well, Paul says, “When the trials and sorrows like sea billows roll – whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, ‘It is well … It is well, with my soul.’”
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Now you may be expecting me to apply this idea of contentment by saying something along the lines of: “Florence was content. The apostle Paul was content - - so you all need to be … content.”
But that’s not what I’m going to say. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say this: unless you are a Christian – you CAN’T be content. Not logically, anyways. How can you be?
There are those who tell us that we were not created – that there is no Divine Mind behind our existence – that we are nothing more than the accidental coming together of random atoms.
BERTRAND RUSSELL – famous English philosopher of the last century, lived by this atheistic philosophy just like so many who live by it today. At least he took it to its logical conclusion:
That man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms; that no fire, no heroism, no intensity of thought and feeling, can preserve an individual life beyond the grave; that all the labors of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of man's achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of the universe in ruins. . . . Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul's habitation henceforth be safely built (Why I Am Not a Christian, editor Paul Edwards [New York: Simon and Schuster, 1957], p. 107).
In other words – there is no God. You come from nowhere, you are going nowhere and you have, today – NO PURPOSE. The only way to reasonably live your life is to build it on the firm foundation of UNYIELDING DESPAIR.
If you believe that - then you have no solid reason this afternoon for any kind of contentment. If that were true – then Florence’s life would be gone with all the significance of a puffball, picked up by the breeze and scattered in every different direction.
Oh, but Paul said, “I have learned the secret” … of contentment. Florence said, “I am content with my life.” So what’s the secret? I want it for you.
The secret comes in v. 13. Paul finishes this section with these words: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13: If you like sports – and you know Florence did. She loved her Canucks … you’ve no doubt seen this reference somewhere on an athlete – written on his shoes, stitched on some clothing or even tattooed on his body. PHIL. 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
One of the times it was made famous was when the boxer, Evander Holyfield had it on his robe when he was going to go fight Mike Tyson. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". Of course, you know he meant, I'm going to beat up Mike Tyson. And he did, and some of us were sick of Mike Tyson and happy for him. I was like, "Yeah, you can do all things. You're the real deal."
But then he wore the same verse again to fight Lennox Lewis. "I can do all things," … and he got beaten up. You’ve been there - you're in class, you didn't study, but you say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me; I'm going to ace this test." It's our catch-all verse for "Whatever I feel like doing, God's going to give me the strength to do it."
That’s NOT what Paul means. That’s not the contentment that Florence knew. She was in that terrible car accident years ago that caused her so many challenges ever since. You didn’t hear Florence say, “I’m going to be pain-free, problem free and completely healed from every effect of the accident … because Jesus will take away all of my suffering.” No she didn’t.
That would be too small a goal. And she knew that. We weren’t created to find our satisfaction in sporting titles or physical health and strength or anything else in this creation. We were created for God and to delight in Him … and true, reasonable, lasting contentment can be found in one place: Through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord.
I need to stress that in our day, because there are many people who accept that, ‘Yes, there must be a God’ who created – this all couldn’t be just accident …” – but they are unsure of anything beyond His bare existence. “How can we know anything about God? How can a massively powerful, infinite God be understood by our tiny, finite human brains? Aren’t we left with nothing more than guesswork?” Choose whatever religion or philosophy that seems to work for you and hope for the best?
If that’s your question – let me respond with a question: Can you imagine any scenario in which Florence would have children and grandchildren … and great grandchildren … and NOT BOTHER ever speaking to them? That is inconceivable and we all know it. So why would we think that a God who would go to the trouble to create this universe – to give us family – to give us the gift of love – like Florence showed … why would we think that He would leave us fumbling in the dark to guess what He is like – with no communication from Him at all.
The Bible says He has communicated with us. He sent His Son as His great love message to us. I already read from John 14:6, Jesus says: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life – no one comes to the Father, except through me.”
That’s what I’m here to encourage you. That’s what Florence knew to be true – that’s what she staked her life on … and I know that’s what she wants for all of you. You can’t separate her character from her core beliefs … that’s where she built her life.
So where did Florence find the foundation for her contentment? Verse 19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Didn’t she model that trust in God’s provision – in every situation she walked through?
Fitting that this service is held in this church. Florence and Jineane have been the only original members of Maranatha who are still part of the church, for the past several years. About 6 years ago, at our church’s Annual General Meeting, Florence read a letter she had prepared, simply titled, ‘Faith’. She told a little of the history of Maranatha, how it had begun in a home in 1972, with a handful of people. Let me read you just a portion of her letter, because it gives another window into Florence’s mindset:
“… We had never taken up an offering – consequently our finances were non-existent. We decided to remedy this. We each were to put in $1.00. One of us only had 97 cents. Pastor John Crook was our leader. On FAITH alone (all caps), we rented a hall for $100 a month, promised a small stipend to Pastor John … all with a $5.97 bank account.
On Jan. 6, 1974, we held our first service. By word of mouth and advertisements we welcomed 19 people. This was a very big step of FAITH (all caps) as we had been told that Baptists had tried and failed to start a church here. We had very few church workers. For several years, I was church clerk, secretary, church treasurer, envelope secretary and of course, kitchen helper.
We continue to meet and use THESE facilities today. God has been so ‘Faithful’ – at this time I ask you – consider what $6.00 – a mountain of ‘Faith’ and unlimited help from our heavenly Father has done! Is it worth working for now?”
And Florence’s God was faithful – right to the end. Don’t you love how she went out so strong?! Florence was always in charge – she didn’t have to say a lot … and she was such a tiny package … but she had her way of smiling, with that twinkle in her eyes, holding your hand in hers … and you would run through a wall for her.
And God kept her … she wanted to reach her 100th birthday (well – everyone else really wanted her to hit that milestone – so she went along with it), in the last few weeks, she had the fall and came to the place where she decided it was time to go … so most of you came to spend time with her and joke with her and she stayed sharp to the very end … called me and some others, so we could say our good-byes (and I was so honoured to be called to her bedside … until Florence said she needed the pastor to come in and make sure before she went that she was pointed in the right direction).
“I’m ready to go home to be with Jesus now”, she said. And her heavenly Father took her home. Just like that.
“These I have lived. I am content with my life.”
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