Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

There once was a little boy who kept on being told by his mom that he needed to eat his fruits and vegetables in order to have a healthy diet.

The boy wanted to obey his mom so he tried his best to eat his fruit and vegetables… One day, though, the mom put spinach in front of the boy and that was the last straw.

He finally asked his mom the question that had been on his brain for years and years: “Mom, why didn’t God put all the good vitamins and nutrients that are in spinach in ice cream?”

He finally asked the question that we’ve all been wondering our entire lives!

The best his mom could come up with is this verse from Scripture

For some reason - probably our health - God chose to make some things good for our bodies and some things bad for our bodies and even though we want to know the “why” - we know that God had a purpose and plan behind His action.

Throughout Philippians, we’ve seen that God has a plan.

For whatever reason, God’s plan doesn’t always make sense to us, though.

For Paul, God’s plan was for him to go into prison and to continue to preach the Gospel.

To us that sounds like a strange plan!

Yet, for Paul he simply trusted that God had him there for a reason.

Whenever we approach our lives trusting in God’s perfect plan, we like Paul, can have joy in the midst of difficult situations.

The main theme of Philippians is that of joy in Jesus and as we read this letter we get the feeling that Paul is writing from God’s palace rather than Caesar’s prison because he doesn’t sound defeated… He sounds joyful!

Even though he and this church are facing genuine problems and persecution, this book shares with us to shift our gaze from our problem to our provider and to focus on His great salvation!

As we run the race and walk worthy of the Gospel, He changes us.

He replaces sadness with satisfaction.

He replaces worry with peace.

He replaces fear with faith.

As we conclude Philippians this morning, think of the ways that Jesus has provided for you throughout your life.

The problem that the people of Israel often got into was that they forgot all the ways that God had provided for them in the past… May we not have that same problem today!

What is a way that Jesus has provided for you?

Let’s start really simple: You’re here this morning and those with us online are able to watch online on your computer or TV - Jesus provided breath in your lungs this morning and He provided the means for your to worship this morning!

For those of you who have been born again and have repented of your sins and trusted in Christ as Lord, Jesus has provided salvation and He has given you a new heart!

While there are some in our world who think that karma and luck rule the day, the Bible tells us a different story.

The Bible tells us that God isn’t far off and distant from His creation - instead He is actively involved in the things going on in our lives and around our world.

This is the idea of Providence - God is preserving His creation and guiding it towards His intended purposes.

We see this in Scripture with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego as God provides and preserves them through the fiery furnace.

We see this with Joseph as he was sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers who meant that for evil but God meant it for good - God provided.

We see this in Romans 8:28 as this truth is not just subject to some of us but that God promises to work all things for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

Aren’t you thankful that God continues to provide in our world today?

Aren’t you thankful that it’s not karma or luck that is in charge?

This morning let’s rejoice as we study from God’s Word and remind ourselves that our God rules and continues to provide.

Because our God provides for us, our lives should be marked by several characteristics

God’s Provision Makes us Content (10-12)

What makes you content?

Surveys show that most people believe that in order to be content, they need something that they don’t currently have… That they need more!

For many, though, more things will simply lead to more problems and a larger void in their heart… Israel never did good in times of blessing!

What material blessing often did was it revealed their heart and their desire for the things that God could give them rather than for God Himself.

Things have a way of doing this in our life.

We think that if we could just have this thing - if I could have this relationship, if I could have this achievement, if I could have this promotion, if I could have this reputation, if I could have this thing then I would have the happiness and satisfaction that I so desperately desire!

What’s so interesting is that often the people who are content and satisfied are the ones who may not have the latest and greatest “thing” that’s out there.

Here’s the problem: We desire to be content but we desire to have lots of things.

What wins out in the end?

We don’t like hearing this, but what if the solution to this problem is to reframe the question: Do we really know what we need?

As a teenager I felt like I needed a car.

My birthday is in October so I didn’t have to wait too long into my Sophomore year to begin driving but that summer my best friend got his license and was able to drive us around and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world and that I needed to turn 16 just so that I could drive too.

Fast forward a few months and October 17 comes around and I’m ready to go and take the test so that I can satisfy this itch I have to drive and be like my friends.

Pass the test, get back home, drop my dad off, and I drive to FBC Ozark in my 25 year old Ford F-150 to show my friends that I finally have my license!

It was fun to drive in that truck for the first time all by myself - I’m not going to lie!

But whenever I got to the church I quickly remembered something.

My friend had a much nicer and newer truck than I did.

Suddenly my need wasn’t just to have a car but to have a nice one.

Have you ever been in that type of situation before?

You think that you need something only to find out that what you thought you needed, you didn’t really need as much as you thought?

We think that we know all the answers but so often in life the things that we think will satisfy us or give us the answer we’re looking for simply fall short.

In our text Paul shares that he knows how to make do whenever he has a lot and whenever he has a little - whether he has lots of food or whether he’s scrapping by, whether he has lots of things or whether he has just a few things.

He’s learned the secret to be content in every situation that he’s in.

We’ll look at what that secret is in just a minute - but think about the principal that Paul is sharing here.

He’s able to be content whether he has a 25 year old Ford F-150 or whether he has a 2022 Ford F-150.

He’s learned how to be content whenever he doesn’t have enough money for fast food and whenever he’s had enough money to get the pricey top sirloin from the steakhouse.

Isn’t this the exact opposite of our world?

What basis does Paul have for being content in these situations?

He knows that God provides - God has provided in the past and Paul trusts that God will provide in the present and future as well.

He has learned this over the years!

Where did he learn it?

He didn’t learn it in his Jewish past studying the law… He learned this through Christian discipleship and becoming more and more like Jesus who we could say was the most content person who ever walked this earth.

What does it mean that Paul learned to be content?

Simply this: Paul trusted that God placed him exactly where he was supposed to be.

Paul could have been discontent while in prison - I think many of us would be discontent in such a place because we’d desire to be anywhere else! Yet, Paul was content and was at peace with where he was.

He trusted that God, in His providence, had him in prison for a purpose.

Once you have that idea in your DNA, you become a dangerous weapon in the Kingdom of God - once you learn to be content in Jesus Christ for everything, you can rejoice in the Lord at whatever comes your way just like Paul does in chapter 1.

Do you remember that back and forth?

Possibly the guards threaten his life and Paul says, “To live is Christ and to die is gain.”

We’ll let you live - Paul rejoices because God has work for him to do.

The guards threaten to torture him - Paul rejoices that he’s worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ.

Do you see that this man learned the secret to being content not in things… but in a person?

Paul trusted that God gave him exactly what he needed and that satisfied him unlike the best that this world has to offer.

God’s Provision Makes us Joy-full (13-14)

Not only was Paul content while enduring this hardship as verse 14 tells us… He rejoices in the Lord during this difficult time.

Philippians 4:13 is just as inspired as every other verse in the Bible… yet for many Philippians 4:13 is their favorite verse in the entire Bible.

We understand why whenever we look at it

Praise the Lord - I’m ready to run through a brick wall because Jesus strengthens me.

Think of the things that we use to strengthen ourselves.

Athletes use weights.

Construction workers use lumber and concrete.

Students use equations.

1st time mothers and fathers use caffeine!

We long to receive strength and as a Christian you and I are strengthened by none other than the Creator of the Universe - take that 5 hour energy!

We LOVE Philippians 4:13… when it seems like it benefits us.

We see people quote Philippians 4:13 often in our world and none more often than the world of athletics.

A runner is getting ready to run a race and he puts Philippians 4:13 on his track cleats and he quotes this verse before he begins the race… Because after all, I can win this race because Jesus gives me strength.

I can get this promotion at work because Jesus gives me strength.

I can get an A on this exam that I didn’t study for because Jesus gives me strength.

I can dunk a basketball because Jesus gives me strength… This is how our world uses this verse and it’s completely wrong.

Paul isn’t talking about winning a race whenever he says this.

He isn’t talking about getting a promotion.

He isn’t talking about the positive, in fact… Because I’m just being honest with you all - the vast majority of you all will never dunk a basketball on a 10 foot goal.

You can “claim” Philippians 4:13 all you want but it ain’t going to happen!

Our world loves to take this verse and rip it out of its context and this is why we study the Bible instead of get it theology from Facebook and coffee mugs.