Series: Suffering
Category: Core Seminars, Church Life, Contentment, Encouragement, Persecution, Suffering, Personal Holiness, Sanctification & Growth, The Problem of Evil, Creation, Sovereignty of God, Perseverance of the Saints, The End Times / Return of Christ, The Gospel
Detail:
Finding joy in Christ in any and every situation
Introduction
Well, we’ve spent 12 weeks together considering this issue – thinking about our experience and what the Bible says about suffering. We’ve looked at the purposes God has in our suffering; talked about how the call to suffer well is really a fight for faith – and we spent several weeks looking at different ways we can practically fight for faith; we’ve looked at suffering unique to being a Christian; and considered how suffering well as a Christian is actually a witness to a watching world of the hope we have in Christ.
Now, I’m not sure of everyone’s motivation for taking this class; there could be a lot of different reasons why you’ve come. But with all the tools we have to suffer well, the problem with suffering…is that it’s suffering …there’s often no way around it; we simply have to go through it. This is clear in the fact that as we read Scripture, we find that waiting is the normal posture this side of heaven.
Abraham was promised offspring, but he had to wait 25 years before Isaac came.[1]
Israel was left to wander in the wilderness for 40 years before they could enter the Promised Land.
The Psalms are filled with the reminder to wait for God.
Ps 25:3 "Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame…” Ps 27:14 "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Ps 62:5 "For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him." Ps 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope."
Those who are children of God wait in hope for our redemption ( 8:23 )
Creation itself is waiting to be set free from its bondage to decay ( 8:19-22 )
This side of heaven we wait for Jesus’ return, saying with John in Revelation 22 , “Come, Lord Jesus!”
But one challenge that comes with waiting is discontentment. We get tired of waiting, and before long find ourselves fretting, distracted, and complaining or grumbling. How many here have ever felt that way ? It might be that we face discontentment in our job, our singleness, our marriage, our church, our friends (or lack thereof), our budget, the gifts, talents, spiritual gifts or ministry opportunities we have, or just in daily circumstances. There is no lack of things to be discontent about.
Live long enough and you will suffer. So, as we seek to suffer well, to suffer in a way that honors God, we need not only to learn how to fight for faith, but how to wait well; to not wait with a disgruntled, complaining, or distracted heart; but to wait with contentment. To wait with hope. With that in mind we’ll end our class looking at contentment: what it is, and how to find it.
Contentment – What it is
One of the key passages on this topic is found in Philippians 4.
Philippians 4:10-12 10 "I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 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."
Paul explains that he was thankful for the Philippians generous gift, yet in thanking them, he didn’t want to be misunderstood - he didn’t want His ‘thank you’ to come across as subtle request for another gift. So he was clear - he wasn’t in need – he had learned the secret of being content in every situation; whether he had much or little.
So what is it? Contentment here in v10 can be defined as having sufficiency independent of circumstances or conditions or surroundings. It is an expression of being satisfied . Christian contentment has been described as:
“…that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal in every condition.”[2]
With these definitions in mind, it is also helpful to note what contentment is not.
It is not anti-ambition
Paul had ambition
It was his ambition to preach the gospel where Christ had not yet been named ( 15:20 ).
It was his aim—his ambition[3] 2 Cor. 5:9 ).
Paul said if a man aspires to the office of overseer, if it is his ambition, he desires a noble task (1 Tim. 3:1 ).
But Paul attacked selfish ambition
Phil 2:3 “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (also Rom. 2:8).
It is not an indifference to circumstances
It is not an emotional indifference. Instead Paul talks about not being mastered by, controlled by circumstances. If someone is able to improve their circumstances by fair and legitimate means , they can do so. We see Paul doing this in Acts 16:37-39 ,
37 “But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” 38 The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. 39 So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city.”
Rather than being indifferent to being mistreated, he appeals to his Roman citizenship to improve his circumstances. The thing to recognize though is that before they let him out of the prison, while his circumstances were far from comfortable, what were Paul and Silas doing? Moping? Complaining? No! We’re told in v25, “About Midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” Their joy was not held hostage by circumstances and the prisoners and the jailers who had the chance to listen in must have been astonished.
In another example, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:20-21 20 “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 21 Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.” In context he’s arguing that the position we were in when God called us to be a Christian is not what’s ultimately important (circumcised or not; slave or free; married or single, etc.). It would be wrong to say that those conditions have to change in order to be a Christian. But, Paul also acknowledges the injustice of slavery and says, if you have legitimate means to gain freedom…do it! The point is that contentment is not an indifference to circumstances but seeing them in perspective of what matters for eternity and making changes when there are legitimate means and opportunities to do so[4] necessarily wrong to leave a job you don’t like, get married when you’re tired of being single, desire relief from physical or emotional pain, or even to turn on the air conditioner when you’re hot. The question is do I have to have this in order to be happy—to be content?
QUESTIONS?
2. Contentment – How to find it
It’s one thing to understand living satisfied—what contentment is – that’s the easy part – it’s another thing to experience true contentment. So how do we find it? Go back to Philippians 4 for a moment. Notice that in v11 that Paul says, “I have learned …to be content,” and in v12 that he “learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I find that incredibly encouraging: Paul, the Apostle who wrote 13 of the books we have in the NT, had to learn contentment; he wasn’t always like that anymore than any of us. It’s something he had to learn and it’s something that we too can learn. How did he come to learn it? Let’s consider four ways that Paul learned and we too, by God’s grace, might learn to be content: regardless of our circumstances, not fearing what the future may hold or what may be withheld .
By experience
Consider 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 where Paul writes,
7 “So, to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
We don’t know exactly what the “thorn in the flesh” was in v7 , but whatever it was, Paul didn’t like it; he struggled against it – three times he asked God to take it away but it wasn’t. At first, it was something he couldn’t be content with; but through the experience, God taught him the great lesson; namely, that “My grace is sufficient for you.[5]
Sometimes we are simply slow to learn, and God in His kindness will allow for an experience through which we learn contentment; where we learn to trust Him. Look back on some of the greatest lessons you’ve learned about God; times where you’ve grown the most. Most of those times were a challenging season, a time of suffering. Though it was painful to go through them, we can look back and thank God for that experience because of how we have grown through it. Even if we’re in the midst of it (as Paul was), we can by God’s grace, thank Him as we learn that His grace is sufficient for us; that often times our suffering become God’s platform to display His strength.
We see the same thing in James 1:2-4 2 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” The wonderful experience of ‘not lacking anything’ (can you imagine that?) comes as James’ readers face trials of many kinds – it comes as a fruit of perseverance.
By doing the work in front of you
At times the temptation in a season of discontentedness is to go inward; to dwell on the possibility of change such that we convince our self if I only had this, if these circumstances were different…then I’d be okay. More and more the focus becomes our self and less on God; still less on others. Before long, God seems small, our problems seem insurmountable and we are enslaved by the idea that we cannot be content without our circumstances or surroundings changing.
In 1648, Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs (“The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment”) put it this way:
“You find many people, all of whose thoughts are taken up about what their crosses and afflictions are, they are altogether thinking and speaking of them. It is just with them as with a child who has a sore: his finger is always on the sore; so men’s and women’s thoughts are always on their afflictions. When they awake in the night their thoughts are on their afflictions, and when they converse with others—it may be even when they are praying to God—they are thinking of their afflictions. Oh, no marvel that you live a discontented life, if your thoughts are always poring over such things. You should rather labour to have your thoughts on those things that may comfort you.”
In a time like this, one thing we can do rather than becoming introspective and dwelling on what is disturbing us is asking, “What does God require of me in the circumstances He has brought me into?” and then to get busy whether it has to do with our responsibilities at work, in a relationship, or a task we have at church. In Philippians 2 , Paul calls the church to get busy doing that which God called them to; in other words, to obey God and work out their salvation with fear and trembling[6] “for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good purpose.[7] When we move from dwelling on ourselves and instead on doing, through faith, the work in front of us that benefits others and pleases God, we’ll find God working in us – giving us both the strength and will to persevere even if it’s something we don’t feel like doing.
By listening to truth rather than emotions
If you could somehow connect a computer to your emotions so you could see what your emotions where telling you throughout the day, what would they say? We’ve talked about functional theology vs professed theology and one reason they’re often different is because we listen to our emotions more than we do truth. In pain, emotions can often sound louder than truth. Emotions are not bad…they’re just not always reliable.
I may feel like God is un concerned. But the truth is, He is concerned for me as my loving Father and nothing happens to me apart from God - even the hairs of my head are numbered (Matt. 7:11; 10:30). Conditions may change, but God is unchanging.
I may feel like God is not there and my situation is out of control - or if He is there, He’s cruel to let it happen. But the truth is that for the child of God, every situation in life is in some way the unfolding manifestation of God’s love and goodness. I may not understand all of His ways, but all things work together for good (Rom. 8:28).
I may feel like this will never end. But the truth is that whatever my conditions may be right now, they are only temporary. This too shall pass and nothing can rob me of the joy and hope that ultimately await me with Christ (Rom. 8:35-39; 1 Pet. 1:6-7).
Emotions are a wonderful gift of God. We’re not called to be stoics without feeling. But we must let the truth of God’s word inform and give life to our emotions.
By being truly satisfied in Christ
For this last point, let’s revisit Philippians 4 one more time. In v12 , Paul writes, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want.” So what was the secret? In v13 , he explains, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” The secret was Christ! When Paul wrestled with the thorn in his flesh in 2 Corinthians 12, the solution was not removing the thorn, it wasn’t getting rid of his weakness through personal strength, but experiencing the grace of God in his hardship; the power of God in his weakness.
How does this happen? If we turn back to chapter 3, we see something very helpful. In 3:8 , Paul writes, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” Notice what he says – that in comparison with the surpassing value of Christ, he counts all things as rubbish…as garbage. Not some things, but all things. Now to be clear, he’s not saying those things like a job, a spouse, a friend, or health have no value – they do! But in comparison to the value he’s found in knowing Christ, its rubbish!
We are tempted towards discontentment when we lose, or can’t obtain, something we value. But certainly, none of us are sitting here worried that someone is stealing our garbage! So, we see how often our discontentment is tied to our misguided value systems.
The secret to being content in any and all circumstances is to find your true satisfaction in Christ. The things of this life come and go – they aren’t worth banking our joy on. But Christ is a sure foundation, and when our joy, our hope, our satisfaction is in Him, nothing can take it away – even if the world is crashing down around us. So, when our hope and contentment are based in knowing Him, we can be in a trying situation and wait because we’ve found Him trustworthy and of unsurpassing value!
There is a story of two men—Anthony and Didymus.
“Didymus was blind, and yet a man of very excellent gifts and graces; Anthony asked him if he was not troubled at his want of sight. He confessed he was, ‘But’, he said, ‘should you be troubled at the want of what flies and dogs have, and not rather rejoice and be thankful that you have what angels have?’ God has given you those good things that make angels glorious; is not that enough for you, though you lack what a fly has? And so a Christian should reason the case with himself: what am I discontented for? I am discontented for want of what a dog may have, what [the lost] might have; …shall I be discontented for not having that, when God has given me what makes angels glorious. …It may be that you have not such great blessings in earthly places as some others have, but if the Lord has blessed you in the heavenly places, that should content you…”[8]
This is why Jesus describes Himself the way he often does in the Gospels. In John 7:37-38, we’re told that 37 “…Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”really is the living water that truly satisfies. What is your thirst this morning? For recognition or honor? Comfort? Companionship? Health? Rest? Relief? Peace? Whatever your thirst, Jesus declares, if we come to Him, see Him for who He truly is, if we trust Him we will not only drink and be satisfied, we will also find streams of living waters flowing from within us!
So when we’re faced with the reality of discontentment (and we will all have to wrestle with this), we read and meditate on God’s word which reveals who Jesus is. We pray for God to open our eyes to see Him and ears to hear him. And in our discontentment, we pray with the psalmist in Psalm 90 , “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.[9] And then we wait, knowing that none who wait on God shall be put to shame.[10]
Conclusion
Suffering is real, and it is a painful experience. Yet, God is sovereign even over our suffering – nothing goes to waste, including our suffering. There are many questions we have that will go unanswered, but we can trust God, we can wait on Him, we can be content. How? Because of what we learn at the foot of the cross; what we learn about His unchanging character from the gospel. He is good; He is trustworthy; He is in control; and He is for us! One day, He will wipe away every tear. One day there will be no more death, or mourning, or crying or pain. We will see the old order of things pass away and we will rejoice as God makes all things new. With that hope in mind, we now face suffering knowing our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed.
Questions
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