The Secret of Contentment
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Learning the secret of contentment in both times of plenty and times of need.
Text: Phil. 4:12-13
Date: 05/18/2025, the Evening service.
Series: "Evenfall; Sunday Evening Worship" Part 34
Description:
As Paul nears the end of his letter to the Philippians, he continues to thank them for their generosity in meeting his needs. But he underscores what he said earlier-- that he has learned to be content in each and every circumstance. First he will give several examples of the sharp contrast between the various circumstances in which he has been able to maintain his joy and contentment. He will then tell us the secret of that contentment-- that he is completely empowered by Christ alone, and therefore can do "all" through his surrendered trust in Christ. We will carefully analyze the words of that famous verse and realize that it has been vastly mis-interpreted and mis-applied. Ultimately we will learn it is only through Paul's true meaning of the phrase that we can discover the secret of contentment.
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I. Introduction
II. Exposition of the text, Phil. 4:12-13.
A. Context
B. The secret of Paul's contentment.
1. Content in all circumstances, vs. 12.
a. Content when laid low and abounding.
i. Paul in times of need.
1) Looking at the word.
2) Examples from Scripture, Acts 14:2,5-7,19, 16:22-24, 17:13, 18:12; 2Cor. 6:4-5, 11:24-28.
ii. Paul in times of plenty.
1) Examples from Scripture, Acts 9:16, 16:15,33-34, 20:10-11, 28:2,12.
2) The greater danger of having plenty, Prov. 30:7-9; Mark 10:23-25.
b. The secret of "any and every circumstance", 2Cor. 12:2-4.
2. "I can do all things", vs. 13.
a. Looking at the words, 2Cor. 12:5-6.
b. Putting the words together, Phil. 3:7-11; 2Cor. 12:7-10; John 14:13.
III. Application
IV. Conclusion
