CONTENTED LIVING IN A HARD WORLD Philippians 4:2-20 I know how to be abased and I know how to abound; in any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and want. [v. 11] What is the estimated world population increase between 2015 and 2025 (in the next 10 years)?  Won’t most of that growth be taking place in our cities?  In our cities how many acres of green land is being bulldozed daily on an average?  What fraction of the population of the United States lives in how many metropolitan areas?   Doesn’t  the growth in those metropolitan areas mean that every year a new city of millions must be built to accommodate its exploding population? What percent of Americans move every year (2014)? We Christians at least should learn how to be content. v. 6 … “By the help of the Lord always keep up the glad spirit” (Phil. 4:4, Williams). Paul had learned the secret of contentment even after a  flogging while in fetters in prison @ Philippi (Acts 16:22-25), and in spite of being friendless (2 Tim. 4:;6).  The word rejoice appears 11x in that short letter, and the word joy appears 5x.  You travel 3rd class with Christ present, 2nd class with Christ prominent, but 1st class when Christ is preeminent.  Paul learned this by experience.  Have you? Contentment demands that we be willing to receive God’s peace (Philippians 4:2-7) “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (MKJV).  MKJV is the Modern King James Version of the Bible. … There were two ladies in the Philippian church who disagreed with each other.  The name of the 1st lady was Euodia or Euodias = "fragrant" or sweet fragrance.   And the name of the 2nd was Syntyche = "with fate" or “affable.”  If the latter is the meaning of her name, then both ladies were surely not living up to their names or according to their professions of faith.  They would have been more like “Odious” and “Soon Touchy” as I heard another pastor say in a sermon. Peace, according to Jesus and to The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, is a legacy of the Lord for believers (“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don`t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful”, WEB), and it is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22)).  ” But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,” and there’s no law against such things, WEB).  In Philippians 4:7, it will be a garrison of the soul.  (“And then the peace of God, which transcends all our powers of thought, will be a garrison to guard your hearts and minds in union with Christ Jesus”, WNTT).   WNTT is the Weymouth New Testament Translation.    A “garrison” or “guard” is from the Greek word, phroureo (froo-reh'-o); and it’s from a compound, meaning to guard, protect by a military guard, either to prevent hostile invasion, or to keep the inhabitants of a besieged city from flight metaphysically a.under the control of the Mosaic law, that he might not escape from its power b.to protect by guarding, to keep c.by watching and guarding to preserve one for the attainment of something King James Version bible Word Occurences of Phroureo, “guard” = keep 3 keep with a garrison 1 “Guard” is a military concept depicting a sentry standing guard.  This is God’s “protective custody” of those who are in Christ Jesus extending to the core of their beings and to their deepest intentions (as Paul puts it: “the peace of God … will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus, v.7) * “The steadfast of soul Thou wilt keep in perfect peace” (Isaiah 26:3 and see TSK—The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge).  Or, perhaps better, the Basic English translation has “The man whose heart is unmoved you will keep in peace, because his hope is in you.”  This is a prayer to God. But this "peace of God" (And then the peace of God, which transcends all our powers of thought, will be a garrison to guard your hearts and minds in union with Christ Jesus) depends upon 3 conditions which we must meet before God fulfils promise to us: Do not be over-anxious about anything Be prayerful in everything Be always thankful* *See All the Promises of the Bible (Lockyer)  Contentment demands that we be willing to rely upon God’s power (Philippians 4:8-13).  “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (v. 13, NASB).  … You, as a believer, are a product of your thinking because it says in the Bible as clearly as possible, “As a man thinks in his heart, so” – what? – “is he.”  You are the product of your thoughts.  The computers, people say, G.I.G.O., garbage in, garbage out.  Whatever you program is exactly what you’re going to get.  You are the product of your thinking. (John MacArthur @gty.org) Now, the only thing left here – and Paul knows it – is to say, “Look, if you want an example of all this, look at me.”  Verse 9:  “The things you’ve learned, received, and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace shall be with you.”  You’ll not only have the peace of God – verse 7 – you’ll have the God of peace – verse 9.  Paul says, “I’ll be the model.”  And then he goes on from there to give us illustrations of how he literally transcended his troubles, his persecutions, his difficulties, his testings, and maintains spiritual stability. ** Our own strength won’t cut it.  Philippians 4:13 can I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.(ASV)  Paul has such strength so long as Jesus keeps on putting power (dunamiß) or dunamis into him. (RWP).  RWP is Robertson’s Word Pictures of the New Testament, 1933. John 15:4,5,  Our adequacy comes by attaching ourselves to the Adequate One, Jesus Christ.  Without Christ we can do nothing.7; 2 Corinthians 3:4,5 4 Such is the confidence which we have through Christ in the presence of God; 5 not that of ourselves we are competent to decide anything by our own reasonings, but our competency comes from God.--WNTT See extreme | WORD, 1431/Phil 4:8  and Ph. 4:13 …  Contentment demands that we be willing to recognize God’s providence (Philippians 4:14-20).  “And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (v. 19, NASB). v. 19 That which Paul really had was not material provision but rather a vital contact with the royal bank of heaven.  That made the promise of plenty very real and practical to him (Speaking to Life’s Problems, Moody Press).  To recognize God’s providence you must see that the following three riches are all both part of God’s are both a part of God’s provision for His people: (1) “The riches of His goodness (God’s goodness, Romans 2:4), (2) the riches of wisdom (“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the WISDOM and knowledge OF GOD!” –Romans 11:33, and  (3) the riches of grace (Ephesians 1:7—“ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” I repeat, “In Whom (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to THE RICHES OF HIS GRACE.”  ‘And  when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the precious drops which cleansed me from them, and how gracious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to me, I am in a maze of wondering worshipping affection’ (Charles Spugeon), and the riches of glory (Ephesians 1:18, *--see Zondervan NASB Study Bible. **http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/50-41/spiritual-stability-part-5-godly-thinking --by Rev. Jack Gutknecht, Minister-at-Large
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