July 12, 2026 - The Words That Form Us - Philippians 4:10-20

Listen to this week's sermon from Pastor Nate Perry on Philippians 4:10-20 in our summer sermon series The Words That Form Us.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to the 14th of a line of first service process on the Education, the Executive Ministry Directors. Or still likely decided to join us today. And so the empower to the Holy Spirit to live on the church with the social and spiritual needs of the world around us. Each week we gather as a community to worship a learning of God's word and be encouraged in our walk with Christ. In this podcast, you'll hear the latest message from our Sunday service. Whether you're listening from right here for St. John or from afar our prayer is that God will speak to your heart and strengthen your faith. Let's bring it together as we hear today's sermon.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Scripture reading for this morning is Philippians 4, verses 10 to 20. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that I last that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good for good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only. For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts, what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied now that I have received from Hapaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering and an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 2:34

Awesome. Thank you for reading that this morning, Mike. Well, good morning again. I'm just gonna keep saying good morning because I'm the one doing things. Um last week, uh Dan kicked off our summer series titled The Words That Form Us. So if you weren't here uh last week, uh this is what we're gonna be going through going do whoa, words. Let's try that again. This is what we are going to be doing all throughout the summer. So each time that somebody gets up here to preach throughout the summer, we're going to be talking through different scripture passages that have formed us throughout our lives and as followers of Christ. So this morning, uh, we're gonna be talking about probably one of the most, one of the most famous scripture passages that is also probably one of the most famous passages taken totally out of context, right? If you've heard this verse, you've probably like heard jokes of like, oh yeah, but that's out of context, right? And that's Philippians 4.13 that we just read. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. How many of you have could say that you've heard this taken way out of context? Yeah, most of us in the room. So you've if you've heard somebody talk about this verse before, you've probably heard them talk about how they can do whatever they set their mind to because they have Jesus. Right? That's often how this verse is taken. Like a baseball player that believes that they can hit a 400-foot ball because they have Jesus. Right? That's kind of how some people take this in context, specifically sports. Sports players who like this verse often are like, I can do this because I have Jesus. I can get all of the strikeouts because I have Jesus. I can hit a half-court shot because I have Jesus. That's often how it's taken out of context. Not actually because they themselves can do those things, but because they have Christ, they can. Stay with me. That is not true. That's not what this verse is talking about. It's taken as, so the verse is taken as if, if I if you trust in Jesus, he'll let you do anything you put your mind to. How many of us have heard it framed that way? Aside from just now. How many of us have thought at what at one point or another that this is actually what that verse means? I've thought that way. I I, of course, was wrong, but I have thought that way. So this morning we're gonna be looking at this verse and those surrounding it, look and looking at its true meaning. So before we dive in, uh just some background on the book of Philippians. So, the book of Philippians, it's a close personal letter that Paul wrote to the church in Philippi. A group of people that he has a deep affection for. It's one of the first churches that Paul planted, and he just loves this group so much. It's a church that has more than a decade of ministry together with Paul. More than a decade of praying for one another, more than a decade of the Philippians financially supporting him, and then also more than a decade of them encouraging him. And so this section of Philippians that we're going to be looking at is simply a thank you to the church and the people of Philippi. So let's dive into the text, but before we can really dive into the main verse we're gonna look at today, we need to look at all of the verses surrounding it. And so those are the verses where Paul is actually expressing his thanks. We're gonna start in verses 14 to 17. So we're gonna reread that again here. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except only you. For when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire gifts. What I desire is that more be credited to your account. So I have a question for us as we dive into this. How many of us find it awkward to receive a gift from somebody and then find it kind of hard to say thank you? I fully find it awkward to receive gifts. You should have seen me at my first Christmas with Christabel's family. They're the kind of family that is like each person gets their gift, and then everybody watches you open it. And then once you've opened it and shown everybody what the gift is, then they move on to the next person. I hate it. I'll do it because I love her family, but I hate it. I am so awkward when I receive gifts. And of course, when you receive a gift from somebody, you want to say thank you. Because if you don't say thank you, then you kind of seem like you're ungrateful, right? But then on the flip side of that, you don't want to be too profuse with your thanks to them, because then it might seem like you're trying to get more of what they gave you, right? So one time back in university, I came home from summer, uh, and I didn't have much financially. You know, poor university student. My parents were gone overseas already by this point. So it was me and my brother living at home, and I just didn't really have much money. I was kind of like barely scraping by. And I was like talking to my one buddy about you know the struggles that I was having. And then the one day I come home from work, and there's just a bunch of grocery bags sitting on my front porch. I was like, what the heck? Why do I have all of these grocery bags now? But I knew immediately these were from my buddy. I hadn't asked for him to support me, I hadn't asked his family. But he through him and I haven't a conversation, he told his parents, like, oh man, Nate's just struggling right now. And so they brought over a bunch of groceries. Man, that was such a good gift to me. Because I was struggling. I was like, man, I have to pick and choose what I pay for because I honestly didn't have money to do all the things that they need to pay for. I didn't have I could pay for like my gas or my insurance or my phone or groceries. I had to pay like two of those things. I couldn't pick all of those. And I needed my car and my phone for the job that I had. So kind of food was like very minimal. So it was a really, really good gift that they gave me. And so I was just so thankful to them. So I I wanted to say thank you. But at the same time, I was like, okay, I really want to express how grateful I am for this because this is such a good gift. But I don't want to say it so much that they're like, whoa, this is like a one-time thing just to help you get to your first paycheck. Right? It was such a good gift. And so we see, we actually see that kind of similar thing playing out in this passage. Paul wants the people of Philippi to know that he loves them and is so thankful for the gifts that they have given him, because they have been incredibly generous to him. That the gifts they have been giving him are so helpful. They've helped him support and sustain him. But on the other hand, of this, in the way that he's expressing his thanks, he's trying to communicate that he's not in it for the gifts that he's been given. He's not in it trying to say thank you so that they send more. He's just wanting to say thank you for these gifts. In this section, Paul's saying, thank you so much for the gifts that you've sent me. They're incredibly helpful and I appreciate them so much. But it isn't required. Just like all of the gifts that we receive from people, man, we are so thankful for them. But they aren't required. And why isn't it required? It's because of what we see in the first three verses, verses 10 to 13. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am need, for I have learned to be content in whatever the circumstances, for I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want, I can do all things through him who gives me strength. So the context of verse 13 of doing all things through Christ who strengthens him is that he can endure anything. He's been through great times, he's been through really hard times. No matter what I face, I can endure. Not because I'm strong, but because Christ is strong through me. So he's saying, I'm thankful for the gifts that the Philippians have given. They have been so good to him. But he isn't in this for that. He isn't in he's in ministry. He isn't in ministry because of all these things. Because they've been good to him. He's in it because of what Christ has done. And so what I want to focus on for the rest of the morning is Paul's contentment. So first off, Paul's contentment is comprehensive. So verses 11 and 12, I'm not saying this because I am in need, for I've learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I've learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. His contentment is far reaching. His contentment is in the best of times, and it's in the worst of times, is comprehensive. So, what does the word contentment actually mean? It means satisfied. It's like when you have a really good meal and you reach a point where you're eating where you just feel great. I'm full, I'm feeling good, feeling great. You haven't eaten so much that you just feel gross or sick, and you don't feel hungry. You're not still hungry and not painfully full, you're satisfied. Paul's saying he's learned to find the middle ground. He's learned that whatever circumstance he's in, that he can be satisfied. So, what I'm not saying here is he's getting rid of his desires. That's not what Paul is doing here. He's not getting rid of his needs or his desires. He's not detaching himself from the things that make him human. He's not getting rid of these things, but he's figured out through Christ how to be happy with whatever does get met. Again, I'm not saying that everything is going to be met for him. He's not gonna get all of his needs, he's not gonna get all of his desires, all of his wants, but he's content with what does get met. It's comprehensive that whatever in situation, in any and every circumstance, he is content with whatever gets met. The second thing about Paul's contentment is that it's elusive. So verse 12 says, I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret. It's a secret. This contentment that Paul has is hard to have, and it's so rare that it's a secret. Most people don't have it. I don't have it. I honestly don't know what it's like to be content in every situation that I find myself in. I don't have the secret. And most of us in the room probably don't have that secret either. If you do have that secret, if you know what it's like to be content in every situation, please let me know. I would love to be content in every situation. But this is why often we think things like, once this happens, I'll be content. Once I make this much money, I'll be content. When I finally finish this project, I'll be content. When I finally, when I'm finally recognized and thanks for thanked for the things that I have done, then I'll be content. For us as humans, it's always, if this, then I'll be content. This might be a ridiculous comparison, but have you ever tried to catch a mosquito because it's buzzing around you? Like you'd see a mosquito flying around and you're just trying to like grab it and catch it. It's hard. It's hard to catch a mosquito. They're fast little buggers. So you reach out, you try and catch it, you try and be quick and get it, and then you check your hand, and it's not there. There's just nothing in your hand. But every now and then, you manage to get a mosquito. Every like ten mosquitoes you try and get, you get one. And you just continue on like nothing happened. You catch the mosquito, you're like, ah yeah, I got it. Wipe it off your hands, keep on going. Or you try and catch the next mosquito because there's multiple that are annoying you. That's almost what it's like for us chasing contentment. Chasing after this one little thing that might make us content. This one little thing that kind of seems elusive to hopefully make us content, that we're just kind of reaching out and trying to grab it. Then we check our hand. Ah, I didn't get it. Or you reach out, get it, and you're like, oh, I got it. Okay, on to the next thing. That's what contentment is like for us most of the time, when we chase it. We have good lives. We have good lives. Most of us, if not all of us, can point to something within the last month or two that has been really good for us, that has sparked joy, that has helped us to propel us forward in life. Yet, most of us, if we're being completely honest, are probably a little discontent with life. So, how do we actually become content? What is the secret that Paul has? Well, it's answered actually in verse 13. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. It's not through other things that we are satisfied. It's not through circumstances that we find contentment. It's through what Christ does, what Christ fulfills. The needs that Christ meets, that we are satisfied. It's through relationship with Christ that we are content. How we look at being content is often how the Stoics uh would think about it. And that's being self-sufficient. That whatever I do, I can do it on my own, so that I can then be satisfied. And then once I do this, I can be satisfied and I can be content. If I can shape and change things, if I send out the right vibes into the world, if I dig deep enough, I'll find contentment. But the reality is that contentment isn't self-sufficient because if we're relying on ourselves, we're gonna fail because we're humans and we're failed. We're faulty. But contentment is Christ's sufficiency. It's not self-sufficiency, it's Christ sufficiency. It's not what we can do for ourselves, it's becoming closer and closer with Christ and our relationship with him. That he's what we look to for satisfaction. So as I'm saying this, you might be like, man, how do I do that? How do I become Christ sufficient if we're often self-sufficient? The answer isn't that we try harder to be content. The answer often isn't just try harder and you'll do better. If you try that, you're probably gonna burn yourself out and you're probably gonna be like, this sucks, and I'm even more discontent. Paul says he learned contentment. That didn't mean it happened overnight. How many of us have tried to learn a new skill? Most of us probably have. It doesn't happen overnight. You're not like, man, tomorrow I'm gonna be the best blacksmith. And then the next morning you wake up, you have all the stuff, and you're just like forging swords, and they're great quality. It doesn't happen. It takes time to learn a new skill. Paul learned contentment. It didn't happen overnight. It was formed in him over time as he walked with Jesus. Christ's sufficiency grows as we intentionally spend time with Christ. The more we know him and the more we trust him, the more we trust him, the less our hearts are controlled by our circumstances. Jesus Himself says in John 15, abide in me. Branches don't strain to produce fruit. John 15 is about, you know, abiding me as I am the branch. Or I am I am the vine, vine, you are the branch. I can't remember the exact word, I don't have it written down. Um but how we are branches. That we are supposed to stay in Christ and abide in him. They simply stay connected to the vine. In the same way, contentment isn't something we manufacture, it's not something that we ourselves produce. It's something that Christ grows in us as we remain close with him. So that means bringing our desires, our disappointments, our success, and fear. To him in prayer. It means opening his word even when we don't feel like it, because let's be honest, there's days for each of us where we don't feel like opening the word. It means worshiping him when life is good and when life is really hard. It means learning little by little that his presence is enough. The truth is, I don't think contentment is something that most of us drift to naturally. We drift towards comparison, of seeing what others might have and be like, oh man, I wish I had that. Oh man, if I could have that, I'd be good. We drift towards wanting a little bit more of seeing where we're at and be like, okay, if I could just get this little step here, then I'll be good. We drift towards thinking, if I could just get through this season, or if I had that job, or if that relationship was different, or if my kids would just listen, or if I made a little bit more money, then I'd be content. We're always tempted to believe that contentment is waiting for us on the other side of our next circumstance. Not in the midst of our circumstance, but that it's on the other side of it. But Paul is saying something completely different. He says contentment isn't found by changing our circumstances, it's found by knowing Christ. That doesn't mean that our circumstances don't matter. Don't hear me saying that. Our circumstances matter. But Paul wasn't pretending prison was enjoyable, right? Paul wasn't pretending that prison was great. He wasn't pretending that hunger was fun. He wasn't saying that having plenty is wrong. He experienced the highs and lows just like we do. The difference was that none of those things determined whether he was satisfied. His circumstances changed, but Christ didn't. And that's why he could say, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Because he knew how to be satisfied in the highs and the low. Not because Jesus made life easy, or never promised an easy life with Jesus. Not because Jesus guaranteed success. But because Jesus was enough. Jesus was enough. And that's the invitation for us today. Not to grit our teeth and try harder to be content. Not to convince ourselves that we don't have needs. Not to pretend that everything is okay. But to keep bringing those needs to Jesus, trusting that He Himself is our deepest satisfaction. The more we abide with Christ, the more we discover that what we've really been looking for all along isn't another achievement or another possession or another experience. It's Him. So the first is this every day this week, pay attention to one sentence you might say to yourself. And simply, if only. If only I had fill in the blank. If only this changed, if only they noticed, if only this looked different. When you catch yourself thinking that, don't feel guilty. First of all, don't feel guilty. But instead, pause, take a deep breath, and then pray this prayer. Jesus, I still want those things. But today I choose to believe that you are enough for me in this moment. Help me receive what you have given me today. You're not pretending that the desires that you have disappear through this. You're simply reminding your heart where its deepest satisfaction should be found. And over time, that will reshape us. The second practice and challenge that I have for you is to set aside five to ten minutes every day this week, or at least a couple times this week, to sit quietly with Jesus. No long prayer list, no agenda, just one question. Jesus, what are you inviting me to trust you with today? And then just sit and listen. And then thank him for one specific way that he has already been enough for you. Because contentment grows when gratitude and communion with Christ meet. Those few minutes may not change your circumstances, but they will begin to change your heart. So as we move into worship, that's kind of what we're doing together. We're practicing contentment. Every song we sing together is another way of saying, Jesus, before I ask you for anything else, I want to remember that you are enough. I want to remember who you are. We worship because Christ is worthy. And we worship because Christ is present. And we worship because whether we're walking through abundance or through need, he is still the one who gives us strength. So I invite you to stand and let's come before him now, not pretending that we've figured out the secret, but asking him to teach us day by day what Paul learned that true contentment isn't self sufficiency, but it's Christ's sufficiency.