Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey, podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word through the most effective media available, like this podcast.

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Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm.

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Glad to study God's Word with you every day.

Speaker 2

This Bible teaching program on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 3

Ladies and gentlemen, you will never learn the secret of contentment until you truly trust in God's sovereignty.

Until you believe that where you are right now is no accident. It is part of a plan of a loving God. A plan that was designed for your good ultimately, and for his glory.

That's the secret to being content in life.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. The Rolling Stones managed to sum up the struggles of life with one profound lyric: "I can't get no satisfaction."

We all long to feel happy and content, but very few seem to achieve it. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress shares the Apostle Paul's prescription for true satisfaction in life.

Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.

Speaker 2

Dr. Jeffress thanks, David, and welcome to Pathway to Victory. Have you ever watched one of those reality TV shows about people who win the state lottery? Most of us dream about winning millions of dollars, but once you see what happens to the recipients, you'll change your mind. It turns out receiving a windfall does very little to make a person genuinely happy.

In a moment, we'll be looking at Paul's counsel to the Philippians. He provides a wonderful explanation of genuine happiness, and it doesn't come through winning the lottery. These are the lessons that we've been learning all month long. Our study in Philippians, Paul's Letter of Joy, will conclude tomorrow, and so it's time to make your request today for a copy of my book while there's still time. My book is called Outrageous Living Above Your Circumstances.

When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, I'll make sure you receive your copy right away. In addition, I'll also include a Scripture encouragement card with several of my favorite verses from Paul's Letter to the Philippians. You can tuck the card into your copy of my book or display it in a prominent spot in your home or office. We'll repeat the special offer at the end of today's program as well, so be prepared to take down our contact information.

But right now, let's address this matter of personal contentment. We're looking at a couple of verses from Philippians Chapter Four, and I titled today's message "When You Can't Get No."

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Satisfaction, Philippians, chapter 4, verse 11: "Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am." What does it mean to be content? A person who is content doesn't look to external circumstances to derive his sense of well-being. He looks inwardly. Paul said, "I've learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." I want you to notice here his example that he tells us in verse 12. He said, "I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need." Paul said, "I've learned the secret." I've actually experienced satisfaction in both poverty and prosperity.

Did you know for many people, prosperity is harder to handle than poverty? Many people find it more difficult to stay close to God, to feel content and satisfied in prosperous times. And Paul said, if you're going to learn how to be content, don't only learn to be content in times of poverty. Learn the secret of prosperity as well. I want you to hold your place here. This is a little bonus today. I'm not going to charge you anything extra for it, but turn over to 1 Timothy 6. I want you to look at Paul's secrets for how to deal with prosperity. Look at what he says in 1 Timothy 6, beginning with verse 17. Paul writes, "Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed."

Just jot down three principles from this passage about how to live in prosperity. First of all, if you're enjoying prosperity, thank God for your situation. He says in verse 17, "Don't focus your hope on the riches, but on God, who has richly supplied you with these things to enjoy." Be sure to thank God for the situation that you're in. Number two: Be sure you invest in God's work. Yes, it's fine to spend some of the money on yourself. It's fine to spend it on other people, but don't forget to invest in God's work. He says in verse 18, "Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation in the future." You see, the fact is, if you invest all of your money in yourself, if you invest your money in cars and homes and other possessions, you're going to leave them all behind one day. If God's blessed you financially, be sure you're investing some of that in God's work.

And then number three, realize how quickly the situation can change. Realize how quickly your economic situation can change. Yes, you may be having a great prosperous time, but realize that it could change. In verse 17, Paul talks about the uncertainty of riches. I like what Solomon says in Proverbs 11:23 and 24. He says, "Cast but a glance at riches and they are gone. They will surely sprout wings and fly away like an eagle." The Bible says, realize how quickly your situation can change. Paul said in Philippians 4, "I've learned how to live both in poverty and prosperity. I have learned the secret of being content."

By the way, that phrase "learn the secret" was kind of a gentle jab of Paul's against the Greeks who believed in mystery religion. They believed that to know God, you had to have the secret. You had to know the magic password, the key to know God. And so Paul said, "Well, I've learned the secret." He said, "I've learned the secret of how to be content in whatever circumstance I'm in." I want you to notice in verse 13, beginning with verse 13, Paul's four secrets for being content. First of all, Paul depended upon an inward power to experience satisfaction regardless of his situation. He depended on an inward power. Look at verse 13. Paul says, "And I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Now this is one of those verses that often gets pulled out of context. People love to quote this verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." They kind of think of it as a positive thinker's pet pill. Okay, that's not what this verse is saying. All things relate back to verse 12. All things relate back to "I know how to get along in prosperity and poverty." He said, in other words, my secret in doing all things, living in any circumstance, has to do with the power of Christ who strengthens me. Paul was looking to an inward power to sustain him. Remember in Psalm 1, that picture of the person who meditates on God's word day and night? It says, a person who does that is like a tree that is planted by the river that bears fruit each season without fail.

What a picturesque description. Here is a tree in the arid Middle East. It hasn't rained in weeks or months, but that tree continually produces fruit each season. What's its secret? The secret is the part of the tree you don't see, its root system. If it has a healthy root system, that root system goes deep into the ground to derive the moisture and the nourishment that tree needs to bear fruit. The tree doesn't depend on what's happening on the outside. It depends on that root system. And it's the same way for you and for me. The way we learn contentment is not by changing outward circumstances. It's by our spiritual root system, our relationship with Christ, the time we spend in God's word or talking to him in prayer. It is that spiritual root system that allows us to be content in whatever situation we're in. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Paul depended upon an inward power.

Number two: He possessed a greater life purpose. He possessed a greater life purpose. Remember, in the beginning of our study of Philippians, we said that purpose is the key to maintaining your joy in life. Verse 14: Paul said, "Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, but you alone." If Paul's purpose in life had been peace, that is the freedom from conflict, if his purpose in life had been prosperity or pleasure, then his imprisonment in Rome was a tremendous tragedy because it was keeping him from achieving his life purpose. But Paul's purpose in life was bigger than his own peace and prosperity and pleasure. His purpose was to make Christ known to as many people as possible.

And because of that, Paul was able to say, "Even my poverty, even my imprisonment, it's no tragedy because it's helping me spread the gospel to people who would never hear it any other way." It was because he possessed a greater purpose in life that he experienced contentment. Let me say it again as we wrap up this series. In Philippians, your life is either self-focused or God-focused. It can't be both. Either your life is dedicated to you or it's dedicated to the Kingdom of God. If you have a purpose in life bigger than yourself, then you have the ability to be content regardless of what your situation is—whether you're married or single, whether you're employed or unemployed, whether you're living in prosperity or in poverty, whether you're sick or whether you're well. It really doesn't matter because the Bible says you've got a purpose to make Christ known. And God can be glorified sometimes more in your weakness than in your strength.

Where's Paul? He possessed a greater life purpose. Third, his secret for contentment was that he practiced regular praise. He practiced regular praise. Look at verse 18. "For I have received everything in full, and I have an abundance. I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent. A fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God." That phrase, "I have received everything in full," means I have been paid in full. That's what it means. Paul said, "That gift you sent to me, I'm paid in full. I have everything I need." Quite frankly, that gift probably wasn't that big of a gift. It didn't give Paul enough money to buy a new chariot or a new wardrobe. But he said, "Even though it might not give me everything I want, I have everything I need, and I thank you. And I thank God for his provision."

One of the key ingredients to contentment is praising God for what he has already given you instead of focusing on what he may not have given you yet. You see, praise, thankfulness, and contentment go hand in hand. One of the biggest decisions you have to make in life is what you're going to focus on. Are you going to focus on what God has already given you, or are you going to focus on the things you do not yet have? One thing I've discovered is that it is absolutely impossible to be grateful and discontent at the same time. Do you know that you can't do it? You cannot truly be thanking God for His blessings in your life and be discontent at the same time. Paul understood that situation, and so he practiced regular thanking God for what God had already provided.

I came across the words of a bishop one time, and he was talking about his secret for happiness and contentment in life. And this is what he said: "It consists in nothing more than making a right use of my eyes in whatever state I am in. I first of all look up to heaven and remember that my principal business here is to get there. Then I look down upon the earth and I call to mind how small a place I shall occupy in it when I die and am buried. And then I look around in the world and observe the multitudes there who are in many respects more unhappy than myself. Thus I learn where true happiness is placed and where all of our cares must end and what little reason I have to complain." That's a great secret—making a right use of your eyes, focusing on what you already have instead of what you don't have. Paul practiced regular praise.

And number four: He trusted in Divine Providence. He trusted in Divine Providence. Now here's another verse that is often taken out of context. Look at verse 19: "And my God shall supply all of your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus." Now, haven't you heard that verse all of your life? "My God shall supply all of your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus." Now I want to give you a profound observation about verse 19, this promise. Ready? Verse 19 comes after verse 18. Pastor, you spent seven years in seminary to learn that. Now let me tell you why that's important. Paul is talking to this group of people who have generously given to him. This promise is directly given to those who have given to God's work. And Paul says, "My God shall supply your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus."

This isn't just a blanket promise. This promise was directed especially toward those who had given generously to God's work. Let's be honest. Isn't our greatest hindrance to giving to God's work? Isn't it our greatest fear that if we give generously, we won't have enough left over to meet our needs? Paul said to the Philippians, "You don't need to worry about that. You have given generously to God. God will give generously to you. My God shall supply all of your needs." It doesn't say he'll fill all of your greeds, but he will supply all of your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus. Notice how it is that God supplies your needs when you're faithful to give to Him. The Bible says He will give to you according to his riches in glory. It doesn't say he will give to you out of his riches. He'll give according to his riches.

By the way, there's a big difference in giving out of your riches and giving to someone according to your riches. I thought of this yesterday. I was making my way into Walmart to do Amy's Christmas shopping, find her a present. And no, just kidding. But I was going in there and there was that person standing out in front of the big red kettle, ringing the bell, the Salvation Army person. And people were walking by, dropping the change in there. And I just had a thought: what if today Bill Gates, on his way into Walmart—sure, but let's just imagine Bill Gates is going into Walmart and he walks by one of those big red kettles and he's feeling especially generous. So he pulls out his checkbook and he writes a check for $100,000 and he drops it in that kettle. Can you imagine the expression on that worker's face when she pulls out that $100,000 check? I'll guarantee you that was the biggest take of her day—$100,000 gift. But as large as that gift is, it's really meager compared to Bill Gates' riches because he's got a big pile of money left.

See, Bill Gates would have given out of his riches $100,000. That's nothing to him. Now, if instead Bill Gates had pulled out his checkbook and written a check for $2 billion and placed it in that kettle, that would have been a gift according to proportionate to his riches. Now, the point I want you to see is this: when God chooses to bless you and supply your needs, he doesn't just give a little piddling amount out of his riches and keep most of it for Himself. He gives to you, whether it's financially, spiritually, or any other way. He blesses you according to his riches. "My God shall supply all of your needs."

You say, "Pastor, what does this have to do with contentment?" The word I want you to focus on in verse 19 is that word "my." "My God." Paul was saying, "Philippians, just as God has been faithful and will be faithful to take care of your needs in whatever situation you're in, I'm depending upon him to take care of me in my situation. And that's why I'm content. I trust in God's providence." A lot of times we use that word providence and really don't understand what it means. The word providence comes from two parts: "pro," which means before, and "video," which means to see. Providence refers to God's ability to see beforehand what happens to us. Did you know your situation today, whatever it is, didn't take God by surprise? There's nothing that happens to you that takes God by surprise. That illness, that termination, that divorce—as much of a shock as it was to you, it was no shock to God. He sees it all.

But here's the comforting truth: God not only sees our lives beforehand, he plans our life beforehand. That's what the term God's sovereignty refers to. It refers to the fact that God is in control of his whole creation, which means he's in control of your life and my life. Listen to the reassuring words of Scripture. Proverbs 16, verse 9 says, "The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." Or Proverbs 19:21: "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Ladies and gentlemen, you will never learn the secret of contentment. You will never be satisfied in your life until you truly trust in God's sovereignty. Until you believe that where you are right now is no accident, it's no fluke. It is part of a plan of a loving God, a plan that was designed for your good ultimately and for his glory. That's the secret to being content in life—trusting in God's providence, His sovereignty.

Many of you know the name of Hudson Taylor, the missionary to China. There was a period in his life, a long period of time, in which outwardly he seemed to be blessed by God, but inwardly there was no satisfaction. There was no joy in his life. One day a friend wrote him a letter with these words that he later said revolutionized his life and ministry. The friend said, "The key to satisfaction is not trusting my own faithfulness, but always looking to the faithful one." Good words to remember when you can't get any satisfaction.

Speaker 2

Hudson Taylor was a man who understood what it meant to live in abundance and to live in destitution. He agreed with the Apostle Paul who said that in order to find true and genuine satisfaction, our eyes must look upward, not outward, vertically, not horizontally.

Well, we're nearing the conclusion of our study in Paul's joy-filled Letter to the Philippians. This series ends tomorrow, and I'm hoping you'll get in touch with us right away to request your copy of the book I mentioned earlier. There's a whole section on learning to find genuine satisfaction. God's Word is so practical, and Paul helps us know how to respond when our financial capacity is lean. Learning this discipline takes intentional effort, and you'll find practical help in my book called *Outrageous Living Above Your Circumstances*.

As a companion to my book, I've also created a convenient Scripture Encouragement card that includes some of my favorite verses from Philippians. Display this card in your office or home as a constant reminder that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. Both resources, my hardbound book, *Outrageous Joy*, and the Scripture Encouragement Card are yours when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.

Finally, if you've missed any portion of this teaching series, David will explain how you can receive this comprehensive set on DVD and CD. This collection is unabridged, meaning that it contains far more material than we've had time to share on the broadcast. The DVDs would be a great series to use in your small group Bible study or your Sunday school class.

David thanks Dr. Jeffress.

Speaker 1

A copy of *Outrageous Joy* is yours today when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. Request your copy of the book by calling 866-999-2965 or online. Simply go to ptv.org, and when you give a gift of $75 or more, you'll not only receive the book *Outrageous Joy*, but also our current teaching series on audio and video discs. The series is called *Living Above Your Circumstances*, and this is the last week we'll mention these resources, so get in touch right away. Again, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org. You could also write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. That's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. Humility is one of today's most underrated and hard-to-come-by virtues. What does true humility even look like? Let's find out when you join us Thursday for the final message in our series on the Book of Philippians. That's right here on Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

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