Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

It may just be me but seems that we skipped thanksgiving.

Everywhere you look it just appears to be about Holiday Shopping.

The stores now before Thanksgiving have Christmas up.

I have already begun hearing people talk about plans for Black Friday.

Every year we see men and women acting like little children pushing and shoving Trampling, Shooting, Fighting.

For what more stuff.

Material goods.

Save money on things you don’t really need.

Save money on Christmas shopping.

Where we celebrate giving, or is it getting.

Either way it’s materialism.

Here today’s passage we have a word of thanks that from Paul.

Thanks for what God had blessed him with.

Philippians 4:10-23

Pray

Thank You

Thank You to the Philippians

Being in Physical distress the gifts were wonderful.

Being in emotion distress the company was better.

It is amazing what a small gift and some company can do to lift the spirits.

And Paul Needed his spirits to be lifted.

He is thankful for the blessing of the Lord.

Paul is Content

Then Paul quickly clarifies that he is happy because of God’s grace not because he is in want or in dire needs or even depressed.

He is content in his current circumstances.

And he, the readers in this case us, To be able to share in that blessing.

The blessing of being content in any circumstance.

In prosperity or in humbled means.

What is that secret?

Trust in God.

Giving your life over to God.

God is the Focus and initiates the blessing.

And knowing that God is with you in what ever the earthly Circumstance can bring a contentment.

We live in a world that is humanistic.

That i Man-centered.

It is in the way we look at history, science, philosophy and theology.

We want us to be the center.

So we say things like Prosperity comes from Faith.

So if you aren’t healthy wealthy and wise then you just don’t have enough faith.

See man-centered.

The initiation is on us.

We say things like if you have money you are not relying on god but upon yourself.

See the focus on Your money.

But when we put God at the center we are content.

Contentment

Contentment is not settling.

It is not complacency.

It is not settling for Cs when you could make As.

We strive for excellence because God has called us out.

Don’t settle for minimum when you are qualified for more.

We strive to do the best we can and we don’t need to settle

But be content in what blessing of God we have as we press forward in His will.

Not Self-Sufficiency

Contentment is not independence from all things and all people.

You are made to be in communion with one another.

You are made to work as a church.

Meeting needs as a community.

Working as a community.

Living as a community.

Not always by yourself.

Contentment is self-Surrender.

It is having all we need in God to sustain our lives.

Author Jerry Bridges said,

“This is the secret of being content: to learn and accept that we live daily by God’s unmerited favor given through Christ, and that we can respond to any and every situation by his divine enablement through the Holy Spirit.”

Surrender to God and be content.

For if He is with you....

If you need to do something.

He give you strength.

If you need something.

Ask, seeking his kingdom first, and my God will supply all your need according to his riches in Glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19) And it is important to learn to be content

Not being content plunge people into ruin and destruction.

Next Steps

Are You content

Do you feel like something is always missing.

Do you feel like grass is greener

Feel like something is always better somewhere else.

These are not feelings of Content.

Push forward but rely on the blessings of God

Money, Things, People

“Contentment is one of the most distinguishing traits of the Godly person, because a Godly person has his heart focused on God rather than on possessions or position or power.”

– Jerry Bridges,

Do you have this distinguishing Trait

Not settled you have work to do.

Are you content?

—Bibliography—

Dunnam, Maxie D., and Lloyd J. Ogilvie.

Galatians / Ephesians / Philippians / Colossians / Philemon.

Vol. 31.

The Preacher’s Commentary Series.

Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1982.

Singerman, Barbara.

Beyond Surrender.

Garland, TX: Hannibal Books, 2003.

Harris, W. Hall, III, Elliot Ritzema, Rick Brannan, Douglas Mangum, John Dunham, Jeffrey A. Reimer, and Micah Wierenga, eds.

The Lexham English Bible.

Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012.

Anders, Max.

Galatians-Colossians. Vol. 8. Holman New Testament Commentary.

Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.