Advent - Week 3 (Philippians 4:10-23)
Philippians 4:10-23
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Content In The King
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Philippians 4:10-23 〰️ Content In The King 〰️
Well, folks, this is the last week of gathering community groups for the Advent season. Our next full-on community group gatherings will be in the new year after public launch. With New Year’s resolutions likely stacking up, let’s keep at the forefront of our minds that Christ is our source. Both in planting a new church and in entering a new year, it’s so easy to slip into the “go go go” of getting things done, being productive, and depending upon ourselves and others. Our prayer is that the turning over of a calendar year brings joy, rest, and contentment in Christ.
This week, however, we’re wrapping up the book of Philippians. Our series on Philippians and Advent blended together, and this is the final passage in the epistle to the church at Philippi. As usual, there’s a lot to pull from this passage, but the big idea here is contentment. Particularly in a season of stress, chaos, and (if we’re honest about our current cultural context) some materialism, it’s quite sweet to take a deep breath and remember that Christ is all we need. At multiple points in the closing of Paul’s letter, he talks of his joy, satisfaction, contentment, and how all his needs are met. How’s that for a contrast? As Christmas approaches, whether you anticipate or dread it, rest assured that, in communion with Christ, we can trade stress for joy, chaos for satisfaction, and the buzz of shopping for contentment.
Returning to the passage, we see Paul touching on a few things. One of the primary concepts we see here is Paul’s talking about how the Philippians have partnered with him. Paul also opened the book with this, writing with gratitude, “I give thanks to my God…because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (1:3, 5). This idea of partnership extends not just between us, the church, and spiritual leaders but between members of a church body, as well as between believers and the Lord.
Here, Paul commends and thanks the Philippians for their investment, prayer, and partnership with him. He even says that “in the early days of the gospel…no church shared with me the matter of giving and receiving except you alone” (v14) [emphasis added]. Reading this from a communal perspective, this is something we can learn much from. In the cultural context of the first century, it wasn’t strange or out of the ordinary for communities, particularly local church bodies, to gather both in person and with resources. They genuinely lived like a family and partnered with one another. The whole idea of a partnership is that everyone has something at stake. If one person endures a loss, everyone does. If one person experiences great blessing, it is shared and rejoiced with the community. This isn’t a new concept to Paul either. In Romans 12, he instructs the church to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another” (v15-16a). This isn’t to say we should sign up for a shared checking account with our community groups. That would be a little weird and probably unwise. What this means for us, though, is that we should have a stake in our community’s lives. A question we’ll ask the group is this: are we actually impacted by the wins and losses of our community? Do we weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice?
Returning to our central focus for the passage, we can observe Paul’s consistent language, mainly as we keep in mind that he’s still detained. While writing this letter from prison, Paul says he rejoices (v10), needs nothing (v11), is content (v11, 12), has received everything in full, has an abundance, and is fully supplied (v18). How can a man in prison, with no apparent way out, remain in any circumstance? Paul provides the answer in verses 12 and 13. “In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.” This verse is sometimes taken out of context and used as an “I can do anything because I follow Jesus” get-out-of-jail-free card. But Paul intends to remind the Philippians that Christ is the source of our strength, joy, and contentment.
As we jump into our discussions, we’ll read a few questions regarding Paul’s relationship with the Philippians and what it looks like to have a gospel-centered partnership with brothers and sisters in Christ. Our hope is that we emphasize that weeping and rejoicing with one another (Romans 12:15-16) reinforces both our horizontal (with others) relationships and our vertical (with the Lord) relationships. We’ll also dig into some of what it means to be content. It’s easy to get sucked into the seemingly bottomless vortex of gift-giving, hosting, buying, and the overall toll that Christmastime brings. Every year at this time, I think of the things I don’t have and what I’m excited to get. Paul’s words here directly contradict this heart posture, and we hope that our people will walk away with a sense of contentment in the King who came as our Savior. The King knows what we need and lovingly cares for his creation (Matthew 6:25-34).
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
What are some repeating words, phrases, or concepts in this passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
How does this passage describe Paul’s partnership with the Philippians?
What would it look like for believers to partner with one another in this way?
Read Romans 12:15-16. How might your personal, social, and spiritual life change if you lived with this kind of partnership in mind?
What does Paul say is the “secret” for being content in any circumstance?
What are some ways you lack contentment?
What does it mean to you to be content?
Let’s close by reading Matthew 6:25-34.