The Secret

AI Summary:
Mark Oshman explores the themes of joy and contentment as presented in Philippians chapter four. He emphasizes that true contentment is not dependent on external circumstances but is learned through a relationship with Christ. The discussion highlights the paradox of seeking happiness in material wealth and the importance of generosity as a reflection of one's faith. Oshman encourages listeners to pursue a deeper understanding of joy, especially in times of adversity, and to recognize that true happiness comes from within, rooted in one's faith and connection to Christ.

AI Transcript:

Well, good morning. Welcome. Hey, it's my joy and privilege to open up God's Word with you. Looks like my daughter stepped off stage and went out. But you can wish her happy birthday. It's her 20th birthday, so she's not a teenager.

It's her last Sunday with us. She's headed back to college this week. So it was a joy to have her lead at school when your kids lead you in worship. So that's awesome. We are in Philippians chapter four. If you have a Bible, you can begin to make your way there. This is our last sermon in the series. Enjoy Jesus. The central premise of Paul's message to the Philippians and to us is that joy is found in Jesus. And that's important.

important because there are a million things that this world will throw at you a million paths to go down that promise joy and in the end don't deliver on what they promise. We were all made to pursue joy and whatever you do every person at every moment you're you're in a sense pursuing your own joy and so the Apostle Paul just wants to throw into that conversation. Here's where joy can actually be found. So Philippians chapter four is where we're at.

Paul's writing from Rome and in Rome at that time, Rome is the epicenter of the Western world. It represented all that a good Roman would want.

All the excess, everything you want in terms of food and drink and sexual excess and entertainment at the Colosseum and the opera, comfort, safety, all the things that were promised to bring you happiness were found or believed to be found in Rome. And at the top of that triangle is a guy named Nero Caesar Dominicus Augustus Germanicus.

the leader of the Western world at that time. And I imagine a conversation on the street in Rome would often go like this over their meat or whatever they would drink, their wine. They would just kind of ask the question, what would it be like to be Caesar for a day? That must be awesome, right? And the other person would say, yeah, can you imagine? You can have whatever you want. You can have whoever you want. You can do whatever you want. can...

At all times, and there's that choir of Roman boys that is always singing your praise that says, glory to Caesar on the highest and on earth, peace on whom his favor rests. Caesar must have it all. He must be the happiest man in Rome on the planet. But of course, historians tell us that was not the case.

He was probably one of the most miserable people in all of Rome. Even though he had it all, he was not content. He was a megalomaniac. He wanted more. He wasn't content with the borders of the empire. He wanted to spread those out. He wasn't content with the excesses of his life. He wasn't content with the praise of the people. And so he would always just kind of search for more and more and more. At one point, he had part of Rome

burned down and the people were about to revolt. So he needed a scapegoat. And so he heard about this new little religious sect called the Christ Little Ones, the Christ Followers, the Christians. And he said, it's those strange people. They burned down the city and a great persecution broke out against the Christians under Nero because of his own insecurity and his own megalomania. He just always, always wanted more. He was not the happiest man in Rome.

far from it. But the happiest man in Rome, on the planet was in Rome, he just happened to be in a cold, dark, damp jail cell. If you looked at him, you would say, man, what happened to you? Your face is a little bit messed up. And he would say, well, I was beaten this one time and they stoned me. They left me for dead this other time. But I'm happy.

He often would go without meals because he didn't have people to provide for his basic necessities in that jail cell. In the wintertime, he was cold and he had just clothes that were threadbare and he would shiver at night. He had a lot of struggles. He had a lot of ups and downs. You can read about him in the book of Acts. A lot of high highs and low lows, but he didn't really talk about them that much. He would tell you if you asked him, but he had this, this...

overwhelming joy. This explosive happiness. Now, either he is completely insane or he figured something out most of us never figure out. The Puzzle Ball writing from that jail cell wants us to figure it out. That's what he wants for you and me and for the Philippians, for all people to find the secret.

So if you have your Bible, we'll look it up in verse 10 of chapter four and I'll read our passage and pray for us. But as always, I you to listen carefully. This is God's says, rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound in any and every circumstance. I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Let's pray. Yeah, Lord, we come before you again in the name of your son and the power of your spirit.

We are grateful that you. You see fit to speak to each of us through your word by your spirit and so Holy Spirit do that now. What we know not I pray that you teach us what we have not that you'd give us what we are not that you'd make us. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen. Shouldn't we as a people in this place and this time shouldn't we all be more content.

like satisfied with our lives, joyful. Do you ever feel that? Shouldn't we like in the course of world history, most people have been working towards what we live in, the very midst of what we live in. And the past says, you get this, if you can get Parker, Colorado in 2025, then you have arrived. You should be the most content.

most happy, most joyful, most praise-filled people on the planet. Shouldn't we be more content? But why aren't we? Why aren't we marked? Why aren't our neighbors marked? Why isn't our community marked as the greatest place of joy on the planet? Well, philosophers and sociologists and others have studied this a little bit. And there's a couple concepts that

that are a paradox in our modern world. I'll put them on the screen here. The comfort crisis and what's called hedonic adaptation. You can just leave that up there for a moment. So there's a book by a guy named Michael Easter. He wrote the book called The Comfort Crisis. And he did all this study and this research and he's basically said, listen, we all want comfort. In fact, we live in a time where we actually can get a lot of comfort, but the more comfort, the more ease, the more just

feeding ourselves whatever we want, doing whatever we want, sleeping as much, all those things, that actually is leading to a kind of fragility in our lives, in our bodies, in our minds, in our spirits, in our emotions, in our relationships. We're actually far worse off in the midst of comfort than we are in the midst of struggle or pain or difficulty. There's a comfort crisis and that comfort crisis is breaking us on so many different levels. And yet,

our natural default and the path that we think will bring us joy is always going to be to comfort. We don't want to think hard, we don't want to work hard, we don't want to have hard conversations with other people. And yet he would say, no, we need all of that for some resiliency, for some joy. The second concept is hedonic adaptation or some call it the hedonic treadmill. And it's simply this, that as you pursue those things that are promising,

happiness and joy when you get them. What sociologists find, there's a temporary spike in happiness. Like you get the new house, awesome, that's awesome. You get the new car, that's awesome. You go on the vacation, that's awesome. And it bumps up for a second, but our satisfaction, our joy always comes back down to this kind of baseline. Now the problem is, as you get those things, as your lifestyle goes up, now your baseline is still here.

but if you come down at all, now you're dissatisfied with life. This is how we're wired. So for example, let me give you a few examples of that. If you've been married any amount of time, think about your satisfaction in life, your first year of marriage and where you lived. And now could you go back and live in that place and have the same level of satisfaction? That 600 square foot place with the cockroaches and all that?

No, because of hedonic adaptation. No, I now need this level of lifestyle for me to be baseline happy, right? So we know that. Or I'll give you a couple more examples. You know, we lived overseas for about 15 years. We lived in Japan, so we flew over the Pacific a lot. We lived in Europe, we flew over the Atlantic a lot. I have never.

in my life been upgraded. I've always been in I think in like sub economy with like the chickens and stuff in the back and and I'm tall and it's it's not comfortable but but I've always just done that. That's what I know. And my predecessor and mentor who we took over the ministry from in Japan he's I'm six five he's six foot nine. So it's even harder for him. He said but one time in the many many trips over the ocean one time they upgraded him to first class.

And he was thinking, this is going to be awesome. And so he flew first class and when he got back, I was like, Drew, what did you think? Did you love it? He's like, no, I hated it. Like, why? He's like, cause now I know what's going on up there. I know what that life is and I know I'll never be there again. I will always be back with the chickens with you, Mark. It's miserable. It ruined my flying forever.

Like, no, no, just give me a chance. I'll break that, no. Another one I thought of, I mean, I like to go on a cruise, David Foster Wallace back in 1996, he's a great philosopher writer. Unfortunately, in his seeking for happiness, he could not find it and eventually took his life in 2007. But in 1997, a Harper's Magazine said, hey,

here's a brochure about a luxury cruise. We want to send you on a cruise and we want you to just write an article about it." And so he looks at the brochure and he's intrigued because it's written by a professional author, but it written in such a way like this isn't an advertisement, just this, you know, every need you have will be met on this luxury cruise. And he's like, all right, I'll take the free cruise. I'll take all the luxury. And so

He goes and he's initially wowed by the ship, like wowed by the size and the glamour and the glitz and the glass elevators and his balcony and his room. And he found that he could get room service whenever he wants. He was like calling like five times a day to get room service in there and all the food and all that. And he was really enjoying it. He had that initial bump in happiness, but even on the ship in a few days, his baseline happiness began.

come back to this level. But it really met a crisis point when they pulled into the port at Cozumel. And he's an introvert, so he didn't want to get off and do any excursions. So he just went up to the 12th deck and he laid out in the sun and he was just trying to enjoy the moment when all of a sudden another cruise ship comes in and and parks next to them. But this one was more luxurious. This one was bigger and he's looking up at it and he's thinking.

That's better than what I'm experiencing. And this discontentment starts to roll in his head and he thinks, you know what? Actually, even though the cabin steward comes in and 10 times a day redoes my room, sometimes I don't like where they put my shoes and sometimes the little piece of chocolate on the pillow isn't at the perfect 45 degree angle and that bothers me. And this room service, it's good but they don't pay attention to the details. Sometimes they put the...

pickled too close to the crust and it makes the crust soggy and I don't like that. And sometimes the water in my bathroom is not cold enough. I like it cold. And that's when he writes this. says, I'm standing here on deck 12, looking at the dream where that's the other ship, which I bet has cold water that'll turn your knuckles blue. And part of me realizes that I haven't washed a dish or tapped my foot in line behind somebody with multiple coupons at the supermarket checkout in a week.

And yet instead of feeling refreshed and renewed, I'm anticipating how totally stressful and demanding and unpleasurable a return to regular landlocked adult life is going to be. Now that even just the premature removal of a towel by a crewman seems like an assault on my basic rights. And the sluggishness of the aft elevator is an outrage. And as I'm getting ready to go down to lunch,

I'm mentally drafting a really mordant footnote on my single biggest peeve about this ship. They don't even have Mr. Pibb. They foist Dr. Pepper on you with a manly unapologetic shrug when any fool knows that Dr. Pepper is no substitute for Mr. Pibb. And it's an absolute travesty, or at best, extremely dissatisfying indeed.

You can be on a luxury cruise ship and be extremely dissatisfied. In the 1600s, I think it was 1649, Jeremiah Burroughs, a Puritan pastor and author, he wrote this book. I love the title of the book. He calls it the rare jewel of Christian contentment. The rare jewel of Christian contentment. says, I love the title. It's rare. Not many people have it. Not many people embrace this in their life.

He calls it a jewel. is precious. It's valuable. If we could find the rare jewel, it's what our hearts are longing for. Well, as I already mentioned, the apostle Paul, found it. He found it. He lived it. He wanted the Philippians. He wants us to get it. And so he's going to tell us three truths about contentment that are kind of countercultural. And when we read them at first, we'll say that's not true. But Paul wants to press in on us.

And then he's going to show us how the Philippians themselves are actually on a pathway to joy and contentment and invite us along that as well. So back to our passage, Philippians chapter four, verse 10, says, I rejoice in the Lord greatly now that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever

situation I am to be content. So this is the first truth he wants us to know. Contentment is not tied to our circumstances. Now you and I don't believe that. We don't believe that. Because if we did we wouldn't daydream about if we just had that thing. If we could just get that thing. If I could have that kind of relationship. If I could have

that kind of success. I could have that, like we just daydream about stuff keeps us up at night that is tied to this idea. If my circumstances would change, then I would be happy, right? So when you're in your teens, you're like, when I get into my twenties and I have some freedom, I'll be happy. When you're in twenties, you're like, when I get into my thirties and get some money and some advancement in my career, then I'll be happy. When you're in thirties, you're like, if I could go back to my twenties and college, then I should have been happy in college.

Right? All of us are like, well, what was I thinking? Why was I ever dissatisfied just going to class like one hour a day? That's a tangent. have college daughters. I try to tell them this every day. They don't listen. When you're in your 40s, you know, you're like, 30s, or so on and so forth. When it's summer, you're like, I can't wait until it cools down in the fall. In the fall, you're like, I want to...

to be winter so I can hit the slopes. When it's winter, you're like, I need spring to come out so I can enjoy that. was spring, you're like, I need summer. I like the summer days. And you get to the end of your life and you're like, man, I never, never had what I wanted. We can miss it. We can miss it all. But Paul is rejoicing. He's not rejoicing because his circumstances changed. He's grateful for their gift, but he's rejoicing because he has learned this secret. He says,

My contentment is not tied to my circumstances. In fact, Jesus makes this point. We think so often we're told in our hyper materialistic world that contentment comes with more, more stuff. And Jesus would teach parables on this. In fact, it was his top topic of teaching. But in Luke chapter 12, verse 15, I'll put it on the screen, it says, watch out and be on your guard against all.

covetousness for life does not consist in the abundance of of one's possessions. It says watch out. Do you ever watch out like when things are going well in your life when your bank account is growing are you like I need to be real careful here I am on spiritually dangerous ground. No we don't think that. We're like finally I can rest and relax a little bit right. This is

what we think because we think our circumstances determine our happiness. I know because I checked that none of you won the mega millions this week. None of you won it. That means it's going up to 220 million you could win this week. Now if you you if you happen to play it and you happen to win it I would say a few things but but I would say this it won't be enough. It won't be enough for you. It will not be enough to purchase what you really want.

joy. it could bring a lot of distraction and a lot of happiness in the sense of, cool stuff. And our hearts believe, yeah, you I know all the studies that show people that win the lottery are actually less happy than they were before. But every single person in this room is like, well, just let me have the chance. I don't know what's wrong with them. I would be fine. We all think that because we believe happiness is tied to our stuff. And Paul's like, no.

No, contentment is not tied to our circumstances, which leads to the second kind of counter-cultural truth. Back in verse 11 again, it says, that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. It's like I know poverty, and I know prosperity.

In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. the second point, the first one is that contentment is not tied to your circumstances. The second one is contentment is learned in the school of Christ. Paul mentions this twice. I have learned this. This implies process. This implies time.

This implies focused attention. Like you don't just when Paul gets knocked off his horse on the way to Damascus and Jesus called him to himself. He doesn't just zap into Paul contentment in his life. No he's been following just for about 30 years now and now with incredible highs and incredible lows. He has learned the secret of being content. One of I saw this interview with a NASCAR racer says

When you're racing on the track, you have to focus really, really hard or you'll hit something really, really hard. I love the clarity of that. Yeah. And the same is with the Christian life. Listen, if we are going to be content in the school of Christ, we have to focus. OK, what are the lessons Jesus is teaching me? What are the tests that I'm giving that he wants to stretch in me? And some of the tests will face what Paul says.

There's a test of prosperity, which is probably most of the tests here, given the time and place. And then for most of the Christian world, there's the test of poverty. Can you still learn the secret to being content in each one of those tests? So the test of prosperity, for example, Ecclesiastes 5.10 says this.

coming. There it is. Okay. Says this, the one who loves money is never satisfied with money and whoever loves his wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile. He's just saying, listen, if you think more money is what's going to satisfy your soul, then it's going to be, as they'll say, otherwise in other places, a chasing after the wind. You'll never grab ahold of it.

And even if you have material prosperity, and we do, if that's where our hope is, then we will be forever disappointed. So Paul will write to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 6. He'll say this, command those who are rich in this present world. And that's most of us. So you're in the top 8 % of the world if you have a car, for example. You're in the top 75 % of the world if you have

more than $10 a day, if you live on more than $10 a day. Like we get this, even though we try to convince ourselves, middle class, this is normal, all that stuff. No, we are the rich. So this is a command for us. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant. Our wealth can kind of get some self entitlement, some arrogance to it. Nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain. So much of our greed isn't actually just greed for more, it's fear of the future.

Like I'm afraid if I don't build up, if I don't build bigger barns, if I don't have a big enough bank account, if I don't have enough put away for the future, if something happens, then I'm not going to have any security in my life. And so we put away, we put away, put away because we think there's security in that. And look how Paul calls it. He says, which is so uncertain. We don't think of our money that way, but Paul understands it's uncertain, but they put their hope in God.

who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Paul is pushing back both in this passage and this one, both on a prosperity theology and a poverty theology. A prosperity theology says, if you have enough faith and you pray enough and you do enough things and you give enough, then God will bless you material and that's how you'll know. And Paul rejects that. And poverty theology says, well, if you give it all away and you live kind of a miserable life,

then God will see that and God will bless you. But in both cases, it's not the gospel. In both cases, it's trying to put God in your debt to get something from God. He says, you're missing the point. I've learned the secret of having a lot, being on the cruise ship and being hungry and not being fed because there's something else. Well, that's the test of prosperity. wait, second verse. Command them, the rich, to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous.

and willing to share in this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age. I love this. you've read many Alcorn spoke the treasure principle he'll say this with your wealth you cannot take it with you but you can send it on ahead. can't take it with you but you can send it on ahead. He gets it from this. You can lay up treasure with your gospel fuel generosity and send it on ahead. He says but.

when you do that so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. When greed and stuff and the things and the circumstances of this world no longer have a grip on your heart and dominate your life and control you, you are freed from those things and now you are freed as a redeemed, rescued image bearer of God to live the life that is truly life, a life of joy in Christ. That's the test of prosperity.

Well, there's a test of poverty as well. fact, earlier in the book of Timothy, in chapter six as well, here's what, look at what Paul says. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. Now that's a pretty low bar, right? Are any of us there? Well, I have a shirt and pants and I have food today, I'm good.

mean, Paul writing from a Rome prison cell, he's like, yeah, I'm good. So maybe we've got some things out of whack. Like that's a lower bar than any of us in this, myself, like man, if all I had was a set of clothing and some food, could I be good? Could I be content? And Paul says, yes, you can. We'll see why in the next point, but also Proverbs 38, verse eight and nine, says,

The author is writing this plea, me neither poverty nor wealth or nor riches. Keep me from the extremes, Lord. Feed me with the food I need. Give me my daily bread. Otherwise I might have too much and deny you saying who is the Lord? Like isn't this a struggle for us? The struggle for our neighbors? I don't need God. My life's good. I've got plenty of stuff. And the author is like, please, Lord, don't don't put me in that situation. And conversely,

He says, who is the Lord? Or I might have nothing and still profaning the name of my God. See, greed can be in your heart whether you're poor or you're rich. The issue is where is your heart? How do we get it? Which brings us to the last point, verse 13. says, can do all things through him who strengthens me.

I can do all things through him who strengthens the point here is contentment flows from our union with Christ. Now this this verse again probably one of the most maybe the most pulled out of context verses in our culture. Right. Like every Christian athlete has to have this tattoo or this shirt or have it written on his eyes below you know on his football. And I'm not doubting their sincerity. I love the sincerity. I'm just doubting their their interpretation their exegesis here. It's a little bit off Tim Tebow.

I get it. I get it. You want to honor Christ. but here's the deal. This is not Paul's not saying, hey, if you have Christ, you can crush a home run. Like, what if you go up there thinking I can do all things through Christ's strength and you strike out. Has Jesus let you down in that moment? No. One commentator said the context of this is extremely important. It should read I can do all these things through him who strengthens these. What are these things?

I can live a content life with much or nothing because I have Christ. Why? Through Him who strengthens me. This is our union with Christ. This is the greatest gift that you have right now if you are a follower of Christ, that the Spirit of Christ is in you. He is for you. He is with you. He is empowering you. He is helping you live a life worthy of the gospel. It is our all in all. When we have

Union with Christ. And we wake up to that. We realize, Lord, this life is your life. You can do whatever you want. I am content in you. Contentment flows from our union with Christ. He'll go on and say these are the three things. And then he'll show the Philippians as he's writing this thank you letter. He's not just thanking them that they provided for his needs.

He's really praising and thanking God because of what it reveals about who they are and what they actually believe. They believe Jesus is who he says he is and he'll do all that he promises they will do. And so in verse 14 he shows the Philippians that they're on the right path. Verse 14. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel when I left Macedonia.

No church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again." He's commending their gospel-fueled generosity. This church led the way. In fact, to the letter at the church at Corinth, he would point back to this church. He's like, want to see a people who have been captured by the gospel. Look at their life. Look at their generosity.

But again, he's not grateful just because they're providing his needs, though he is. He's grateful more as their pastor of what it reveals about their hearts that they truly have embraced the gospel. Look at what he says, verse 17. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. He's so happy that their lives reflect that they actually believe what they say they believe. says, I have received

full payment and more. am well supplied having received from the papyriditis the gifts you sent a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God." They have this gospel fueled generosity. their life was, they didn't just say, yeah, I believe in Jesus, but what does the world say where all the happiness is? That's where I'm going to go with my life. That there was not that disconnect that is so

prevalent in our own lives. Well, Jesus would often speak of this, right? Matthew 6, 21, Jesus said, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus wasn't trying, wasn't seeking their money. He was seeking their heart. And so he would often tell them where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Or put another way, I heard this quote this week from Tim Keller. says this, money.

flows effortlessly to that which is its God. It's another way to say where your treasure is, there your heart is also. So where does your money flow freely? Wherever our money flows most freely is where it's at. It flows effortlessly. I've felt this, that there have been moments where I'm like, I really want this thing. I really need this thing. I can't afford it, but let me run the numbers.

Let me rework some things. Let me move my budget around. Let me plan some things here. What debt could I go in? Because money flows effortlessly to that which is, it's God. And for the Philippians, he's commending them. said, listen, you're getting it. I praise you that you're providing for my needs, but I praise God more that it shows that you believe Jesus is who he says he is. And he will do all that he promises he.

will do. So he concludes his letter commending them and he says, and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Again, another verse that can be ripped out of context, but he's saying God will supply every need in light of your gospel fuel generosity. You don't have to worry about the future. God's got you. And he says to our God and father.

glory forever and ever. Amen. God gets the glory. We get the joy. Contentment is not tied to our circumstances. It is learned in the school of Christ and it flows from our union with Christ. So as we close out this series, my prayer for you and for me as a church is that we may be marked by a relentless pursuit of our joy in Jesus.

In a culture of material abundance and spiritual need that RP, Redemption Park, would be a people that shows our neighbors where true joy is found. And they won't learn it by us simply jumping on the same hamster wheel that they're on. They'll learn it by us being a people content in Jesus. A people joyful in Jesus. A people that are different because we have Jesus in our lives.

And so the question over this book is have you found joy in Christ? Is Christ your treasure? Do you believe he is who he says he is and that he will do all that he promises he will do? The good news is that a day is coming, Paul already told us, the day is coming where every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

But even today, right now, Jesus stands with arms wide open. He says, come to me all who are weary and need rest. And I will give you rest. Take my yoke. My burden is easy. This is Jesus' invitation. So wherever you're at on that scale today, on contentment, Jesus will hear your prayer, saying, Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Lord, I want to be content. And He will meet you in that spot.

wherever you're at. To that end, let me pray for us.