1) Paul learned to be content in any circumstance through trusting God's sovereign providence rather than trying to control his own circumstances. 2) He was satisfied with whatever God granted him rather than being discontent and obsessed with having his desires and needs met. 3) Paul had learned the secret of being content whether in want or abundance, and trusted that God would supply his needs through His riches in Christ Jesus.

1. PHILIPPIANS 4:9
July 8, 2012
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI
Commentaries Consulted
 Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament . Copyright © 1992 by
Chariot Victor Publishing, an imprint of Cook Communication Min.
 The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Copyright © Moody Press and
John MacArthur, Jr., 1983-2007.
Philippians 4:9
“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice
these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9
The things we are to dwell on and practice are from v 8:
true, honor, righteousness, pure, lovely things, things of good repute, excellence, and
things worthy of praise.
Warren Wiersbe’s summary of Philippians, chapter 4:
God’s Presence v 1-5
God’s Peace v 6-9
God’s Power v 10-13
God’s Provision v 14-23
God’s Presence
v5 - “The Lord is near”.
God’s Peace
v7 - “the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension”.
God’s Power
v13 – “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me”.
Philippians 4:6-9
God's Peace
"Peace with God" is the result of faith in Christ.

2. Romans 5:1
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ,” Romans 5:1
“The peace of God" and the presence of "the God of peace" will come when the
believer practices: right praying, right thinking, and right living.
RIGHT PRAYING (4:6-7)
Philippians 4:6-7
6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Right praying (v.6-7)
“Thankful praying” pleases God and leads to having His peace in our lives that
surpasses all understanding.
RIGHT THINKING (4:8)

3. Philippians 4:8
8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any
excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Philippians 4:8
Right thinking (v. 8)
“Dwell on these things!”
Peace involves the mind (Isaiah 26:3 and Romans 8:6).
Isaiah 26:3
“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace.”
Romans 8:6
“the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.”
 Our thoughts are powerful; “As a man thinketh, so is he." Proverbs 23:7
Wrong thoughts will lead to unrest and discouragement, but proper spiritual thinking
will lead to peace.
 Paul tells us in this verse what to think about; if you compare the eight virtues
found in Phil 4:8 to Psalm 19:7-9, you will see that the Word of God meets all of
these requirements.
Psalm 19:7-9
7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The
commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is
clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; They are righteous
altogether.” Psalm 19:7-9
 Meditation on the Word of God will always bring peace.
Psalm 119:165
165 “Those who love Your law have great peace, And nothing causes them to
stumble.” Psalm 119:165
1 Right praying (v6-7)
Thankful praying
2 Right thinking (v8)
from God’s word
3 Right living (v9)
RIGHT LIVING (4:9)

4. Philippians 4:9
9 “The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice
(live) these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9
Right living (Phil 4:9):
If there is something in my life I dare not pray about, then I will never have peace.
 Right living always brings peace: Isa 32:17 & 48:18.
Isaiah 32:17
17 “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the service of righteousness,
quietness and confidence forever.” Isaiah 32:17
Isaiah 48:18
18 “If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your peace would
have been like a river…” Isaiah 48:18
It is not enough to use the Bible as a basis for praying and claiming its promises; we
must also use it as a basis for our living and obeying its precepts.
John 14:21
21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and
he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose
Myself to him.” John 14:21

5. Right living (Phil 4:9)
James 4:1-11 says that:
wrong praying (4:3),
wrong living (4:4),
and wrong thinking (4:8)
bring war instead of peace!
James 4:1
1 “What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your
pleasures that wage war in your members?” James 4:1
James 4:3 (Wrong praying)
3 “You ask and do not receive,
because you ask with wrong motives,
so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
James 4:3

6. James 4:4 (Wrong living)
4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward
God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy
of God.” James 4:4
James 4:8 (Wrong thinking)
8 “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners;
and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
James 4:1-11 says that:
wrong praying (4:3),
wrong living (4:4), and
wrong thinking (4:8)
bring war instead of peace!
Philippians 4:6-9 says that:
right praying (v6-7),
right thinking (v8) and
right living (v9)
bring the peace of God!
Warren Wiersbe’s summary:
God’s Presence v 1-5
God’s Peace v 6-9
God’s Power v 10-13
God’s Provision v 14-23
God’s Power
Philippians 4:10-13
10“But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern
for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever
circumstances I am.
12 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.
13 I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:10-13

7. Philippians 4:10b
“indeed, you were concerned before but you lacked opportunity.” Philippians 4:10b
The Philippians had generously supported him when he left Philippi to minister in the
cities of Thessalonica, Berea, Athens and Corinth.
Now, Epaphroditus arrived in Rome, bringing with him another generous gift from the
Philippians (4:18) for which Paul rejoiced in the Lord greatly.
He rejoiced primarily not because the gift met his need, but because it gave
evidence of their love for him.
His joy overflowed because now at last, after ten years, they had revived their
concern for him.
The Greek verb translated revived is a horticultural term describing a plant flowering
again.
The Philippians' generous affection for Paul, after lying dormant for nearly ten years,
had once again bloomed.
Paul's gracious attitude reflects his patient confidence in God's sovereign providence.
He was certain that God in due time would arrange his circumstances to meet his
needs.
There was no panic on his part, no attempt to manipulate people, no taking matters
into his own hands.
Paul was content because he knew that the times, seasons, and opportunities of life
are controlled by the sovereign God “Who works all things after the counsel of His will"
(Eph 1:11), thereby causing "all things to work together for good to those who love
God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28).

8. Those who seek to control their own lives will inevitably be frustrated.
A confident trust in God's providence is foundational to contentment.
1) Providence and
2) Miracle are the two ways God acts in the world.
A miracle is God's direct intervention into the natural world.
It is an event so contrary to the normal course of events that there is no scientific or
naturalistic explanation for it other than the power of God.
There is no natural insight to explain the parting of the Red Sea, restoring the sight of
those blind from birth, or raising people from the dead.
On the other hand, God's providence is not miraculous in the sense that it does not
interrupt the natural order. Rather, it allows for all the contingencies, events, words,
acts, decisions, and elements of normal life.
God supernaturally weaves them all together to fit His purpose exactly.
This is as supernatural as a miracle.

9. Solomon acknowledged God's providential control over events when he wrote, "The
mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Prov 16:9; 19:21).
God providentially arranged for Joseph to rise to a high position in Egypt to preserve
His people.
As Joseph explained to his brothers, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God
meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people
alive" (Gen 50:20).

10. God also providentially arranged for Esther to be in a position to save Israel, as
Mordecai reminded her: "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will
arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish.
And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?"
(Esther 4:14).
An understanding of God's sovereign, providential control of events is critical to
contentment.
Philippians 4:11
11 “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever
circumstances I am.” Philippians 4:11
Lest the Philippians misunderstand his statement in verse 10, Paul quickly added a
disclaimer. He did not mean to imply that he spoke from want when he thanked
them for their gift.
In fact, he had learned to be content in whatever circumstances he found himself.
Though his situation was extremely difficult, Paul was not discontent.
It did not matter that he was a prisoner, living in a small apartment, chained to a
Roman soldier, subsisting on a sparse diet.
None of that affected Paul’s contentment, because he was satisfied with what little
he had.
His contentment was not affected by his physical deprivations since true
contentment comes only from God, and enables believers to be satisfied and at
ease in the midst of any problem. (joy vs happiness)

11. The contented attitude of someone like Paul is rare in today's society.
People are not content even when they have a lot.
In fact, it seems that those who are the wealthiest are often the most miserable and
discontented.
Instead, people are obsessed with delineating their needs and loudly demanding
that those needs be met & be met now.
“Hey! What about me?”
“Meeting my needs” has become the number one value in our culture.
Starting from the humanistic premise that God does not exist and man is therefore
ultimate, the goal of life for many people becomes getting their needs met.
Adding to the discontent is the blurring of the distinction between needs and wants.
In actual practice, today virtually everything has become a "need“ not a want.
Philippians 4:19
19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ
Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

12. Today men "need" the latest hunting equipment, the largest screen TV, and a fancier
car; while ladies "need” nicer clothes, plastic surgery and a better house;
children "need" the freedom to express themselves outside the "bondage" of parental
control.
Like a hamster running around and around on a wheel and going nowhere,
people desperately chase the contentment that is always tantalizingly just out of
reach.
Even many churches have begun to build their ministries around people's "felt needs."
But Paul knew that the chief end of man is not to have his needs met, but to glorify
God and enjoy Him forever. Because of that, Paul was satisfied with whatever God
graciously granted him.

13. As he wrote to Timothy, "If we have food and covering, with these we shall be
content" (1 Tim 6:8).
Paul was content to let God control things.
When difficult times came, he remained content because he was satisfied with
whatever he had.
Philippians 4:12
12“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.” Philippians 4:12
The twice-repeated phrase “I know how . . . I also know how” reveals that he had
learned by experience and spiritual maturity to live above his circumstances and not
to let them affect his contentment, his joy.
That is an important lesson for believers to learn, for it is the difficult circumstances in
life that most frequently steal our contentment.
Steve Saint update:
http://youtu.be/N2jfgR0cCGc