Whatever Happens, I’m Good
Sermon notes from Pastor Bryan Loritts at One Community Church on learning contentment and finding sufficiency in Christ in every circumstance.
Whatever Happens, I’m Good
Contentment is satisfaction no matter what life throws at me. Whether I get the job or not, whether I get the promotion or not, I’m content.
Paul teaches us that our sufficiency is not anchored in ourselves. It is anchored in Christ.
11 I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances.
12 I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. I am accustomed to any and every situation—to being filled and being hungry, to having plenty and having need.
13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
A Declaration and a Prayer
Whatever happens to me, I’m good.
God, we declare your sufficiency. In you, we have and we are enough. Forgive me of my entitlement. Whatever happens to us, we’re good. Now teach us, we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Count Your Blessings
A woman serving on a short-term missions trip led worship in a community of people living with leprosy. On her last day, she invited song requests.
A woman who had lost her fingers, nose, and ears raised her hand and requested Count Your Blessings.
She had no fingers to count, yet she wanted to count her blessings. Hearing that story convicted me about the things I complain about. Whatever she had, I wanted it. That is contentment.
The Disease Called “If Only”
If only I had that apartment. If only I owned a home. If only I had a bigger home in that neighborhood.
I carried it into church planting: If only we could grow, have multiple services, stop raising outside support, or own our building.
If only I could get married. If only I could be single. If only I could have children. If only this child would leave my house.
We get the next thing, only to realize it does not scratch us where our souls itch. “If only” will never satisfy.
A Gift Sent to Paul
Paul founded the church in Philippi. When the Philippians heard that he was imprisoned in Rome, they collected an offering and sent it with Epaphroditus to encourage him.
Paul’s letter updates them on his circumstances and thanks them for their gift.
2 The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, so he took him and circumcised him on account of the Jews in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
4 As they went from town to town, they delivered the decisions handed down by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.
6 After the Holy Spirit had prevented them from speaking the word in the province of Asia, they traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia.
7 And when they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not permit them.
8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
9 During the night, Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
10 As soon as Paul had seen the vision, we got ready to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
11 We sailed from Troas straight to Samothrace, and the following day on to Neapolis.
12 From there we went to the Roman colony of Philippi, the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate along the river, where it was customary to find a place of prayer. After sitting down, we spoke to the women who had gathered there.
14 Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
16 One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl with a spirit of divination, who earned a large income for her masters by fortune-telling.
17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation!”
18 She continued this for many days. Eventually Paul grew so aggravated that he turned and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” And the spirit left her at that very moment.
19 When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.
20 They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil
21 by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice.”
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered that they be stripped and beaten with rods.
23 And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely.
24 On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.
27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, presuming that the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself! We are all here!”
29 Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.”
32 Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
33 At that hour of the night, the jailer took them and washed their wounds. And without delay, he and all his household were baptized.
34 Then he brought them into his home and set a meal before them. So he and all his household rejoiced that they had come to believe in God.
35 When daylight came, the magistrates sent their officers with the order: “Release those men.”
36 The jailer informed Paul: “The magistrates have sent orders to release you. Now you may go on your way in peace.”
37 But Paul said to the officers, “They beat us publicly without a trial and threw us into prison, even though we are Roman citizens. And now do they want to send us away secretly? Absolutely not! Let them come themselves and escort us out!”
38 So the officers relayed this message to the magistrates, who were alarmed to hear that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens.
39 They came to appease them and led them out, requesting that they leave the city.
40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house to see the brothers and encourage them. Then they left the city.
With or Without the Gift
Paul appreciates their concern, but his contentment does not depend on their money. His relationship with them is not based on what they do or do not give him.
With or without the gift, he is good. He follows a Savior who owns the cattle on a thousand hills. God is his provider.
Sufficiency Anchored in Christ
Paul’s contentment is not self-sufficiency. His sufficiency is not anchored in his credentials or his social network.
He connects contentment to the strength Christ supplies. His sufficiency rests in the One who bore his sins, was buried, and rose again.
As long as Christ is living, I’m good.
Christian Contentment
Christian contentment is a spirit of joyful submission to God in all circumstances.
It is not ultimately about what I buy or do not buy. That is self-discipline. Contentment has to do with my spirit, my heart.
This is not simply a sermon about staying off Amazon or putting something down. We can turn those rules into legalism. We need Christ to reach the heart we cannot change ourselves.
The Heart and the Hands
There is a relationship between your heart and your hands. Whatever has your heart has your hands.
That does not mean I can buy whatever I want without concern. I have been bought with a price, and belonging to Jesus should affect my actions.
But contentment begins with a disposition: I have Jesus. That is enough.
As Long as I Could See My Dad
As a little boy, I went with my father when he preached. I sat on wooden pews in hot churches, wearing a little polyester suit and a clip-on tie.
I could be hungry. People could be talking, shouting, or moving around me. But I stayed locked in on my dad.
As long as my daddy was in my sightline, I was good. No matter what is happening in us or around us, can we say that as long as we have a vision of King Jesus, we’re good? That is contentment.
Contentment Must Be Learned
Paul says he has learned to be content. That means there was a time when he did not know contentment.
He was not born content, and neither were we. Our natural condition is discontentment.
Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.
Augustine
At the heart of sin is the claim that God is not enough and must be supplemented with something else.
A Lifelong Wrestle
Discontentment is a struggle we will face until Jesus calls us home.
I think of Aretha Franklin’s funeral, with its multiple outfits, matching shoes, and gold-plated casket. Your funeral probably will not look like that, but the illustration brings the struggle into view: our attachment to things can follow us all the way to the end of life.
1. Be Curious
Learning begins with curiosity. Interrogate your discontent.
- Why am I always shopping? Why can’t I say enough?
- Why am I obsessing over my body?
- Why am I always thinking about food?
- Why do I need wine or weed to get through the day?
- Why does people’s approval mean so much to me?
- When does responsible saving become hoarding?
Instead of finding security in Jesus, we can look for it in possessions, approval, or the zeros in our accounts. These become substitute saviors that ultimately fail us.
2. Have Humility
How often have we sat in a classroom, not understanding, but too embarrassed to raise a hand?
Asking a question admits that we do not have it figured out. Learning contentment requires the same humility.
Raise your hand and say, “I need help.”
3. Learn from a Great Teacher
All learning needs a great teacher. Ours is Jesus Christ.
Jesus invites us to learn from him and find rest for our souls. One of the things he can teach us is contentment.
Jesus Had Nowhere to Lay His Head
Jesus did not live a life of luxury. He was born in a lowly manger, and he spoke of having nowhere to lay his head.
His life shows us that contentment does not depend on having an impressive home or comfortable circumstances.
Not Status or Prestige
Jesus was not raised in a glamorous city like Rome or Ephesus. He came from Nazareth, a place people questioned.
He did not attend prestigious private schools, yet his learning amazed people.
A Satisfying Life
Jesus described his food as doing the will of the One who sent him.
He died at thirty-three, homeless, poor, and single, yet no one lived a more contented, satisfying life. He can teach us something about contentment.
4. Be Around Good Students
Learning also means being around other people who are learning.
Our closest friends shape who we become. If you want to grow in contentment, spend time with people who share that desire.
Contentment Must Be Lived
Christian contentment is not just intellectual. It must be lived.
Paul knows what it means to be brought low. Sometimes life comes at you: there is too much month at the end of the money, or a routine physical becomes a biopsy and a cancer diagnosis.
Paul is not writing about contentment from a luxury hotel. He is writing from jail. Life has brought him low, and he can still say, “I’m good.”
When Life Brings You Low
Thomas Dorsey, the father of modern gospel music, suffered the devastating loss of his wife and infant child in 1932.
Out of that grief came Precious Lord, Take My Hand.
His story shows someone reaching for God in a season when life had brought him low.
Reach for God’s Hand
In seasons of overwhelming opposition and death threats, Martin Luther King Jr. would call Mahalia Jackson and ask her to sing Precious Lord, Take My Hand.
When life brings us low, we need something bigger than our bank accounts and our social networks. We need God’s unchanging hand.
Contentment in Prosperity
Paul also learned to be content when he had plenty.
Prosperity can be a greater threat to spiritual vitality than hardship. When we had little, God heard from us constantly. Once the money, house, and opportunities arrive, we can forget him.
My identity is not in either season. My identity is in Christ.
Remember Where Your Help Comes From
My grandfather remembered the way our community leaned into church and looked out for one another during Jim Crow.
His concern was that, as economic and educational opportunities opened, we stopped leaning into God and one another as we once had.
We must not forget where our help comes from. Our help comes from the Lord.
More Than “I Don’t Care”
Contentment was already a major subject among the Stoic philosophers of Paul’s day.
Their approach was to diminish desire and will yourself into contentment: when something is lost or goes wrong, teach yourself to say, “I don’t care.”
But contentment is a matter of the heart, and I cannot change my own heart. Paul points to a different source: Christ, who strengthens him.
What Philippians 4:13 Means
We often use this verse as a promise that Christ will help us accomplish a challenge or achieve a desired result.
But its primary application here is contentment. Christ strengthens Paul to live faithfully with plenty or with hunger, in abundance or in need.
The strength is not simply to get the outcome I want. It is to be content in Christ whatever the outcome.
In Victory or Defeat
Evander Holyfield wore Philippians 4:13 on his robe when he entered the ring against Mike Tyson.
The verse does not simply mean Christ will give him strength to win. If he wins the title and the money flows, he can remain content: he is not his title or his money. He belongs to Christ.
If he loses in humiliating fashion, the same is true. He is not his defeat. He belongs to Christ.
Because Jesus Got Up
Jesus took on sin, Satan, and death. He was buried, but he rose with all power in his hands.
Because he got up, no matter what life throws at me, I will get up.
Whether I get the promotion or not, get the job or not, marry or not, have a child or not, Christ strengthens me.
Are you good?
When Checking Every Box Is Not Enough
People tell me they earned the degrees, made the money, and got everything they thought they wanted, yet still had no peace.
One of God’s greatest gifts can be allowing the frustration of checking every box without finding contentment. That frustration can drive us to the only One who can satisfy us: Christ.
There is nothing wrong with a beautiful car or a gated community. But those things cannot go with you when you die.
Come to the Giver
You may have pursued relationships, substances, possessions, or vacations and still found something missing.
Jesus invites you to come to him.
A man or a woman cannot provide the satisfaction your soul is searching for. Relationships are good gifts to enjoy, but the gifts are meant to point us to the Giver. His name is Jesus.
A Prayer to Receive Christ
Dear God, thank you for my discontentment. Thank you for the frustration, because it has driven me here to you today.
I invite you to come into my life by the person and presence of your Holy Spirit. Make me new. Fulfill your promise to satisfy the deepest longings of my heart.
In Jesus’ name, I pray.
