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be together and praying together, singing together, listening to and hearing about what

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God is doing even amongst the children, the little lambs, how Grace Kids has exploded into

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a wonderful ministry where indeed the little lambs among us are being fed wonderfully by

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the leaders prayerfully as they take our children from us, take them downstairs and give them

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these wonderful lessons that they can be reminded that Jesus has saved them as well.

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Well, before we get into our text this morning, let us ask for our Father's help in prayer.

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Would you please join me?

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Father, we are so thankful for the work that you have done in Christ and that you continue

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to do among your people on this earth.

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Father, we ask that as we peer into these words of truth that you would help us to understand

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them, that they would invade our minds, that you would help us to meditate and dwell on

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the truth of what's being said this morning, that you would change us for your glory and

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for Christ's sake.

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We ask for this in Jesus' name, amen.

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Church, I wonder if you can think of the worst day that you have ever had because having

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the worst day can really make anyone go from a great mood to a terrible mood pretty quickly.

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You know the days I'm speaking of, right, where everything, and I mean absolutely everything,

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seems to be going wrong.

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It's almost like you got out of the wrong side of the bed and then everything just seems

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to not want to work in your favour.

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The coffee machine doesn't work, you trip on one of the kids toys, you get to school late,

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you can't get parking, you have a squabble with someone in the family or in the workplace.

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I can think of many times this has happened in my life and I'm sure that you can think

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of the many times that it's happened in your life as well.

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Bad days just seem to be part of the human experience and bad days can really affect

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our whole attitude on things to the point that we might sing in chorus with Mick Jagger,

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I just can't get no satisfaction and say to ourselves if only things could just change

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then everything would finally be good.

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Well this morning we're wrapping up our series in the book of Philippians by looking into

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a context where both writer and receiver weren't just having a bad day but an incredibly

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bad season.

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And when I say bad season, I mean things had not gone their way for many, many years and

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so you can imagine the temptation in all of this.

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If only things could just change then everything would be finally good.

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Well our apostle has some encouraging words for the church this morning.

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Come the best of times, come the worst of times, I've found the secret of contentment.

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I've learned to be satisfied in whatever life throws at me and I want you to know what

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it is so that you might share in it as well.

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And as we explore our passage this morning, we'll actually see that Paul in fact gives

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us five encouraging truths for the church to dwell on in regards to this great theme

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of contentment.

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Now before we have a bit more of a think on these things, let's first think about the

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context that our author, the apostle Paul, was speaking from.

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If we think about it, he was a man who spent much of his ministry years under intense persecution.

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I mean the book of Acts alone tells us that he was mocked, slandered, ganged up on, driven

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out of cities, abandoned, starved, stoned, beaten, shipwrecked, whipped and imprisoned

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a number of times.

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In fact the very letter that we're exploring this morning is a letter that was written

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from a Roman prison where our author was chained up and unable to get to his friends in Philippi.

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So that's the writer, that's the author.

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But what about the receivers?

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What was the apostle Paul speaking into?

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Well as we know through this series that we've done in Philippians, this church was highly

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persecuted both externally and internally.

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Only the church was persecuted by the pagan society around them which came with all sorts

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of social and economic ramifications, which we can only imagine.

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But as we saw in chapter 3, they also had the pressure of the dutyisers, a sect of so-called

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Christians who believed that the Philippians weren't really saved because the males hadn't

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been circumcised and kept to the requirements of the Mosaic law.

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That's some pretty big external issues, but that wasn't all that was going on.

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Internally we know that this church had a division between two congregants which had

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pretty much parted the church like the Red Sea.

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So that's the context here.

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Both author and recipient were in horrid circumstances.

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But insult is added to injury when we also think about the male man in all of this, a

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goddess.

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Remember that guy?

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We met him way back in chapter 2 where we learned that he was sent from the Philippian

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church to Paul in Rome to bless Paul with both his companionship and the gifts from the

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Philippian church as they had pretty much supported Paul in his missionary efforts since

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the beginning as we see here in verses 15 and 16 of our text this morning.

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We will take a few breaks.

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However, does anyone remember what happened to Paul Epaphroditus?

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Well, the male man got so sick that he almost died.

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And so Paul had to send him back to his friends in Philippi with this letter in hand.

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All this to say and for all intents and purposes these people were having a terrible time.

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And it seems like everything just wasn't working out for them.

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So with all that said and with all that in mind Paul says in verse 10, I rejoice greatly

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in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me.

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Indeed, you were concerned but you had no opportunity.

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In other words, Paul was overjoyed that he had received Epaphroditus with the churches,

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his missionary partners gifts.

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But as we're soon going to see, that's not the point that Paul wants to make here in

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these last few verses.

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No, though grateful, Paul is concerned that his friends understand that God wants them

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to also be content in their circumstances.

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That God desires for us his precious blood purchased people to live in a state of satisfaction

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even in this chaotic world.

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And so Paul ever looking for the moment to tell us about the hope that we have, he takes

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this opportunity as he's wrapping everything up to speak to us of the need for and the

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importance of contentment in the Christian life.

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If you have your Bibles with you this morning, look with me at verse 11.

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We read, I'm not saying all of this because I'm in need, for I have learned to be content

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whatever the circumstances.

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Okay so what we see here is that Paul wants to communicate to his friends the state that

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Epaphroditus found him in.

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Though he was delighted with their gifts, he was content with where he was at.

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In other words, he was satisfied with where he was in life and where things were and he

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wanted his friends to know about it.

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Now you might remember last week that our apostle exhorted, he commanded us to dwell

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and meditate on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, pleasing and what?

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Whatever is commendable.

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And you might remember that commendable things are those things that we would happily recommend

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others for their edification and their growth in Christ.

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Well that's what Paul's doing here.

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He's commending to his friends that though in prison, though without the creature comforts

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of this life, that he is totally content.

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He wants the church to be edified in that.

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Now as I said before, Paul always looks for an opportunity to teach the church about the

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hope that we have.

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And so what we see here is Paul saying no matter the circumstances, no matter what's

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going on, I'm content.

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And so I would say that's the first thing that we are encouraged in here.

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God desires for his people to be content.

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Now I say that God desires for his people to be content because this theme of contentment

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has come up in other places in Paul's inspired writings.

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For example in 2 Corinthians 12-10, Paul wrote to the church in Corinth and said, I'm content.

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But listen to the rest of the verse.

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I'm content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities.

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Let's stop right there and think about that.

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Because it seems that Paul has this kind of gratification for the horrid right.

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Well no, because listen to the rest of the verse.

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Because Paul kind of pulls up the bonnet and shows us the engine powering all of this.

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He goes on to say, even with all of this unpleasantness going on, for the sake of Christ whenever

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I'm weak, then I'm strong.

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His point is for the sake of Christ Paul's content.

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Now just so we're all clear and on the same page here this morning, contentment as the

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Bible defines it is not saying, not saying, sarah, sarah, whatever will be, will be.

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No contentment as the Bible defines it, godly contentment is being satisfied at peace and

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emotionally fulfilled with what one has or the circumstances in which they find themselves.

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And that's what we see with Paul.

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Even in all sorts of trials and suffering, Paul has made peace with it.

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In fact, he sees in this letter to the Corinthians, his weakness in his life is as exactly what

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is needed.

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As it is the vehicle that has helped Paul get his fleshly, self-sufficient self aside,

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which leaves room for Christ's strength to accomplish what God has called him to do.

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Again, this theme of contentment comes up with Paul's ministry apprentice, Timothy in

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1st Timothy 6.6.

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He says, godliness with contentment is great gain.

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For we bought nothing into the world, we can take nothing out of it, but if we have food

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and clothing with these, we'll be content.

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Which is to say, when Christians focus their life's efforts on pursuing godliness, which

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is thinking on and doing what God would have us to do with contentment, then we're going

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the right way.

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That's our aim in life, right?

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Not gold, glory and glamour.

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But this all works together.

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If godliness is our aim in life, then whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, we'll

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be content because we'll see the circumstances like Paul did as the vehicle God is using

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to make us more like Jesus.

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Which is impossible to be content when our hearts are set on gaining more, having more,

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being more.

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And so the warning is, we'll go completely off track and down the rabbit hole if we're

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not content with what God has given us in this life.

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The writer to the Hebrews, in fact, sums this up in chapter 13.5 of his book.

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He says, keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.

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For it is God who says, I will never leave you.

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I will never forsake you.

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That's the first encouragement here.

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God desires for his people to be content.

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And because this life is going to have many curves, bends and potholes, if our hearts

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are set on what we don't have and pursuing that, then the slope of losing trust in God

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is very slippery.

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So godly contentment is for our own good.

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But I want to dive a little deeper here because yes, God desires for us to be content, but

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how do we obtain it in this chaotic world?

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Well, that's the second thing that our apostle encourages us in this morning.

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It's not natural to any of us.

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No, godly contentment was something that he had to learn.

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Am I not just saying that is amazing, isn't it?

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I don't know about you, church, but being a bit of a dreamer and a goal setter, I can

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read something like this and feel so off the mark.

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I don't know if you feel the same way, but I can daydream about the what ifs and the

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maybes a little too much.

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But listen to what our apostle says here in verse 11.

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Godly contentment wasn't natural to him either.

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No, it wasn't endowed on him when he met Jesus on the open road, but this is important for

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us to know here, he had to learn how to be content in this chaotic world, which means

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you don't just trust Jesus and suddenly you're content with everything around you, something

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we have to learn.

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Now let me be crystal clear with you this morning.

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We enter into the finished and final work of Jesus Christ when we come to him and put

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our trust in him alone for our salvation.

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That is true of every single born-again Christian.

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We enter into Christ's finished work and rest.

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We rest satisfied that no more needs to be done.

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That's not to say that there aren't battles of contentment that we continue to fight against

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this side of eternity in our flesh all the time.

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So church, take comfort in the fact that like our apostle who's writing to all Christians

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here, this is something we need to learn.

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So how do we learn to be content?

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Well this was something that Paul had to learn first hand as a disciple of Jesus Christ in

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whatever context that God put him in.

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He might call it the school of life.

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In other words, Jesus teaches us godly contentment by and through our circumstances.

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Notice it, verse 11, I've learned to be content in whatever the circumstances.

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Verse 12, I know what it is to be in need and plenty, whether well-fed or hungry, whether

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living in plenty or in want.

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In other words, Paul had to learn to be content as he experienced real life with all its ups

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and downs.

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This is what I want us to think about this morning church.

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See, I think we're in a better position to seek and find godly contentment when we come

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to the point of understanding that we might not actually have it.

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Let me say that again.

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I think we're more likely to seek and find godly contentment when we come to the point

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of realizing that we might not actually have it in the first place.

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And so you might be wondering, well how do I know if I have godly contentment?

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Well the school of life with its ups and downs that God allows providentially to happen,

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well that will usually reveal that to us.

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Think about it like this.

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If your circumstances in life are providing you with everything that you need, if you're

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totally content because of your things, if you're totally satisfied with the work of

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your own hands, then that's actually not the best place to learn about godly contentment.

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Don't get me wrong, this isn't Paul saying only the poor will ever get this.

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It's as we read here, he learned to be content in whatever the circumstances.

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But let me say it again, if your circumstances, if your things are providing and fostering

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satisfaction, then will you really want to pursue what Paul is talking about here?

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Maybe.

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However you're more likely to seek and find godly contentment when you realize that you

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lack it.

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And so God may allow circumstances to come into your life to reveal that to you.

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Why?

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Because he loves his children.

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See if there's any area of our lives where we're still operating in the fleshly, self-sufficient

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self rather than looking to God to meet all of our needs, then our loving heavenly Father

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will reveal where we lack dependence on him.

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And we must and we should take great encouragement in that because when there's seasons where

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the water gets a bit choppy and the valley gets pretty dark, then think about how you're

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reacting to it all.

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Are you saying if only things could just change then everything would finally be good?

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If only things were the way they were then I would be happy.

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Well brothers and sisters I have good news for you.

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If you're out there this morning saying I am deeply discontent because of the fleshly,

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self-sufficient self and it's not finding satisfaction any longer in my circumstances and stuff, then

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I have good news for you.

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You're in a better position and more likely to seek and find godly contentment than someone

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who finds total satisfaction in the work of their own hands.

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This totally flies in the face of the Western world.

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I mean the prophets of this age, they preach gold, glory and glamour about having more

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and more.

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I mean just see how people are reacting over the latest tax cuts and so we should take

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Paul's encouragement as a bit of a warning as well, right?

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Because if we're still living for the things of this world, if we're still aiming to find

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our satisfaction in the work of our own hands, then we're missing out on the real thing.

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God in his kindness will sometimes take away the things that we look to for our contentment,

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that we hold onto for our satisfaction and will shepherd us into and through circumstances

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and situations so that we realise, wow, I really need God.

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Do you see how loving and personal our God is?

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Church, there are so many different stories and situations in this very room.

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So many different contexts where the rug has been pulled out from under us.

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Not because our God is cruel or just life happens to happen to us, but because we're

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disciples of Jesus Christ, we're gods, precious blood purchased children.

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And thus where our fleshly, self-sufficient selves have still looked to the things of

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this world, to the work of our hands, to our circumstances, to find contentment and rest

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satisfied, God in his kindness shows us that gold, glory, glamour, whatever it might be,

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they're fleeting things.

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He is all we need.

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Church, I don't know where you are this morning, but I want to encourage you.

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If you're in a life situation where the things of this world just don't satisfy, if your

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circumstances don't bring contentment, then you are in a position of great discovery.

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That's that our contentment was never designed to come from those things in the first place.

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So God desires for His people to be content.

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Second, He teaches us about it by and through our circumstances.

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Third, well Paul's got the secret to all of this and he wants to share it with us.

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So what is the great secret of verse 12?

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What is the secret that Paul has learned that he wants to share with all of us?

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Well church, might I say thus far he has taught us that godly contentment doesn't come from

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our circumstances.

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No, if anything, all that Paul has been teaching the church is that the last place you want

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to look to for contentment and satisfaction is in your circumstances.

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So what's the secret?

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Well it's right there in verse 13.

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I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

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In other words, Paul is telling the church that the secret to godly contentment that

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he has learned in the school of life, in the difficult times, in the best of times, in

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the thriving of times, is that contentment and satisfaction isn't circumstantial in our

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surroundings, but it is guaranteed in our Lord and Saviour.

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Now just something I want you to note here, this isn't Paul saying that you can do anything

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you want and you'll find a supernatural strength in it.

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Because if this is what he was saying, don't you think he would have ripped the chains off

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and flown to his friends in Philippi?

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This is a text that has been taken out of context and conned many, many people through

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the years.

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So our context needs to define what Christians do with this strength.

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And that's that we can do what God has called us to do.

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No matter the circumstances, because our hearts and minds have so embraced the fact that our

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God is good and that in his providence, in his sovereignty, he has given us the strength

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to do what he has called us to do in Christ Jesus, no matter where or in what we find

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ourselves in.

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That's the secret to contentment.

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It's knowing, knowing that God is sovereign over all our circumstances and that it gives

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us the strength in Christ to keep on keeping on no matter where or what we find ourselves

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in.

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If you're anything like me, this is such a monumental truth that is taking me years to

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learn because our hearts are so distracted by the things of this world, by our everyday

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circumstances.

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But this is the great encouragement.

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Our God desires this contentment in our life.

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And so he will give us the strength to learn how to walk in it.

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And that's the fourth encouragement here.

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It is God who supplies this strength.

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And Paul has thanked his friends and missionary partners, thanked them for their years of common

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ministry.

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He ends by saying, and my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his

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glory in Christ Jesus.

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Verse 19, is that to say that God is now going to change all their circumstances and make

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them rich, make them influential, take them out of the persecution firing line?

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Well, no.

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Paul's great encouragement here is that though the church will go through the external and

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internal problems, though Christians individually will face incredible hardships, we must never

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think that our good father has abandoned us.

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We live in a world where all sorts of things happen.

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But we also live in a world where we have great hope because the universe isn't random

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and our circumstances aren't haphazard.

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No it's all under the sovereign control of our good God and no matter what he decides

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to give and bless, take or put his people through, we can rest satisfied that he will

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give us the strength to continue to do what he has called us to do in this world.

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So as we end our time in this beautiful and encouraging passage and book, there's just

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one more way that Paul wants to encourage us all this morning.

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As found there in verse 20, right before Paul gives his final farewells to the church,

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our apostle writes, to our God and Father, be glory forever and ever.

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Amen.

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What's Paul's final encouragement here?

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Well, not only does God desire contentment for his people, not only will he help us learn

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contentment, not only will he give us strength and supply it, but that our contentment will

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result in greater worship and appreciation of our God.

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That's Paul's final encouragement here to the church.

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As we receive godly contentment, it will only ever lead us to glorify our God and Father

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more and more on this side of eternity.

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That's a wonderful truth that is held out to every single born again believer.

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As you come to know God more and more, as you learn to rest more and more in his good

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sovereignty, as we know who we are in Christ, as you experience wonderful contentment and

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satisfaction, no matter the circumstances, as you come to be thankful that your life

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is actually not built on gold, glory or glamour, but on the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be

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a deeper gratefulness that you will find directed in your personal life to your loving Father

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in heaven, who has rescued us by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, says verse 23.

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So church, as you go into your days, as you go into your weeks with the various circumstances

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that will come your way, if you find yourself in the midst of it all wishing if only things

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could change then everything would be finally good, try to stop yourself from singing, I

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just can't get no satisfaction.

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Now stop yourself from looking and dwelling on the circumstances and dwell and meditate

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on what is true, on what God has revealed to us this morning.

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No circumstances are not random or sporadic, they are under the sovereign hand of our heavenly

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Father and he has given you the strength in Christ to be a godly mum, a godly husband,

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a godly colleague, a godly boss in that situation, as there is a strength that our loving and

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good Father has supplied to every single one of his beloved children so that we might be

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content with those circumstances, for it is our God who will meet all your needs according

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to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

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Would you pray with me?

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Father we thank you for the wonderful truths of the gospel, that in Christ clothed in his

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righteousness we are invited to come as we are to the throne of grace, to find mercy

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and to receive grace in our time of need.

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Father you know every circumstance, you know every life situation of everybody in this

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room.

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Father we would ask that you would please help us to walk into these truths, walk in

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them, live them out and that the truth of the gospel would bubble out of us to all those

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around us, that you would use this church to be a city on a hill, that we would be a light

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for your glory.

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Father we ask for your strength, we ask for your grace, we ask for your help in Jesus

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name.

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Amen.