Participants: Gordon Kainer
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000326
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00:31 Welcome to Faith Chapel.
00:33 I'm Gordon Kainer retired Bible teacher 00:36 from Santa Rosa, California. 00:39 The title of my presentation today 00:43 is I have learnt. I would ask you to pray 00:47 with me at this time. 00:51 Our father with chart in heaven, we thank you 00:54 Lord for being a God, who is with us in every 00:57 circumstance of life and may we learn to say 01:02 with the apostle Paul. I have learned and 01:04 whatever state I am that would be content 01:08 is our prayer in Jesus name. Amen 01:13 Today, we want to focus on book of Bible 01:16 that we called Philippians. And to 01:18 get started I want to ask you 01:20 couple of questions. Who are the 01:22 Philippians anyway. What do we know 01:25 about the author of this letter and the 01:27 circumstances in which it was written. 01:32 Was mostly Philippians is really not a book, 01:35 it's a letter and a puzzle written by the 01:38 apostle Paul. And although he was 01:41 gifted writer, some people see Paul as a 01:46 straight lace theologian rather than the 01:48 warm hearted evangelist. Well that may be 01:51 true for some of Paul's letters, But 01:53 Philippians is very upbeat and 01:56 encouraging. It is generally believed that 01:59 this letter was written around 59 A.D., 02:04 ten years earlier Paul and Cyrus had 02:07 traveled to Philippine a city that got its 02:10 name from Phillip the second who was 02:12 the father of the Alexander the Great. 02:14 Paul and Cyrus were probably the very 02:17 first Christian missionaries to preach 02:19 the gospel to this very Pagan city. 02:24 While ministering to the people Paul 02:27 casted demon out of slave girl, who had 02:30 brought her honors a great deal of 02:32 money because of her powers to divine 02:36 or fortune tell. Well the wrath of her 02:39 honors was stood up and they got the 02:42 whole city stood up resulting in Paul and 02:45 Cyrus being savagely beaten and thrown 02:47 into a local jail. At midnight they are 02:52 found praying and singing. And then an 02:56 earthquake occurs when the jailer 02:59 supposes that all the prisoners have 03:02 escaped, he was ready to you know 03:05 commit suicide. But Paul reassures him 03:08 that all the prisoners will still there. 03:12 Now this strange turn of events has a 03:14 profound impact on the jailer, indicated 03:18 by the fact that he goes up to Paul with 03:20 this question. What must I do to be 03:24 saved. Paul answer is so concise and so 03:29 beautifully stated. When he says to the 03:32 jailer believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 03:37 and you will be saved. It reminds me of 03:39 Peter's admission that we should always 03:42 be ready to give a reason today we have 03:45 to defend our faith. Well Paul certainly 03:47 was. It resulted into conversion of the 03:51 jailer and his entire family. And I believe 03:55 that they were the charter members of 03:57 the Philippian church. And no doubt 03:59 where in Paul's mind as he writes this 04:03 letter. The verse for which Philippians is 04:07 best known is chapter 4 and verse 4. 04:12 It reads Rejoice in the Lord always. 04:15 Again I will say, rejoice! 04:18 This is the 8th and 9th time that Paul 04:21 tells his readers to rejoice. Now that 04:25 word is a powerful word. It means to be 04:28 delighted, to be jubilant and to celebrate. 04:33 It doesn't mean a momentary high, but 04:36 rather prolonged consistent confident 04:39 attitude. Those who don't know too 04:42 much about Paul might say well it is for 04:45 him to tell us to rejoice, he probably 04:47 had a pretty easy life. He probably didn't 04:49 have a lot of difficulties during his 04:51 lifetime. Let's read second Corinthians 04:57 chapter, chapter 11 verses 24 & 27. 05:03 From the Jews five times I received 05:05 forty stripes minus one. Three times I 05:08 was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; 05:11 three times I was shipwrecked; 05:14 a night and a day I have been in the 05:16 deep; in journeys often, in perils of 05:19 waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of 05:22 my own countrymen, in perils of the 05:24 Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in 05:28 the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in 05:31 perils among false brethren; in weariness 05:33 and toil, in sleeplessness often, 05:37 in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in 05:40 cold and nakedness. 05:44 In addition to this Paul wrote this letter 05:47 while he was confined to a damp stingy 05:50 old cold prison in Rome. He had been 05:54 chained there for about 3 years. Charge 05:57 for crimes he had never committed. 06:01 Let me ask you a question. What kind of 06:03 letter would you have written had you've 06:06 been in those kind of circumstances. 06:09 I suppose you and I would have clamored 06:12 for sympathy rather than providing hope 06:15 and encouragement to others. And then 06:18 Paul goes on in Philippians chapter 4 06:21 verse 6 and 11, where he writes, 06:25 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by 06:28 prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, 06:31 let your requests be made known to God; 06:34 Not that I speak in regard to need, for 06:37 I have learned in whatever state I am, 06:40 to be content: So I have learned, you know 06:46 contentment is not a natural propensity. 06:50 It doesn't come naturally, it doesn't 06:52 come easily, it doesn't come quickly 06:56 in fact Paul makes the statement when 06:58 he is an old man just a few years before 07:00 he was beheaded. It is something that all 07:04 of us have to learn and it is learned only 07:07 with great effort and with divine help. 07:11 And I belief for that reason Paul adds 07:14 this comment in verse 13 of this same 07:17 chapter when he writes, I can do all 07:20 things through Christ who strengthens 07:23 me. Yes, even being content. As I was 07:28 working on this sermon, I typed the 07:31 word contentment into my Goggle 07:33 search. To see what might come up. 07:36 The first reference that appeared was 07:39 www.contentment.org. when I click that 07:47 on up came this message this page 07:51 cannot be found. I had a laugh at that 07:55 and I thought to myself I have supposed 07:56 that might be the message that would 07:57 come up with a lot of people. But I did 08:01 find numerous bits of information on the 08:05 internet one of them was the sermon by 08:07 the great Charles Spurgeon, where I 08:10 consider one of the great preachers of 08:12 the 19th century. The sermon was the 08:15 one that he delivered in the New York, 08:18 excuse me, New Park Street Chapel in 08:20 London on Sabbath evening March 25 08:24 1860. The title of the sermon was 08:27 contentment based on the text for I have 08:30 learned in whatever state I am there we 08:33 have to be content. Well in this sermon 08:36 recorded in my internet the Spurgeon 08:41 makes this insightful observation he says 08:44 to have learn contentment is a more 08:47 significant and desirable accomplishment 08:50 then the highest degree a person can 08:53 possibly attain. Well the Bible speaks 08:56 the great deal about expressing thanks 08:59 being grateful, a being contempt refusing 09:02 to fed and complain. This in turn brings 09:06 with it joy and peace and rest to the soul. 09:11 These are the positive qualities that are 09:16 byproduct of having successfully endure 09:19 pain and discontentment and suffering. 09:23 Someone has said one learns more from 09:25 10 days of agony then from 10 years of 09:30 his. In fact I don't think you will have to 09:33 wait 10 days. Let me share the 09:39 experience that I had at last 09:41 Thanksgiving, my wife and I were 09:42 driving through the mountains that were 09:44 in the border of California and Oregon. 09:49 It was snowing heavily and sort of 09:51 became necessary for me to put on the 09:53 car chains and I dread at the moment, 09:56 but if I finally park my car beside the 09:58 road and I had no more then just parked 10:01 it when a gentlemen in a smaller car pull 10:06 behind me and we both get out and said 10:09 you want me to put the chains on for you 10:10 and I said you are on how much he said 10:12 $20. Go forward, so he put the chains on 10:16 the care for me and we started up again 10:19 and drove to the other side of the 10:20 mountain and now the chains have to 10:22 come off. Well, I thought that this would be 10:24 easy, well I got one chain off the tire 10:28 rather quickly. But it was a different 10:31 story with that second tire. I laid another 10:34 car for over an hour pulling, tugging 10:39 doing this and doing that and I just 10:41 couldn't get that chain off. It was 10:44 extremely windy, it was cold and I was 10:48 laying another car these trucks were 10:50 passing by and cars and it was splashing 10:53 this cold flesh into my face. 10:56 And although I had gloves on, my hands were 10:59 wet, they were so cold, I couldn't hardly 11:01 move my fingers and right then and 11:04 there this text came to my mind. 11:08 Rejoice in the Lord always. And I thought 11:12 why did this text come to my mind at this 11:15 time and just as quickly came the answer. 11:21 I wasn't being asked to rejoice in the snow 11:24 or in this cold or in the slush. 11:28 I was being asked to rejoice in the Lord. 11:31 While being extremely uncomfortable, 11:35 I could take comfort that God knew my 11:39 circumstances here, where with I was 11:41 going through and he would help me in 11:45 his own way and in his good time. Well 11:49 to make a long story short, a trucker stop 11:54 came to my rescue and in one minute he 11:57 had that chain off of that tier. 12:02 I can understand that for some of you, 12:04 you might say well big deal that's not really 12:07 such a painful experience. I realized 12:10 that and most of this gone through much 12:12 more painful experiences than that, 12:14 where we have had horrifying trials and 12:17 difficult moments and shocking 12:19 disappointments, but this is the point I 12:21 want to make God's promises fit all sizes 12:27 of problems. This is brought out I think 12:31 throughout scripture. For example Elijah 12:35 as in acts had float just a small piece of 12:38 metal in the river, but he makes it float 12:40 for this fellow who had lost it. 12:44 At the same time one angel destroys the 12:46 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. And in Christ 12:52 life, we find him for example making 12:54 sure that there was a coin in a fishes 12:56 mouth at the same time he feeds 5000 13:01 people and he resurrects righteous. 13:03 It didn't make any difference how small, 13:05 how large, God had the solution. Let me 13:10 suggest four guidelines that might help 13:13 us to experience contentment. 13:17 First of all when the Bible tells us 13:19 in everything give thanks. It doesn't mean 13:22 that when we are going through hardship 13:24 and suffering we are going to enjoy the 13:26 experience not at all this needs to make 13:30 clear because otherwise you feel like a 13:33 hypocrite. Being thankful has nothing 13:36 to do about liking something that's painful, 13:40 but rather it is an expression of faith in 13:43 God's abiding presence. It is 13:46 acknowledging that God is faithful 13:49 and that he will not let us endure anything 13:51 that we cannot bear. It means that we 13:57 believe that we are in good hands. 14:00 When we have committed ourselves 14:01 to God and that there is no reason to fret 14:05 or complain. Let's read Psalms 37 verses 1-5. 14:16 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor 14:18 be envious of the workers of iniquity. 14:22 For they shall soon be cut down like the 14:23 grass, And wither as the green herb. 14:28 Trust in the Lord, and do good, 14:31 Dwell in the land, and feed on His 14:33 faithfulness. Delight yourself also in 14:36 the Lord, And He shall give you 14:39 the desires of your heart. 14:41 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also 14:44 in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 14:51 The length of time that elapses between 14:55 a painful experience and an attitude of 14:59 praise reveals the degree of trust and the 15:04 depth of your relationship with God. 15:09 You know when life passes out 15:10 it's the end, difficulties and failure, 15:15 discouragement and fear, the more 15:18 we trust God the greater will be our 15:22 ability to endure. The sooner we will 15:26 recover and then more quickly 15:28 we will discover silver linings 15:32 in that particular experience. 15:36 Remaining positive leads a person away 15:40 from anger, from resentment making 15:46 excuses blaming other people. 15:52 If we keep ourselves under control it will 15:56 allow us to examine the situation, discover 16:01 what we can learn from the experience 16:04 that we have just gone through. 16:08 I like someone who said sorrows are our 16:11 best educators, we can see Father through 16:15 tear then through a telescope. 16:22 As a bible teacher, I couldn't discover 16:25 that I shared with my students some of my 16:27 greatest trials and painful moments. 16:30 There were times when my students 16:33 and I would laugh. Well, I can assure you 16:36 there is a time I was going through 16:38 those experiences, I don't think there were 16:41 bit funny, I didn't enjoy them at all. 16:45 But the passage of time and God working 16:50 in that time has way of healing hearts 16:55 and changing our perspective. 16:59 It reminds me of Abraham and Moses 17:01 excuse me, Abraham and Sarah who 17:04 experience a lifetime of suffering and 17:07 disappointment and finally when that 17:11 miracle child was born they named him 17:14 Isaac, which means laughter. 17:20 Some day God will reveal to us the 17:23 worth, the purpose, the timing and even 17:29 the humor in our trials when I say 17:33 timing, you know, the Bible is filled 17:35 with expressions of waiting upon the 17:37 Lord to let him lead in these difficult 17:41 moments. Now this time when we will 17:45 discover the purpose and the meaning of 17:47 everything will occur when they 17:48 redeemed that given the opportunity to 17:50 see infant beginning. To seek God's 17:53 wisdom and his goodness and see his 17:56 love as it becomes obvious to us, as we 17:59 go back and look at all these events. 18:03 And what are the results. Well 18:06 we read about it in Revelation chapter 21 verse 4. 18:11 And God will wipe away every tear from 18:13 their eyes; there shall be no more pain, 18:17 nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no 18:19 more pain, for the former things have 18:22 passed away." But I ask you my way, 18:31 why not allow God to wipe away the tears 18:35 from our eyes, so we can experience right 18:38 right now of the peace and joy that 18:40 comes from annoying that all us well 18:43 when we have entrusted ourselves 18:45 into Gods care. I like the way Ellen White 18:49 pursuit, no doubt you have heard this 18:52 many times God never leads his children 18:55 otherwise then they would choose to be 18:58 led, if they could see the end from the 19:01 beginning, it's not a wonderful promise. 19:06 Secondly true joy is not dependent on 19:09 special occasions or exhilarating 19:11 experiences. I am not saying having fun 19:15 and enjoying oneself and being 19:17 entertained to sinful are wrong, but they 19:20 must be seen for what they are. They are 19:22 momentary versions, temporary hives, 19:26 designed to distract to provide a 19:28 momentary escape from harsh reality. 19:33 On the other hand, joy is the state of 19:35 mind that reflects the way of life 19:39 regardless of the circumstances. 19:43 Someone is absorbed that when things 19:44 go wrong for the Christian his eyes turn 19:46 toward the throne rather than running to 19:48 the phone. I think there is a lot of truth in 19:51 that statement. Thirdly, it is essential that 19:56 we learn to enjoy whatever stage in life 20:00 we find ourselves in. Many people seem 20:06 to live in a fantasy world. 20:08 Always thinking that in the later time or in a 20:10 different situation they would really 20:13 enjoy life. I remember many of my 20:16 students would come to me and say 20:19 you know we just had a different teacher 20:22 or different teachers or different text 20:24 books or different classical joke or may be 20:27 be just be in the different school 20:30 we would enjoy it. But for many this kind of 20:34 of attitude develops into an ongoing cycle. 20:38 It's a kind of like becomes a life long 20:40 experience in thinking that way. 20:44 For example, some may say if I just live in 20:47 a different place, I just had a different 20:50 job or a different boss they just had more 20:55 money, if I just had married somebody 20:59 else. I saw recently that someone stated 21:06 the world is full of people looking for 21:09 spectacular happiness while snubbing 21:13 contentment. Some of you might recall 21:20 the Warren Commission. It was 21:22 appointed to determine whether anyone 21:25 else beside Lee Harvey Oswald was 21:28 involved in the death of president 21:31 Kennedy. Now Oswald's wife was called 21:35 before that commission called to testify 21:38 regarding her husband and she made the 21:41 following statement in faulty English. 21:45 My husband, you know, like the 21:46 United States. When he go to Russia, 21:49 he no like Russia. When he come back to 21:52 United States, he said he like Cuba. 21:55 Then he go to Mexico to try and get into Cuba 21:57 and he says he doesn't like Cuba. 22:00 He no like anyone except he like to live 22:03 on the moon. I thought it was, 22:07 what a person mistake outlook on life what 22:12 a terrible perspective. Lastly, there are 22:17 some very part of the things that we can 22:19 do to encourage contentment. It's been 22:22 said that contentment consists not in 22:26 adding more fuel, but in taking away 22:28 some of the fire. In my Google search 22:32 that I've mentioned little earlier, a lady 22:34 who had learned the hard way to get out 22:36 of a monstrous death shared these 22:39 thoughts on contentment. She points out 22:43 that many things in life are designed 22:47 specifically to create this contentment. 22:49 And she mentions mail or the catalogues 22:51 and shopping malls, television ads and 22:55 shopping channels these do a good job to 23:00 make you feel happy with what you 23:02 have, what you wear, what's in your 23:06 garage, I mean, what you drive, what 23:09 you look like that's the purpose to make 23:14 us unhappy. A lesson that I learned 23:17 rarely in life is not the test drive a new 23:21 car while your present car is still doing 23:23 its job. The aroma of a new car is 23:26 intoxicating, the conveniences, 23:31 the gadgets and devices have been 23:33 overwhelming appeal. The scenario can 23:37 be repeated with nearly everything 23:40 we have, whether be in the office, 23:43 at home, in the closet or things 23:46 we have in the garage. 23:51 You and I can't really control what comes 23:55 to us through the media. But we can determine 23:59 what we allow to enter and occupy our mind. 24:06 We need to God the avenues to the soul. 24:10 We can avoid being enticed by the way the world 24:14 thinks. And refuse to be addicted by 24:18 what the world has to offer. I think so 24:23 many times that in our Hi-Tech world 24:26 we are bomb bombarded everyday with 24:28 things that we can have, a things that we 24:31 can do and I believe that even though the 24:34 Hi-Tech world has many advantages as 24:38 I've mentioned earlier the disadvantages 24:41 that it makes us so aware of what's out 24:44 there, we can go shopping, we can do all 24:48 those things just by looking at the screen 24:52 and so we need to be careful what we 24:55 focus on unless we began to covered 24:57 unnecessarily. The first person to be 25:01 discontent was Lucifer. He was the 25:06 brightest, the most beautiful, he at the 25:10 highest procession of all created beings, 25:15 yet he chose to covet. He wanted more 25:20 power, he wanted more attention, he 25:24 wanted more praise, he wanted to be on 25:27 the top, and as we examine Lucifer 25:32 experience. We began to see that this 25:37 discontentment led him to rebel his 25:41 thoughts. Sinful ambition and a 25:46 complaining attitude. The next example 25:52 of contentment or discontentment was 25:56 Adam and Eve. They too had an ideal 26:00 environment, they had everything one 26:05 could ask for. And then the Garden of 26:07 Eden was the best place to start out life, 26:11 but yet they too wanted more. This kind 26:17 of attitude resulted in distrusting Gods 26:21 love. They began to suspect Gods 26:27 liberality. And they began to question, 26:30 Gods goodness. All because they began 26:36 to become discontent. 26:40 Unnecessary discontentment led them 26:42 to turn their back on the one who had 26:45 given them everything, to listen to 26:50 someone who had given them nothing. 26:56 I am reminded again of Paul's wonderful 26:59 advice. Rejoice always because the 27:04 alternative, the option is to resent or to 27:08 covet or to began to be unsatisfied with 27:11 what God has provided. He tells us that 27:14 we should be of good cheer. 27:17 Right away, right now because he is a God, 27:20 who not only can determine the 27:23 outcome. He already knows the 27:27 outcome. God promises to us that he will 27:33 workout everything for our good. 27:36 And I believe that as we mature in our 27:39 Christian life we began to see evidence 27:41 of that. So sit back, take a deep breath, 27:47 and tell God once again, I have learned 27:50 in whatever state I am to be content. |
Revised 2014-12-17