"Contentment in Christ" is an appropriate theme to close the sermon series on Philippians. It is appropriate because the Apostle Paul "telegraphs" this theme at the beginning of his letter:
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Phil 1:3-6)
These opening words do not sound like those of a despairing, condemned man in a Roman prison. A partnership in the gospel is a powerful thing. It attaches our lives to the eternal purpose of calling people to a right relationship with God through faith in Christ.
In closing his letter, Paul thanks them for their generous financial support during his imprisonment. Their help allowed him to meet his daily needs like meals, clothing, writing supplies, and rent when he was under house arrest before his trials. When Paul wasn't under house arrest, he was detained in the dungeon of Rome's prison. Paul assured the Philippians that he was spiritually content, even though he was physically and politically bound. Reflecting on his life and ministry, Paul shared that he had experienced times of having little and times of having much. He said he could endure and rejoice in all things because Jesus gave him strength.
The end of the letter connects back to the beginning. At the start, Paul thanked the Philippians for their partnership in spreading the gospel. In the end, he thanked them for their generous commitment to ministry. And then, Paul assured them with a promise:
"God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
The promise was intended to encourage them to continue gospel partnerships, with or without him. There would be other missionaries and other churches to establish gospel partnerships.
In closing, being content in Christ means having the faith to work together in spreading the gospel. Looking at the whole book of Philippians, we see that this kind of contentment brings joy, unity, humble trust in Jesus, peace with each other, generosity, thankfulness, and more of God's help to fulfill our mission to preach, teach, baptize, and make disciples, both near and far.
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