I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13 NIV)
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). That’s one of the most well-known verses in the Bible. Have you heard it before? “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” It’s also one of the most misquoted verses in the Bible. People like to take that verse and apply it to whatever they want. Like winning the Super Bowl… “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Or climbing Mt. Everest… “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Or being the CEO of your company… “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Sounds great, doesn’t it? You can do everything!
Actually, that verse is talking about something even harder. Paul is talking about something even harder than winning the Super Bowl or climbing Mt. Everest. Know what it is? Listen again: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” What is the impossible task that can only be done through Christ’s strength? Being content. That’s hard, isn’t it? This Lent, we’re focusing on the Seven Deadly Sins. Today, the sin is envy. Also known as jealousy or discontentment. Envy is everywhere. You can win the Super Bowl and still be envious of those who have won two. It’s hard to be content! Envy thrives in every human heart.
Including yours and mine. So here’s a question for you: Whose life do you want? Whose life do you look at and think, “I want that. I need that!” You see their relationship, and you think, “Why can’t I find someone like him or her?” You see their kids, and you think, “Why can’t I have kids?” Or, “Why can’t I have kids like their kids?” You see their success, and you think, “Why are they so successful? That’s what I should have!” You see their popularity, and you think, “I wish I had friends like they have.” Whose life do you want? Know what that’s called? Envy.
Envy has always been a deadly sin. Think back to the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were perfect. They had a perfect marriage. They had perfect bodies. They lived in a perfect garden. They had a perfect relationship with God. And the devil held out a piece of forbidden fruit and said, “When you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). What happened? “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it” (Genesis 3:6). If you think about it, what was the first sin? Before eating that fruit, what was the first sin? Envy. Eve wanted more. She wanted more than what God had given her.
Envy has always been a deadly sin. But I think it’s deadlier now than ever before. Know why? TV. Facebook. Social Media. You and I see what everyone else has all the time. Know what that breeds? Envy. You see a heart-warming story on the news, and in your heart you think, “Why don’t my stories end like that? Why can’t I have that happy ending?” You see commercials for all sorts of things: Pickup trucks, hot tubs, weight loss, Taco Bell… And you think, “I need that. I should have that. Then I’ll be happy.” You scroll through picture after picture of smiling faces, and your heart sinks. Smiling kids, smiling families in front of new homes, smiling couples at the beach, everybody always smiling… And you think, “Why not me? I need that!” Watch out!
I remember once seeing a picture of a pastor on social media. He was serving in an important position. He had a big smile on his face. Lots of other important people were all around him, smiling too. There were lots of comments: “He’s such a great pastor. He’s doing so many great things!” And I thought, “Why can’t I be like that? Why can’t I have that?” Then, just three days later, that pastor resigned from the ministry. He was done. It was a shock! I asked a friend if he knew what happened, and all he said was, “He was living a lie. Now he’s lost absolutely everything.” I felt like a fool. That’s who I wanted to be like? Isn’t envy an awful thing?
Envy sucks all the joy out of life. I bet you’ve experienced that. When your heart is envying others, you are completely blind to all the blessings God has given you. You are blind to all the people God has graciously put in your life. Suddenly, nothing is good. Nothing is right. Nothing is what you want. Nothing is good enough. Isn’t envy an awful thing? Is this hitting home for you? If envy is ruling your heart, you will never be happy. You will never be joyful. I don’t care if you win the Super Bowl or climb Mt. Everest, it won’t be enough. Do you realize that?
There’s something even worse: Envy is a giant slap in the face to God. Who has given you the life you have? God. Who’s given you the family you have? God. Who’s given you the talents and the body and the mind that you have? God. So whom does envy reject? God. Whom does envy accuse? God. “God, why haven’t you blessed me?” God, why don’t you take care of me?” “God, why do you make so many mistakes?” “God, why don’t you give me what I want?” Every one of those accusations is a slap in the face to God. An envious heart has no room for faith.
Yet, Paul was able to say, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Doesn’t that sound impossible? How could he say that? “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” See what that verse really says? Contentment only comes through Jesus. Notice the words Paul uses: “I have learned to be content…. I have learned the secret of being content…” Contentment has to be learned. If you and I are ever going to be content, it’s a secret that we have to learn from Jesus. “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances…. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Paul explained that more in the previous chapter of Philippians. There, he wrote, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things” (Philippians 3:8). In Jesus, Paul found something infinitely better than everything else. What did he find? Forgiveness for all his sins at Jesus’ cross. Grace in spite of all of his failures. The promise of life in heaven, where every envious desire is going to be completely fulfilled and then some. Do you realize that? In heaven, it will be infinitely better than whatever you envy here on earth. So, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
When you feel envy coming on, think of Jesus. As they beat him, Jesus didn’t look around and say, “Why don’t you treat me like you do those people?” As they mocked him, he didn’t look around and say, “Make sure you mock them too. They deserve it too!” As he died, he didn’t say, “How come they get to live?” Jesus didn’t ever envy, not even when he died on the cross. Why? He took on our sins, so that we could have his righteousness. He took on our pain, so that we could be healed. He carried all our guilt, so that we could have peace. Jesus came and said, “Give me all your bad things so that I can give you all my good things.” That’s the Savior we have.
When you see that, when you trust in Jesus, you learn something: The life God has given you is the best life for you. Hear that again: The life God has given you is the best life for you. Why? Because God has given it to you, and he knows best! Your life isn’t a mistake. The devil isn’t in control. God is! The life God has given you is the best life for you. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. It doesn’t mean it’s what you want. But faith says, “If this is what God wants, it must be what I need. If this is what God wants me to face today, if this is what God wants me to have today, if this is what God wants me to suffer today, I can trust him.” You look at the cross, and you know, “I can trust him. I can be content with this.” The life God has given you is the best life for you.
In fact, turn envy upside-down. How many people right now wish they had your life? Do you ever think about that? Maybe you say, “Nobody! Nobody would ever want my life!” That’s not true! Open your eyes… I love seeing old pictures. I’ve seen some old pictures lately of early settlers in Oklahoma standing in front of their farmhouses. If one of those early settlers were to see your life today, what would they think? “Wow! You live like this? Wow!” Endless food. Heat and air conditioning. Phones to call any family member anywhere at any time. Wow!
And those are just the physical blessings God gives us. Think of all the spiritual ones… How many people wish they had your life? To know their sins are all forgiven. To be at peace with death and eternity. To feel confident that you are never alone. To be surrounded by Christian family and friends. How many people would wish they had your life? Aren’t we blessed?
As Christians long ago began to list the Seven Deadly Sins, they also noticed in God’s Word that every deadly sin has godly opposite—a virtue—that God works in our hearts by his Holy Spirit. Last week, we heard about pride. What’s the opposite of pride? Humility. So what’s the opposite of envy? You might think it’s contentment. That’s good. But there’s a better word: Gratitude. The opposite of envy is gratitude. The secret to joy in life isn’t having more. The secret to joy is gratitude for what God has given you in Jesus. Whenever you see the cross, remember: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)
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