Ecclesiastes 4:4-8

• “The Rat Race” (Ecclesiastes 4:4–8)

  Theme: The vanity of work driven by envy, selfish ambition, and discontentment, contrasted with godly contentment and Christ-centered labor.

  Key Points:

  • Work Motivated by Envy Is Futile: Solomon observes that much toil stems from rivalry. Labor done for the sake of being envied is “vanity and grasping for the wind” (v.4).

  • Four Manifestations of Envy in Work:

    1. Jealous Co-workers: Envy over others' success can poison the workplace.

    2. Employees Envious of Bosses: Passive-aggressive resentment undermines labor and peace.

    3. Bosses Driven by Competition: Micromanaging, self-glorification, and crushing rivals instead of serving people leads to burnout and dysfunction.

    4. Competing Against “Enemies”: Obsession with dominance dehumanizes others and ignores love for neighbor.

  • The Sluggard’s Folly (v.5): Laziness leads to self-destruction. Avoiding work out of slothfulness is equally vain.

  • Balanced Contentment (v.6): “Better a handful with quietness…”—a picture of restful sufficiency over anxious striving.

  • The Lonely Workaholic (v.8): Labor without relationship or reflection on purpose leads to emptiness.

  • Application: True work is done for the glory of God and love of neighbor, not for envy, pride, or selfish ambition.

  • Encouragement: Rest is godly. The Sabbath command reflects God's care. Our worth is not in what we do but in Christ who values us apart from our labor.

Work, Contentment, and Envy in Ecclesiastes 4:4–8

I. Scriptural Themes

• Vanity of Envious Labor (Eccl. 4:4): Work driven by comparison and jealousy yields emptiness.

• Laziness and Its Consequences (Eccl. 4:5): Sloth leads to ruin; it consumes one’s own flesh.

• Godly Contentment (Eccl. 4:6; Phil. 4:11–13): Contentment is not circumstantial, but grounded in Christ.

• Futility of Isolated Ambition (Eccl. 4:8): Wealth without relationships or purpose is a “grave misfortune.”

II. Cross-References

• James 3:14–16: Earthly wisdom is marked by envy and selfish ambition—destructive and demonic.

• Colossians 3:23–24: Work for the Lord, not for men.

• Matthew 6:24: You cannot serve both God and mammon.

• Proverbs 6:10–11, 24:33–34: Repeated warnings about laziness leading to poverty.

• Philippians 4:6–9: Prayer, thankfulness, and godly meditation foster peace and contentment.

III. Historical & Theological Context

• Koheleth (Preacher): Likely Solomon, addressing life “under the sun,” emphasizing the futility of life apart from God.

• Labor under the Curse (Genesis 3): Work is good but made toilsome by the fall.

• Sabbath Rest (Exodus 20:8–11): A gracious gift and reminder of God's provision, not a burden.

IV. Westminster Standards Connection

• WCF 16.2: “Good works, done in obedience to God's commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith…”

• WLC Q.75: “What is sanctification?” A work of God's grace, renewing the whole man after the image of God.

• WSC Q.1: “What is the chief end of man?” To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.

• WSC Q.58: On the fourth commandment—reminds us of God's pattern of rest and invites us to trust Him.

• WSC Q.74–77: Address obedience to parents and superiors—relevant to workplace relationships.

V. Practical Application

• Work for God’s Glory, Not for Applause: Evaluate your motives—are they rooted in love or envy?

• Combat Envy with Thankfulness: Cultivate gratitude and generosity in your workplace and home.

• Pursue Rest as Worship: Honor the Sabbath as a gift, not a rule. Rest in God's sufficiency.

• Discipline Against Laziness: Redeem time wisely. Identify distractions that sap your energy and purpose.

• Be Content in Christ: Your identity is not in your title, income, or productivity. It’s in your union with Jesus.

Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiastes chapter four. And this morning we'll be looking at verses four through eight. Ecclesiastes chapter four, verses four through eight. If you're using the New King James pew Bibles provided for you, you'll find that on page 850, or sorry, 590, 590. Ecclesiastes chapter four, beginning at verse four. Brothers and sisters, this is God's perfect word. Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work, a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind. Then I returned and I saw vanity under the sun. There is one alone without companion. He has neither son nor brother, yet there is no end to all his labors, nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks, for whom do I toil and deprive myself of good? This also is vanity and a grave misfortune. Well, in the reading of God's word there, brothers and sisters, let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. It is good and true. And we pray now that your Holy Spirit would please be with us as we Consider your word. Father, we pray that you would please, as there may be distractions in our minds and in our hearts, that you would give us attentiveness. We pray that as we may get distracted or bored, that you would make us alive to listen. Pray, Lord, that you would be with me as I preach your word, that it might be faithful to your word. and that the foolish lips that you have given me might even be used in your providence for the good of your people. Lord, please, we need your help as we look at this hard passage. We pray in Jesus' name, amen. Money and work. Money and work. That's what we're gonna be talking about this morning from Ecclesiastes chapter four, money and work. Specifically, attitudes towards work. What's the purpose of work? Sometimes work just seems hard and futile, like it's never ending. If you're like me, you know some people who love to work. Actually, I think they work because they work for work's sake. Some people are just so driven by competitiveness that it's almost like they think it's a sin to just stop and sit for a few minutes. This is nothing new, right? This is what Solomon is looking at. Now, I was asked by two different people in the last couple weeks, I keep using a word, and they said, you say it so fast, I don't even know what you're talking about. And so, I keep using the word koheleth, koheleth. Koaleth is the name of the preacher. Actually, your translations might just call him preacher, or some of yours might say, like, pastor, or something like that, your translations. But the kahal is the assembly, and so this is the leader of the assembly. So what do you call a leader of assembly? Well, some people will call it the preacher. Some people will call them different names, depending on your translations. But when I use Koaleth, that's because that's the name that he identifies himself with in chapter one. I'm convinced that who lines up best with this is Solomon. And Solomon calls himself the leader of the assembly. So just because I've said that name a few times, Koholeth, and in the last couple weeks, a few people have said, I don't know what you mean. You keep saying that word, but I don't know what that word means. So Koholeth is the name of the preacher. It's what Solomon is calling himself, the leader of the assembly. Okay, so back into what do we mean when we're talking about work? Well, Kololeth, the preacher, looks at verse four, and he sees a type of work that's really grievous to his soul. He says, again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work, a man is envied by his neighbor. And he gives it that assessment. This is a vanity. and grasping for the wind. This idea of toil and labor, trouble and skill, this is one idea where somebody has been given different faculties, given an ability from God, equipped by the Lord to do work, and they're doing that work, but something about it is like a vapor in the wind. And he's talking about a selfish or a jealous ambition. Envy and competition. A type of work that's marked by a jealous ambition. Coleth isn't looking here and he's not talking badly about people who have the harsh reality that they gotta live hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck. The bills are piling up and they just have to work because it's what they got to do to live. That's not what he's critiquing here. He's also not critiquing the person that finds themselves. Like, I remember my stepfather, when we had my little brother Richard, there was mounting hospital bills. And so even though he had a full-time job, what did he do at night? He delivered pizzas for Domino's because he needed to pay down the bills. That's not what Koaleth is talking about. He's not talking about working because it's necessary. That's not what he's talking about here. He's talking about working for working's sake. The preacher is critiquing a work that's motivated, pushed by envy and selfish ambition. The word that's getting at this envied by his neighbors is a Hebrew word that comes with this idea of, sometimes it's translated when it's in a good way, zealous. Somebody who's zealous for their work. But in this sense, it's a negative way. It's a jealous, envious way of working. I take a little bit of, the New King James has it, a man is envied by his neighbor, but by his neighbor is supplied there. It's the idea that he's working to be envied by his neighbors. And anytime that we have jealousy or envy that starts being a motivator for work, it's like a poison that creeps into the glass of water. It just messes everything up. It makes everything sick. And so I wanted to talk about four different ways in which this envious jealousy By the way, the word for that is kinah in the Hebrew, and this type of envious jealousy that's a poison finds its way into both households and formal work. And so the first way is equals, right? Coworkers who can become jealous of each other, right? Envied by their neighbors at the workplace. This looks like coworkers who are threatened by somebody else's excellence. Somebody else gets a promotion, somebody else does a good job, somebody else gets an award, and they're jealous, they're envious of that award. They're envious of where they're going. Even when the person might be getting the award, they might give a fake half-hearted smile. Or somebody might ask, why'd they get that award? And they might roll their eyes and say, because they did their job. They might look like petty behaviors. So if you find yourself in that place, at work, or even as children, right? Maybe your parents countenance your brothers or sisters. Well, they say, good job, I'm proud of you for doing something. You may have this temptation, like, oh, why'd he get that treat? I didn't get that treat. Why'd they get that reward? I didn't get that reward. I'd encourage you, as you try to handle this envy, or this jealousy, You don't need to justify yourself. And you don't need to explain your work. You can just let your work stand for itself. Let your deeds just stand for themselves. You don't work for other people to envy you. You just work for God's glory. You just do the work that God has equipped you for. And you do it for God's glory. And you do it to bless your superiors over you, whether that's your mom or your dad or your boss or the owner of the business, whoever it is. I love one of the things that John Smith has taught me when he'll talk about the work ethic that his parents taught him. And they said, one of your jobs is to always try to make your boss's life a little bit easier. What do they need? What can you do to help them? It's a good model, it's a good piece of advice. Don't engage or debate them when they'll try to fight you, or they might try to pull you into arguments out of their selfish and their jealous, envious ambition. There's a way in which it's like a fire, and the more you debate, the more you try to justify why you got that award, the more you might want to say, well, hold on, I did work hard, I did do these things. It's just gonna add fuel to the fire. You know how you stop that type of thing? Starve it of oxygen. The fire can't keep growing if you don't engage in the fight. Just back away and just keep working hard. Work hard for the Lord's glory. But a second way that there might be this jealous ambition is, as you'll see, employees who are actually motivated by their envy of their bosses or of the owner of the company. They may say things like, well, it must be nice to be your own boss. Must be nice to be able to delegate away your authority. I wish I was able to make my own work hours. I wish I had the money to buy that house. I wish I was, and it's almost like they'll see everything that their boss has worked hard for or that God has blessed them with, and you know what? Must be nice. Must be nice. They may even roll their eyes, sigh, or smirk at their boss. They may even be more proactive than that. Maybe you've been in these situations before. I know I have at different places where you'll have coworkers who are actually so jealous or envious of their bosses, they're motivated by this, that it seems like what they actually want to do at work is to stop the work, drag their feet, gossip about the boss, speak bad about the plans. I think this can happen in the home too, right? Man, dad just is a dummy. He doesn't know what he's doing. Why'd mom make us do these chores? Doesn't she know that she could do these chores? Why does Daniel get off not doing that? Why does Bob not have to do those things? Why does Judah get to, and you start questioning, why is the boss so unfair to me? I wish I had their life. They may even just drag their feet, slow things down, or deliberately let things fail. I remember working at a fast food place where there was a guy, I was just like, why do you even work here, dude? Because he would purposely, right, there were set goals for how, this was at McDonald's, right, set goals for how quickly were you supposed to get food out the door, and we had target numbers, right, like try to do it at this time within this amount of seconds. And he would purposely slow things down to miss the goal. The entire team suffered. Why? Because he didn't like our boss. He didn't want her to look good. And so he was just going to slow down the work on purpose. And this was a type of work that was just motivated by an envy, a jealousy of the position that his boss had. And in these types of situations, you might find the HR rep, the boss, or the manager having to talk to the employee, document their behavior, because they're creating tension and resentment in the workplace. Their passive aggressiveness starts to spread like a cancer through the workplace. And this happens again, even in the family, right? When husbands are envious of their wives. Did you know that? This is one of these weird things. People have this idea of like, oh, we can go back to the 1950s when wives were able to stay at home and men were able to go to work. There are a whole bunch of wives who are envious that their husbands get to leave their kids at home for a few hours a day. And there's a whole bunch of husbands who are envious of their wives that they don't have to go to work during the day. And most of it, it just starts looking like passive-aggressive jabs at other people. Sure, I'll do. I'll do what you want, but it's not gonna actually matter. They'll say things like, sure, if you really want me to, but I don't know why. Whatever you want, my lord, you write the checks around this place. That's this type of jealous work that just is toxic to a work environment. It's toxic to a home. But there can also be bosses or owners who are motivated by a jealous ambition going after their competitors. And they look like those who are trying to outshine others. This type of selfish ambition might look like refusing to share credit for ideas, downplaying the team, resenting even their team. They may even want to micromanage others and steal their ideas and claim them as their own or try to spotlight themselves. Here's what I did and here's where all the credit should go, right? They're motivated by the envy and jealousy for themselves. Refusing to promote top performers. Why? Because they may be leaders and displace them. They see everybody as adversarial. constantly trying to one-up people, constantly about their own self-aggrandizement, and in all their stories, they're the hero, they're the savior, they've got the best ideas, they've made the most accomplishments, here are my promotions, here's my skills, everything is them, them, them. It was amazing to me. I remember being at Dr. O'Neill's retirement ceremony. He was the president of the seminary, had been for decades. And at his speech in the retirement, He didn't talk about himself a single time. He talked about students. He talked about faculty. He talked about staff. Everybody down to the janitor. He talked about supporting churches. He talked about you all. He talked about how much joy he had in seeing pastors come out of the seminary and seeing them proclaim God's word faithfully. And most of all, he talked about Jesus Christ not a single time did he talk about himself. And that's why we liked taking classes from him. He wanted to tell us about God's word and about God and about those who were successful and not about himself. Because owners or bosses or managers who are all about themselves because they're motivated by the selfish, this ambition of jealousy, Kill trust and communication. Everybody walks around eggshells with that type of person. Stunts growth because people aren't willing to actually be promoted because they're actually scared of becoming a co-worker with that person and they definitely don't want to manage that type of person. But there's also those who are driven just by this competition against the enemy. You'll hear words from this type of boss. This is the last category here we'll look at. You'll hear words from them like, we need to crush the other competition. We need to dominate the market. They don't deserve their revenue. We need their clients. We need to take back that portion of the market. They'll bad talk other people's customers, bad talk other people's reputations. And their jealous ambition is marked by obsessively looking at the analytics, wanting to figure out all the different outworkings of all the different metrics they can get their hands on. I remember reading an autobiography of one of the old steel tycoons. I remember he was saying, what you need to do is you need to figure out how to quantify every minute of every worker's time and get the maximum amount of productivity and effectiveness you can out of every single individual. He thought of them as tools for his machine, not as people with souls. It was about crushing his enemy. Now, he did it in interesting ways, and I'm not going to go on that for a while. Just this constant micromanaging of people and resources. And again, this is the type of environment that instead of innovating for their clients and trying to find the best ideas, a lot of time it looks like just ripping off other people's ideas and trying to do it cheaper and faster, even though the quality might be less. And then wondering why they have a bad reputation. It creates a culture of just constant urgency for employees, right? This envy that's going after the competitor is just drive your people, urge, urge, urge. You gotta be all in, all the time, work, work, work, work, work. You have a family, I don't care about your family. You need to produce. Sadly, I think sometimes even we treat our own families that way. We need to clean. We need to get this done. We need to get the chores done. I know when I turn into this boss mode, when I don't care about the kids, but it's just all about the tasks, because now I've got this sense of urgency, because this is one of these silly things, right? I don't want people to drive by the parsonage and think, that guy looks like a bum. I'm envious of your guys' admiration. And so what will I do? Sadly, sometimes I drive my children like this type of boss. envious of what my neighbors think, rather than going after my children's heart. It happens in the home, too. So we need to ask ourselves a few questions. First, am I being motivated by fear of being outdone by others? Am I being motivated by a fear of being outdone by others? Secondly, am I being motivated by envy of another person's spotlight or approval? Am I being motivated by envy of another person's spotlight or wanting their approval? And last question to ask ourselves, am I being motivated by bitterness at another person's success? Am I being motivated by bitterness of another person's success? The Lord in his providence sometimes cracks me up. I found myself in a car one day, this SUV with the CEO of a pretty large corporation. And as I was sitting in the car, I was just asking him questions. Just wanted to get to know him. And one of the questions I asked is, I said, what's your favorite thing about being CEO of this company? It shocked me. He didn't say, oh, I get to live in the big house on the golf course, which he did. It wasn't that he got the new car every couple years, which he did. What did he actually like about his job? Was it about the power and authority he had where he went? No, even though he did. Even though he had that type of reputation, people would get around him, and they would find out I was an acquaintance with him. And they would say, do you know what his job is? But that's not what he liked. When I asked him, what was your favorite thing about being a CEO of this company? He said, I get to help our employees and care for their families. I get to try to find the best healthcare possible for them. And I get to give them a good, fair living wage so they can care for their families well. And secondly, he said, I love providing the best quality product for our customers. He was loving other people. And that's why he got where he was. So are we motivated by the two greatest commandments? This was a Christian man. Behind that was the first and greatest commandment, right? The first and greatest commandment is you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Do you work for the envy of your neighbors, or do you work for the glory of God? And secondly, do you work not for the envy of your neighbors, but because you love your neighbors? James chapter 3 verses 14 through 16 talks about this kind of envious wisdom of the world. He says, but if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but it is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exists, confusion and every evil thing are there. Envy. And self-seeking ambition in our hearts comes with all sorts of evil that break down relationships. And so what's the leader of the assembly's assessment of this? It's also a vanity, a grasping for the wind. Love others. Love God. Love your boss, love your manager, love your mother, love your father. Listen to those God has appointed over you. Do what's good for them, and if you are over others, pray for and bless, commend and care for those who are under you. The second thing the preacher looks at in verse five is he looks at the impoverished, the sluggard, the poor man who refuses to do any work. Look at verse five with me. The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh. Just imagine somebody sitting in a lazy chair, rocking back and forth, high noon. They should be out working, but instead, a little bit of slumber, a little bit of sleep. Instead of getting done what needs to get done, instead what they're doing is they're creating their own room. Now, I'm not talking bad about afternoon naps, by all means. You might knock on the office door one day and I might be sitting in the sunshine taking a 20-minute nap at my window because I've been up for a while, right? But that's not what this is talking about. This is talking about what Solomon also said in the Proverbs, right? The sluggard is like the one, like a hinge. You know what a hinge does on its pivot? It just rolls back and forth. The sluggard's like that on his bed. As long as the one who refuses to get out of bed, just sleep, hit the snooze button, turn over again, hit the snooze button, turn over again, you know what, just forget the alarm, throw it against the wall, and just sleep until it's 11 o'clock. Forget all the work, I don't wanna do that. That's what he's talking about here. And this idea of a little sleep, a little slumber, actually in Proverbs it says this twice. One of the few Proverbs that's mentioned word for word exactly. The same proverb, mentioned twice. Proverbs chapter six, verse 10 through 11. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man. And again, Proverbs 24, 33 through 34, a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. So shall your poverty come like a prowler and your need like an armed man. The Proverbs is just wonderful about the sluggard, right? The guy who moves around like a snail without its shell, right? Just slowly moving. There's a guy who goes to eat breakfast and he puts a spoon in his cereal and he sighs because he's too lazy to bring it back up to his mouth. Or the guy who's, it's harvest time and he should be out, right, cutting the hay and baling it up, and he should be out where it's cutting the corn or cutting the wheat, whatever it is, putting it into its bundles, but instead, you know what? I know that it's gonna go bad out there, but I'm tired today, so I'm just gonna take a rest, even though it's Tuesday. Right, no, you need to get some work done, buddy. Or my favorite is the excusive slugger in the Proverbs, right? The guy that somebody says, hey, you need to go to work, and you know what he says? I can't go to work, there's a lion in the street. There ain't been no lion in the street for 100 years, buddy. Right, they just come up with some crazy idea. This is one of those things where maybe you're like me, you get a little annoyed when you're trying to work and other people are trying to escape the work. Right, I had a sibling that every time it was time to do dishes, conveniently they had to go to the bathroom. And I don't know what they were reading in the bathroom, but they didn't come back until we were all done cleaning all the dishes. And I was like, that's awful. You're ballast, right? Man, you're really regular. Your doctor must be happy, but I'm not. Or when I was in the Navy, we'd be doing work, and all of a sudden, we'd have this big job, we need to get done, and the hard work was about to begin. And all of a sudden, you know what happened? It was time for a smoke break. And half the crew would just be gone. Where'd they go? I don't know, it took them two hours to come back from their smoke break and we were done with the job. And this is what the slugger does, just disappears from work. But what's the result? And consumes his own flesh. Some of the translations that are a little bit more paraphrases are pretty funny about this. The message translates this, his sloth is slow suicide. Or the net translation says it this way, the sluggard has nothing to eat but his own flesh. I just wasted away the day and then complains because all he has is nothing, so he's gonna have to just eat himself. We see this all the time, right? We know what this is like. We don't wanna be too overly critical because we know that it's easy to get sucked in our day and age into all sorts of sluggardness. All right, just the infinite scroll, TikTok, TikTok, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, YouTube Shorts, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels, Facebook Reels, Facebook Reels, social media, go, go, go. You just put the video game on, and the constant dopamine hit, and before you know it, you've wasted three, four hours of workday, and you're, what did I do? I don't know, I just wasted my life on this little addictive machine in my hand, as opposed to help me with productivity. But maybe you're more erudite, you're smarter than that, you have a more robust vocabulary. And so you like to go hide in a room somewhere reading a book. And you find your little nook and then the whole day goes by and you ain't got no work done because you were being in your fantasy land. And the types of entertainment are endless. But our culture today is we're just inundated with ways to distract yourself from the things to get done in life. I remember I was, this is funny, very ironic, I was watching a YouTube video about a guy who was making something. And he said, I would rather be the type of guy who makes things than watch other people make things. I was like, yeah, yeah. As I'm watching on my phone, I've just wasted 25 minutes watching this guy fix something that I could just go fix my own stuff. Work is hard. Work is hard. It's part of the curse. And the Lord tells us in Colossians chapter three, verses 23 through 24, and whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you receive the reward of the inheritance if you serve the Lord Christ. Why are you working so hard as a mom? Why are you working so hard as a dad? Why are you working so hard in the fields? Why are you working so hard for your boss? Why are you working so hard for your parents? Why are you working so hard in this life? Is it for the Lord? Or maybe sometimes I get forgetful of who my master, who my real boss is. And I wanna avoid work because I forget that work has eternal rewards. Are we serving Jesus Christ or are we serving our own desires? But there's a balance you hear in verse six, and that's the contented worker. Look with me at verse six. Better a handful with quietness than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind. This is a balanced approach to work, right? You don't need to have both hands full of all the good stuff. You don't need to have both hands, right? One hand is full of the good stuff, but the other hand is just constantly working, and you don't even have enough arm space to put the rest of the produce, right? You're just working to work, and he says, no, no, you can be content. You can have contentment, and this is what Paul talks about in Philippians chapter four, as he's writing from a prison cell. He talks to God's people in Philippi, and he tells them he has learned the secret of contentment. I'm gonna read that to you, Philippians chapter four, verses 10 through 13. If you want, you can turn in your Bibles there to Philippians chapter four. Just keep your hand in Ecclesiastes, we're gonna be back in a minute. Philippians chapter four beginning at verse 10. But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last your care for me has flourished again, though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Now that I speak in regard to need, not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Paul says he learned that secret of contentment, whether he was full or whether he was hungry. Whether he had lots of stuff or whether he was not sure where his next meal was gonna come from, he can be content. But notice what his contentment is in. It's never in the things of this world, but it's in Jesus Christ. He learned to be content in Christ. And this is why so many people love Philippians 4.13. I know one of you, this is your favorite verse. I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. Because when you remember the love of God poured out for you in Christ Jesus, you know God's plans for you are for your good, no matter how hard things may be at the moment, you can have contentment. So how did Paul get to this place of contentment? Well, he fixed his heart on Christ. Well, how did he fix his heart on Christ? Look with me at verses six through nine of Philippians chapter four. What did he do? Well, first he learned how to pray. I do not be anxious about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. This is what he did, he prayed. He learned that when he was struggling, wanting things or needing things, he brought them to God and he prayed. But he also, notice it's not just your prayers and supplications, but he also brought his thanksgivings. Now think about that, Paul is in prison. That dude ain't got nothing. I'm surprised he's got a pen and a piece of paper to be able to write to the Philippians. And yet he's got things to thank God for. What's he got to thank God for? He remembers the people he loves. I thank God upon every remembrance upon you. I think there's lists, like in the places of the backs of books like Romans chapter 16, because Paul actively brought to mind people he loved in the church and prayed for them. They found contentment in Christ, remembering them in love and praying for them. He had things to thank God for. He would remember his Lord and thank God for things. But then notice also, after his prayer, what does he say in verses eight and nine? He meditated on things that were good and pure, lovely, praiseworthy, honorable, of good report. Instead of fixing his minds on the things of this earth and trying to think, how am I going to get out of prison? And where am I going to go? And how am I going to get out of these chains? And when I do, I'm going to be broke. So what do I got to do? How am I going to get money? Where am I? He wasn't anxious about those things. What did he do? He chewed over in his heart those things that were wonderful about God and about others. Whatever was noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous and praiseworthy, he set his mind on those things. That's why he said, and the things which you have seen and learned from me, imitate. You could do this too. You can have this contentment. Those who lack contentment are often those who lack thankfulness and lack an ability to see outside of their present circumstances. This is one of the beautiful things, the wonderful things you have. No matter how dark and ugly your life might be, no matter how broke your bank account might look, no matter what's going on in your life, you have things to thank God for. Because you have a God who has poured out his love for you in Christ Jesus. That's why the martyrs, when they were tied to stakes, could sing praises to God. and pray for their enemies and forgive them, because they knew they had a heavenly father who loved them. So think upon those attributes that you see in God, and when you see them in others, bring glory to God. But I'm gonna go somewhere that Paul doesn't go, and I'm gonna also encourage you, as we talk about work, to rest. To rest. I find it a great comfort and a blessing in the fourth commandment. Honor the Sabbath day to keep it holy. For in six days you shall labor and do all your work, but on the seventh you shall rest. Why? Because God done did it too. For in six days the Lord labored, creating the heavens and the earth and all that's therein, and on the seventh he rested. He blessed and hallowed the Sabbath day. But notice, who is not supposed to work? No one. Nothing. Even the animals got some rest. Even the ox got to just lay in the stall and just eat some food and recover some strength. We often think about the Sabbath, and we think about it as like this ugly, legalistic, oh, we can't do this, and we can't do this, and we can't do that, and people will beat you down with all these rules, what you gotta do. This is an invitation from the Lord to say, hey, you know what? I've given you six days to toil and to labor, but one day a week, you don't have to do any of that. It's gonna be taken care of. Remember who I am. Rejoice in the Lord. Remember I've given you a family of Christ that you can help and you can bless and you can encourage and you can strengthen each other. You can love others. You can love your employees by giving them a day of rest. I lived in Southern California. Where, I mean, it's just crazy high living prices and things are just really, really expensive. And people felt like no matter what, they had to work seven days a week, period. They had to work, they had to work, they had to work. Even if they worked Monday through Friday jobs, they would often work Saturday and Sunday just to make their bills. And guess what? At the end of the day, they were no better than the person who took a day off. Actually, often they were more stressed out. The Lord didn't build us for 24-7. The Lord's given us rest, even that's what it says in Psalm 127, the Lord gives his loved ones sleep. You don't need to burn the candle at both ends. You could turn off the light and go to bed. You can shut off your smartphone, turn off the computer, turn off the lights and go to sleep. Your brain needs it, your body needs it, your soul needs it. But then maybe one of the saddest parts of this is verse eight, and we'll wrap up here. Look with me at verse eight, the lonely materialist. He returns and he sees this havel, this vanity under the sun. And what's he say? There is one alone without companion. He has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his labors. Nor is his eye satisfied with riches. But he never asks. For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good? This also is a vanity and a grave misfortune." Now the preacher is not critiquing or condemning singleness or it's because the guy's married or something and doesn't have kids. He's not condemning that. He's saying this guy's just driven work, work, work, work, work. But he doesn't have kids, he doesn't have a brother, he doesn't have anybody to pass on the inheritance to, and so he never stops to ask, why am I working so hard? This dude is Ebenezer Scrooge. Right, he's got no joy, he's got no charity, he's got no room for other people in his heart. He's just working, working, working, amassing all the wealth, he's got all the gold and silver coins around him. Somebody comes to ask him to help with Tiny Tim, he's like, I'm not gonna give him any of my money, I need to make money, right? He's just hordes, just working and working and working. And what does that do? Jesus says money's become his master. That's what Jesus was critiquing in Matthew chapter six, verse 19 through 21. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break and then steal. But lay up for yourself treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there, your heart will be also. This guy's heart was in his work, in his treasures, and never asked himself, what was his treasures gonna do him any good? He'd never enjoyed them. And someday, like the preacher had said in the first part of the book, it's gonna go to somebody else who didn't work for him. So Jesus says in verse 24, no one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Jesus is saying, I'm your loving Lord, you could serve me. Take my yoke upon you, for my burden is easy and my yoke is light. Jesus is saying, come, learn from me. You don't have to be like the pagans, constantly working, constantly anxious. I don't know where I'm gonna get my food. I don't know where I'm gonna get my bread. I don't know where I'm gonna get my clothes. Jesus says, look at the flowers, dude. They're beautiful. The guy who wrote Ecclesiastes couldn't compare his glory to that. And what happens to that grass in the field with the flowers? It gets cut down and thrown into the fire. And you're more valuable than grass. Do you not know that your God in heaven, your Father in heaven knows you need these things? Look at the birds in the air. They don't need to put into their grain bins. They don't need to work on their tractors all day. And yet God provides food for them. Are you not more valuable than the birds? Relax, man. Work hard when it's time to work for God's glory. But remember, life's not about work. It's not just about work. So this is the joy. This is what I wanna leave you with, right? This is the joy of the Christian life. Your value is not in your work in the home. Your value to God is not in the work you do as a mom or a dad. Your value is not in how successful your farm or your business or your job is. Your value to God is not how big of a bank account you have. Your value in life is not the vacations you get to put on Instagram for everybody else to be envious of your life over. Your value is because God chose to love you irregardless of anything else. Your value is because you could be stripped of all your health, you could be stripped of all your family, you could be stripped of all your wealth, your household, your prestige, your fame, your titles, you could be stripped of everything. Do you know what the Lord would say of you? My beloved, because he loved you before you had any of those things. He loved you before the foundations of the world. For those of you who are in Christ Jesus, he gave you the lamb who was slain before the foundations of the world, appointed you as heirs of righteousness, and you can have contentment. You don't have to be filled with jealous ambition or envy. But you can rest in the Lord knowing that you are treasured above all else. And he proved it by sending his only begotten son to die for you, to purchase you, to redeem you, to live with him forever. So don't serve money. Serve Christ. Don't be weary. Take the yoke of Christ upon you. Don't be filled with selfish, jealousy-motivated ambition for your own little kingdom. Rest, rest in Christ. Let's pray. Father, we confess to you that it's easier said than done. And so God, we pray that your spirit would please help us to have peace and joy Fruits of the Spirit that can only be brought in our lives by you. Lord, we know that the American dream often consumes us and we can often turn bitter and really ugly in how we behave and treat each other. Father, forgive us and turn us towards your ways. Sanctify us, Lord. We pray, God, that you would please help us to have the sweetest contentment that could ever be spoken of in your son, Jesus. Lord, if there are sinful or wrong things that I've said this morning from the pulpit, pray that they would be blown away like chaff in the wind, and the gold might be left with your people. Pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.

• Why is human righteousness insufficient before God? Human righteousness is insufficient before a holy God because, as Romans 3:10-12 and Genesis 6:5 highlight, we are all inherently sinful. Our thoughts, intentions, and actions consistently fall short of God's perfect standard. We are prone to evil, and even our best efforts are tainted by selfishness and pride, meaning we cannot achieve a state of righteousness that would satisfy God's justice. This demonstrates the dire need for an external source of righteousness.

• What is meant by 'substitutionary atonement' in the context of Jesus' suffering? Substitutionary atonement refers to the concept that Jesus, who was completely righteous, willingly took the punishment for our sins upon himself. As Isaiah 53:4-6 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 show, he suffered and died on the cross as a substitute, bearing the consequences of our wrongdoing. This act of love and sacrifice satisfied God's justice, allowing us to be reconciled to him. Christ's suffering was not merely a demonstration of love but a means of payment for the penalty that we deserved, hence the "just for the unjust".

• How does Christ's resurrection impact our hope and justification? Christ's resurrection is vital because it proves the completeness and success of his sacrifice. Romans 5:1-5 and Philippians 3:9-11 describe how it demonstrates that God has accepted Jesus' atonement. It signifies not only the forgiveness of our sins but also our restoration to a right relationship with God. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, the believer has been given an "alien righteousness", one that was not earnt by them, but imputed to them by God through faith. It is through Christ's resurrection that we have the hope of eternal life, having been both acquitted of our sin and declared righteous in God's sight.

• What does it mean for a Christian to be "blessed" in suffering for righteousness? According to 1 Peter 3:13-17, suffering for righteousness is a blessing because it means our lives are aligning with Christ's teachings, and we are participating in His suffering. When we are persecuted for our beliefs, it is not a sign of God's disfavor, but rather a testament to our faith and a confirmation that we are following Christ's example. It gives us a unique opportunity to testify to the hope we have in Christ. Instead of fearing such suffering, we are to view it as an honour and an opportunity to glorify God.

• How should Christians respond when they face evil or persecution? Christians are called to respond to evil or persecution not by retaliating, but by exhibiting compassion, humility and love. 1 Peter 3:8-12 says, instead of returning evil for evil, we should bless those who persecute us. We are to seek unity and pursue peace, trusting that God is ultimately just and will avenge us. The focus should be on reflecting the character of Christ, showing grace even when facing injustice. This includes being gentle and respectful when defending our faith.

• Why is the concept of Christ's finished work so crucial for Christians? The "finished work" of Christ means that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection were all sufficient for our salvation. This means our righteousness is not based on any personal achievement, but a gift given freely by God. As the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms point out, Christ's obedience and sacrifice fully satisfied God's justice. Because of this, we can have full assurance of our salvation. There's nothing more we can or need to add to what he has already accomplished. This frees us from the burden of trying to earn our salvation and establishes Christ as the sole foundation for our relationship with God.

• How should the assurance of Christ's finished work influence our daily lives? The assurance of Christ's finished work should lead us to live with a deep sense of gratitude and confidence in our relationship with God. Knowing we are righteous because of Christ, not ourselves, should cultivate humility and motivate us to pursue a life that is pleasing to him. We should seek to display unity, peace, and love in our interactions with others. In our lives, we must seek to give a defence to others for the hope that we have in Christ, in meekness and fear. This should inform the way we approach every aspect of our lives.

• What is the practical application of the phrase "the just for the unjust" in our lives? The phrase "the just for the unjust" highlights the central tenet of Christian faith: Jesus, being perfectly righteous, took the punishment that we, being unrighteous, deserved. This realisation should foster a spirit of gratitude and humility. We must acknowledge we have no merit of our own, and our salvation comes entirely through grace. The just one took our place so that we might be brought into the presence of God. The application is that we can never rely upon ourselves for our own righteousness, and so must place our full trust in Jesus. This should lead to living lives that honor God's grace.

• Justification: God's act of declaring a sinner righteous in his sight through faith in Christ, not through their own good works or merits.

• Imputation: The act of crediting or transferring something, in this context, God credits Christ's righteousness to believers.

• Atonement: The reconciliation between God and humanity through Christ's sacrificial death, which covers the debt of sin.

• Substitutionary Atonement: The doctrine that Christ died as a substitute for sinful humanity, bearing the punishment and penalty for their sin.

• Righteousness: Moral perfection and conformity to God's law. In Christian theology, it's seen both as a standard and a gift of God through Christ.

• Sanctification: The process of being made holy, where God works in believers to transform them into Christlikeness over time.

• Passive Obedience: Christ's willing submission to suffering and death as part of his obedience to God's will, not limited to simply his active obedience to the law.

• Alien Righteousness: A righteousness that is not inherent to the individual but comes from an outside source. In Christian theology, it refers to the righteousness of Christ imputed to believers.

• Reconciliation: The restoration of a relationship to harmony, specifically, the bridging of the gap between God and humans through Christ.

• The Spirit: In the context of this study, refers to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who is believed to give life and bring about spiritual regeneration.