Hebrews 13::5-6 - Value Contentment

As the writer to the Hebrew Christians is starting to conclude this encouragement, he wants to encourage them to apply what has been taught. Our theology finds a way into our lives that manifests publically.

Value Love

Each other

The stranger

The hurting

Value marriage

Marriage matters

Sex matters

God matters

Value contentment - Right attitude towards money, our possession and eternity.

The Bible speaks into the matter of our money. These three things come so close to our hearts and culture that we often have a resistance to what they are saying to us. This age is materialistic age.

Hebrews 13:5–6 CSB

5 Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you. 6 Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

This is a counter cultural idea when, ingrained into the values of our society and worldview are things like, “Money means everything.” We are being encouraged to value contentment and that speaks to our hearts. It speaks in a way that is contrary to the flesh that pursues discontent.

This is a heart issue.

1. We are called to guard your heart

Guard against what?

1.1. Against the love of money

The word that can be used here here is coveteousness.

Dave Harvey: Coveting is desiring stuff or desiring too much stuff. It’s replacing our delight in God with joy in stuff. Materialism is what happens when coveting has cash to spend.

“I want more and I won’t be happy until I get it!” This whole world is actually saying you can’t be happy until you get it. That is marketing! Example - Caryn coming to me having seen a spanner infomercial and saying, “You need this!”

The Scriptures don’t shy away from this as we are encouraged to guard our hearts against all sorts of greed and covetousness.

Luke 12:15 CSB

15 He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions.”

IDENTITY - This isn’t the source of who we are. It’s a cruel master. Because it is never enough. But isn’t is fascinating how we place value on those who have much. It can fill us with a sense of our own self-importance when it should humble us as people who have been entrusted with the responsibility of stewarding what God has placed in our care.

Michael J. Kruger: “Money is like fire: it can keep you warm or it can burn your house down.”

Money is not meant to be our master - we are servants of Jesus.

But what will the love of money do in us?

i. Rob us of our identity in Christ.

ii. Bears fruit that denies Christ. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It ignites the flames of...

Greed

Coveteousness

Envy

Bitterness

iii. It has the ability to choke the word:

Mark 4:18–19 CSB

18 Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

iv. It has the ability to twist and distort our priorities becauise it takes our eyes off Christ. So when it’s gone we are fearful, faithless, friendless and fatigued.

v. It has the ability to become an idol

At the heart of this we are encouraged to hold money loosely and in order to combat this we need to guard our hearts.

What is the for component.

1.2. Guard your heart so that you are satisfied with what you have

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Contentment

A Puritan sat down to his meal and found that he had only a little bread and some water. His response was to exclaim, “What? All this and Jesus Christ, too!”

What does this involve?

The word here is contentment!

1.2.1. Putting our riches in the right place

Matthew 6:19–21 CSB

19 “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Imagine if we could all live like that - the joy that we would excude. Even too many churches don’t believe this.

I remember driving my Citi Golf, and someone saying, “Pastor, you should be driving a Land Rover.” I told him I was happy with my Golf and didn’t want anything else.

1.2.2. Find our rest in the right source

Ecclesiastes 5:10 CSB

10 The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver, and whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. This too is futile.

Charles Spurgeon - It is not possible to satisfy the greedy. If God gave them one whole world to themselves they would cry for another; and if it were possible for them to possess heaven as they now are, they would feel themselves in hell, because others were in heaven too, for their greed is such that they must have everything or else they have nothing.

1.2.3. Keeping our worship on God

This is a worship problem.

So, when we drill down, what are we worshipping?

Could it be a lack of faith in God and a failure to believe His promises?

Could it be an idol - something we treasure more than God?

“What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” - Tim Keller

Idol of comfort and security

Idol of control?

These have the tendency to show up in our lives in a number of ways.

Greed

Fear

Lack of generosity

Lack of care for the poor

Lack of seeing how God wants me to use my wealth for the good of His glory, the saints and the mission of God.

Last week I came across a quote that descibes idolatry and highlights how deceptive our hearts are:

What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies. Ashley Null

What will displace our love of money/coveteous hearts?

How do we achieve contentment?

2. Ground your life

We are given a reason not to love money, because we have the promise that “He will never leave us nor forsake us.”

Profound statement because it is saying, we have God. We have the provider. The One who made this world and everything in it has assured us of His presence. God is with us!

This is a Gospel reality.

2.1.A great vision for God as our provider

2.2. A right understanding of God being a good and sovereign God

2.3. God as our Father

God says, Ï will never leave youy or abandon you.”

How do we know this? Because of the cross. “He did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all!”

What marks can be observed in the grounded life?

Faith in God

Gratitude to God

Generosity because of God

3. Remember your confidence

Hebrews 13:6 CSB

6 Therefore, we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

3.1. My confidence is in the Lord

Not the bank

Not stuff

3.2. My confidence shows

No fear! This mattererd top the Hebrew Christians!

He is with us!

He will help us when we are stuggling

He will help us when we need to loosen our grip on things

I might not have much, but I have all that I need.

Dave Harvey: Covetousness may be powerful, but it’s no match for a benevolent Savior.

I am not telling you to tithe. God is calling you to look at what has your heart and return to him. The dance...

Own your sin

Understand your heart

Confess your sin

Disown your sin

Ask the Spirit for help