Godliness with Contentment

1 - OCC Prayer Slide

2 - Blank

3 - Content Life Title

Contentment: Acceptance and satisfaction with one’s situation.

Back in 2008 I was driving through the suburbs of Minneapolis, MN. I was on my way home, well, to a my host family house, from a day of work at an at-risk youth ministry organization. See I finished my bachelors degree and now at the age of 23 I chose to sacrifice a year of my life to ‘serve God’ away from my family and all familiarity. A new city in a new state. New friends. New co-workers. New excitement to join God’s work. A year of full-time, eternal value.

However, on this day I was tired. Worn down. Exhausted. Defeated. Burned out, really, on sacrificing myself for the idol of ‘small-pay-and-self-denial-is-holier.’ I missed my family. I missed my home. I missed my church. I missed my joy.

As I navigated the 8-lane bypass, I watched all those strangers passing by…strangers I labeled as happy, successful, even wealthy, non-believers (although we all know it’s unreasonable to label an entire group in that way)... and wondered as I watched… life must be so much easier without God.

How could I think that?

They are happy. I am lonely.

They are going home to families. My family is states away.

They’re successful. I’m making peanuts and rarely know for certain God has changed a life.

They have regular jobs to meet their needs and wants. I pray hard for to find God’s will and feel miserable.

Life must be so much easier without God. In short, I was envious of their lives. Mind you, lives I had fabricated in my mind.

If your first thought is, how could anyone possibly think or say such a thing. A believer envious of a nonbeliever? Then stay engaged with the message today.

Have you ever been frustrated to see the wicked prosper?

Have you ever wondered why evil people are successful…and given that’s unfair…if you should continue to follow God?

During the time of David and Solomon, a great singer and musician named Asaph wrote a . Let’s read it together.

See, from my perspective at that moment I had missed the joy of

The contradiction between the goodness of God and the prosperity of the wicked.

4-31 Psalm 73

Psalm 73 NLT

A psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty. These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others. They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth. And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words. “What does God know?” they ask. “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?” Look at these wicked people— enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain. If I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor to your people. So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning. Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

Psalm 73 NLT

A psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure. But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty. These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for! They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others. They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth. And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words. “What does God know?” they ask. “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?” Look at these wicked people— enjoying a life of ease while their riches multiply. Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain. If I had really spoken this way to others, I would have been a traitor to your people. So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors. When you arise, O Lord, you will laugh at their silly ideas as a person laughs at dreams in the morning. Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but you? I desire you more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever. Those who desert him will perish, for you destroy those who abandon you. But as for me, how good it is to be near God! I have made the Sovereign Lord my shelter, and I will tell everyone about the wonderful things you do.

32 - Title

Why do seemingly wicked, evil people have everything they need; the good looks, money for whatever they want, no cares, no stress…and yet us godly people have so many needs. It doesn’t seem fair. Is it really worth in to follow God?

THE PROBLEM PRESENTED

The contradiction between the goodness of God and the prosperity of the wicked.

Asaph didn’t doubt the goodness of God, but he did doubt whether following God was worth the effort when it seemed his life had more trouble.

What good is there in being good if the wicked enjoy the same reward? What’s the reward of godliness anyway?

These are questions worth asking and a question we’re allowed to ask.

“If God is in control of things, the plans of the wicked should flounder. They should even be punished openly. The godly alone should prosper. But that is not what Asaph saw, and it is not what we see either. We see scoundrels getting rich. Utterly degenerate persons, like particularly vile rock musicians or movie stars, are well paid and sought after. Even criminals get rich selling their crime stories.” (Boice)

The Good Life of the Wicked

They’re living a good life an it frustrates us at times.

“If God is in control of things, the plans of the wicked should flounder. They should even be punished openly. The godly alone should prosper. But that is not what Asaph saw, and it is not what we see either. We see scoundrels getting rich. Utterly degenerate persons, like particularly vile rock musicians or movie stars, are well paid and sought after. Even criminals get rich selling their crime stories.” (Boice)

The Doubts of the Godly

As he contemplates the wicked and their life, he grows more and more frustrated.

They’re always at ease and still their riches increase.

“Surely I’ve cleansed my heart in vain.” (Surely a pure heart is worth nothing to God.) Poor Asaph begins to question the value of holiness because he’s not receiving physical earthly blessings!

Wait a second! God is easy on the wicked and hard on me. Where’s my cut? Where’s my wealth? Where’s my mansion? Where are my wages for holiness?

This is a prime example of treating God like a cosmic vending machine who owes us something in return for our devotion. This is the prosperity Gospel.

This is - “God, I serve you. I love you. You owe me. If you give me pain in return I’m out.”

Asaph was on the brink of out.

No doubt he was exaggerating.

No doubt the life of the wicked was not as good as he fantasized. Just like me on that drive home…no one’s life is as perfect as we imagine, and rarely are our lives as hard as we perceive.

But we can’t deny the feeling that prompted these questions. I bet you’ve been there too.

THE PROBLEM UNDERSTOOD

The Power of New Perspective

The crisis seemed to build and build and build for Asaph until he did what? This may seem simple and anti-climactic, but...

HE WENT INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD. He went to church.

Some things about the wicked and some things about himself.

Some things about the destiny of the wicked and the destiny of the godly.

i. “What then did the psalmist do? The answer to some will seem perfectly childish. He went to church… Just what others got out of this service we are not told. But the psalmist came into possession of certain gripping convictions that steadied him and enabled him to walk in the after days with firmness and assurance.” (Chappell)

What did going to the House of God do for Asaph? There, he could gain understanding in several ways.

· By prayer and worship in the sanctuary, he understood that God was at the center of all things, and he gained a fresh appreciation of both God and eternity.

· By hearing the word of God in the sanctuary, he understood that there was a truth that went beyond what he saw and experienced in everyday life.

· By observing sacrifice at the sanctuary, he understood that God takes sin so seriously that it must be judged and atoned for, even if it is by an innocent victim who stands in the place of the guilty by faith.

There he was able to see things from an eternal viewpoint and understood some things.

Some things about the wicked and some things about himself.

Some things about the destiny of the wicked and the destiny of the godly.

The Unsteady Ground of the Wicked

Slippery ground of a lost person. While the Christian prays and cares and hopes for salvation:

“Sinner you may fall now, at once. The mountain yields beneath your feet, the slippery ice is melting every moment. Look down and learn your speedy doom. Yonder yawning gulf must soon receive you, while we look after you with hopeless tears. Our prayers cannot follow you; from your slippery standing place you fall and you are gone for ever. Death makes the place where you stand slippery, for it dissolves your life every hour. Time makes it slippery, for every instant it cuts the ground from under your feet. The vanities which you enjoy make your place slippery, for they are all like ice which shall melt before the sun. You have no foot-hold, sinner, you have no sure hope, no confidence. It is a melting thing you trust to.” (Spurgeon)

Without God your life is fragile, like a happy dream you wake up from and can’t go back too. But God

Confessing Foolishness and Receiving Guidance

Asaph confessed before the Lord his sinful lack of understanding before he went into the House of the Lord. He felt foolish that he had forgotten the obvious truths of eternity and God’s justice.

The Glory of Heavenly Hope

Whom have I in heaven but You? This is the beautiful expression of a longing heart for God and for eternity.

Asaph had the faithful expectation of an afterward of glory.

33 - 1 Tim

1 Timothy 6:6–8 NLT

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

What I had missed in my own envious story, was they stood on unsteady ground and I stood on solid ground. I had heavenly hope.

34 - Title

34 - Title

1 Timothy 6:6–8 NLT

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.