We Are Content

Welcome to Palmetto Shores Church. My name is Morgan Byrd, and I'm the associate pastor our mission here at the church is making disciples who make disciples and our vision is to know Jesus and make all of Life about him. So whether you remember a visitor or this is your first time checking us out online our prayer for you. Is it this sermon would help you to know Jesus be transformed by Jesus to live your life on Mission with Jesus. So let's tune in to hear the word of the Lord is good to be here. the presence of the Lord this morning and in your presence It's great to see y'all. Thanks for being here.

If we were to consider what drives our society? What makes us us why we are the way that we are. I think you can sum it up in this phrase. You deserve better. Apparently we deserve better cars. And we deserve better skin care products. And we deserve better houses. Apparently we deserve better jobs. better spouses better There is a toilet paper.

Thanks, Mom. She put me on to that after the first service. You know, it's you or talking about right and you are special. Which means that you of all people deserve better? And the reason that marketers can employ that strategy is because they know when they speak through the TV and say you are better. They know our hearts will respond back. You know what I do deserve better.

I think this might explain why we are all so discontent. You know, let's just take a quick self-assessment this morning in the last 12 months. Have you felt anxiety over your finances in the last 12 months if you complained about something or someone at your job? In the last 12 months. Have you argued about something trivial with someone in your family? In the last 12 months have you experienced something with your physical health that cause you to lose your sense of peace? In the last 12 months, I've envied what appeared to be someone's easier happier and dream your life. We I believe are dripping with discontentment. So where does our face fit in all this is Christianity just another tool that we employ for our selfishness is the message of the Gospel. You deserve better. Why did Jesus come from Heaven to Earth to show us how just how important we are?

If we think that our discontentment is unrelated to our view of Christianity. We have been full we have turned Jesus into our Genie in a Bottle. We have turn the concept of calling. It's an excuse to avoid any hard situation. We've traded in the Great Commission for the American dream.

We've tried so hard to simultaneously embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the wisdom of the world that we have empty the cross of its power. It is impossible to experience the power of the Cross while we have a Chokehold on the wisdom of this world.

But here's the good news. Jesus came to save discontinued people like you and like me and he saves Us in such a way that he alone deserves the glory for it. God will be everything to his people and if that means he has to strip everything out of our lives so that he becomes everything to us than that is what he will do.

God does want us to be happy, but he wants us to be happy in him. God does want us to be blessed but he wants us to know every blessing that we have in Jesus Christ. God does want us to live our best life now, but our best life now is not succeeding in all of our selfish dreams. The best life now is the life where God is everything we're Christ is King where the crosses are Joyce where the gospel has satisfy the deepest longings of our soul and I hope that we have for the future. It will not disappoint because God is already poured out his love into our hearts through his spirit. That is the best life now.

So our plan this morning as we turn the 1st Timothy Chapter 6. It's a look at two things that real Christianity is about and two things that real Christianity is not about and then try to pull out some principles of contentment from each of these and if I had to put the whole sermon in one sentence this this is maybe how how old put it in in one sentence if we continue in self-centered christianized spirituality. We will continue to be discontent. But if we will embrace the real Christ in all of his glory and grace our souls will be satisfied.

Let's pray and then we're going to begin walking through the text together God. We know we know deep in our hearts this morning. This we've tried everything in the world everything. We've run to his left us empty. And we sense the restlessness. We sense the fear the anxiety. The crippling nature of our disease of discontentment and we need you to change it. We need you to satisfy our souls and got as we come to your word this morning. We know that in our natural hearts and in our natural Minds, we can't even understand your things the things that are of your spirit and so we are desperate for you come and lead us through your word this morning revealed it to our hearts open our eyes open ears to hear what you have to say. We are dependent upon you. Since Jesus name that we pray amen. So if you have a Bible, I want to encourage you to open the 1st. Timothy Chapter 6 where to pick up right there where we left off last week. And as we work to the text, we're just going to read a few verses and then make some comments read a few verses and make some comments. And so the first point here, we're going to look just at verses 1 and 2. So you have a Bible read along 1st Timothy Chapter 6 verses 1 and 2. all who are under the Yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our Doctrine will not be spoken against those who have Believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are Brethren but must serve them all the more because those who partake of the benefit are believers in Beloved teach and preach these principles to the first thing that Christianity is about Christianity is about self. Denial Christianity is about self and I'll to lead us into this discussion about contentment Paul brings up the real life situation of slavery and he encourages believing slaves to fight for their rights to demand their freedom to squirm their way out of obedience to their masters to cut Corners at a quiet protest to stick up for themselves because they deserve better.

Is that what he says? No, it's not what he says that might be the wisdom of the world. But that kind of thinking is not worthy of the gospel. Paul says it believing slaves were to act that way. I would actually put the Renown of God and the reputation of the Gospel at risk and what is more instead of slaves thinking that if they have believing Masters, but that means they are exempt from service. The actually says it's the exact opposite that because they serve the leading Masters. They get the wonderful opportunity of day-in-day-out serving a child of God. They should see this as an opportunity. Or dignity now we can try to imagine different situations where we would be tempted towards discontentment to feel like being slighted but this passage really cuts under Neath any possible situation. We might find ourselves in because what situation in life will eat itself to more discontentment then being a slave. Is there any situation alive that you would think this is the time when the Bible is going to say stick up for yourself. Take take your rice in your hand. You look out for your own Freedom. This is the moment when the Bible should be doing this and instead. Paul is saying that kind of thinking is not consistent with the gospel. The heart of true Christianity which is the gospel to life the death. The resurrection of Jesus is a catalyst for self-denying service. Not an excuse to avoid it. When you put it this way, I when we avoid self-denial we create dissonance dissonance for the message of the Gospel. We've been singing here this morning and when you hear singing you typically hear a melody and Harmony and there is nothing more beautiful in the world. Then when the melody and the harmony just move in and out together and beautiful ways and they they complement one another and yet at the same time there is nothing more ear screeching and in heart-wrenching then when the melody and the harmony just aren't quite right when one person is just slightly off. It just it's hard to hear that is dissonance when the two things working together actually get in the way of the message rather than serving the message and The Melody of the Christian Life is the gospel. It is the life the death of the resurrection of Jesus and the harmony that sweetly accompanies The Melody of the Gospel is a life of self-denial. But we create dissonance in the message of the Gospel when we say we worship the Savior who was crucified for us. When the cross comes our way, we avoid it at all costs that creates dissonance to the message of the Gospel are squirming are wiggling are wrangling to avoid hard situations creates dissonance with the message of the gospel, and we aren't called to lay down the melody. Jesus has already done that he's already laid down. the bass note but we are being invited to join in with Harmony the harmony of a self sacrificial life. Now. I don't want to quit your job or your work just slavery. I don't think that that would be a one-to-one correlation, but I will say this many of us a procharger jobs as a necessary evil and I just want to give you one encouragement that there might be an opportunity here as you as you look at this text to begin to think about your work and your workplace not as a necessary evil that you have to go through just to make money but it's a place that you might be able to put the glory of God on display that you might be able to submit and respect people that you work with in a way that would be attractive to them that they might actually get it a sense. They wouldn't hear the gospel through your service, but they can hear that Perfect Harmony as you talk to them about that savior who died for you and then you lay your life down for those people you work with God might use that to create a really sweet song or people could see and hear that the gospel message. Encourage you consider that if you go to work everyday I think about is there somebody that you could submit to a respect in a new way that would create harmony with the gospel resident create dissonance with the gospel. So here's the contentment principal from this first point. The containment principal is this Christian contentment is expressed as for the sake of God's glory and the gospel by embracing humble circumstances humble positions and humble duties was Joy. Christian contentment is expressed when we live our lives for the city of God score in the gospel by embracing humble circumstances, positions and humble duties with joy, never going to pick up anniversary reverse at 3 and 5 and then we'll look in our next Point together so far continued Xenoverse 3. He says if anyone Advocates a different Doctrine or a different teaching and does not agree with the sound words those of our Lord Jesus Christ. And with the doctrine conforming to Godliness is conceited and understands nothing but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words out of which arise Envy Strife abusive language evil suspicions and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

So the first thing we see that Christianity is not about Christianity is not about self-advancement Christianity is not about self-advancement Paul knows that there are people so called Christian preachers and teachers who won't commit to preaching the truth true gospel instead. They will play games with a self-centered christianized spirituality and that kind of preaching and believing will actually lead the people who hear and believe in that message towards discontentment and it will harm the reputation of the true gospel and so has he begins to break down who these people are and what exactly it is that they teach it also falls under one heading that they believe and they teach that the gospel exists for self-advancement other first thing that Paul says he says really funny. These people are puffs. With pride and yet they know nothing. They think they are something see the root actual root of discontentment deathroot. Underneath are complaining the root underneath are arguing the root underneath our anxiety in our fear that comes from discontentment is actually Pride. Jeremiah Burroughs, he's a appeared was a Puritan who wrote what I think is one of the best works on contentment. This is what he says. He says that we begin to take a first step in learning contentment when we come to learn that quote. I am nothing I deserve nothing I can do nothing. I can receive nothing. I can make use of nothing. I am worse than nothing and if I come to nothing and perish I will be no loss at all. Read encouraging to you this morning. again, if we trace the route of our complaining if we trace the root of our anxiety, we trace the route of all those arguments that we had but we'll find out underneath there at the real problem is that we believe that we are something

Do you think remote for motorized swimming-pool we had some good swimming pool weather this week here in Myrtle Beach and I want you to think about taking a basketball and in trying to shove that basketball under water what happens when you can shove that basketball in the water is it it puts for Saint you individually and it pops back up in the reason it does that is because it's so full of air that it did it the pressure shoots it back up and what Paul is trying to teach us hear about what it means to be puffed up is it when you and I experienced discontentment when we are frustrated and Grumble and complain it's actually just because we are full of our self and when things come our way that would maybe knock us down or set us off course, we're constantly because I'm so filled with ourselves. We're constantly trying to rise to the top and that's where the friction of Life comes from. That's where the frustration in the complaining and arguing comes from because we're so full of us and we can't help but but rise to the top

These puffed-up preachers they love disputes. They love to have opinions about controversial questions. Right when we major on the minors when we intentionally fee disputes, we show that we are more interested in self-advancement than in Christ advancement and then these teachers who teach in this self-centered christianize kind of spiritual way what kind of things come out in our lives if we are to believe in if we're to walk in that kind of teaching what kind of things come up out from that kind of teaching the first thing he says is envy Envy Envy is one of the quickest ways that we can know that we are discontent, right? Do you wish that you had someone else's life. Do you wish that you had their house? Do you wish that you drove their car?

There's a type of self-centered christianize spirituality that actually feeds our Indie because it tells us that the world is All About Us. So we want what other people have but Paul doesn't stop there. He digs even deeper because it's not just that we want what other people have but we begin to fight for what other people have he says in these in these words. Strife abusive language, you will suspicions and constant friction. This kind of cell center teaching teaches us to assert ourselves to get what we want in this life. Here's a thought I had about how this is practical for my life. I was thinking this week what argument what argument than a lie, and I've had over the last 5 years of our marriage. Will matter 10000 years from now when we are seeing Worthy is the Lamb before the Eternal throne. May be right. I may be out of the 10,000 arguments that we've had in the last 5 years, maybe two of them will matter in eternity. You always find out if we're constantly arguing with his erection going in our on our lives. It's really not about the glory of God and it really is about advancing ourselves.

Paul continues he tells us the conclusions we should draw if we believe this kind of thing. If we teach this kind of thing if we're constantly complaining if we we we constantly long for somebody else's life. What what conclusion should we draw? We should all the conclusion that we don't understand the gospel. He says that we are depraved of mind and deprived of the truth. That were deprived there. It's like the word robbed being robbed of the truth. And what is Christianity that is robbed of the Gospel. Christianity has been robbed of the is christless Christianity. And what is christless Christianity?

It's a waste of time.

Has anybody here ever had their wallet stolen? Few people here the worst part about having your wallet stolen isn't actually the wallet itself. Right the worst part of having your wallet stolen is the money that you had inside or the fact that you probably have to go spend three hours at the DMV, you know, the next week does value of the wallet is simply what's on the inside and then it's what's on the inside is void of value that is just a case and what we do when we live a Christianity that is chryslus. We live a Christian Hindi that is Gospel is it's like having a wallet with no money. If we go through the motions we might have the form of the sense of Faith or religion are alive, but there's no Jesus. There's no Jesus then we're just wasting our time.

See you at the heart of this kind of teaching and believing is a fundamental Doctrine issued that is driven by a heart issue people that preach this way and believe this way think that God exists for them. He says at the end of verse 5 there who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. We operate in our lives with any of these ingredients at work that God exists for us. That the gospel sets us free from a life of sacrifice or The Godly acts we do mean that God has to pay us back with good things in our lives. If we operate with any of those things in mind, we don't understand Christianity.

We live in a discontented age and we have this against us that our brand of American Christianity that even the most sincerest Among Us. We have been tainted by the self-centered christianized spirituality. When when we hear the phrase who's suppose that godliness is a means of gain. We should get sick to our stomachs. feel the sense of guilt and repent thank God that he hasn't completely discarded the American church. Thank God that God still chooses to use Americans to Stewart and spread his gospel because we have Paints in so many ways. We have laced the Gospel of Jesus Christ with this false notion that godliness is a means of gain Impala saying if that is your gospel, then it is no gospel at all.

So here is the containment principle we find here. The containment principle is this the gospel is not a tool for self-advancement. The gospel is the power of God for contentment. God owes us nothing. Until we settle this in our hearts we're going to continue to be discontinued are going to continue to Grumble and complain where to continue to feel like the world owes her something big. God owes us something. If you want to if you want to have peace, if you don't have a rest if you want your live not to be controlled by the circumstances around you. One of the first steps is remembering that we're nothing and God owes us nothing.

Talkington use the thought in verse 6 He says but godliness actually is a means of great gain when a company by contentment for we brought nothing into the world. So we cannot take anything out of it either if we have food and covering with these we shall be content. Third point this morning Christianity is about enjoying God Christianity is about enjoying God Paul uses the phrase he turns on the phrase that godliness is the means of game and he says that's not true. But what is true is that godliness with contentment actually is great gain. And so what is the difference godliness this experience of being invited to imitate God is in fact and means a great game that we actually display that we enjoy God when we imitate him when we are god-like experiencing Godly Ness. I had you noticed how you begin to imitate the people that you spend the most time with you start to say things like then you start to dress like them you start to enjoy the same restaurant that they enjoy we imitate people that we spend time with you. I'm sure heard the saying that Emma. Patient is the sincerest form of flattery. One of the most important ways that we show God that we are satisfied with him that we enjoy him is that we begin to act like him that he invites us into the opportunity to live our lives like he lives that's what godliness is all about. And the reason that godliness and contentment go together is because when we are living like God, we are walking his ways we show that we enjoy him. We show that our hearts are satisfied in him if he didn't raise us up by cutting us down. He says it's foolish to think that God in this would be a means of material gain when material gains are destined to perish verse 7 says it clearly for we have brought nothing into the world so we can take we can take anything out of it either and for me it brings up that initial example of the slave in the master again, right Jesus taught us the secret of contentment. Jesus showed us the way of contentment Jesus brought. Bring into the world and he took nothing out of the world. Right? Jesus left. No inheritance. No home. No kids. No resume. The only thing that Jesus Took from this life to the next or the scars on his hands and his feet which one are salvation and that'll teach us something about what what matters in this life that teach us something about what is valuable in this world in another passage about slavery that Paul same author wrote in Ephesians chapter 6. This is what Paul said he said with good will render service to the Lord and not to men knowing that whatever good thing each one. Does this he will receive back from the Lord weather slave or free see this slave who was his whole life put in a position of servitude might actually be the richest person in heaven because they had the opportunity to In their whole life and gospel driven sacrifice for the sake of someone else. So we see how godliness with contentment helps us for the future. It is a great game for the future. It is a great game for the the treasury store up in heaven. But what about right now? Is there anything that godliness with contentment is a great gain for us in in our lives right now? I'm not sure if you guys ever been to Hobby Lobby store. I think I've been told we have one around here. I've been to the the one in Raleigh Hobby. Lobby is a great place y'all they do a really good job all the aisles or themed and their need in their colorful and it's just a great place and they got a whole aisle of just a little plaques and pieces of wood and little fancy cute things with scripture verses on them. And it's just crazy you can go and get some different scripture to hang up on your wall. I think we have a few at our house, but there's one scripture that I never seen hanging on a wall and I've never seen in Hobby Lobby and it's this 1st Timothy Chapter 6 verse 8. It says if we have food and covering with these we shall be content.

Food and covering with these things. We should be content. That would be a really nice person to have on the fridge.

But self-centered Christian, I spirituality can't say that. Godliness, as a means of gain theology can't say that. In fact in reality, none of us can say that but that is the power of the gospel for our lives right now. If we Embrace Jesus. We could actually have that verse written on our hearts. If we have food and covering with these things we shall be at peace. We shall be content. We won't be controlled by the circumstances around us.

Softer look at this point. I want to ask you to do something. I want you to consider taking some time maybe later today maybe this week. I want you to write down on a piece of paper and answer to this question.

question is this what is your definition of the good life?

Should we consider putting pen to paper? What is your definition of the good life? And maybe if you live with a family get-together and maybe have that discussion talk to your kids if you got kids home from college, maybe sit down have a discussion. What? is our definition of the good life and then maybe take that definition and put it under the light of God's word put it under the line of 1st Timothy 6 7 and 8 for we have brought nothing into the world. So we cannot take anything out of it either if we have food and covering with these we shall be content. Would our definition of the good life stand the test of other word of God and if you want to know if maybe you think I how do I know? How do I know what my definition of the good life is? Think about which direction you encourage your your kids to go. You could probably know what your vision you what your definition of the good life is. By the direction that you try to encourage other people to move in their lives.

I would encourage you to engage in that exercise. I'll do that with my family as well and would encourage you to consider that. So here's the containment principle for this point. When God is our everything we have everything even when we have nothing.

When God is our everything we have everything even when we have nothing now, you're here this morning and you are going through a hard time and unsettling time of a Restless time. God is not here through his word this morning to make light of your situation. But he is here this morning to help you make your situation light. I know for a fact that we have people in this room who are in undesired singleness. I know for a fact that we have people here in this room. We have lost your job in the last few months. I know for a fact that we have people in this room who have experienced debilitating health concerns that we pimped you towards discontentment. A must be honest guys. We are we are living in unsettling times. We are live living and Restless times the mood of life right now is panic. And God is not coming to us through his word to say that we should make light of our situations but he is trying to help us make our situations light. I want to encourage you with the gospel this morning how Godliness with contentment is a great gain for your life right now. Are we God made the world. He made it good. He gave Adam and Eve everything. They needed to enjoy life and to enjoy life in him. and then when Satan the old serpent came into the garden. He tempted Adam and Eve by questioning God's goodness. He questioned the good things that God has given them the lie that Satan was telling them was none other than you deserve better.

And listen to what the text says when the woman saw she saw with her eyes at the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and the tree was desirable to make one wise. She took from its fruit and ate it and she gave also to her husband with her and he ate the first lie they gave birth to the first sin. Was you deserve better God is holding out on you.

And death was the consequence. creation unraveled and restlessness rains because things are not as they were made to be.

But God made us to be satisfied in him. So he sent his only son Jesus to come on a rescue mission. I want to loves you guys. You read in Matthew chapter 4 where Jesus was tempted just like Adam and Eve were the Satan came to him. And more or less that Jesus you deserve better turn those rocks in the bread Jesus. You deserve better show how your angels will come and rescue you Jesus. You deserve better take hold of the king into the world. No, we learn the response from Jesus in Philippians chapter 2 have this attitude in your cells, which was also in Christ Jesus who although he exists in the form of God did not regard equality was got a thing to be grass but emptied himself taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men being found. It appears as a man. He humbled himself by becoming a beating to the point of death even death on a cross. Reason that you and I wiggle and squirm and find our way out of every hard situation is because we are so full of ourselves. And if Jesus had been filled with one drop of self, he would have avoided the cross if Jesus had one drop of selfishness in him. You would have found a way to escape death. But Jesus redeemed our selfishness through his selflessness. Jesus didn't take what we deserved because we deserve better Jesus took what we deserved so that in any and all situations we can say this is better than I deserve. That is the power of the cross in your life for today that because of what Jesus has done for you. It doesn't matter what's going on in your life. You can say this is better than I deserve. That is the mystery of contentment. That is the power of the Gospel.

The reason that contentment and godliness fits so well together.

Is because as much as the gospel is about getting us into heaven is just as much about getting Heaven into us and in fact. If you will enter Heaven when you die, it will only be because heaven got into you while you were alive.

Pray, no one leaves here this morning. I trust in Jesus without meeting. Jesus who gives us everything

but there's a little bit more bad news.

verses 9 and 10 read it together.

Those who want to get rich? fall into temptation and a snare many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the Love of Money is the root of all sorts of evil and some my longing for have wandered away from the faith. Pierce themselves with many griefs Final point this morning Christianity is not about loving money. Christianity is not about loving money. I think someone might be here this morning and you might be tempted to think you know what I get it contentment. Okay, I see why that might be helpful for me in my life. But is it really that big of a deal? Is it really that big of a deal that I find my delight in Jesus? Maybe I'll have a hard life now but not like hurting anybody or anything and I think to keep us from that kind of fatal thinking Paul moves in the direction of this last last versus we're going to look at those who have their wanter their desires set to riches fall Temptation overtakes them like a snare the desires that accompanied the want of riches are foolish and harmful when a person is captivated by these desires. They drag themselves into destruction. They ruin themselves. Paul says in the reason why I'm an actor riches is in such a precarious situation because up from that route of the Love of Money, all sorts of different kinds of evil know just to list a few for you. the the Love of Money would Mike might lead us into lying and might be used to cheat might lead us into deception. It might lead us towards murder. It might lead us towards neglecting our families and many other things the flow up from that root of loving money of craving money of longing for The riches write the contrast between the dignifying slave who submits to his master out of reverence for the gospel content in all things because he has God and God is everything. And then the depraved money Craver who Longs for riches desires more and more and thinks that godliness is a means of gaining the contrast between those two people could not be any wider the slave though. Disregard it in this life enjoy peace and rest now and everlasting life in the age to come and the money lover seeking to be regarded in this life experiences piercing Greece now, an eternal destruction So when you sit down and you have your family discussion about the good life. When you try to paint that picture, that was Vision what the good life is. Remember remember that it would be better to be a slave in this life with Jesus and to be a free person this life without Jesus.

This can't help but reorient our vision of what life is all about. Here's a little. fun thought if you have lost money in the last 2 or 3 weeks.

Maybe you should praise God for it.

Maybe God knows. Did he doesn't untangle the desires of our hearts that long for riches that long for my free for more? It might actually lead us to destruction but that if you ripped those desires out of our if he has to take everything out of place, but all we have left is Jesus. I'll actually be saving our souls.

Here's the containment principle.

Whatever we want desire love or long for more than God will pierce us with many griefs in this life and destroy us in eternity. You may be the poorest person here. But if you crave money you're craving will destroy you. And you may be the wealthiest person here. And if you woke up tomorrow and all your wealth was gone, and that would ruin your life. And you didn't have life to begin with?

Over the next two weeks were going to unpack more about how this passage plays out in our lives. But what about for today in conclusion? What is God trying to impress in us today from this passage? I just want to repeat my one sentence summary. We continue in self-centered christianize spirituality. We will continue to be discontent. But if we embrace the real Christ in all of his glory and grace Our souls will be totally satisfied. So what does it encounter with the real Christ look like we get a great picture of an encounter with the real Jesus in John chapter 4. Jesus has a very interesting conversation with the Samaritan woman. I would describe this woman is being very well versed in cell center christianize spirituality there. They're speaking out of well, and this is what Jesus says. He says everyone who drinks of this water talking about the well will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst put the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life. The woman said to him sir. Give me this water so that I will not be thirsty North come all the way here to draw.

Not this point in the story. I think many of us can can see ourselves in this woman, right? We want Jesus to help us out. We're happy to bring Jesus into our lives. If it means that we have a better life, tired of making those long walks of life. And if Jesus could relieve us of that be happy. But then the real Jesus gets real with this woman. This is what he says to her. Go. Call your husband and come here. The woman answered and said I have no husband. Jesus said to her you said correctly. I have no husband for you had five husbands in the one whom you now have is not your husband this you have said truly.

This morning. We've been talking about the difference between Southcenter Christian spirituality and real Christianity see when we meet the real Christ. Nothing is off limits. There are no borders to what Jesus will demand of Our Lives that he must get down to the very bottom root of our discontentment and rip those things out that we love so much but When he does that. He will form in us well of Living Water that can that can and will spring up to eternal life. Jesus will not be our Genie in a Bottle. Jesus will not be our excuse to avoid hard things Jesus with the fairy dust that we sprinkle sprinkle on our dreams. We will have success in this life. But Jesus will save discontinued people like you and like me by ripping the deceptive and destructive desires out of our hearts. So that God is our everything in Christ is our King in the crosses our joy and the glories of the Gospel satisfy the deepest longings of our soul and the hope that we have for the future will not disappoint because he is already poured out his love into our hearts 3 spear.

That is the power of the Gospel that is godliness with contentment. That is great gay. Oh how I want that. Oh, I want that for me. Oh how I want that for you. We would know the real Jesus who gives real deep abiding Joy forever.

osprey

Lord I just see myself I see myself and Adam and Eve.

sing that thing that they thought would bring them so much life that they thought was desirable that they thought would satisfy what was missing. And yet as soon as they took the bite they were totally undone God. I see myself in that as I grab and reach and Pull and snatch it everything I can in this world to try to satisfy me. God we praise you this morning. That you have left nothing here that can satisfy our souls. So that is you and you alone who we look to you and you alone who we long for and got I know I know we are dependent upon your spirit. If we are going to be people who are satisfied in you you must do it and it's because the cravings and the longings in the desires are so deeply rooted in our hearts that we don't even see it.

Scott changes working us move powerfully in our souls. We want to know the real Jesus we want to experience the real Christianity the good self-denying stuff the god enjoying stuff. The repenting of sins stuff. That's what we want. Common work it in our lives now since Jesus name we pray. Amen.