Contentment

Looking

People are always looking for something, friendship, relationship, happiness, money, stability, and the list could go on and on;

A lot of times people simply ask “what should I do?” because they few completely lost;

Here we are breaking into an event where John the Baptist had been preaching repentance and water baptism in the area around the Jordan;

These people begin to ask the question “What should we do then?” v. 10;

They were looking for something, which in reality is someone.

Sharing

John begins to explain a new way of thinking, a way of serving others;

Give out of what you have - the church has a responsibility, individually and corporately, to care for people’s needs;

The next information comes from Non Profits Source (https://nonprofitssource.com/online-giving-statistics/church-giving/) - now this sermon is not about giving, this church is amazing at giving, this information shows how people are giving in the church;

Only 5% tithe, and 80% of Americans only give 2% of their income.

Christians are giving at 2.5% of income; during the Great Depression it was 3.3%.

3 out of 4 people who don’t go to church make donations to nonprofit organizations.

The average giving by adults who attend US Protestant churches is about $17 a week.

37% of regular church attendees and Evangelicals don’t give money to church.

17% of American families have reduced the amount that they give to their local church.

The point here is this if Christians won’t help Christians what’s the chance of us helping outside the doors;

John tells the “crowd” - “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” v. 11;

The New King James Version. (1982). (Lk 3:11). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Defrauding

During this time period tax collectors were despised, they were in a class all there own, let’s look at Luke 5:30;

Why were they so despised - they were Jews collecting taxes from Jews for Rome, they charged more taxes then required and keep the overage, they took advantage of their people;

However the soldiers, possibly from the Temple Guard, were not much better because they also stole from the people;

John’s point to the ‘crowd” was the same even with different circumstances, be content with what you have;

Let’s look at Hebrews 13:5;

Content

The Greek word arkeo (areh-keo) used here for content means to be satisfied or be sufficient;

We look for so much to make us satisfied - people, jobs, stuff - yet we end up feeling even more empty;

Why - because things won’t fill the void and only one person can make us complete and He is Jesus Christ;

When we allow Him to guide our contentedness we will find what the hymn says “a joy unspeakable and full of glory”;

He is the only way to contentment and that is what John the Baptist was telling this “crowd” - He is the only way!