Content or Content

Introduction

The Sermon Notebook: Old Testament The Invitation to Contentment (Isaiah 55:1–3)

Intro: Ill. Philip Parham tells the story of a rich industrialist who was disturbed to find a fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat. “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked.

“Because I’ve caught enough fish for today,” said the fisherman.

“Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?” the rich man asked.

“What would I do with them?”

“You could earn more money,” came the impatient reply, “and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. You could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you’d have a fleet of boats and be rich like me.”

The fisherman asked, “Then what would I do?”

“You could sit down and enjoy life,” said the industrialist.

“What do you think I’m doing now?” the fisherman replied as he looked placidly out to sea.

Few people ever reach that level of contentment. In fact, one poet put it this way:

As a rule, man’s a fool

When it’s hot, he wants it cool.

And when it’s cool, he wants it hot,

Always wanting what is not.

So, as we think about this story, what is contentment? Other words might be acceptance or satisfaction with life. How many of us can truthfully say “I’m satisfied with life as it is? ILL. “An airline pilot was flying over the Tennessee mountains and pointed out a lake to his co-pilot. See that little lake? When I was a kid I used to sit in a rowboat down there fishing. Every time a plane would fly overhead, I’d look up and wish I was flying it. Now I look down and wish I was in a rowboat fishing!” I looked at a lot of books and definitions of Contentment, and this one from “The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible”, stood out to me as the most complete. Contentment is: “The acceptance of things as they are”, as the wise and loving providence of a God Who knows what is good for us, Who so loves us, as always to seek our good, and Whose power is adequate to His love.” If you’re going to trust someone, wouldn’t it be nice to know that He knows what’s good for you, Who loves you and is always seeking your good, and has the ability to make it happen? What a comfort our hope in Jesus Christ really is!

This is Thanksgiving Sunday… (before Thanksgiving to prepare for it!). There is no better time to think of what our lives consist of. Do we really need more? What is it that makes us happy! What motivates us to keep pressing on? Is it the Contents of our life or is it being Content with God’s provision? What would the fisherman have gained from what he already had except worry, headaches and sleepless nights? The more we have , the more there is to worry about and the more we want to protect it! But Contentment is a frame of mind that has nothing to do with possessions! ILL. Go around the table at Thanksgiving and instead of asking; “What are you thankful for?” ask “What are you pursuing? and it may be difficult to come up with non-physical things! Our minds seem to be ever focused on gathering stuff. And don’t get me started on Christmas because for many families it is the most materialistic time of the year! People always say “There’s got to be MORE to this life”. Maybe we should start thinking, “There’s got to be less to this life”!

So, whats behind the secret of true Contentment? The apostle Paul was very wise in realizing that in his own life contentment is not something we automatically have; he said “I have learned to be content” (Phil. 4:12). It’s a belief about what you have, and not your possessions that needs to be pursued. Jesus in our passage today suggests three things that we must have to find true contentment: It has to do with GREED, It has to do with FAITH, and it has to do with HEAVEN. So first we need to have a lack of greed.

I. A Lack of GREED (Luke 12:13-15)

As Jesus was teaching, a man in the crowd had a request which turned the teaching to the subject of GREED; READ vss. 13-15… We don’t know the situation of this man, but I doubt he was in dire need of that money! Chances are very good that he would have gotten it eventually, according to the law, but he wanted it NOW! Sounds like the Prodigal son, and we all know what happened to him! The key word here of course is GREED! In the Greek, the word also means “Desiring”, “Wanting”, or “Coveting”! Jesus picking up on this says “Beware” (Look Out!!) for what you desire (good & bad), beware of what you want (instead of what you need), beware of coveting what other people have. It’s not that we don’t have valid wants and desires, it’s what (Who) we put our focus on in pursuing them. The man was so worried about loosing his rights and what was due him, that Jesus says “Hey man, your focus is in the wrong place”. If that’s all you’re consumed with you’re heading down the wrong path! If all you want is to be satisfied with life in this world, you will be sadly disappointed because more is never enough and you will miss out on life as it should be. Indeed, 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (NASB) 9  But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10  For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Fame and wealth has been the downfall of many we are familiar with… Olsen sisters, Mylie Cyrus… etc.

So, how do we learn to have a lack of GREED? My first thought is quit watching TV, don’t listen to the radio, forbid your kids from going TRICK or TREATING, throw out those catalogs you get in the mail, and cancel Christmas!! Sadly, these are for the most part the material culprits that fuel our greed. But, fortunately someone stuck Thanksgiving in there! Hopefully at least once a year we can gather some family together and be thankful for what the Lord has provided for us. I read somewhere that you can’t have a thankful heart and a greedy heart at the same time! Maybe we need to be more of a thankful people. When you think about it, if you have clothes, shelter and food, as Paul tells Timothy, (1 Tim 6:7-8) you should need very little more! You already have more than 90% of the rest of the world. We are fortunate to live here and raise our children here, let’s not destroy their lives and ours by greed. Thank God for Thanksgiving! Let’s do everything we can to First be THANKFUL people. and squeeze GREED out of here! Secondly, our passage suggests we must have a dose of Faith to be truly Content.

II. A Dose of FAITH (Luke 12:16-19)

Notice I didn’t say how much faith because scripture says if you have faith even as small as a mustard seed, you can move a mountain, but it’s faith none the less that believes God is in control of every situation. In this passage, Jesus took this opportunity of the greedy brother to share the story of the Rich Fool. Read vss. 16-19… He was already a “rich man” who was blessed by God. He had “barns” plural! He also had another very productive year, but instead of praising and giving thanks to God during harvest or his thanksgiving time, he began reasoning to himself! (17). He started giving himself all the credit and forgot Who gave it to him in the first place! And here’s what he said; I, I, I, I, I, I. What shall I do, I have no place to store, I will do this, I will tear down… I will store my crops there, I will say to my soul, good job, it’s time to party! That’s not Faith in God.

We too are already rich people… and we too look around and say “look at all I’ve provided for myself”! I Don’t know if you’ve noticed but we can usually talk ourselves into buying anything without checking with God first just simply because we can afford it. I’m reminded of the passage in James 4 that says James 4:13-15 (NASB) 13  Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." 14  Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15  Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." That helps us put contentment into perspective. People die all the time. Young people older people, car accidents, Covid, heart attacks, and it usually catches us by surprise. We are not even guaranteed one more day to live, how arrogant of us to only believe in what we can do. Every time I worry it’s because I can’t see around the corner… and I have no power to do so! But guess what, God can! The rich farmer makes no attempt to bring God into his situation. It’s as good as saying “God I think I can do it better”!

Imagine Abraham the Father of Faith, who simply believed God and his faith was counted to him as righteousness (Romans 4:3). He stepped out in faith from Ur at Gods command, not even knowing where he was going! (Gen 12). He had to go step by step! Oh, he had his faith problems like us (Ishmael for one), but by and large he came back to trusting God. WE must also step out in faith as well, trusting Jesus to provide what He says He will provide, one step at a time. If you’ve already put your faith in Jesus to save you, the hard part is already done, you’ve surrendered to His calling of you! Now you must simply have faith in His wisdom, His leading, His Lordship, His power to control all things for our good. The need to trust God is why contentment is a frame of mind and not a pile of things! You decide if you will believe and trust or not! You have control whether you are content or not. That’s how the apostle Paul can say in Hebrews 13:5 (NASB) 5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," Is that your belief? If so, how do we learn Faith? By reading Gods Word, believing it and taking one step at a time. Trusting Jesus to do what He says He will do, is what will bring contentment. So, First, check your greedometer, you need very little more than food, clothing and shelter. Secondly, check your Lordship meter, can Jesus make any situation happen if He wants it to? certainly, can you? Nope! Have faith in the One Who promises to supply all good things to you. Thirdly, we need a look toward heaven to be content in this world.

III. A Look toward HEAVEN (Luke 12 20-21)

Sounds crazy, but perspective is everything! Look at the Rich Farmer. His view was wrong! Luke 12:20-21 (NASB) 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' 21 "So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." “You Fool”, “Mindless” - But it can also include the worst kind of rebellion! Jesus said about the Rich Man; Can you not put two and two together? Are you “stupid”? You perceive you have a spiritual life (Soul), but you refuse to act on it. You were so selfish and worried about this short temporary life, you failed to prepare for what will last; Eternity! That is foolishness!

Abraham, who the Bible calls the friend of God, and the Father of our faith, not only took off without knowing where he was going, but what he was looking for was not to be found on this earth! “ the city which has foundations whose architect and builder is God” (Heb.11:10)! He was looking to the future promises, not what was here in this world. You see, God is bringing us, like Abraham, “to an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away” says 1 Peter 1:4. Abrahams focus was on what God had promised for the future, and because of that, God blessed him in the here and now. That is Wise!

Not so wise “is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (21) "When things get tough we have to remember we are but aliens and strangers in this world ( ). We are called a peculiar people ( ), not at home now, looking to God for something better. We are not supposed to be comfortable here! Therefore, we don’t act like those who only hope in this world because that’s no hope at all, which causes fear! Then you end up only acting on your fears. If we start looking like the world in our pursuits, BEWARE! I believe Paul’s thought to Timothy in 1 Tim.6:17 is appropriate for us here. 1 Timothy 6:17 (NASB) 17  Instruct those who are rich in this present world (that’s us) not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy”. That goes right along with Matthew 6:33 (NASB) 33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. You’ll never be a man or woman of faith if you’re looking for fulfillment here. All we can inherit here is dissatisfaction and disappointment. ILL. Two tears were floating down the river of life, one asked the other “who are you”? to which it replied, “I’m the tear of a woman who loved a man and lost him”. Who are you the second one asked? I’m a tear from the woman who got him! No matter how hard we try to be satisfied with people and things in this world, it will leave us wanting! There is no job that is job enough. There is no cure for cancer that is cure enough. there is no money that is money enough. There is no spouse who will be spouse enough! There is no President who will be President enough. Stop letting those pursuits dictate your life! There is no life that will be life enough, except for eternal life, only through Jesus Christ. Have I hit almost everything we covet? Only with the vision that “this world is not my home, I’m just passing through” will we ever hope to find contentment.

How do we become rich toward God? The obvious ways: first come to Jesus. Without belief and trust in Him, “you can do nothing” ( ). Second, read God’s word. I’m always surprised that some who call themselves Christians, don’t even know right from wrong! Young people, I’m talking to you especially. How will you know how to live without knowing God’s Word? If you know the truth, you will spot error in a moment and won’t be led astray. Third, believe and obey what you read. Trust that what God tells us is the truth and do it! Believing that God’s eternal perspective is the best will bring you Contentment as you live for Him.

Conclusion

Ok, so let’s wrap this up! How can you be content with Cancer, a job loss, money problems, marital problems, the election and life as we know it? I believe all three of these need to be checked off! First ,check your greedometer (for material things, are you pursuing wants or do you really need more?). Next, check your Lordship meter (For spiritual things, are you trusting that God is in control or are you in charge?). Third, check your destination (Are you a believer who is seeking desires that are for the Kingdom of God or this world?). As you consider these, what would motivate you to do them? Remember the opening illustration? That fisherman was perfectly happy with his life, uncluttered with things, enough money to take care of himself, time to spend with family and friends, less worry and stress so he can listen to God’s still small voice that may otherwise be drowned out by our busyness. Yes even during times of Covid-19, Jesus has got this!

As we bring this back to Thanksgiving, what could you do or show in applying God’s Peace and Contentment to your life this season? Let me give you some suggestions: At your table, go around and share non-material things you are thankful for. Praise God for what you do have, not what you don’t. Review the year and reflect on how God has blessed you. Plan to give to those in need for the sake of the Kingdom. Put a freeze on your budget of all non-essential things… for one month! It’s amazing what you could save or use elsewhere. Factor in some downtime during the rush of the season. Downsize the stuff in your home and give it to charity, you’ll feel great!

My morning ritual is: get up, shower, get dressed, grab a cup of coffee, sit down in the living room and stare out the window thinking and praying about what adventure God has planned for me that day… Contentment is very elusive, if we don’t slow down, grab a cup of coffee and stare out the window, so to speak, it will be gone! 1 John 2:15-17 (NASB) 15  Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17  The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever”. Whatever you do, take time to Check your GREED, Check your FAITH, and Check your DESTINATION and you will be grateful to God not only on Thanksgiving, but also for the rest of this life and beyond.