Paul's Instructions to the Poor

Intro: What Comes to Your Mind When You Think of Contentment?

Boys at Orphanage in Mexico Playing Soccer.

Contentment isn’t Stifled Desire; It is Satisfied Desire.

Paul Presents a Different View.

Paul Rebukes False Teachers (conceited, wrong doctrine, divisive)

Think of Them Like Some Modern Day Televangelists

Their View: Godliness is a Means to Material Gain. Paul’s View: Contentment is Great Gain.

There is ‘Great Gain’ in Contentment.

Joy (Happiness)

Peace (Mind Free of Worry)

Love (Focus on Others)

Contentment is Desirable.

Contentment is Sometimes Desired, But Frequently Dodged.

Transition: So We Need to Understand What Contentment Is & How We Become Content.

I. The Content See the Craving of Money for What It Is.

Last Week: For Some People: Money is a Means to an End/End in Itself.

Paul Warns Against the Love of Money/Craving for Money.

He Presents it in Predator-Like Terms.

Animal Kingdom:

Predators that Lure: Tasseled Wobbegong

Predators that Trap: Antlion

Predators that Swarm: Caracara

4. Paul Says the Love of Money Uses All Three Tactics:

i. The Love of Money Tempts: It Overpromises & Under-delivers

ii. The Love of Money Traps: It Traps Your Thoughts, Your Emotions & Your Decisions.

iii. The Love of Money Swarms: The Love of Money Never Operates in Isolation

5. Just Like Predators in the Wild, It Leaves Its Prey Lifeless & Devoured.

The Content See the Love of Money for What it is: Empty & This is Because They Have an Eternal Perspective.

II. The Content have an Eternal Perspective.

We Came Into This World With Nothing & We’ll Leave This World With Nothing.

We Don’t Like to Believe This Even Though We Know It’s True.

Do You Believe That You Brought Nothing Into This Life & That You Will Take Nothing With You? ...PAUSE...

If You Really Believe It, It Will Provide What You Need to Live a Life of Contentment.

Luggage on a Trip. You Take What is Necessary & Everything Has a Purpose.

2. A Call to a Purposeful Life Now.

3. Infuse Each Line Item of Your Personal Budget with Kingdom Purpose.

Do Good.

Multiply Disciples.

Worship God.

III. The Content Embrace Simplicity.

Simplicity is the Fruit of Contentment.

If We Have Food & Clothing (Covering/Shelter), We Will Be Content With These.

We Wish that Paul Would Add to This List!

Avoid Asceticism & Materialism & Embrace Simplicity (Spectrum)

We Probably Could All Simplify a Bit:

Cell-Phones (Is it Expensive? Is it Excessive? Is it Exhausting?)

Credit Cards (Is it Expensive? Is it Excessive? Is it Exhausting?)

Cars (Is it Expensive? Is it Excessive? Is it Exhausting?)

Closing: Contentment is Possible.

Too Often, We Dodge Contentment, Because We Think it is Out of Reach.

When We Think of Contentment, We Think of Stuff.

When Paul Thinks of Contentment, He Thinks of a Person.

Philippians 4:12-13

No Matter What Your Bank Account Says, You Can Be Content Today.

Our Contentment is Found in a Person & We Need His Help:

Who He Is.

What He Has Done.

What He is Doing.

Come to Him.