Learning To Be Content

Q: What does the Bible say about contentment?

The Bible teaches that true contentment is learned and rooted in Christ, as Paul expresses in Philippians 4:11. The Bible emphasizes that true contentment can only be found through a relationship with Jesus Christ. In Philippians 4:11, Paul the Apostle notes, 'I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content.' This encapsulates the idea that contentment is not based on external circumstances but rather on an internal state of peace that comes from trusting in God. Paul learned this lesson through trials and affirmations of God's provision, demonstrating that our circumstances should not dictate our sense of fulfillment.

Q: How do we know that true contentment is found in Christ?

True contentment is found in Christ because He fulfills the deepest longings of the human heart and provides peace that transcends circumstances. The assertion that true contentment is found in Christ is supported by various scriptural truths, including Colossians 3:11, which states, 'Christ is all and in all.' This suggests that apart from Christ, there is no lasting satisfaction. As believers grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus, they come to realize that He satisfies their spiritual thirst and fundamentally alters their perspective on life, leading them to a contented state despite outward challenges. Christ offers a completeness that worldly pursuits cannot replicate.

Q: Why is humility important for Christians seeking contentment?

Humility is crucial for contentment because it helps individuals realize that everything they have is a gift from God and not something they deserve. Humility plays a significant role in achieving contentment, as it fosters a grateful perspective on one's life circumstances. A humble heart recognizes that all blessings come from God, creating a sense of peace and contentment. In Romans 12:3, Paul advises, 'Not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think,' highlighting that a lowly view of oneself enables the believer to find satisfaction in God’s mercies rather than in the chaotic quest for worldly approvals. As believers learn to be humble, they often discover that their needs are met through God’s grace, leading to a more contented life.

Q: How can prayer lead to contentment?

Prayer leads to contentment by allowing believers to unload their burdens to God and express gratitude, which shifts focus away from discontent. Prayer serves as a vital means of fostering contentment, as it embodies both communication with God and an opportunity for thanksgiving. In Philippians 4:6-7, we are encouraged not to be anxious but to present our requests to God in prayer, resulting in His peace guarding our hearts. This act of praying shifts our focus from worry to reliance on God’s sovereignty and goodness. Moreover, as believers offer thanks during prayer, they remind themselves of God’s past provisions, cultivating a heart of contentment that rests in the assurance that God knows and meets their needs.

Q: What is the role of self-denial in achieving contentment?

Self-denial helps Christians achieve contentment by teaching them to prioritize spiritual over worldly desires. Self-denial is an essential practice for Christians seeking true contentment, as it aligns one’s desires with God’s will. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus instructs that to follow Him, one must 'deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.' This means letting go of self-centered pursuits and instead seeking fulfillment through Christ. As believers learn to control their appetites and desires, they often find great joy and satisfaction in their relationship with God, leading to a more contented life. Denial of self opens the heart to receive and appreciate what God has prepared for those who love Him.

Take care of you. Take care of you. God will take care of you. You may be seated. Psalm 91 says concerning those
that are under the shadow of the Almighty, Thou shalt not
be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth
by day, nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor
for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall
fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall
not come nigh thee. Do you believe that? You just
sing it, and God will take care of you. All right, turn back
to Philippians 4 with me. Philippians 4, and if you need
this message on contentment, I strongly urge you to take notes. Learning to be content. I have
14 points. Fourteen helps, fourteen things
that will help us toward contentment. Learning to be content. Let's
read our text again. In verse eleven, Paul the Apostle,
while in prison, says these remarkable words. Not that I speak in respect
of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am to be content. I have learned to be content. Don't you wish you could say
that? Don't you wish you could say
that from the bottom of your heart with full conviction? Paul did. He was just a man. This is such a sweet and blessed
portion of scripture. Paul pours out his heart and
his affection toward the people of God. He gives wise counsel,
exhortation, instructions, and godliness and contentment. Everything
he says is needful. We went over the first part of
Philippians 4 not too long ago, but especially our text. I find that we especially need
this thing of contentment. Faithful are the wounds of a
friend. Hear me out here. I hear some people sounding more
and more like the children of Israel. Children of Israel, you know,
were guilty of constant murmuring and complaining on every hand,
regardless of how the Lord dealt with them, regardless of what
he gave them, regardless of what they had, how he was leading
them so evidently and clearly guiding them along, leading them
along. miraculously delivering them or miraculously providing
for them on every hand, yet they murmured and complained about
everything, the weather, the food, everything. And God grew
angry several times, not just once, several times. God grew
angry. Look it up. Go back and read
it sometime. More than once the Lord said,
Step aside, Moses, and I'm going to kill them all. Just because
they said, We're tired of this bread. We're thirsty. We want this. We want that. God
said, Step aside, Moses. And there's a picture of Christ
in it. Moses was a mediator. God said, Step aside, Moses.
I'm going to slay them all. He said this, How long shall
I bear with this evil generation which murmur against me? I've
heard their murmurings, he said. I hear them. God hears us. God hears us every time. Thou,
Lord, seest me. If I go down into hell, you're
there. If I go up into heaven, you're there. If I go into the
sea, you're there. Wherever I go, I'm not hid from thee. Darkness
is light to God. The silence is very loud, speaks
very loud to God. And truly, all of our murmurings
and complainings, and I'm going to preach for myself, too, but
please do take this very personally. All of our murmurings and complainings
are against God Almighty, every last one of them. He's the first
cause of all things, isn't he? Sure he is. He's the first cause
of all things, and many of our problems and troubles we get
ourselves into, and he just merely gives us what's coming to us,
much like our children do. We're all guilty of this saying
of murmuring and complaining, some more than others. And I'll say this, one last note,
a gentle note of rebuke, and I am trying to be very gentle,
but I'm being very truthful with you. Maybe this will hit home.
It ceases to be humorous when every time you ask somebody how
they are, they begin to pour out their belly, tell you all
of their burdens and complain. I'm not so well, I'm not this,
I'm not that. It ceases to be humorous. We've got a lot to be thankful
for. Do you hear what I'm saying? Our biggest problem is that we
have had so much and have been so blessed over the years that
when something does come our way, we're spoiled. We feel deprived. Ninety-nine
percent of our days, ninety-nine percent of our lives have been
spent with blessings, with health, with happiness. And one percent
of the trouble comes along, and we begin moaning and groaning. Right? I'll bear many people, if any
in here, can say that most part of your life has been spent in
sorrow and misery. As a matter of fact, I don't
know if many human beings can say that. Our Lord could. All right. When somebody asks you how you're
doing, tell them, I'm doing great. God
Almighty has saved me. My Savior is at the right hand
of God. He's given me all the things I need. I'm complete in
Christ. I have a roof over my head. I
have all the food I could eat. I have health. I'm alive. His
mercy is anew every morning. Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable
gifts. Alright? Everybody in here. All right, now everyone is seeking
happiness and pleasure in something or someone. Everybody breathed
a sigh of relief just now. But is it so? We bellyache more
than God grew angry. God is angry with that. Don't
be guilty of it. Let not murmurings and complainings
be more abundant out of your mouths than thanksgiving and
blessings." Okay? Now, everyone is seeking happiness
and pleasure in something or someone. Everybody. Everybody in this room is seeking
happiness or pleasure in something or someone. But do you know the
Scripture says that Christ is all and in all? And what does that tell you?
Colossians 3.11. If Christ is all and in all,
that means in everything else there's nothing. Right? Simple, deductive reasoning.
If Christ is all and in Him are found all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge and all fullness and you're complete in Him, that
means in everything else there's nothing. There's nothing to it.
Right? True and lasting contentment
is only found in Christ. And I don't expect anybody in
here to understand that except those who have Christ. But take
God's Word for it. True and lasting contentment
is only found in Christ. Well, how does one find Christ?
It behooves me to ask that, to answer this question. How do
you find Christ, then, if someone's interested? If true and lasting
contentment and happiness and peace and all these things are
found in Christ, then the first thing I need to say or tell you
about is how you find Christ. Well, first of all, you don't
find Christ. He finds you. But it does say, ask and you'll
receive. It doesn't say how old either. It doesn't say when you
reach the age of accountability. It doesn't say when you reach
seventeen. It doesn't. Children? It's something for
the little children to come unto me. and Rebecca. You need Christ. You need to
know Christ. Ask and you shall receive. Seek
and you shall find. Look for it. You'll find it.
Where's it found? Page of this book. Knock and
it shall be open. Lord, I sure would like to enter
into Heaven, I sure would like to enter into your blessings.
I sure would like to come in and serve with you and know you.
Come on in. That's what it says. And it will
be open. Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and his righteousness. And all these things we have
to do. God so good that we didn't do
that, but he still gave us the kingdom of God and Israel and
all these things to do, didn't he? We didn't seek them first.
Now, I do not know what you are looking for, or what you are doing, or where
you are going, or where you are headed, or what your interests
are. And I'm speaking to young person
and old person and all in between. I do not know what you're looking
for, what you're doing, where you're going, what your interests
are, but you will never, never, never, never, never, never, never
find contentment nor happiness in anything but knowing Jesus
Christ. Did you hear me? Never. No, never. You're looking at a young Solomon
who said, I've tried it all, and it can't be found. Contentment,
happiness, enjoyment. There's some temporal happiness
to be found in family, in goods, in this and that and the other,
but it won't last. Now, I'm not telling you, I'm
not telling you people, you ought to try God now. You've tried
everything else. That's blasphemy. Now, I'm telling you young people,
get high on Christ. That's about the most blasphemous
thing I've ever heard. Jesus Christ is not to satisfy
our lusts for carnal pleasure. Jesus Christ is not just so we
can have peace and happiness. Jesus Christ is to put away sin. That's what we need more than
anything. We need peace with God. Jesus Christ is to bring
us to God. Jesus Christ is to satisfy our
thirst for God. You know that every man, woman,
and young person in the world has that initial thirsting after
God and doesn't even know it? That's the reason people can't
find happiness in anything. Adam was perfectly content. He
had God, right? You know the reason people cannot
find happiness is because they cannot find God, and they're
not looking for him, number one. Does that make sense? Sure. Man was created in the image
of God and created to enjoy God. That's man's chief end, you know. To know him, commune with him. All right, now our main emphasis
here. And I'm going to hurry through these. These are many,
and there are some profound statements here. I gleaned this from one
of the greatest of all Puritans, perhaps the greatest in my estimation,
Thomas Watson. I gleaned these points from him.
I paraphrased them and changed many of them, added to and so forth, but the
general ideas came from him. All right, even believers now
are prone to be discontented, and here are several ways to
find contentment. Contentment comes from, and I've
already said this, growing in grace and in the knowledge of
the Lord Jesus Christ. We'll shorten that by calling
it faith. Contentment comes through faith
in Christ. Growing in grace and in the knowledge
of Christ. Let's shorten it a little further.
Believe in God. Just believe in God. Abraham,
what does it say about Abraham? He believed God. Pick up your
bags, pack your bags, pick up your tent, take your family,
and take on out through the wilderness. All right. Oh, no, what do you want to do
that for? I don't want to do that. Where am I going? No. He believed God. And God gave him peace and comfort. Take your son up on the mountain
and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Okay. Tough trial, wasn't it? He did
it. Can you imagine his sweet consolation coming down from
that mountain, Terry Kinsley? Huh? Can you imagine his sweet
consolation? He believed in Christ. There
was nobody going to tell him any differently, that there was
no God and there was no Redeemer, and that he didn't know Him,
that He lived. He knew His Redeemer lived. He
saw it. But Abraham rejoiced to see my day. Christ said he
saw it, and, oh, he was oh so glad." All right, how do you grow in
grace and the knowledge of Christ? How do you come to know Christ?
How do you have faith? How do you believe God? Well,
faith, the scripture says in Romans 10, cometh by hearing.
And hearing by what? Somebody say, the Word of God. The more you hear, the more you
learn, the more you grow, the more you see the reality of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The more you hear, the more you
learn, the more you grow, the more you see the reality of the
person of Jesus Christ. How do you do that? You've got
to be sitting right here. If you're not sitting right here,
you're sitting at home with this in your life. Or you're communing with God,
you're asking God. You know that faith reveals the
hand of God in everything? Faith reveals the hand of God
in everything and will enable you to drink the most bitter
cup. When you see the hand of God
in it, even though it's the most bitter cup, like Job, you can
say, The Lord gave. The Lord gave. And the Lord take
it away. And he said that with tears in
his eyes. He lost his family. Don't be silly. Don't be ridiculous. He was sad. He was grieving over
his family. But he said, The Lord gave. The
Lord take it away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. All right, number two, contentment
comes by a growth in humility. Contentment comes by a growth
in humility. Now, that's strange, isn't it? And again, this thing of humility
comes by hearing the Word of God. Hearing the Word of God. The Word of God, what does the
Word of God chiefly do? The Word of God, he said to young
Timothy, the Word of God rebukes, reproves, corrects, instructs. It does comfort, but he said
all those things, didn't he? Chastens, exhorts. It will humble
you. You know what the Word of God
is chiefly designed to do to a human being? Break them. Humble them. Why is it? Because
man is full of pride. It's his besetting sin. It's
got to be broken. He's got to be brought down into
the dust. A humble man before God is a
contented man, because he realizes that what he has is more than
he deserves. That make sense? A humble man
or woman is a contented man or woman because they realize that
what they have comes from God, and it's a whole lot more than
they deserve to begin with. And, you know, you experience,
we become discontented and disgruntled and upset and so forth in the
workplace or out in the community by what people say, by how people
treat us, even by how people drive their cars in front of
us. Well, you know, if you're little in your own eyes, if you're
nothing in your own eyes, you'll not be troubled by the way people
treat you. David, how many times have I
brought that up to you? Shimei, that man, cursed David? And old Joab was going to say,
Let me cut that dead dog's head off. And David said, No, leave
him alone. The Lord sent him. Later on, the fellow got his
head cut off. That may have been David's consolation. No, Solomon
did it to him. But you know, if you're little
in your own eyes, you can't be troubled by everybody amusing
you or lightly esteeming you. Does that make sense? How can you offend the chief
of sinners? The chief of sinners, this is
a constant source of complaint, our treatment by the world, the
way the world treats us. Well, who are we? Do you know what he said to me?
Well, who are you? Do you know what he did to me?
Well, who are you? How could she do such a thing
to me? How could he say such a thing to me? How could she
treat me that way? Why not? He probably deserved worse. Right? Am I telling it like it
is? Number three. So, contentment
comes through faith in Christ, comes through humility. Contentment
comes, number three, by a quiet conscience. A quiet conscience
brings contentment. And you know the only thing that
will bring a quiet conscience? Anybody dare to venture to say
what it is? The blood of Christ. The only
thing that will bring contentment, that will quiet a guilty conscience,
a conscience that's guilty before God. That's our first problem. Our first problem, that's a great
source of despair and murmuring and complaining and inability.
We can't do much of what we what we could do as sons of God, because
we're guilty before God all the time. Only the blood of Christ
will quiet a guilty conscience. When you see that God does not
charge you with your sins, then that will quiet your conscience,
that will quiet the accuser, that is, the devil. A second
point under this quiet conscience. Sincerity of heart. Now, hear
me out. talking about a pure conscience.
John said this in 1 John 4, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward
God. Do you remember that passage? Paul said, Do you not know your
own selves? Know you not your own selves? How did Christ be
in you, except you be reprobate, a mind void of judgment, you
don't have any, you're totally lost, you're plumb blind. Don't
you know whether Christ be in you, except you be reprobate?
Paul went on to say, Give diligence then, and make your calling and
election sure. Find out if Christ is in you,
and find peace. Find out. If Christ is really
there in your heart, and then you'll find peace. Paul said,
I know. I know whom I believe. I'm persuaded. Isn't he? And like I said before,
he was just a man. Paul wasn't some supernatural,
ultra-gifted or blessed any more than you and I are. He had the
saints. No, we have more. We have more than the Apostle
Paul had. Yeah, we do. Yeah, we do. We have the finished
book. Paul didn't have the Revelation,
did he? Paul didn't have the other epistles. He talked to
those men. He didn't have the completed book. Number four. Contentment comes
from denial of self. Denial of self. What did Christ say when he said,
If any man will come after me, first thing he say, let him deny
himself. Deny himself. Take up his cross
and follow me. Deny self. Two points under this
one. Well, actually, one point with
a few little sub-points. Denial of self. In other words,
Colossians 3 verse 5 says, to mortify inordinate affections,
mortify your members, your desired inordinate affections. That means
inordinate affections means desires are out of control. Anybody have
any of those? Does anybody in here not have any of those? Desires
are out of control. Well, the Scripture says, crucify
your desire. Be a dead man with no appetites.
Yes, it says, mortify your members which are on the earth. It's
talking about bodily members. That's what it's talking about.
I already said first. The first thing I said, don't
you forget what I said. The first point out of my mouth
was, you learn Christ. You want to know how to fall
out of love with sin? You fall in love with Christ. Fall in
love with Christ. Well, how do you mortify your
members? How do you mortify your desires? Have I got your attention? How do you mortify those inordinate
affections? This is the words of Scripture
now. It's not the word of some reformed pastor or preacher.
How? Number one, you mortify them
by giving them a proper judgment of these things, looking at them
for what they are, beggarly elements. Beggarly elements, vanity. Didn't
the wise man say, I've seen it all? I've seen it all, and he
said, vanity of vanities, all is vanity, all flesh is vanity.
Didn't he? Everything. He said, I don't
care what it is, the nicest home, the nicest car, and whatever
it may be, the riches and glory and so forth, it's vanity. Look
at it with a proper judgment of it. Number two, in light of
eternity. Look at things in light of eternity, in light of death. Things are decaying, things are
passing away. And that was in the bulletin
this morning, wasn't it? Change and decay in all around
I see. O thou who changest not, abide
with me. Give me those riches that never
perish, those heavenly treasures that moths and rust and thieves
cannot get to. Number three under this heading,
this thing of mortifying desires, moderate your delights. Moderate
your delights. Listen to this. Listen to this
poem. If you set your heart and affection
on something too strongly, then when it is removed, a piece
of your heart goes with it. Scriptures talk about Rachel
being bereft of her children, and she grieved, and she would
not be comforted. You remember that? Rachel was weeping, and she would
not be comforted. Have you ever seen somebody in
uncontrollable grief? Because they have vested all
of their heart, their life, their affection in that one object
or person, a home, a person, whatever it may be. And when
the Lord removes that, half of their heart goes with a hole,
a big hole is in the middle of their heart. All right, number five, point
number five on the contentment. And this sounds redundant or
repetitive. It sounds like what I've already
said, but it's a slightly different thing. Labor to have Christ in
your heart, or that is, an assurance of your interest in Christ. Labor to have Christ in your
heart, an assurance of your interest in him. The more that Christ—and
listen to this profound statement—the more that Christ is in us, the
less the earth will content us. Right? The more that Christ is
in us, the less the earth will content us. Do you remember at
the end of Christ's life on this earth, after he'd been with the
disciples for a few years? Do you ever think about it in
this way? Remember when he said, I'm leaving? Or, no, some people
came and heard him preach there in John 6, wasn't it? Anyway, the disciples have been
with him a while anyway, but they've been with him long enough
to appreciate him, long enough to love him, long enough to appreciate
him for who he was and what he was to them, and to love him
and desire him and not want to go away from him. Now, they would
have if they didn't love him. They'd have left under all the
hardships they went through and so forth. Some bunch of people,
after they heard what Christ was saying, they left him, and
Christ turned and said to his disciples, Will you also go away?
There was a road. You're all free to go if you
want. What did they say? Why on earth would we want to
go anywhere? Where would we go? What would
we pursue? What would we be taken up with?
We've seen God. We've dwelt with God. We've been
in the presence of the Son of God. We've enjoyed full fellowship
with the Son of God himself. Where, who, who, what, when,
where, how, where are we going to go? What would possibly interest
us now? What could possibly take up our
affections now? We've seen him. Where is that
passage over in the last of Hosea? What have I to do any more with
idols? I've seen him. You remember that? I think it's
the last chapter in Hosea or Amos, one of those. What have
I to do any more with idols? I've seen him. The more Christ
is in us, the less the earth will content us. How do you labor
to have Christ? Here we go again, right back
where we started. Desire the sincere milk of the
word that you may grow thereby. How do you have a knowledge of
Christ? How do you have faith in Christ? Here we go again,
right back where we started. How are they going to call on
Him whom they've not heard or believed? How are they going
to believe in Him whom they've not heard? How are they going to
hear without a preacher? How are they going to hear if
they're not under the sound of the preacher? Not going to. Not going
to have faith. Not going to have assurance.
Not going to have comfort. Not going to have peace. Not going to have
contentment. Not ever going to find it. Ever. You know what a chief characteristic
of a baby is? You know where to grow in grace?
It says grow. We're not to commit infanticide. Is that the word?
Infanticide? Die as babies. You know where
to grow? Come young men and older men and grow in grace. You'll
not have any assurance or peace or all of these things unless
you do make some growth, some strides. You know what the chief
characteristic of a baby is? One of you mothers like to tell
me? And I feel like we stay pretty
much babies if we cry over everything that comes along. Right? Everything
is taken away from us. To know Christ is to love him
and to believe him, and he is known through the hearing, through
the reading of the word of God and communion with him. When I emphasize coming to church,
I don't do it just strictly for numbers, I don't do it strictly
just so You'll do your duty just so we can have a big crowd, just
so I can feel good, so I can have somebody to exercise my
talents or my gifts upon, so I can have somebody to hear my
message I worked so hard on. No, it's for your own good. But I don't do your religion
for you. You're not paying me to do your religion for you.
You must worship God personally. You must commune with God. I
can't do that for you. No man can. All right, number
six. Let me hurry. Number six. A way of contentment is to consider
your vocation in this world. Or your state or your position
or whatever you want to call it, your vocation, the scripture
uses that term vocation. Vocation, walk worthy of the
vocation wherein you are called. What vocation is that? What is
your job? Oh, well, I work at automotive
fashioners. How do you make a living? Well,
no, you don't make a living there, do you? Christ is your life.
You pay bills at automotive fashioners. Christ is your life, if indeed
He is life to you. If indeed you have taste that
He is gracious, But you know what the believer's vocation
is in this world, his state in this world? He's not a full-time
resident. That's the reason to believe
or not. Barbara, if you're a stranger and a pilgrim in this world,
why on earth would you get all upset over politics? You know,
when I travel through towns, I don't go to City Hall and voice
my complaints about the way the city local government is being
run. I don't care. They say, is this a believer
not to vote and not to exercise his voting rights and not to
be concerned at all about government? Not to be overly concerned about
it. Not to be filled with anxious care about it. Not to get into
politics. No. No. Let the pot-surge of
the earth strive with the pot-surge of the earth. Right? You're not
going to change it. You're not going to change corrupt
people until you get... Well, I'm not going to get into
politics. There I go again. Our vocation
is we're strangers and pilgrims. Strangers and pilgrims. Don't
drive our stakes too deep. Don't drive our stakes too deep.
We can have nice stakes, but just don't drive them too deep,
that when they're taken away, we won't be overly grieving. Another thing, another vocation
we have, Scripture says we're soldiers, doesn't it? No man that warreth and tangleth
himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him
who hath chosen him to be a soldier. Thou therefore endure hardness
as a good soldier." Endure hardness, deprivation as a soldier. Did you know what it was like
to sleep out on the cold ground in a bunk with cold, what they
call rations, cold C ration? But you were in the service of
your country, weren't you? Did you not feel like you were
doing your country a service and that you were doing the right
thing and you were where you were supposed to be? And for
the most part, didn't you feel like this is what I was supposed
to be doing, so I'll endure this? We're soldiers. Right? Soldiers are content knowing
that they're in a true cause and it's the right one. And thirdly
under this heading, our vocation, and we're not going to like this,
but we all are nonetheless. We're beggars. Everybody in here down to the
smallest child knows this old statement. cannot be choosers, right? Beggars are not supposed to be
picky and choosy, are they? Anything handed out to a beggar.
Have you ever had a beggar come up to your house? I have. Have
you ever seen one on the street? What if you go by a beggar and
you drop a quarter in his cup and he looks at it and What's
wrong with you? I want a dollar." Well, they
may do that today. I don't know. They ain't used
to that. Give me a dollar, man. What's wrong? No, thank you.
Thank you. See, he's a beggar. Anything
he gets is gravy. Right? We're beggars. Would that
not make you content, realizing that you're a beggar? Number seven, contentment comes
from not depending on outward things for contentment. If you let your contentment be
in unseen things, those are eternal. It's either things that are seen
or temporal, Scripture says. Things that are seen will all
fail, and only Christ. When your husband's taken away
from you, Birgie? When your house is gone? When you're living,
Violet, on a few-string? Where's your consolation then?
Where's your enjoyment then? Is it in the finer things of
life? No, you don't have those. And when you're laying on your
death bed or laying on your sick bed and even your health is taken
away from you, then what's going to bear you up? Reminiscing over
good times? You're going to get out our play
purties and play with them and toys and look at them and sift
through our gold? Is that going to do it? Only
if you'd have Christ in you. Only Christ will bear you up
under dire circumstances. That's what Job said, didn't
he? Everything was taken away and he said, I know my Redeemer
lives, and I'm going to see him. Number eight. Number eight, initial
help. Oh, believe me, this will help.
Towards contentment. Often compare your condition. That's the state, that's the
heading. I'll give you a few subheadings under that. Be often
comparing your condition. Number one under that, compare
your condition, and I've already said this pretty much, but compare
your condition with what you deserve. Compare your condition with what
we deserve. For our mercies, the mercies
we have received, we deserve a lot less. Right? for the afflictions we receive, we deserve a lot more. Right? For our mercies we have
received, we deserve less. For our afflictions, more. He
hath not dealt with us according to our sins, as he whipped us
like we need a good He has not rewarded us according to our
iniquities. Have we got what is coming to us? I hope we don't.
He said, Thou hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve.
And he went on to say, Isaiah said this, We have received at
the Lord's hand double for all our iniquities. He not only does not deal with
us with what we deserve, but he gives us, in a superabundance
with grace, things that we don't deserve. I'll give you this illustration.
You history people know anything about Alexander the Great, who
tried to conquer the world? Alexander the Great just about
did. And he came up one time in the front lines of his army
and picked out one of his soldiers and brought him into his palace,
into his great place, and sat him down and feasted him and
brought out some lavish tremendous gift, a great gift to this soldier. He just was, Alexander was just
displaying his greatness. And the soldier's reply was this. Oh, he said, Lord Capitan Alexander,
you've given me far more than I deserve. You've given me far more than
I deserve." And Alexander said, Soldier, I didn't give you that
because you deserve it. I gave you that because I'm Alexander
the Great. And God Almighty doesn't give
us a thing because we deserve it. He gives it to us because
he's the Great God. Oh, Lord, you give me more than
we deserve. That's the fact. Everything Barnard said, this
side of hell is mercy to a guilty rebel like we are. Oh, he doesn't
give things because we deserve them, he gives them because he's
great, to show his goodness. Right? Be constantly comparing
what you have with what you deserve. It won't give you contentment,
nothing will. Is that right? Number two under
that, compare your condition with others. I don't care how
low you get. I don't care how lonely you are.
I don't care how deprived you are. Somebody is worse. I can
guarantee it. I gave you the illustration of
the people down in the hurricane that lost their condominiums,
you know. They lost their million-dollar condominiums on the beach, and
they're wailing, weeping, wailing, gnashing their teeth. Poor people.
Now, please, I'm not being callous or cold or hard here, but let
them go down to Ethiopia and Biafra and these African countries
where people You know, day-to-day, meal-to-meal is a struggle for
survival and existence. You know, all state will pay
their condominium back, just not as quickly as they want it.
And understandably, there are some people deserving of help
that people that didn't, don't have, maybe didn't have insurance
or don't have the means to replenish what they have. Nevertheless,
it's somebody worse. Right? Somebody worse. And you
better believe that's true of this congregation, everybody
in here, starting right here. Oh, my. Compare your condition
with other people. I got to old Virgie one time.
I said, Virgie, most women your age, most people your age are
in vegetables in nursing homes. Thank God you're healthy. Thank
God you're sitting right there. Thank God you're still in your
right mind. Thank God you still have the health to sit there
in that seat. If this won't do it, nothing
will. Compare your condition to Christ." He said, Behold, and see if there
is any sorrow like unto my sorrow. Is somebody sorrowful in here?
Somebody has some troubles and problems and trials? Everybody
has. Christ said, You behold, and see if there is any sorrow
like unto my sorrow, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me. He
said the foxes have their holes, the birds of the air have their
nests, the Son of Man doesn't have anywhere to lay his head. He left a splendor of glory to
live in a squalor. He didn't have to do it. He didn't
have to do it. He said, I'm ready to die for
my youth up. He was chased like a rabbit from
his youth up. People sought to kill him. Anybody
in here had that happen? Anybody want to kill you from
the day you were born until now? Anybody chasing after you? After
your life? Then we can sleep in peace. Fourthly, and lastly under this
point, compare your present condition with what it once was. Compare
your present condition with what it once was. The reason we feel like we have
more troubles now is because we have more treasure. Don't
we, Mindy? I remember when Mindy and I first
got married, we didn't have much. We really didn't. We had a little
three-room apartment, and all that we had was given to us.
We had furniture that was—we had to prop—our couch had to
prop up with bricks, and you'd sit on it, and both of you'd
slide to the middle, and our bed was the same way. So she saved up and got a washer
and dryer and so forth. But we didn't have little orange
shag carpet. That would give Mindy a heart
attack now. But we were so happy, weren't
we? We had so much. And now we've
got a palace. A palace. And the only reason
we feel like we've got troubles now is because we have more treasure. But compare our condition now
with what it once was. We've got a whole lot more. Nearly
everybody in here can say that you've got a whole lot more than
you used to have, than we used to have. But when there's great treasure,
there's trouble therewith. Consider that. Ninthly, in all
hurry, I haven't gone forty-five yet. I want to get through this. It's helpful. Toward contentment, remember
the vanity of this life. Remember the vanity of this life.
This life, he said, is just a vapor. What is a vapor? What can you
equate with a vapor? A child's little soap bubble?
That's a perfect illustration of it, a soap bubble. Have you
ever seen a little child play with a toy or a soap bubble or
something and it gets busted and they cry? We're doing the
same thing. when we let this world get to
us like it's a vapor. It's a shadow. It's a shadow. You know, the shadow promises
more than we find and fails us when we need it the most. Like Jonas Gord. You have to
stop and think about that statement. I did, a long time. The shadow
promises more than we find and fails us when we need it the
most. Like a cloud in the sky on a
hot, sunny day, and you're hot and burning in the clouds. Oh,
that's nice. Oh, boy, I'm going to sit back and enjoy that. And
then it passes over. Oh, wow, where'd it go? Jonah
and his gourd, you know. Oh, I'm thankful for this gourd.
I'm going to sit right here and just take it easy and have a good
old time, because this gourd, and it withered, and he cussed
it. The Lord said, Do you do well to be mad? He didn't work
to get that gourd. All the world—listen to this
statement. Let's see if this isn't profound. All the world
is changing, and the only thing constant about it is disappointment. All the world is changing, but
the only thing constant is disappointment. Your marriage. I hope you're
happy in your marriage, but you'll not stay happy all the time.
As a matter of fact, one of these days, you'll lose your mate,
won't you? Then you'll be the saddest you've ever been in your
entire life, won't you? Don't vest all you have in your
marriage. Your children. I'm going to hit
home now. Your children may grow up and
break your heart like it's never been broken. A son, the apple of your eye,
may grow up, Terry, and shake his fist at your face and tell
you he hates your guts." It happens. Can you think of anything
that would rip your heart out more than that? Huh? Well, if you've got Christ as
your consolation. All the world is changing. The
only thing constant is disappointment. Count on it. Disappointment.
I hope you don't do that, Stephen. Number ten, or any of the rest
of you children, for that matter. Number ten, and this is an old
country's word, get your fancy regulated. Get your fancy regulated. Y'all ever hear that word? What
tickles your fancy? Nancy, what's your fancy? Your fancy, or your standard,
what it is that you get pleasure out of. Fancy, you know, fancy
is what raises the prices of things above their real value.
You know, a man, if he really wants
something bad enough, he'll pay anything. And it could be worthless,
you know, one man's junk, another man's treasure, you know, that
sort of thing. My wife can sell junk, stuff I'd throw away at
a yard sale, huh, Jenny? Have a yard sale, you're getting
rid of your junk. And some guy come along and pay
you big money for it. You know, whatever your fancy
is, that's what raises the price. If your fancy was a little lower,
you'd be content with a lot less, right? If your fancy was a little
bit lower, you'd be content with a lot less. You know, ever since
the fall, man's fancy has been raising. Adam was—think about this, Rick—Adam
was naked and didn't have a house, and he was happy as a lark. He didn't have a nice suit. He
didn't have a nice home. He didn't have a car. He didn't
have a TV set. Can you imagine? Horrors. Not have a TV set. He didn't.
And he was happy as he could be. How? Why? What did he have? God. He said, I'm your portion. And when he lost God, he tried
to start getting his happiness Number eleven, I've got four
minutes to give you four more points. Consider your necessities
and your requirements more than your wants. That's good advice,
isn't it? Consider your necessities more
than your wants. Boy, Steve, that would keep us from buying
a whole lot of things we buy, wouldn't it, buddy? No, I'm picking
on you, everybody. We're all guilty of this. If
we considered our necessities more than our wants, then we
wouldn't be in hock up to our neck. You know, our body is content
with just food and drink and warmth. Our body is content with
just food, just filling up. The stomach is sooner filled
than the eyes. Number twelve, toward contentment, believe Romans
8.28. Dan, I mean believe it. Don't just quote it, believe
it. All things. All things. All things. Sherry,
go through two operations. All things. That's the only way
you're going to get through it, my dearly beloved sister. Only way. Only way. That our present condition is
best. Whatever I go through is My heavenly Father knows best."
Did you ever watch that program as a child? You're as old as
I am, almost. I remember that. A good shepherd
knows what is fittest pasture for his sheep, and he knows when
they need shearing, correction, restraints, and so forth. And
I'll not give you the three sub-points after that. Two more points.
Number 13, toward contentment. Consider the glory that shall
be revealed." Consider what's over yonder. That's an old Southern
statement, Dan, over yonder, over yonder. I hadn't seen. Your eye, my eye, our eyes had
not seen. Our ears haven't heard. Neither
have entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared
for him, that love him." So that's why we're all upset. That's why
we're trying to seek pleasure. If our eyes could see, if our
ears could hear, if our hearts could be taken up with these
things, then we'd be filled, full of happiness and joy. Well,
how are we going to do that? Full circle, here we go. Point
number one, with Owen Grace and the knowledge of Christ. Set
your affection on the things of God. How does that come? How do you consider, how do you
see, how do you hear the glory? How do you have in your heart
the glory of things that God has prepared? Stop, look, listen,
consider. Consider this thing. Lastly,
and this is tremendous and so vital. To be content, you must be much
in prayer. To truly be content, you must
be much in prayer. Prayer brings contentment. You
know how? What is prayer? Well, chiefly,
it better be thanksgiving. Brother Joe's prayer blessed
me this morning. You know what he said? He must have said the
same thing 15 times. Doesn't he know how to pray? What's wrong with that man? Isn't
he eloquent in prayer? He must have said the same word
15 times. Do you know what that was? Thank
you. When you're continually full
of thanks, what have you got to complain about? Right? Old Joe's out on the road
now, beating himself to death in that old rough truck. Be much in prayer. Prayer brings
contentment. Prayer is also unburdening your
heart and your cares to the Lord, isn't it? Don't you like to have
somebody to talk to that you can unburden yourself to? It
helps, doesn't it? It helps to have a hearing, a
listening ear. You can't always find it, Nancy. Oh, yes, you
can. You can't always call me up,
talk to Joe, he's on the road. Talk to your children. They're
gone. There is somebody you can talk to at any time. Wake up
at three o'clock in the morning. He'll hear you out at any time.
And take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. He said he
was saying that. Number 353. There is a cure for
anxiousness and a surefire way to be content. Take your burden
to the Lord, be much in prayer, and just leave it there. Leave
it there. Be content in knowing that the
Father knows best and he'll take care of it. The Lord will see
to it. Jehovah Jireh. My dad used to say that, and
I'd say something to him. Dad, would you do this for me?
I'll see to it. I'll see to it. And he did. He truly did what
he did. I know somebody that's a lot
truer than that. But the Lord will see to it. So take your
burden to the Lord and leave it there. Stand with me. Sing
a couple of verses. We'll quit. you

Learning To Be Content

What does the Bible say about contentment?

How do we know that true contentment is found in Christ?

Why is humility important for Christians seeking contentment?

How can prayer lead to contentment?

What is the role of self-denial in achieving contentment?

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Learning To Be Content

What does the Bible say about contentment?

How do we know that true contentment is found in Christ?

Why is humility important for Christians seeking contentment?

How can prayer lead to contentment?

What is the role of self-denial in achieving contentment?

Sermon Transcript

About Paul Mahan

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