Amen. Well it's always good to be here and have the opportunity to preach.
I'm always thankful when Pastor Anderson opens up the pulpit and asks one of us
to preach and just very grateful to be here. I was thinking about it. Last time
I preached I think they were in Jamaica, so now they're in Aruba, so I
guess that's a good thing. I guess I can blame the thinner crowd again on
the special missions trip, not the fact that I'm preaching, but anyway in
Philippians chapter 4 there, if you would look at verse 11, the Bible
reads, "...not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever
state I am therewith to be content." Now in verse 9, I want you to just go back
there, it says, Paul admonishes the people in Philippi saying, "...those things
which you have both learned and received and heard and seen in me do,
and the God of peace shall be with you." So Paul is telling these people and
he's saying, look to me as an example, he's saying look to me as somebody
that you can learn from, and one of the things that Paul tells us in
verse 11 is that he has learned something. Now what Paul has learned is
that whatever state he was in, therewith to be content, and the title of
the sermon this evening is, Learn Contentment. Learn Contentment. I think
it's an important message that we need to hear from the Bible about
learning contentment because we're living in a culture, in a society today,
that has such an appetite, that is always wanting more, especially here in
the United States, where it just seems like people can never have enough.
There's so many things that are put out in front of us until we're told
that we need to have more, we need to have the best, we need to have it
right now, and we're having a real hard time, I think, as Americans, and
throughout the world even, of learning contentment and just being content with
the things that we have and that God has blessed us with. He said there in
verse 11, I have learned to be content. You see, contentment in life is not
something that's going to come naturally. You're not just going to wake
up one morning and say, all of a sudden I'm content. You're not going to have
these struggles and desires of wanting more and thinking you need more
than you actually need, and then just wake up and all of a sudden you're
going to be content with all the things that you have. That's something
that you have to learn, it's something that you have to recognize in your life
to say, perhaps I'm discontent in this area, perhaps I want more than I
really need, perhaps I'm focusing my life on things that aren't as
important as other things, as spiritual things. So contentment in life does not
come naturally, and that explains why so many people are discontent. I mean, as I
said already, you know, we look around in our culture and people are just
wanting more and more. We look at the, you know, the Hollywood moguls and the
actors and the musicians and all these people who are just piling it all on as
the biggest houses they can get, the most expensive cars and clothes and food
and it's just more and more and more, and that's who's exalted and lifted up,
and that's what it seems like everybody's chasing after is this, this
just run to excess. So it's something that we have to learn, otherwise we
might end up being discontent. Now if you would turn over to 1st Timothy
chapter 6. 1st Timothy chapter 6. See, learning to be content, that's something
that you have to do, it's something that you have to purpose, because if we're
saved, you know, we've all had, you know, some kind of a
sinful past, we've all been children obviously at one point, and children are
somebody that they have to learn contentment. I mean anybody that has
kids knows that sometimes you'll put something in front of them for dinner
and they'll turn their nose up to it and say, well I want this, and you say
well that's too bad because that's what you're getting. You're either getting
that or nothing at all, and it's amazing how quickly they change their
minds, but the point I'm trying to make is that contentment is something
that we all have to learn, especially those of us that maybe we didn't grow up
in a Christian home, you know, we were taught to kind of go after certain
things and to really to desire more than we need. That's why it says there
in 1st Timothy, or excuse me, you're turning to 1st Timothy 6, but it says
in Titus chapter 3, for we ourselves were sometimes foolish living in malice
and envy. Malice and envy, those are the things that come out of a person
with a discontented heart. They begin to envy other people and they
can even become malicious. They can even start to do things to other people just
to get what they want. So the Bible says there that we ourselves
also were sometimes that way. There was a time in our life, and maybe even
today, maybe even tonight, we'd have to say, you know what, I'm discontent in
this area. I want more than I really need. You're there in 1st Timothy chapter 6,
look at verse 3, if any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome
words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ into the doctrine which is
according to godliness, he is proud knowing nothing, but doting about questions and
strife of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmising. So we see
that we're living in a culture where even we have, this of course is
talking about false prophets, and one of the things that they're going to
teach us, these false prophets, these people that would teach otherwise and
consent not wholesome words, one of the things that they inspire in the
hearts of their listeners is envy. And that really is the definition of being
discontent, to be envious. We could think of the example of Absalom as somebody who
was very discontent or somebody who wanted more than he wanted or than he
should have. If you would go ahead and turn over to 1st Samuel chapter 6.
For the sake of time we'll just pass over that example of Absalom, but
there's really just three areas that I want to talk about where we need to
learn how to be content in our lives. Three areas of our lives where contentment
is something that we're going to have to exercise. Those three areas are we
need to be content in our persons, in our possessions, and in our position. In
our persons, in our possessions, and in our position. Now if we were to think
of Absalom, he was somebody who was not content with at least two of those
things for sure. One of those things was of course he would cut
his hair and he would weigh it every year. He was somebody who was very proud. The Bible
says that he was more beautiful from the sole of his foot to the
crown of his head, more beautiful than anybody else in all of Israel. And he
let it go to his head and of course that wasn't enough to him. He desired
even more power. We need to learn to be content with our person. What I mean
by that specifically that we can apply in our life is we need to learn to be
content with the way God made us. What I'm
speaking about specifically is the way you look, the body you have,
the hair that you have, the eyes that you have, your physical body. You need to be
learned to be content the way God has made you. If you're in 1 Timothy 6, keep
a bookmark there and turn over to 1 Samuel 16. We need to
learn to be content in our person, the way God made us. You're turning over to
1 Samuel 16. The Bible says in Romans 9,
And I think sometimes we could maybe say that in our own hearts. Maybe we get up
in the morning and we look in the mirror and we kind of, Lord, why has
thou made me thus? You know, the holiday season's coming around, we get
around the first of the year, we catch that sideways glance and we go, whoa, why
has thou made me thus? We got to be careful and I certainly don't want
to give the idea that, you know, there's the difference between being complacent
and being content. And we should definitely try and take care of
ourselves and live a healthy life, but I think sometimes we go a little too
far with this obsession of our physical appearance. And we need to
understand something that we all have physical flaws and imperfections. There's
always going to be something that we don't like about ourselves or something
that we could change. We want to be taller, we want to be shorter, whatever it
might be. We all have these physical flaws and imperfections. We need to
understand something is that God sees past these. All those things that we
don't like about ourselves or that we see in somebody else and say,
well, I wish I was that way, I wish I had what that person had, physically
speaking. You need to understand that God sees past it. It's not important to him as
it is to you. If you're there in 1 Samuel chapter 16, look at verse 6.
Bible says in 1 Samuel 16 verse 6, and it came to pass when they were come
that he looked in Eliab and said, surely the Lord's anointed is before
him. So this is, of course, when the prophet Samuel is going to anoint King
David, he goes to Jesse and his Jesse sons are brought before him one by one,
and he sees Eliab and he says, surely the Lord's anointed is before him. And
it wasn't because of the things that Eliab had said or done, it's because he
looked on him. He saw the way Eliab looked and said, well, this must be
God's chosen. But the Lord said unto Samuel, verse 7, look not on his
countenance, nor on the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For
the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance,
but the Lord looketh on the heart. You see, our physics, we shouldn't get so
obsessed. We should learn to be content with our person, the way we
look, because God sees right past it and he sees our heart. And that's
really what matters. Whatever we might look like, whatever our physical condition
might be, what's on the inside is what matters most. What is in
our heart. And it just might be that those physical imperfections might be
used to God's glory. God might give us some some handicap or some physical
flaw in our physical makeup to keep us humble
spiritually and allow us to be used by him. Now the point I really want to
just drive in on this first point of being content with your person is to
not become obsessed with your body image. Don't become obsessed with body
image. And we see today that our culture is completely obsessed with
this. To the point where it's not just about having, you know, a beach bod,
where they're actually doing just very strange things to just try and stand
out. They're doing very strange and unhealthy practices
because they're not content with the way God made them. They want to look
different. They want people to notice them, notice their exterior, not what's in
their heart. So they're doing many strange and unhealthy practices. What are
some things? Well one of them would be body modification. And let me just say
right now, I know there's people in this room that have participated in
this to some degree or another, and my goal in preaching against this is not to
pick on you. I want to warn others that haven't done it, especially the
young people here, because we're seeing it all around our culture. It's being
lifted up and glorified and they need to be warned that's not something you
want to do to yourself. You don't want to do these strange body
modifications. What I mean by that, these piercings, the tattoos, I mean it's
getting out of hand today. I mean people are putting steel ball bearings under
their scalp and making themselves look demonic. They're putting these, you
know, strange contacts in and I've seen people where they've cut a fork in
their tongue and people just look like they've, you know, gotten in a fight
with a BB gun and lost. And we don't want our kids to end up that way. We
don't want our kids to look at that and say, well that's what the world
promotes. They should be able to come to the house of God and hear
somebody say, don't go after those things. Be content with the way God made
you. Don't get caught up in this body modification. What's another way? These
extreme diets and eating disorders. These are things that result when people
are not content with the way God made them, when they're not content with the
way they look. They'll start to practice these extreme diets and
they'll develop eating disorders, the anorexia and things like that.
Another one would be steroids and bodybuilding. We see that in our
culture, don't we? Which is odd enough as it is for a bunch of guys to want to
stand around and oil up and flex in front. I mean, that's a whole
other sermon in itself. I mean, it's just weird. If you're into that, okay, but
it's just kind of strange to me. But people get obsessed with that, don't
they? I remember I read a book a long time about about this guy. He was
just a real skinny guy, weakling, and he lived in New York and he saw a
guy get pushed in front of a, he was standing in a subway platform and he
saw another guy push another one out in front of the subway. And he
realized how weak he was and became very fearful about being picked on or
being so physically weak that somebody could do something like that to him. So
he began this journey into bodybuilding and the guy just became
completely obsessed with it. He was buying all the supplements, he was
buying all the magazines, and he ended up in the book, he tells you about how
he ends up, he became so obsessed that he lived in squalor. He lived in like
this one-bedroom basement apartment in some ghetto and he had a great
job. He made lots of money but he spent so much money on the on the gyms and the
steroids and the meats and all these things that he just became obsessed with
the way he looked. And we need to make sure that we don't end up that
same way. That we don't end up being, you know, we might not go to that
extreme but it might be something that we just obsess over a little too
much about our physical appearance. We don't worry about the inward man. Now
that's one area where we need to learn how to be content is in our
person. But the other area that we need to learn to be content with is in
our possessions. That's another big area in our culture where we're told
that you have to have X amount of dollars, you need to strive to make a
lot of money, you need to strive to have all these toys and things and just
more than you need. But if you're there, are you still in 1 Timothy 6?
Go ahead and turn over to 1 Timothy 6 if you're not there. So we talked about
first of all being content with your person, being content with the way God
made you. You know, not being caught up in having to alter your body or go
after some kind of body image that where you're gonna, you know, put
everything else aside and make that a priority and end up participating in, you
know, some unhealthy practices. So we talked about that but next we need
to talk about our possessions. Learning to be content with the things you own.
Learning to be content with the things you own and the things you desire to
have. I don't want to give the wrong impression to say, you know, you
should never desire anything that you don't own. I mean, there might be
something practical and useful in your life that you say, you know, if I had
that, it would be real helpful. I think of my own myself, you know, when we
moved out here, we moved out here in a Toyota Camry and we had one kid
and one on the way. Then we had another kid and pretty soon that Camry
was getting pretty tight and we started to desire to have a bigger vehicle. Now
that's a practical desire, that's not something, I didn't go out and buy a
stretch limousine, you know, hopefully there's a need for that, Lord
willing, you know, we can get the 15-seater or whatever. But, you know, that
was a big step up just getting into the minivan, you know, and so I'm not
saying you shouldn't ever desire anything, you know, but we should keep
that in check, we should keep that in balance, you know. We don't need the, you
know, four-week vacation, you know, around Europe or something like that when
there's other, if we're, you know, behind in our bills or something. We need to
be content with the things that we own and desire to have. The Bible says
there in 1st Timothy chapter 6, but godliness with contentment is
great gain. We're living in a culture today, in a society where they want as
much as they can get, they, they're just, it's never enough for people, they want
great gain. Well here's, here's a, here's an equation for you. You want great
gain, the Bible says right here that godliness with contentment is great
gain. It seems kind of like a paradox, how can you be content and have great
gain? When we learn to be content with the things that we have, we realize how
much we really do have. The Bible says that, you know, of course our Lord
promised us that God would, would clothe us. He said, take not for the things of
the morrow, for the things the morrow shall take thought for the things of
itself. You know, sufficient in the day is the evil thereof. That we should be
content with having food and raiment, that we should be able to just, as it
says there in verse 7, having food and raiment, let us be there with
content. So he's saying, that's a real short list, isn't it? Food and raiment. I
mean, that's the things that we desire to have more than anything. I mean, we
started going out with, we started to go without those two things, that's probably
all we would want. There's that Chinese proverb, how does it go? You know, when
there's a lot of food, there's a lot of problems, but when there's no food,
there's only one problem. And that's kind of, that's kind of, that's true. I
mean, when we think about it, and that's kind of what the scripture is
saying here, if we have food and raiment, we have all that we need. We
can be content with that. Our physical concerns compose a short list. Food,
nourishment, there's nothing wrong with desiring that, we should have
that. But we shouldn't go to some great extravagant extreme with that, right? I
mean, we don't need to have the celebrity chef or the gourmet personal
chef in our kitchen cooking or every meal just has to be, you know, just off
the charts, the best thing I eat every day. No, as long as it's nourishing, it's
good for our bodies, it's gonna help us get through the day and do what we
need to do, that should be enough. Well, what about our raiment, what about our
shelter, where we live, the clothes that we put on? Do we really need to have,
you know, the, you know, three-story house and the four-car garage? And it's
just, it's just crazy, because you see, I've met people in my line of work
going out, I go into people's homes a lot, and there's a lot of money here
in Phoenix, there's a lot of people have just huge homes. And I always kind
of chuckled myself when I go into these homes, and I'll get to talking to
the customer a little bit, and they'll mention that they have some kids, and I
remember I was working in this one lady's house, and she said, yeah, we're
actually getting ready to sell the place. I said, oh really? I mean, this is
huge house, just gigantic, up in one of these gated communities. And she said,
yeah, the place is just a little too big since the kids moved out. You know,
we had the kids and we needed a bigger place, and I've come to find
out she had two kids. Yeah, you need to downsize, I could see that. I'm
thinking, well, we got two bedrooms and an apartment, we got four in there now,
plus me and my wife, and we're making do. It feels like we're living in a
storage container with a kitchen sometimes, but you know, it's everything
that we need. We're happy, we're close, in more than one sense, but the point is,
you know, if we're content with those things, we can be happy. We don't always
need to have the biggest, you know, when we have a lot, there's a lot of
problems. That's the point I'm trying to make. When we have less, we can be
happy with that. That's why being content is great gain. The Bible says in
Ecclesiastes chapter 5, he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with
silver. We always think if we just had a little bit more, we'll be okay. We'll be
happy then. If I just had a little bit more money in the bank account, if I
just had a little bit nicer vehicle, or just a little bit of a bigger house,
well then we get that and we go, you know, it could be a little bit bigger, or it
could be a little bit more in the bank, because he that loveth silver shall
not be satisfied with silver. The Bible says, better is little with the fear
of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith. It's great when
we have, you know, just love, it goes on, it says better is the dinner of
herbs where love is than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. You know, it'd be
nice to eat that meager meal, to live in that meager home with a family
that has love in it, you know, because they've learned to be content, they've
learned what godliness brings to the table. And that's the equation there. We
all want to be content, but it says godliness with contentment is great
gain. That's the missing element so many times when we want to be content,
we want to have it enough, and we want that for our lives, but we forget
about that one part, godliness. When we're looking to God to fulfill our
needs, when our life is about serving him, being a part of the local
church, we add godliness to the equation, that's when we could start to have
that contentment, and that's when we can have that great gain. Godliness is
part of the equation. The saying I heard is holy living is humble living. You see,
contentment is great gain spiritually, we might not see it physically. And the
way this really shows up, when you see somebody who has a godly life, and
they're content with the things that they have, is because they
need less, they're able to do more, if that makes sense. Because they
don't need as much, they're able to do more, you know, and I think our
pastor is a great example of that. I think he's somebody who has learned
that godliness and contentment is great gain, and he doesn't need a
six-figure income or whatever it is, and to live in some, like some of
these preachers out there, I mean, these televangelists and people, I
mean, they've got billions in the bank, right? But they don't do
anything for God. Of course, they're false prophets, and I'm just trying to
make the point that our pastor is somebody who, because he can do more with
less, he's able to do more with less. We're able to see our church do more as
a church body, because we've got people who are working hard and don't
need to have more than they need. But people struggle with a simple,
that simple existence, don't they? People struggle with just having what
they need, just having enough to meet their needs and live a godly life. But
when we get that, if we're getting that in our life, that place in our life,
we're saying, you know, I know I should be godly, I know I should be content with
the things I have, but I'm just not. I just can't get there. One thing that
might help you to get there is for you to consider your spiritual wealth. If
we want great abundance, we should consider our spiritual wealth. One thing
that we could say if we're going to rely on the Lord is that he will be
our helper. Those that have learned to trust the Lord for their needs, and I
think of one story in my own life that I learned this lesson was that when
we were first married, I was working in excavation, and I didn't really have the
best, you have to have good boots if you're gonna work in that kind of
environment. You're up and down ditches, you're in the rocks, you're in
water, and a good pair of boots don't last. They usually go through a pair
about a year, a pair a year, and a year had come up, you know, we
just had our first kid, we're really struggling to make ends meet, and I'm
putting duct tape around the boots, I mean they've got holes in them, water's
coming, I'm shaking rocks out every every break, and it's really
getting really hard on the feet, but we just didn't have it. You don't want
to go out and just buy a $20 pair of Walmart boots because they just don't
last, it's a waste of money. So we just prayed, you know, my wife prayed
about it, and sure enough if the Lord didn't come through my
mother-in-law went on a trip to Massachusetts to see her brother, and
when she came back, she asked us to come over and visit, so we went over
there, and I look over in the kitchen table and there's this box, this pair
of boots in a box, and I said, well what's that? She said, when I was there, my brother
just for no reason pulled him out of the closet and said, I don't know if
you know anybody that needs these, but take them on back, and they were the
perfect size, and there were boots, and I remember my wife, I mean she's just, tears are
coming, she's like, I've been praying about you getting a new pair of boots, and so what
was really great about, the boots were great, but what was even great is I got a
good illustration out of it, and I was able to say, like it says in
Hebrews 13, that let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content
with such things as you have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee,
nor forsake thee, so that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. If we
learn to be content and lean on the Lord for our earthly needs, what a great
thing when we could see God come through, and we could say the Lord is
with me, that's great spiritual wealth, I mean that's a spiritual blessing, that
gives, I mean that's, that's no bank account compared to that, you know, no
vacation or extravagant home in our car compared to the fact that you
could say, I know that God is helping me, God is with me, and when God makes
the ends meet, we of course give him the glory.
If you would, go ahead and turn over to Galatians chapter 5. Galatians chapter 5.
We need to be careful to be content with our person, we need to be careful to be
content with our possessions. There's a warning in the Word of God in 1
Timothy 6 that says, they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare
into many foolish and hurtful lusts. If we do not learn to be content in
our possessions, it's very possible that we could fall headlong just chasing
after money and end up getting into sin. So we need to be learned to content
in our, in our persons, in our physical makeup, in our positions, the
thing, or in our possessions, the things we own, but also in our
position, our position, and what I mean by that, learn to be content with your
station in life, you know, or your, or the role you have in life. We're all
different people, we're all fulfilling different roles, you know, some of us are
fathers, some of us are mothers, some of us are children, some of us are single,
we're all in a certain station in life, and we need to learn to be
content in those stations where we are in life. We shouldn't be upset or
with where we are, where we are in life, and that's easy to do, but really one
area I want to talk about is in the church, specifically in the ministry.
Where we are in the local church, to be content with the position that we
have inside of the local church. Because if there's anything we've learned in the
last year or so, we've seen people, even recently in other churches and
other places in the country, where people who have just desired the
preeminence, they just have to have their name out there, they have
to be recognized, they have to have people know who they are, they're not
content with the position that they have, they're not content with just being a
church member. I don't want to say it like just a church member. I mean the
church members, you guys are the backbone of the church. Without a church
member, without church members, there is no church. So there's nothing wrong
with just being a layman, there's nothing wrong with just being somebody
who's going to be in the faithful, in the pew three times a week, doing the
soul-winning, doing the hard work, volunteering, helping out, that's a great
position to have, we should be content with that, and allow the Lord to exalt us
in due time. Because people, they begin to desire vainglory, and what they'll
start to do is they'll start to preach strange doctrines, they'll do
whatever they have to do to get attention. They want to be in the
spotlight, they're not content with their position. Some people cannot be
content in the pew. If you would turn over the 3 John chapter 9, or
chapter 1, 3 John chapter 1. You see, some people, they can't be content
with where they are in the church. And not only just that in that sense, but what
about just being content with our church? Being content, you know, specifically
with, like, let's say the building. You know, some people would walk in here, I
remember, it was a few weeks ago, it was Sunday morning, church people
were pouring in, and I remember seeing this older couple come in, dressed very
nicely, and I could just tell by the way they'd never been here before,
they walked in that back door and they just kind of looked. They looked
around, and you could tell they were just really taking it in where they were,
and they kind of looked at each other, and before I could even get over there
to greet them, they just looked at each other and kind of shook their head and
they walked out. They didn't talk to anybody. I mean, nobody came up to them
right away, I mean, they hadn't been there long enough to be greeted. They
walked in and they literally just looked around, and they saw the metal
chairs, you know? Where's the stained glass? I mean, I don't know,
that's pretty impressive to me. I mean, I remember when I wanted to move
out here, I would look at the murals and be like, man, those are awesome, you know?
But I guess that wasn't enough for them, you know? And they started to judge,
they saw the drop tile ceiling and they thought, oh my, you know, we can't
be caught dead in this place. It's just not up to our standard. So
really, we should be learning to be content with the position in our
church, but not only that, but just our church in general. I mean, we got a
great thing going, we got people that are going out soul-winning
faithfully, we're going to different parts of the world, and you know, what
about the fact that there are people in Aruba? Are we content with the fact that
we're not in Aruba right now? You know, let's bring it on home, right? Who would
want to be there if we could? But you know, maybe our schedules don't allow
it, maybe our finances don't allow it, we can't get there like some other
people can. We should be content with that, because I'll tell you what, you
know what they're doing in Aruba? The exact same thing we can do here.
They're just going out knocking doors, they're just going out and preaching the
gospel. Truett's in a very nice place, right? It's tropical, it's probably
exotic, but you know, there's some nice places here in Phoenix, and that's
really not what it's about anyway. It's about going out and preaching the
gospel. So we should learn to be content with our church, we should be
learned to be content with our church family and the work that we've
been given to do, but I know we've got young men in this
building that desire the office of a bishop, you know, and I'm one as well,
and I think that's great, and I think we need more. I think we need as many
as we can. I mean, people are just clamoring for a good church in so many
parts of the world. They need one. It's just a real need today, and we got
some guys that are stepping up to the plate, but I want to just pose this
question to them and anybody else that might have pondered the question or
might one day, if you desire the office of a bishop, one question you need
to ask yourself is, why? Why is it that you desire the office of a bishop? Is it
because you're not content with just being a church member? Because if it is,
that's the wrong reason. You know, you should be content and say, you know what,
if I never go in to the pastorate, I'm fine with that. I could stay in the
pew. I can be a blessing in my local church and just be one of the
guys in the background. You know, I might not get my face on YouTube. Some
people on YouTube might be grateful for that, you know, but can we be content
with just where we are? Because there's one reason why we should desire to be
a bishop, one reason why we should desire the office of the pastorate, and
that's for others, to be a help to other people, to go to a town or a city
and start a church for the purpose of winning souls, preaching the Bible, and
helping people live for the Lord, not for vainglory. If you're there in
3rd John chapter 1, look at verse 9, I wrote unto the church by
diatrophies, who loveth to have the preeminence among them receiveth us not.
Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, pratting
against us with malicious words and not content therewith. See, that's where
being discontent can take you, to where you have to have the
preeminence, to where people that would, you know, God's own people, you're gonna
prat against them, or you're gonna have malicious words. Some people have to
have the spotlight, they just can't live without it, and they're willing to do
anything to get it. And it's strange about these people that, you
know, whether they're being spoken of as good or evil, they're not
content without the spotlight, they have to have it, so they're even
willing to go to the extreme of being derided. You know, as long as the
pastor Anderson or some other pastor will say my name, even if it's in
derision, I'm happy because that means I'm getting the attention. That
means I'm not just, you know, somebody who's going unrecognized. And what's
really strange is that, you know, a lot of these people, they'll start to preach
strange doctrines, they'll start to say really weird things, and they think that,
and I honestly think that they think they're right most of the time.
They think they've got it all figured out, but they aren't fooling anybody.
That's why it says in Galatians, for if a man think of himself to be
something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. He's the only person
he's got fooled. So if we, and that could be us, I mean, if we decide
we're not content, you know, we're willing to do anything or say
anything or preach anything, you know, we'll end up looking the fool.
Now I just want to have a closing thought here about, on this point.
People that are not content with their position. They're not content
with their person. They're not content with their possessions. If you're not
content with the way you look tonight, if you're not content with the way God made
you, you need to consider something. You need to consider your heavenly person.
Consider the fact that one day you are going to be changed, physically.
That should help. That should help you become content. Some of us are really
looking forward to it, you know. They're a heavenly person. The Bible says in 1st
Corinthians chapter 15, and go ahead and turn over to Psalm chapter 17, Psalm
chapter 17, where our heavenly person is going to change one day. If we're
discontent with the way we look, don't worry. It's going to change. The Bible says in 1st
Corinthians 15, Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we
shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. It's not going
to take nine months of dieting and exercise and, you know, all these
different things that you got to do. It's going to be in a moment, in a twinkling
of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall
be raised incorruptible and we shall all be changed. For this corruptible
must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on mortality. There's
going to be a physical change to our bodies one day. The Bible says in Psalm
chapter 17, look at verse 15, As for me, I will behold thy face in
righteousness. I will be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. If you're
discontent today with the way you look, maybe you should just be
satisfied with the fact that one day you're going to awake with his
likeness. That when we see him, we shall be as he is. The Bible says in 1st John,
Beloved, now we are the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for
we shall see him as he is. That's a great promise in the Word of God. That's
something we can look forward to. That's something that should help us be
content with the way God made us. The fact that if there's something about
our physical makeup that we just can't get over, it will be changed one
day. So that's help for a person who might be discontent with their
person. But what about somebody who's maybe struggling with their
possessions? They're a little discontent with the things that they have. They
want a little bit more than they should. They think they don't have enough. We
should consider the fact that we have a heavenly possession, that there are
riches that are being stored up for us in heaven, that we have a home in
heaven, that we have a mansion in heaven. Go ahead and turn over to John
chapter 14. John chapter 14, I'll read to you from 1st Peter 1.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to
his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and
undefiled that they doth not away reserved in heaven for you. People today
they get so caught up in what they're gonna leave their children. I mean
people, they just live their whole lives so they can develop some estate,
you know, and how they're gonna pass it on and the legacy
that they're gonna leave behind them financially. But what about that true
inheritance that's gonna be for us in heaven? You know, we want
inheritance. We want someone to give us something that will help us
financially. Well that might never come, but we should learn to be content with
what we do have because of the fact that we have an inheritance that's
incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. And where is it
reserved? It's not in the Bank of America. It's reserved in heaven for
you. The Bible says in John 14 verse 1, Let not your heart be troubled. You
believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If
it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. You know,
the house is feeling a little tight, you know. We don't know if we're gonna
be able to, how long we're gonna stay in there. We could use a little more elbow room,
but maybe it's just not gonna come. Maybe it's just not gonna happen for
us. Maybe we just need to learn to be content with what you have and
understand that there's a mansion in heaven. That we don't need to go
chasing after, you know, these gigantic mansions here on earth and make our
life all about just, you know, amassing this wealth and these homes and these
cars when we have this treasure that's in heaven waiting for us. How can we be
discontent with the things that we have when we have so much waiting for us
in heaven? So that should help us with our possessions. But what about our
heaven, our position? If we're discontent with, you know, hey, all I do is scrub
the toilets, all I do is vacuum the floor, or, you know, I'm just, you know, all I get
to do is go soul. That's the only preaching I get to do is out soul
winning. I mean, could a person develop that kind of an attitude? Sure they
could, you know, and they get bitter about it, but that's because they're
discontent and they have, they need to stop and they need to consider the fact
about their heavenly position, where you are in heavenly places. You're there in
John, look at verse 3, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there ye may be also. I mean,
if dwelling where Christ is isn't going to be enough for us, I don't know what
is. I mean, mansion or not, just to be in his presence is going to be the
greatest position any of us could ever have, and that should help us to be
content on this earth with positions and the possessions that we have. The
Bible says in Ephesians, go ahead and turn over to Ephesians chapter 2, Ephesians
chapter 2. I'll read from Ephesians 1. Grace be to you and peace from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places. Spiritual blessings in heavenly places, and that should be our
where we need to learn why we should be content, because that's where our
blessings are. We might not come on this earth, we might not have
everything that everybody else has, we might not have all the nice things and
the best things and the newest things, but we might be able to look at
somebody else that has all that and wonder, do they have spiritual
blessings in heavenly places? Because that's what you have. The Bible says in
Ephesians chapter 2, verse 5, and even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace are you saved, and hath
raised us up together and made us sit in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his
grace and kindness toward us through Jesus Christ. What a great position to
have, to sit in heavenly places in Christ, to be an example through the
ages to come of his kindness toward us. I mean that should help us be
content with our position. Oh I'm just a Christian, oh I'm just saved, I'm just a
church member. You are made to sit in heavenly places. You are an example
through the ages to come of God's grace and mercy toward us. That's a great
position to have. And if it's not enough, if heaven is not enough, if the
new body is not enough, if the treasures and the mansions in heaven are
not enough, if the position in heaven is not enough, nothing on this earth
will be either. Let's go ahead and close in a word of prayer. Heavenly Father,
again thank you for the Bible, thank you for the great truths that we can
learn from it, thank you Lord for all that you've given us. Lord, here on
this earth and in the ages to come, help us Lord to always focus on those
things and not on the things of this earth that our heart might be in heaven,
that our treasure might be there also. We pray and ask these things in Christ's
name, amen.