LIFE IS AN ATTITUDE – PICK A GOOD ONE
Take Me To The Happy Place
Sunday February 11, 2007
Scripture Reference: Romans 12:2, 1 Timothy 6:6-10
Intro.
A. How many of you have heard that express, “Take Me To The Happy Place”? Who can tell me what it means? Can you give me one word that would sum up the feelings we have about our so called “Happy Place”? I think that the one word that would properly describe this place in our lives is “Contentment”. I think most of us would agree that the “happy place” is not necessarily the perfect place. It’s not the place where there are absolutely no problems whatsoever, but it is the place where those problems do not over whelm us. It is the place where there is still work to be done but not so much work that it feels like work is all we do. It’s not the place where we are “Rolling in the dough” but it is the place where there is enough money for the bills and even some money for the niceties. It’s the place where there is time. Time to go for a walk, time to just sit on the porch and read a book, time to actually play catch with your son or dress up with your daughter.
1. Its contentment. It’s not about being rich. It’s not about having a bigger house or newer car. It’s not about achieving status or position; it’s about being satisfied, about being able to say “I have all that I need.” What do you really want out of life? Do you really want to have those millions of dollars from the lottery? Do you really want that home on the hill or in my case on the beach? Do you really want that supervisor job at work, or to be the club president? Or do you just want to be able to say, “life is great just as it is.” Now I am not talking about being complacent or about being stuck in a rut. I am talking about being content.
Trans. Let’s do what we have done with each of these messages so far and that is to define the attitude we are talking about. So let’s define as best we can what contentment is.
I. WHAT IS CONTENTMENT?
First of all I believe that contentment is being satisfied with God’s provisions.
A. Contentment Is Being Satisfied With God’s Provisions.
1. Here is a wonderful prayer I think all of us ought to memorize or keep in front of us in some way. It comes from King Solomon whom some have said is the wisest man to ever live. Here is what he said in Proverbs 30:7-9 NLT O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die.8 First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.9 For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name. This is an interesting prayer especially if you know anything about the life of Solomon because not only was he considered the wisest man to ever live he was also considered the richest man to ever live. He had it all so to speak and yet his last words were, “Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. Do you believe that God provides for you? You might not think so even within the church the way most of us work and toil and spend. Let me remind you of the words of Jesus in the sermon on the Mount Matthew 6:25-32 NIV "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? 28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
B. Contentment Is A Place Of Rest.
1. I think you can see what I mean here from what I said as we began this message. It is also illustrated in the verses we just read from Matthew, Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Contentment does not mean stagnation, it just means that we have ceased our striving for things we don’t need.
C. Contentment Means A Settled Sense Of Adequacy.
1. What I like about this part of the definition is that it speaks to what is going on inside of me. When something is settled it means we have set a course and we are staying that course. James said in James 1 that the double minded man is unstable in all he does. People who are double minded are definitely not settled. They definitely do not have a sense of rest and peace.
2. Let me give you a scenario of what I mean. For the person who has a settled sense of adequacy in their lives it might go like this. The boss says, “Hey how would you like to work some overtime tomorrow? I have so extra work that needs to get done.” You reply, “No, that’s OK I don’t need it.” The boss says, “What, you can’t use some extra cash?” and you reply, “Oh I can use it but I don’t need it.” The the boss says, “Well ya but wouldn’t you like some more money?” and you say, “No, that’s OK.” The boss, “Well why not?” You reply, “Because I have enough.” You see for most people the issue we have to deal with is not the issue of need but want or to put it a little more starkly, greed. Contentment is our having a settled sense of adequacy an understanding that a little more really will not make us any happier and may well disturb the peace we now have.
Trans. Now there may be some but my guess is that most of here today would say, “Pastor that is where I want to be in my life.” “I am on this incredible treadmill and everyday it seems someone has kicked it up a notch of two and I am not sure if I can keep up the pace.” “How can I get to where I am truly satisfied with what I have and not always looking for a little more?” Well I think I can give you some answers.
I. TO BE CONTENT WE HAVE TO DO THE OLD MATH.
I remember as a kid in elementary school when I would take my homework home and have trouble figuring out the math and I would ask my dad to help me. I remember him telling me he didn’t understand some of it and I told him that it was the “New Math”, but I really don’t know what was new about it.
A. Some Things Can’t Be Improved On.
1. Let me give you a few math equations and let’s see if you can figure them out. [] 2+2= 4 Wow you are really good! 2x2= 4 Who ever said the folks at Cornerstone weren’t smart? OK one more just to prove the superior intelligence of this congregation. 2-2= 0 What if I told you that I didn’t agree with your answers to these math problems? What if said, “I think that 2+2=2 what would you say? You would probably tell me that I can think that way all I want but it doesn’t change the reality. 2+2 still equals 4.
2. We are living in a culture that has a very difficult time with absolutes, with black and white. How many books did God write to tell us about Himself? One, the Bible and the bible says that Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life and that no one comes to God except through him, yet how many people today believe that there are many roads to God? The fact that people are choosing another road to God does not make it right. How many times have I said to you, “You can be sincere but still be sincerely wrong?” [] I could come in from one of my runs and see what I sincerely believe to be a glass of water sitting on the counter. Being thirsty I could grab that glass and drink the liquid that was in it sincerely believing that I just drank a glass of what. Then Sue could walk in and say, “Why did you drink that, that glass was filled with rat poison?” Well I sincerely thought it was water but I was sincerely wrong and now I am sincerely dead.
3. What I am trying to communicate to you is that God has established certain equations for us that can’t be altered. We might choose to disagree with them and chose another path but our decision does not alter the reality.
Trans. What we learn here in these verses of scripture is that contentment has an inseparable partner.
B. Contentment Has An Inseparable Partner.
1. Look at V.6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. What this is my friends is one of God’s life equations that cannot be changed, modified, or eliminated. If you and I want to know what it really means to be content then we better also know what it means to be godly because God says in His word that these two things go together. Now we have already discussed what contentment means so we probably need to get our arms around what it means to be godly.
2. What is godliness? Does it mean we walk around with the halo over our heads? Does it mean that when we stub our toe we say, “Thank You Jesus”? If that’s the case I guess godliness is beyond reach. It would be like one of those carrots some seem to believe God holds out there for us but knows we will never reach it. I think the Bible best defines godliness and I find that definition in Philippians 2:5-9 NLT You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges ; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Godliness is simply having the attitude of Christ, although I will admit that is not always simple, but that is the essence of what it means to be godly. It means that I am endeavoring to think and to act as Jesus would.
3. Here is a distinction I think can help us. Godliness deals with who I am whereas contentment deals with what I have. Now this is very, very important because if I am really going to be content then that contentment begins with my relationship with God. Remember the equation that cannot be altered, “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” So true contentment begins with God and my attitude and relationship with Him. There are far too many of us who are getting the proverbial “cart before the horse”. We think and act like godliness needs to follow contentment and of course we then think that real contentment comes from what we have and the reason we have our reasoning messed up is because we trying to change an equation that cannot be changed. We are not rich in what we have we are rich in who we are. Look at how radical Jesus got about this subject. He said in Matthew 5:30 NLT And if your hand—even your stronger hand —causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. Jesus tells us that the only thing that really matters in this life is our life is him not all the things we can accumulate.
Trans. I can’t spend much time here because I have spent more time on this point than I probably should have but let me suggest to you a few of the ways we try to improve upon God’s equation of godliness with contentment is great gain.
C. Some Examples Of Fuzzy Math.
1. Godliness with prosperity equals great gain. I am amazed at preachers today to blatantly preach a prosperity gospel. A gospel that says God wants everyone to be rich and so if you are not then it says you are not doing the right things. Of course it seems that the right thing these preachers want you to do is send them more money.
2. Godliness with poverty equals great gain. This is the extreme reaction to the first false equation. Some seem to feel that being poor and being godly are equal and they are not.
3. Godliness with power equals great gain. If I could just be the boss. If I could just be the condo president.
4. Godliness with Family equals great gain. Hold on now preacher this one doesn’t make sense. Are you telling us that family isn’t important? Of course not, but what I am telling you that if you think that getting your family together and living peacefully together will bring contentment you are sorely mistaken. What did Jesus say about this? Matthew 10:37 NLT “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.
5. Godliness with Ministry success equals great gain. I put this one in just for me because it is where I am often guilty of trying to change God’s equation for contentment in my life.
Trans. Let me give you what I believe are two steps to contentment.
III. TWO STEPS TO CONTENTMENT.
If we are going to reach the place of true contentment then first of all we have to look to eternity.
A. Look To Eternity. V.7
1. Read V.7. We all know this is true don’t we? Did you know that in some cases funeral homes provide a suit for the deceased if the family doesn’t have one they want them to wear and did you know that suit has no pockets in it? Why does the deceased need pockets? What can they take with them into eternity? As I said we all know this is true but here’s our problem. We sure don’t live like it. Please understand that what I am talking about right now has absolutely nothing to do with taking care of our basic needs while we live out the life God has given us. What I am talking about is the attitude that says, “Eat, Drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.” It is an attitude that says, “This world is all there is and I am not looking forward to a place called heaven.”
2. Do you know what happens when people take on this attitude? They stop making contributions to their eternal account. The purposes of God for their lives are nice but definitely non-essential. Be honest, what is your gut level attitude towards God’s five purposes? Do you feel they are good and important but that they come after you have fulfilled your other desires? Come on now be honest what is your true feelings about worship? Is it something like this, “Worship is great, I believe in worship, but hey they do it every Sunday so it’s no big deal if I decide this week to stay home and sleep or watch some ball game or catch up on some housework.”
Trans. Well let me give you step two and this one I am sure you already know.
B. Let Enough Be Enough.
1. Look at V. 8 with me. When was the last time I said, “I have enough food at home I don’t need to eat out? When was the last time I said, “I have enough pants to wear I don’t need anymore.” When was the last time I said, “I have a place to live I don’t need a different home.” When was the last time I said, “I already have a boat I don’t need another one or a different one.”
2. What do we Have to Have? Yes I need food but what kind of food do I need and home much of it do I need? Remember what we learned about the children of Israel last week? God provided them with food, it was manna. What did they tell God? They said, “God your provision for us is not good enough. Yes we have food but it is no longer the kind of food we want to have you need to do better.”
3. I want to put out a word of caution right now because if you are like me you are probably making some excuses in you mind for why it is OK for you to want the things you want. I found this happening the whole time I wrote this sermon.
4. Let me give you something that I found helpful so let’s see if it can help you. A good way to tell if we are seeking contentment in the wrong places or in the wrong ways is this. After God has provided for my basic needs am I content or do I still want more? Now let me add this because I have found this to be true in my own life. When we are satisfied with the basic needs being met that is when God will often surprise us with some treats. My friends we serve a good God and he is not bent on depriving us but desperately wants us to seek His kingdom first because He knows we can only be truly happy and content when He is truly Lord of our lives.
Trans. I really have to be brief here but I feel it is necessary for me to point out that we are told there will be definite consequences for our trying to mess with Gods equation for living. Let me point out a few of them.
IV. THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR WRONG CHOICES.
A. A Fixation On Riches.
1. Look at V. 9 (read). It says that these people wanted to get rich. It literally mean they had fixed their attention on riches and lost sight of all else.
B. We Fall Into Temptation.
1. V.9 They weren’t just tempted the Bible says the fell in. This wasn’t something that came and went it was something that came and stayed.
C. We Get Trapped.
1. Some of you sitting here today are trapped. You tried to mess with God’s equation for your life and it didn’t work and now you are trapped. You are saying things like, “Pastor I really want to be more involved in the church but if I don’t put in the extra hours at work I will get passed over for the next promotion.” YOU’RE TRAPPED! You are saying things like, “I really want to give my tithe and offerings but I’ve got this car payment and the credit card bills have piled up.” YOU’RE TRAPPED! Before we know it the things we have purchased now possess us!
D. Ruin And Destruction.
1. All that stuff we worked so hard for. It has ruined us. It has ruined our joy, it has ruined our marriages, and it has ruined our families. It has ruined our bank accounts. We find ourselves just as Jesus described in Matthew 7:26-27 MG "But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. 27 When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards."
Trans. Usually you save the best for last right? Well I hate to tell you but I have saved the worst for last.
E. We Wander From The Faith.
1. We become alienated from God. It is only natural because we have not done as he asked and sought first His kingdom.
2. We lose spiritual sensitivity. When was the last time you felt convicted by God about something? I mean convicted by God not made to feel guilty by the preacher? I can make you feel guilty but only god can convict. If it has been a while since you have felt that spiritual conviction it might well be that you are losing your spiritual sensitivity.
3. We forget about God. Our lives become seek ME first and MY kingdom.
4. Sadly we end up inflicting our own lives with pain. What started out as blaming God for making our lives so difficult ends up with us stabbing ourselves and inflicting ourselves with many unnecessary griefs. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense does it?
LIFE APPLICATION
A. Let me tell you it is a long hard road to recover from a covetous attitude, but here is the good news. THERE IS A ROAD! Where is the road? It’s right here, Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.” Jesus is the road to recovery. Is this the road you are on now? Maybe you have never been on this road and maybe you have been on the road but a while back you decided to take another road that looked better. [] It reminds me of that family back at Thanksgiving time in Oregon who got lost and decided to take a road they thought would lead them back to where they wanted to go but they got stuck and then the husband went out to find help but died in the process.
1. That may be you today, but if it is I have good news for you. You are here today and you have heard God’s word. You are not dead yet, you still have a chance to turn back around and let god rescue you from that ruin and destruction.
2. Like so many of these attitude we are looked at already contentment is also a choice. Paul expressed this perfectly in Philippians 4:11-13 NLT I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Isn’t this the choice you want to make today?
PRAYER
