Chico Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
“Simplicity” The Path to Contentment
Review
Every Christian serious about a deeper walk with God and greater impact in our world must incorporate spiritual exercises as a way of life. These disciplines diminish the things that block our relationship with God and develop the tings that blossom our relationship with God.
Silence and Solitude
We need deeper connection. Solitude and silence diminishes pride and develops relationship which brings deeper connection.
Submission
We need greater obedience. Submission diminishes rebellion and develops respect which results in greater obedience.
Confession
We need a pure and contrite heart before God. Confession diminishes denial and develops humility which results in purity.
Scripture – Faith - Prayer
We need trust. These three disciplines diminish self-reliance and develop dependence
Thanksgiving
We need to worship God. Thanksgiving and celebration diminishes negative complaining and develops a grateful, rejoicing heart – a heart of worship.
Sacrifice & Service
We need and eternal focus and purpose. Sacrifice and service diminishes selfishness and develops selflessness which results in fruitfulness. Sacrifice has to do with the intentional denial of present desires to focus on the desires of someone else. Sacrifice willingly offers something valued highly for the sake of someone valued more highly.
Such sacrifice involves a number of things we value highly.
• Family
We need to release control of our families. Dedication to God diminishes worry and control and develops inner peace.
• Time
We need to redeem the time; make efficient use of our time. A dedicated Sabbath – time dedicated exclusively to God – diminishes business and develops effectiveness.
• Money
We need to maintain a proper attitude toward money. Regular giving diminishes selfishness and develops generosity which prevents loving money over God and others.
That brings us up to the next area of sacrifice
INTRODUCTION
This next discipline is a major key to our quality of life on this earth. This disciplines helps cultivate a state of mind that (or maybe it is the result of this state of mind) that the whole world longs for but rarely finds. Many have given their fortunes in search of it. Others have sacrificed their life’s to achieve it. It is a central pursuit of most all of the world’s religions. It is the theme of our constitution; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am talking about contentment.
Contentment is a feeling of calm satisfaction, a freedom from care or worry, a sense of pleasure.
Most people do not have a clue where true contentment is found. Paul told the Philippians he had learned the secret of being content in any circumstance.
Contentment is a state of mind not a state of affairs.
Contentment has little to do with external circumstances.
Contentment is not the result of denying reality but seeing reality from an eternal perspective,
Contentment can never be found through fleshly pursuit; the flesh is NEVER satisfied.
Solomon tried everything. Ecclesiastes 2:9-11
Contentment is not the same as complacency.
If contentment is a calm satisfaction, discontent is a restless dissatisfaction or disappointment.
Such discontent becomes the core of nearly every social ill today.
Listen to James’ assessment. James 3:13-16 James 4:1-3
Jesus warned of such discontent.
Then Jesus said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Luke 12:15
Satan planted thoughts of discontent in Eve and persuaded her to disobey God. Paul agonized over the fact that he still succeeds today.
For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:2-3
Contentment is a state of mind. It is the feeling of satisfaction and peace based on a settled trust in the person and purpose of God. He is enough! The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want.
Discontent breeds in every area of our life. It invades our thinking about ourselves, others, our jobs, our friends, our church family, our own family, our actions, our work. Any time we depend on some circumstance, person or action to fill up the empty feeling in our life we will always be disappointed. Any time we expect to achieve here on earth what can only be realized at the return of Christ we will be disappointed, discontent and disillusioned. Discontent fosters any number of other poisonous weeds that choke out our life. Grumbling, worry, bitterness, selfish ambition, greed, restlessness, fatigue, perfectionism, impatience, anger, control, ingratitude, addictions, spending problems, jealousy, envy, lying, stealing.
These are all the results of striving to find contentment through other people or things.
Discontentment and the pursuit of things choke out the fruitfulness of the word in our life.
"The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. Luke 8:14
Scripture urges the development of contentment as opposed to discontent.
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have Hebrews 13:5
1 Timothy 6:3-10 Luke 3:14
In order to run this race of faith faithfully requires us to drop the baggage. Hebrews 12:1-3
When we fail to cultivate our relationship with God, our perspective gets clouded and our thinking becomes twisted. Now we try to fill the discontent with stuff. Stuff encumbers our mission. Stuff slows the race. All of a sudden we find ourselves discontent with how God is doing things. Like the Israelites discontentment with God’s supernatural provision of Manna everyday we complain and whine for something more satisfying.
Why didn’t God…Why won’t God…How could God…When will God…If I were God I wouldn’t…
Since God won’t arrange my circumstances to satisfy my emptiness with whatever I guess I have to do it myself. We fill up our life with activity, stuff and business. The more stuff the emptier we feel. Like Solomon who had it all we feel life is empty, air, pointless, meaningless.
We spend the rest of our life giving lip service to our relationship but in place of blessing is an unspoken bitterness and disappointment. Scripture records numerous examples of discontent and the resulting misery. Is He really enough? Could I be content with just food and clothes?
Do you expect your marriage to bring that calm satisfaction? Children? Your Activities? Your talents? Your friends? Stuff? Success? Vacations, pleasure, food?
If you think that any of these things can bring satisfaction you will be disappointed and discontent because they can’t. In fact since the fall, we will always have a place that aches for something that doesn’t’ exist here and now. We were created for something different than can be found on this earth. We are told to be content with food and clothes and yet Jesus told His followers not even to focus on that. Matthew 6:25-34
Only one thing is necessary.
But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her." Luke 10:38-42
So what is Paul’s secret to contentment?
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. Philippians 4:10-12
Paul acknowledged that he had nothing to promote, nothing to prove, nothing to protect.
He could truly appreciate any gift because it was not an expectation and his satisfaction and joy did not come from need. Paul learned to be content in whatever circumstance. He learned the secret of not being driven by external things. What was his secret? Perhaps the answer is more from the whole letter than from this passage. The letter reveals Paul’s thinking which dictated his feeling.
Because his thinking was right he experienced contentment – calm satisfaction divorced from external factors.
Chapter one – Paul lived to exalt Christ. “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain”
Chapter two – Paul lived to serve Christ by serving others
Chapter three – Paul Considered everything secondary to knowing Christ better.
Chapter four – Paul prayed about everything; worried about nothing
Paul fully trusted in Christ to strengthen Him in any circumstance.
How content was Paul? 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Paul was content having more than enough. Paul was content having nothing. Paul was even content with an oppressive demonic affliction. His contentment; his feeling of calm satisfaction and pleasure was based on a settled determination to:
• Live for Christ
• Serve Christ by serving others.
• Pursue deeper relationship with Christ above everything else
• Pray about everything rather worry about anything
• Face every circumstance in the strength of Christ.
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU," so that we confidently say, "THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?" Hebrews 13:5-6
Contentment eliminates grumbling, worry, selfish ambition, greed, restlessness, impatience, anger, control, ungratefulness, addictions because we have nothing to prove, nothing to promote, nothing to lose when Christ is our supreme aim. Jesus came into the world with nothing material and left with nothing material. He spend the 30 years pursuing nothing material and left and eternal legacy. We come and go the same but what we do in between determines what we will leave of eternal value. Choose to want less rather than to have more.
Psalms 17:13-15 Philippians 3:17-21
The writer of Hebrews warns us to keep watch over the flock and watch for particular destructive things. Those who fall short of the grace of God. Roots of bitterness. People like Esau who willingly traded the eternal for the temporal. Later Esau realized that the bowl of stew did not really satisfy his appetite but it was too late. Some choices we make do not come around again. We forfeit that particular blessing or opportunity.
• Identify your pockets of discontent.
• Trace your thinking. Do you expect to find satisfaction from those things?
• Repent.
• Renew your mind.
Practice simplicity.
Desire fewer things of this earth.
Give less time and energy to the temporal concerns.
Set your mind on things above.
Lay aside every encumbrance to a deeper walk with God.
