INTRODUCTION
• What comes to mind when you think of words such as joy, contentment, and inner peace?
• Do you think of a walk on the beach?
• Maybe you think about cuddling up next to the fireplace with a good book?
• Maybe for you, it is having a fat bank account, or if we could obtain a certain level of heath.
• Maybe it is finding the right person to marry, which, by the way, some still search for that even though they are already married.
• We are all searching for something in life.
• We are searching for an inner peace that seems, at times to be so elusive.
• The inner peace we seek is elusive in part because we really do not know where to look for it.
• Today we will look at what our text in Proverbs has to say about the subject of contentment, which is tied to the issues of joy, inner peace, to a certain level, happiness.
• In our text today, Solomon will offer us three keys that will help us to unlock contentment, joy, inner peace in our life.
• In case you were not aware, Solomon was one of the most wealthy people ever to live.
• When he came to power, God asked Solomon to ask Him for anything he wanted.
• Solomon, wise beyond his years, asked God to give him wisdom.
• God was so pleased with the answer that He gave Solomon his wish, plus wealth, power, and success.
• However, over time Solomon lost his way.
• The book of Ecclesiastes chronicles that journey.
• You should read that Old Testament book if you have not done so.
• In the end, after much wasted time, heartache, and pain, Solomon finally gets back on track.
› Our big idea for the message this morning is that joy, contentment, and inner peace are found in knowing, loving, trusting, and walking with God.
• Let's start with Proverbs 3:13 for one of the keys needed to unlock contentment in your life.
Proverbs 3:13 (CSB)
13 Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding,
SERMON
One key to unlocking contentment in your life is...
I. Finding wisdom.
• Verse 13 begins with the word HAPPY.
• Some versions translate the word as blessed also.
• Both of those translations miss the mark a bit on the meaning Solomon is seeking to convey in this passage and the other one we will look at together.
• The word translated HAPPY can be defined as the contentment or heavenly bliss that comes from knowing one is right with God and is following God's precepts.
• The word's core meaning conveys the thought of "benefit" or "advantage" and sometimes denotes the issue of security.
• The glad feelings about the benefit are often in view; happy is too narrow of the idea of the thought the word is meant to convey.
• Happiness and feeling blessed result from possessing the core meaning of the word.
• The same word is used in Psalm 1:1
Psalm 1:1 (CSB)
1 How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company of mockers!
• Why would someone be happy when they do not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway with sinners or sit in the company with scoffers?
• We are happy because we are receiving the benefits of walking with and trusting God.
• When we do what Psalm 1:1 states we cannot be happy because down deep within our soul, we know we are not right with God.
• Oh, we may seek to cover up the pain of not being right with God through various ways; however, nothing will remove that sense of knowing something is not right in our world.
• We are told that happy is the person who finds wisdom.
• The word FINDS in verse 13 shows that wisdom is not a result of luck or chance but rather the result of seeking and searching.
• We may also say, for example, "who discovers wisdom" or "who learns what wisdom teaches."
• So, what is this wisdom? Proverbs 2:1–8 shows us that the one seeking wisdom will find it and discover a knowledge of God (v. 5).
• Wisdom is not an object that may be lost and found but a reward that comes from disciplined effort on the part of the learner.
• Wisdom and understanding are a reference to the knowledge of God.
• This knowledge isn't simply being aware of God like you're aware of the weather; it is a relational knowledge that affects your daily life (2:7–8).
• Wisdom is the ability to apply knowledge or experience or understanding or common sense and insight to life.
• PROVERBS 3 EXPLAINS WHY wisdom matters and what wisdom creates.
• According to verses 13–26, Wisdom matters because wisdom is the open secret of the universe.
• It is not a private option; take it or leave it.
• Wisdom is how life works.
• We can disregard that for a while and get away with it because God built everything so well.
• But we want the last chapter of our stories to be the best, don't we?
• So wisdom matters.
• Wisdom also creates something, according to verses 27–35.
• Wisdom creates a culture of life amid this culture of death called our world.
• Wisdom is a community experience.
• It is a shared experience of life in its fullness. Let's go there together. (Proverbs, Wisdom that Works-Ortland)
• Proverbs 3:13 (CSB)
13 Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding,
Proverbs 16:20 (CSB)
20 The one who understands a matter finds success, and the one who trusts in the LORD will be happy.
A second key to unlocking contentment in your life is...
II. Acquiring understanding.
• We see that once we find wisdom, we must continually exercise said wisdom, increasing our understanding.
• Wisdom and understanding will help bring us inner peace, joy, and contentment because we start to see life through the eyes of God, and we start to apply that understanding and vision into our lives.
• We understand that life is much bigger, and our mission is more important to accomplish than we ever knew.
• When we employ the wisdom we obtain in life; our lives start to change.
• One of the things I have experienced in life is when I understand how something works, I can better utilize what I am using.
• I have always been pretty good with computers, even since computers became a reality for much of society.
• Understanding how things work helps us.
• When we start to understand the meaning and purpose of life and obtain Godly wisdom, life becomes much less complex.
• Life still is not always easy, but it becomes easier to make the right decisions, and it becomes easier to understand why things happen in life.
• We also understand that there is more to life than this life and that understanding can help us to deal with some of the rough spots in life.
• When we understand life, we will find success in life.
• The word translated UNDERSTANDS has the force of the thought of the discipline of prudence.
• Prudence, in biblical terms, denotes one who is skilled clever (in a positive sense). One who has a talent for insights and observations that use practical wisdom that leads to success.
• Life will be successful when we employ God's Word and ways to live.
• In any area of your life, you choose to employ God's wisdom, that area of life will be successful.
• When we are connected to Gods' Word, our decisions are better, and our inner peace and contentment will grow.
• The ESV translates this verse better to catch the flavor of the thought of the passage.
Proverbs 16:20 (ESV) — 20 Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
• You will find success in life when you put wisdom and understanding from verse 3 with understanding in 16:20; you will find success in life.
• When one feels a sense of success in life, it leads to inner peace, joy, and contentment.
• Let's look at a third key.
Proverbs 16:20 (CSB)
20 The one who understands a matter finds success, and the one who trusts in the LORD will be happy.
A third key to unlocking contentment in your life is...
III. Trusting God.
• Verse 20 ends with the statement, AND THE ONE WHO TRUSTS IN THE LORD WILL BE HAPPY!
• Trust denoted active confidence; more than believing in God'sLet's protection and provision, trust believes that God's way is the best way and so gladly follows it!
• Trusting God is a prerequisite to a life lived with contentment and inner peace.
• Proverbs 3:5-6 build on this thought of trusting God.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (CSB)
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.
• For one to follow God's way, one has to trust Him with all of their heart, no matter what the circumstances we face.
• When we trust in the Lord in this manner, we then can believe the promise that God will make our paths straight!
• We can trust God because He is the creator of all things.
• Do you really think we got here by random chance chemical reactions that defy logic?
• Proverbs 30:5 fleshes this out further: We will discover wisdom and joy through an intentional approach to the Scriptures. A wise person uses God's Word to get to know God better and grow their trust in God. And out of that trust will come a level of joy that transcends our surroundings (Philippians 4:4, 11–13).
Proverbs 30:5 CSB
5 Every word of God is pure; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
• We will discover wisdom and joy through an intentional approach to the Scriptures. A wise person uses God's Word to get to know God better and grow their trust in God.
• And out of that trust will come a level of joy that transcends our surroundings.
Philippians 4:4 (CSB)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:11–13 (CSB)
11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. 12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
• I know life is so much better when you can trust God.
• I know at times, that can bed challenging, especially when things happen that we do not want to happen.
CONCLUSION
• In many ways, our relationship with God is like a marriage.
• Imagine being married to someone, but the two of you never talk, and neither of you ever makes any effort to get to know the other.
• Would that marriage have any intimacy?
• Would it have trust?
• Would there be joy in that relationship? Or love?
• Yet many of us approach our relationship with God in that manner: no effort to talk to him, little attempt to get to know him through Scripture and prayer, no trust.
• If we do not seek out joy through a relationship with God, then we will likely seek through idols and find, in the end, that we were looking for joy in all the wrong places.
• If you cannot experience inner peace, joy, and contentment, maybe you need to consider Jesus!
• Our growth challenge is: Invest in finding joy in the Lord this week. Take time to talk to him, read his Word, and place your trust in him.
