CONTENTMENT AS TESTAMENT
I Corinthians 7:7-8
S: Contentment (singleness and life situations)
Th: My Life as God’s Light
Pr: WE CAN ONLY TRULY BE CONTENT IN THE LOVE OF GOD.
?: What? In what?
KW: Circumstances
TS: We will find in our study six circumstances that show contentment is only found in the love of God.
The _____ circumstance that shows contentment is only found in the love of God is…
I. NEVER MARRIED
II. NOT MARRIED YET
III. MARRIED, BUT DIVORCED
IV. SEPARATED BY DEATH
V. MARRIED
VI. SPECIAL SITUATIONS
RMBC 18 November 01 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Contentment: (C & H—if tigers weren’t content)
Calvin and and his pet tiger, Hobbes, are walking in the woods, when Calvin says, “I wonder why people are never content with what they have.
Hobbes responds with, “Are you kidding? Your fingernails are a joke, you’ve got no fangs, you can’t see at night, your pink hides are ridiculous, your reflexes are nil, and you don’t even have tails! Of course people aren’t content!
Calvin answers, “Forget I said anything.”
To which Hobbes responds, “Now if tigers weren’t content, that would be something to wonder about.”
Do you struggle with contentment?
I think that it is interesting that as human beings, the more that we have, the less content we are.
Have you ever noticed that?
I have found that true in my life.
So…it makes me ask…what is the secret to contentment?
Well, before we go any further with this line of thought, let’s take a moment to review…
TRANSITION:
This is the third study out of three that has been considering the stations of life that we may find ourselves in.
1. Review: Two weeks ago, we discovered that we need our older people.
The older citizens of our congregation must not consider that their time has done.
For those of you who are older, there is still much for you to do.
Your continued participation in this church is a must for our survival.
2. Review: Last week, we established the importance of marriage.
There is a design for marriage that is to be respected and honored.
It is God’s design.
Not only that, it runs an evangelistic parallel, demonstrating the same relationship between Jesus and the church.
God, through the Son, loves us and commits to us for eternity.
An interesting thing happened to me last week as I looked out among you.
As I was speaking about marriage, the thought crossed my mind of how many singles we have in our church family.
There is probably more of you than you think.
And what I am especially thankful, is that so many of you are active and involved in this church.
You are not sitting on the sidelines.
You are a part of this place.
3. Today, we want to elevate the significance of the single life.
The single population in the United States is booming.
A few years ago, 37% of adults over 18 were single.
Today, that percentage is only increasing.
The percentage is increasing, yet from time to time singles in the church find that they are sometimes unfairly and unkindly treated, an oddity of sorts.
It happens because sometimes the church’s attitude is that if you’re not married, you’re either out of the will of God or your true love is still on the way.
But the truth is, if you are not married, it is not a failure.
Listen here…marriage is not the ultimate goal of life.
ILL Notebook: Single (uncle Frank)
Dean Sims’ Uncle Frank, at 78, was a healthy and wealthy man, a lifelong bachelor. He courted a lot, he said, but “never boiled over—just simmered.” On a whim, he decided to take a trip around the country to look up nearly a dozen old girlfriends.
Upon his return, he exclaimed, “Whew! Thank goodness I never married any of those women. They’re all widows now.”
Well, you can see Uncle Frank considered it an advantage to stay single.
For him it was matter of life and death!
But you know…
4. The reputation of the single life is a state of restlessness.
This is the reputation, of course, a generality.
It is not always true.
Yet, it often is, especially when we think of younger singles.
It is a time to have fun before settling down, being wild and carefree.
Some say it is a time to “sow wild oats.”
I have always found it interesting to note that Jesus was single.
He celebrated life.
He enjoyed healthy relationships.
He was comfortable with Himself.
He had a sense of purpose.
Jesus models how to live as a single.
For Him, it was never a time of restlessness.
Instead, it was a time to radically live out His purpose.
It was a time to not hold back.
It was a time to realize that He was the Son of God and that He was loved by the Father.
In the same way…
5. WE CAN ONLY TRULY BE CONTENT IN THE LOVE OF GOD.
Yes, here is that contentment theme again.
No matter what our circumstances, we can be content.
No matter what our station in life, whether married or single, we can be content.
So…
6. We will find in our study five circumstances that show contentment is only found in the love of God.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first circumstance is NEVER MARRIED.
1. The single life is worthwhile (I Corinthians 7:7).
I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
When Paul made this statement, he was going against the status quo.
Jewish tradition meant that you were married and you had children.
The orthodox Jewish belief of that time made marriage an obligation.
If a man did not marry and have children he was said to have “slain his posterity” and “to have lessened the image of God in the world.”
It was this orthodox belief that said if you did not marry, you were breaking the command of God to be fruitful and replenish the earth.
Paul offered an alternative.
He said, “Be like me.”
“Be single, like me.”
Being single is not an act of disobedience.
Neither is it sinful or shameful.
For, according to Paul…
2. To remain single for a lifetime is nothing less than a gift of God (I Corinthians 7:8).
But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am.
He said that because it is a gift.
Because it is tough to do, and especially today.
For not involving oneself sexually with another person is all the more difficult in this sex-saturated world that continually tells us that we are not complete until we have become sexually active.
Paul writes these things to a church that existed in the sex-saturated city called Corinth.
To be able to hold fast to singleness is a gift from God.
So, Paul says, if you are able, stay single, because…
3. The lifetime single has less distress and distraction (I Corinthians 7:32).
I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord.
This is does not mean that you do not have any distress or distractions, just less.
This is because you face fewer demands physically, emotionally, materially, and financially.
For when you are married, you are mutually responsible to provide care and intimacy.
For the single, you are free from this responsibility.
So, as a result, being single allows you to devote more time, energy, resources to the kingdom of God, to serving people, and to ministering in Jesus’ name.
This is why Paul recommends it so highly.
There is so much more you can do.
Consider these names from our own congregation: Don, Linda, Carl, Holly Ann, Daryl, Dot, Al, Anne, Ray and Carol—I did not change their names to protect the innocent—for they are guilty.
They are using their extra time as an opportunity to minister in Jesus’ name.
II. The second circumstance is NOT MARRIED YET.
There are some singles that are single now, but fully expect to be married sometime.
These particularly live in the sometimes frustrating world of dating.
For example…
ILL Notebook: Dating (batter or verse)
A young man was in love with two women and could not decide which of them to marry. Finally, he went to a marriage counselor. When asked to describe his two loves, he noted that one was a great poet and the other made great pancakes. "Oh," said the coun-selor, "I see what the problem is. You can’t decide whether to marry for bat-ter or verse.
Dating can be frustrating, but I believe I have some good advice.
If you feel you will ultimately take Paul’s advice to marry rather than burn, have this focus:
We must become focused on becoming a great mate, rather than catching one.
We need to concentrate on what we must become, not on what we lack.
Sometimes we can be full of despair and discontentment because we have not found that special someone.
We think that it is never going to happen.
But the truth is, many people make the mistake of marrying wrong because they get in a hurry.
They don’t have the courage and faith to stay single until God works it out for them.
III. The third circumstance is PARTNER LOSS.
When we lose our partner, we grieve, but not without hope.
There are two basic ways to lose a partner, either divorce or death.
And I know that as I scan our church family, that there are many examples of both situations here this morning.
Sometimes I hear arguments about which one is worse, death or divorce.
But let us agree here, that they are both extremely painful, and that in both circumstances, you can feel as if you are without hope.
ILL Notebook: Grief (mustard seed)
There is an old Chinese tale about a woman whose only son died. In her grief, she went to the holy man and said, "What prayers, what magical incantations do you have to bring my son back to life?" Instead of sending her away or reasoning with her, he said to her: "Fetch me a mustard seed from a home that has never known sorrow. We will use it to drive the sorrow out of your life." The woman set off at once in search of that magical mustard seed. She came first to a splendid mansion, knocked at the door, and said: "I am looking for a home that has never known sorrow. Is this such a place? It is very important to me." They told her, "You’ve cer-tainly come to the wrong place" and began to describe all the tragedies that had recently befallen them. The woman then said to herself, "Who is better able to help these poor unfortunate people than I, who have had misfortune of my own?" She stayed to comfort them, then went on in her search for a home that had never known sorrow. But wherever she turned, in hovels and in palaces, she found one tale after another of sadness and misfortune. Ultimately, she be-came so involved in ministering to other people’s needs and grief that she forgot about her quest for the magical mustard seed, never realizing that it had in fact driven the sorrow out of her life.
There is hope, especially as we become other-focused.
IV. The fourth circumstance is MARRIED.
I know, you were thinking this was a message about being single.
It still is, because I want to remove a myth that so many believe, especially singles.
It goes like this…
My life, together with someone else, equals happiness.
But let me state this principle for perspective.
Your partner cannot fill all your needs and make you content.
Being married does not make you content.
In fact, if you are single and unhappy, you will be married and twice as unhappy.
In the same way, if you are married and discontent, you’ll be divorced and discontent or remarried and discontent.
And do not think that when you marry someone, you will be able to change him or her into a more manageable human being.
It won’t be successful.
Your lack of contentment will increase, not decrease.
V. The fifth circumstance is SPECIAL SITUATIONS.
When we are confronted by difficult and overwhelming situations, we will find God’s blessing if we search for it.
We all are confronted with the temptation to look at what others have and say we would be happy if our lives were like theirs were.
The situations are of great variety…
For instance, a couple who want children for some reason are unable to have any.
Another person has an unexpected sickness that is chronic.
Another person is born with a disability.
Each of these situations is difficult and overwhelming.
But contentment is not far away.
God’s blessings are not in the realm of impossibility.
Testimony: Darrin Ray
Darrin’s life and testimony is supported by this quote from Charles Spurgeon:
ILL Spurgeon quote
Is God enough for your need, or is His all-sufficiency too narrow for you? Is His heart faint? Is His arm weary? If so, seek another God!
No matter what our situation or station in life, it is not out of reach for God.
APPLICATION:
Friends, the Lord wants us to remain content in our situation.
He wants us to know the joy that He has for us.
For (listen to this), no one is incomplete that is filled with Christ.
This means that…
1. Our deepest intimacy needs are only met in a relationship with Christ (Philippians 4:11-13).
Note again what Paul says…
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Our calling is to learn to live a fulfilled life no matter what state we are in.
Changing our station in life doesn’t accomplish happiness or fulfillment.
For God not only desires that we remain in our condition, but abound in it.
We are to fulfill every blessing in it.
We are to abound and exult in our condition.
And if He wants to change it, He will.
You know, Paul writes Philippians from a Roman jail awaiting sentencing.
He doesn’t know whether he is going to live or die, and yet, he is genuinely content.
We falsely think that contentment comes from people we know, positions we hold, and places we visit.
But the truth is, contentment is found in the reality of the moment and not the uncertainty of the future.
Contentment is found in spite of our circumstances, not because of our circumstances.
Contentment is found in Christ’s strength, not our own.
2. WE CAN ONLY TRULY BE CONTENT IN THE LOVE OF GOD.
Ours is a loving, redemptive God.
When we allow Him, God moves into all our humans sorrows with healing and sustaining grace.
He lovingly gives Himself to us intimately and personally, meeting us with sufficiency for all our needs, enabling us to live richly, creatively, and joyfully—now and forever.
ILL Notebook: Contentment (better higher up)
The famous preacher D.L. Moody told about a Christian woman who was always bright, cheerful, and optimistic, even though she was confined to her room because of illness. She lived in an attic apartment on the fifth floor of an old, rundown building. A friend decided to visit her one day and brought along another woman -- a person of great wealth. Since there was no elevator, the two ladies began the long climb upward. When they reached the second floor, the well-to-do woman commented, "What a dark and filthy place!" Her friend replied, "It’s better higher up." When they arrived at the third landing, the remark was made, "Things look even worse here." Again the reply, "It’s better higher up." The two women finally reached the attic level, where they found the bedridden saint of God. A smile on her face radiated the joy that filled her heart. Although the room was clean and flowers were on the window sill, the wealthy visitor could not get over the stark surroundings in which this woman lived. She blurted out, "It must be very difficult for you to be here like this!" Without a moment’s hesitation the shut-in responded, "It’s better higher up." She was not looking at temporal things. With the eye of faith fixed on the eternal, she had found the secret of true satisfaction and contentment.
May each of us find such contentment today, no matter what our circumstances.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Be content…no matter what your station in life, married or single, and see God work in you what He wills for His glory.
Be content…no matter what your circumstances, whether you are in need or whether you have plenty; remember that tremendous things are ahead for you through Him who gives you strength.
Be content…because there is contentment in the love of God, who enables us to live richly, creatively, and joyfully, now and forever.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
