December 1, 2002
Morning Service
Text: Hebrews 13:5
Subject: Being Content
Title: Don?t Worry ? Be Happy
I trust that everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. Are we ready to move on through the busy holiday season?
There was a fourth grade boy who was asked to give a report on Thanksgiving to give to the whole class. The teacher reminded him that there are certain things that he wasn’t allowed to say in public school because it might offend others. On the day of the report the boy stood and read,
"The Pilgrims came here from England seeking freedom of you know what. When they got here they gave thanks to you know who. Because of them, we can worship each Sunday at a you know what."
We are a blessed nation aren’t we? We can have just about anything we want. Yet it seems that the more we have the more we want. I remember once looking at relatives driving new trucks and thinking, "boy, I wish I could get a new truck. How can they afford it?" I knew that if we wouldn’t tithe every week I could easily make payments for a new truck and I could have what everybody else had. I got over that pretty quickly. I resolved to get what I could afford. I wouldn’t allow the enemy to convince me that I didn’t need to tithe. As I have matured as a Christian, I have learned to become content with the things that God has given me.
During this holiday time of Thanksgiving and gift giving we often get caught up in the "more is better" mindset. Or passage today shows us that we are to be content with the things God gives us. He is the true giver of gifts. He is the only one who can truly satisfy.
There was a song that the young people were singing quite a few years back that said simply, "Don’t worry - be happy." That is what the word is telling us today.
Hebrews 13:5, "Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you’."
Let us break down this verse today to get a full understanding of what God is speaking to us.
I. Let your conduct be without covetousness.
It has been said that character is how you respond around others. Integrity is how you respond when no one is looking. Character is your moral disposition. It is how you decide to act. Even though 2 Corinthians tells us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." You are still responsible to act like a Christian.
Acts chapter 8 tells the story of Simon the sorcerer who followed Philip as he preached. Verse 13, "Then Simon himself also believed;" yet he did not automatically have Christian character. It is a choice and it has to be developed. After you make the right decision then Christian character becomes a lifestyle. The character trait that the writer of Hebrews is encouraging is...
II. Be without covetousness. The love of money.
1 Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have stayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." Look at the front page of the newspapers or listen to the nightly news that describes every crime that is possible to commit has been committed for money.
Robbery. Embezzlement. Bribery. Extortion. Prostitution Drugs. Pornography. Even politics, sports, entertainment. It’s all about money and not about righteousness. Proverbs 11:28, "He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage." What is covetousness? A lust for more. Looking at what your neighbor has and wanting something like it or better. Craving for earthly possessions. The more possessions we have the more of our time is that is consumed by things. Boats. Pools Campers, RV’s 4-wheelers. Am I saying that it is wrong have those things? No! But when people spend money to get a ski boat they tend to want to go out on the river on Sunday. When people have pools they spend more time taking care of them than they do taking care of their relationship with the Lord. The same holds true with other things as well. We must find balance. Do you think that is why it is hard for a rich man to enter into heaven?
Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth not rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal; For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," As you increase the amount of things you have, the more you become tied down to them.
III. Be content with such things as you have.
Be satisfied. Philippians 4:11-13, "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Paul says to be satisfied, be content, and be joyful.
When you prosper, let not prosperity be the source of your joy. We can be rich but we must not trust in those riches. We must have the mind of Christ in order to prevent riches from making us haughty.
When we do, even if we go through tough times we can remain steadfast in our lives because our trust is in Him alone. God is our source. Be content with what you have. That means being content with your present circumstances. 1 Timothy 6:6-9 says, "Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition." You can’t take it with you. Have you ever seen a U-Haul behind a hearse or pockets on a casket?
Don’t let your desires be for things of this world. Don’t get to the point that you will do anything to have more. Don’t be overcome with the desire to accumulate things. If only I could win the lottery. If I could hit it big at the gambling boat just think of what I could do for the church. God doesn’t need your money, but He wants your hearts. He for sure doesn’t need money that came from relying on self rather than on Him. That is why the widow who gave her last two coins was blessed. She didn’t place her trust in money, but in God who supplies all your needs according to His riches in glory. For He himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." To get the full brunt of the meaning in the original language let’s look at how the Amplified Bible states this. "For He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless not forsake nor let [you] down (relax my hold on you)! [Assuredly not!] Joshua 1:5, God promised Joshua, "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so shall I be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you."
Jesus said, "wherever two or more of you are gathered in My name, I am there in their midst." We have the very Spirit of God dwelling in us. Psalm 37:25, "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his descendants begging bread." Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."
Look at the connection between, "be content" and "I will never leave you". Are we to be content with poverty? Only because we know that it is temporary.
Deut. 29:9, "Therefore keep the words of this covenant, and do them, that you my prosper in all that you do." Does the word of God provide for salvation? Yes, without a doubt! Does the word of God provide for prosperity? Yes! Does the word of God that remains with us forever provide for healing?
Yes! Does the word of God provide us with Holy Spirit power to live this life? No doubt! If God said I will not leave you nor forsake you, and Jesus said, my world will never pass away, and we believe the promises contained in God’s word, then what is stopping us from being content?
Conclusion:
A famous millionaire was once asked how much money would it take for him to be content. His answer, "Just one more million." What is it that keeps Christians from being content? First of all, we don’t really understand what we are to be content with. Are we to be content with poverty when the word promises prosperity? Are we to be happy with sickness when Jesus’ atoning work on the cross provided for healing? Should we be satisfied with fear when God has given us a Spirit of power?
The problem with many Christians today is that they tend to walk by sight and not by faith. Pastor, you don’t know my financial problems. You don’t realize how poor I am. No, I don’t, but I know God’s word says that whatever you ask for in Jesus’ name, believe that you receive and you shall have it.
But you don’t understand that I have believed for healing for years and it hasn’t happened yet. I’m still sick. That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t heal. It means you are taking your eyes off God’s promises and focusing on the problem.
We need to begin to thank God for His promises and be content that He is unchanging, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We need to forget about having more and begin trusting God for all the things He has promised. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
That is where we have come to this morning. God doesn’t want us to perish in our sin, in our poverty, in our ailments. But we need to come to a point of repentance - a turning around of our thinking, different than what we see and in line with what the word of God says - and begin to see things with God’s eyes.
