Finding True Contentment Beyond Wealth and Possessions
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Bible Study Guide
Sermon Clips
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "The pursuit of money for satisfaction's sake will leave us longing. If we look back at chapter 4, verse 8, the teacher says there is a person without a companion, without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all of his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. Or again, we could skip down to chapter 5, verse 10. The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver. And whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. You can hear it in those two passages particularly. Not content, never satisfied. This is the teacher's conclusion. Regarding the pursuit of money, thinking it will bring you satisfaction. Not content, never satisfied. Longing, wondering what else could be out there that will make you feel fulfilled." [15:13]
2. "Are you that person friends money and wealth can be directly tied to so many of the devastating realities. We experience it can be tied to depression and other mental health problems. Suicidality eating disorders divorce self-worth self-esteem on and on the research list could go and again. I'm not saying more money equals those issues again that the text is right. It says God gives those things but what we do with those things matter. It really matters what we value and prioritize our motives in this life really matter." [10:42]
3. "The problem comes when we get things twisted. When we become addicted to making money and not making wise use of the money that God has given us. We might think about a New Testament teacher, the Apostle Paul, as he writes to his pupil, Timothy. It's not money that's the root of all evil, right? It's the love of money that is the root of all evil. This love of money, this greed, this pursuit of making money, thinking it alone will bring satisfaction, will leave us longing, and it will also leave us depleted." [18:46]
4. "The pursuit of money for satisfaction's sake will leave us depleted. We might think of this depletion in two different categories, personally and relationally. Chapter 5, verses 11 through 13 go on to say, when good things increase, the ones who consume them multiply. The idea there is a visual picture of leeches. What then is the profit to the owner? Except to gaze at them with his eyes, the sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep. There's a sickening tragedy I've seen under the sun. Wealth kept by its owner to his harm." [19:30]
### Quotes for Members
1. "The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for how many years, friends? 40 years. If I just do the math on that quickly in my head, that's not true. I did it before. That's 14,600 days. You know, how many of those days God failed? To provide for his people? Zero. God failed zero times to provide what his children needed and that is true today. But you know what happened when God's people tried to provide for themselves tried to ensure that they have enough for the future just in case things got bad just in case maybe God would forget tomorrow to send the manna from heaven. It rotted. It's spoiled. He got maggots in it." [27:53]
2. "The teacher says this pursuit leaves people with no sleep, leads to great harm. When we become consumed by a love of money and a desperate pursuit of it, it leads to sleeplessness. And now we all know, whether we've read the scientific peer-reviewed studies or not, the effect of sleep deprivation. We all know that. We all know the monster that many of our spouse, many admit we become when we don't get enough sleep. We get short and quick-tempered. We don't think as clearly. We may say things we normally wouldn't or do things we normally wouldn't. And when we have become consumed, obsessed by the pursuit of wealth and riches and money, sleep is often the first thing to go." [21:26]
3. "Pursue real relationships with God's people because we need it. We were in fact made for it number to pursue pleasure and joy in God's gift. Again. We look at chapter 5 verses 18 and 19. Here's what I've seen to be good. It's appropriate to eat drink and experience good in all the labor one does under the sun verse 19 furthermore everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth. He has also allowed him to enjoy them take his reward and rejoice in his labors. The idea here is that we ought to find joy and fulfillment in what had God has given not what we feel. We still lack that idea." [36:05]
4. "Friends I'd admonish you to think often on the gospel then on the one who will never leave us longing. Depleted anxious miserable to think about Jesus the reality that there is a holy God who by our own actions we have rebelled against and turned from many of us to the idol of money. But despite our rebellion and despite our rejection God sent his son Jesus to be condemned and killed in our place for our sin. He took God's just wrath and punishment that we rightly deserve. So that we could be reconciled and restored in relationship with God the father. As we await the day that he restores all things his offer is eternal life only through Jesus Christ and that means that we have a response to make." [38:53]
5. "The pursuit of money for satisfaction's sake will leave us miserable. Look at back at chapter 5 verse 17. He says what does the one game who struggles for the win? What's more he eats in darkness all his days with much frustration sickness. And anger darkness frustration sickness anger. That's the end. That's the result friends. The teacher concludes of a life spent in pursuit of money thinking it's going to bring you the greatest satisfaction miserable. Who wants to be that person who wants to be around that person?" [32:08]
Ask a question about this sermon
1. "The pursuit of money for satisfaction's sake will leave us longing. If we look back at chapter 4, verse 8, the teacher says there is a person without a companion, without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all of his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. Or again, we could skip down to chapter 5, verse 10. The one who loves silver is never satisfied with silver. And whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with income. You can hear it in those two passages particularly. Not content, never satisfied. This is the teacher's conclusion. Regarding the pursuit of money, thinking it will bring you satisfaction. Not content, never satisfied. Longing, wondering what else could be out there that will make you feel fulfilled." [15:13]
2. "Are you that person friends money and wealth can be directly tied to so many of the devastating realities. We experience it can be tied to depression and other mental health problems. Suicidality eating disorders divorce self-worth self-esteem on and on the research list could go and again. I'm not saying more money equals those issues again that the text is right. It says God gives those things but what we do with those things matter. It really matters what we value and prioritize our motives in this life really matter." [10:42]
3. "The problem comes when we get things twisted. When we become addicted to making money and not making wise use of the money that God has given us. We might think about a New Testament teacher, the Apostle Paul, as he writes to his pupil, Timothy. It's not money that's the root of all evil, right? It's the love of money that is the root of all evil. This love of money, this greed, this pursuit of making money, thinking it alone will bring satisfaction, will leave us longing, and it will also leave us depleted." [18:46]
4. "The pursuit of money for satisfaction's sake will leave us depleted. We might think of this depletion in two different categories, personally and relationally. Chapter 5, verses 11 through 13 go on to say, when good things increase, the ones who consume them multiply. The idea there is a visual picture of leeches. What then is the profit to the owner? Except to gaze at them with his eyes, the sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich permits him no sleep. There's a sickening tragedy I've seen under the sun. Wealth kept by its owner to his harm." [19:30]
### Quotes for Members
1. "The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for how many years, friends? 40 years. If I just do the math on that quickly in my head, that's not true. I did it before. That's 14,600 days. You know, how many of those days God failed? To provide for his people? Zero. God failed zero times to provide what his children needed and that is true today. But you know what happened when God's people tried to provide for themselves tried to ensure that they have enough for the future just in case things got bad just in case maybe God would forget tomorrow to send the manna from heaven. It rotted. It's spoiled. He got maggots in it." [27:53]
2. "The teacher says this pursuit leaves people with no sleep, leads to great harm. When we become consumed by a love of money and a desperate pursuit of it, it leads to sleeplessness. And now we all know, whether we've read the scientific peer-reviewed studies or not, the effect of sleep deprivation. We all know that. We all know the monster that many of our spouse, many admit we become when we don't get enough sleep. We get short and quick-tempered. We don't think as clearly. We may say things we normally wouldn't or do things we normally wouldn't. And when we have become consumed, obsessed by the pursuit of wealth and riches and money, sleep is often the first thing to go." [21:26]
3. "Pursue real relationships with God's people because we need it. We were in fact made for it number to pursue pleasure and joy in God's gift. Again. We look at chapter 5 verses 18 and 19. Here's what I've seen to be good. It's appropriate to eat drink and experience good in all the labor one does under the sun verse 19 furthermore everyone to whom God has given riches and wealth. He has also allowed him to enjoy them take his reward and rejoice in his labors. The idea here is that we ought to find joy and fulfillment in what had God has given not what we feel. We still lack that idea." [36:05]
4. "Friends I'd admonish you to think often on the gospel then on the one who will never leave us longing. Depleted anxious miserable to think about Jesus the reality that there is a holy God who by our own actions we have rebelled against and turned from many of us to the idol of money. But despite our rebellion and despite our rejection God sent his son Jesus to be condemned and killed in our place for our sin. He took God's just wrath and punishment that we rightly deserve. So that we could be reconciled and restored in relationship with God the father. As we await the day that he restores all things his offer is eternal life only through Jesus Christ and that means that we have a response to make." [38:53]
5. "The pursuit of money for satisfaction's sake will leave us miserable. Look at back at chapter 5 verse 17. He says what does the one game who struggles for the win? What's more he eats in darkness all his days with much frustration sickness. And anger darkness frustration sickness anger. That's the end. That's the result friends. The teacher concludes of a life spent in pursuit of money thinking it's going to bring you the greatest satisfaction miserable. Who wants to be that person who wants to be around that person?" [32:08]
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