Finding True Contentment in Christ's Abundance
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Contentment isn't the same as us being satisfied. Contentment is a condition of our soul. It means we are not craving more than what God has given. Contentment, it is a condition of our soul, and it means that you and I are not craving more than what God has given us. I think that these two quotes together tie in, and when we are content, we are trusting in God's providence. We are saying, God, I know that you love me. I know that you care for me in all things. I know that you have control, so I will rejoice in what I have been given. I will trust in you because I realize that satisfaction is a lie. [00:16:21] (35 seconds)
Well, God, I trust in you and your providence because the truth of the matter is that we long for all of these things. However, there is only one thing. There is only one person who will satisfy us for eternity, and that is God. In this section in the scripture with the Israelites, I believe what we see, the key issue of our humanity and our sinful nature is the fact that contentment doesn't come naturally, but indeed supernaturally. And what I don't mean is that it comes from astrological signs or rocks that, you know, you think like make, you know, good feelings for you, because it doesn't. It only comes through Jesus Christ. Contentment comes only through Christ. [00:18:02] (38 seconds)
desiring that we worship him not for, and we don't need to worship God for himself or for his ego, but it's for our benefit. When we worship God, when we trust in his provision, when we are content most fully, when we realize that he is the source of all things good, that he is the one who makes water come from the rock and desires to make springs of living water come out of every one of us to the point where we are content in him. He is our source. Augustine actually wrote, you have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds rests in you. Our heart is restless until it rests in God. [00:24:17] (38 seconds)
Will we as the church of Jesus Christ worship God in spirit and in truth, or will we realize that we will always be restless until we rest in Christ? He is the only one that can bring us living water. He is the only one that can bring rock in the desert. And I've talked with you, many of you, about Exodus. Our family groups, we've been walking through it as well. And I've talked with so many of you, and they say, Pastor, how could the Israelites do that? They just saw wonderful things. They saw God move and do all of that. How could they be so discontent? How could they see God move day in and day out? How could they see pillars of cloud and fire? How could they witness all of this and then doubt God? And many times I look back at them and I say, you're so right. How could they? But then I look at them and I turn on them and I say, how could you? [00:24:54] (49 seconds)
You don't have to sit there at a well looking for Jesus. He is there waiting for you. If you've chosen to follow Christ in this room, if you have asked him to wipe away all of your sins, you have springs of living water leading up to eternal life within you. You know that your sins are wiped away, that Jesus' act on the cross has made a way for you to experience eternal life with him, that the old is gone, the new has come, and you know that Jesus loved you so much that he gave his life for yours. And yet we still sit here on Sunday mornings, grumpy, discontent, and doubting God, coming in here going, are they going to play the songs I want? Instead of going, Jesus, you are worthy. And even if I got to listen to a reggae band worship you or something else that I don't necessarily like, I'm going to worship you because you are worthy. And if I don't cry out, the rocks are going to. But I'm not going to let them get it. I want to worship you because you are good. [00:26:07] (51 seconds)
And we can be like the Israelites, and we can sit here and groan and complain and be rude and gossip and grumble, or we can choose to be like Jesus Christ. We can choose to be content in everything. We can choose to trust in God's provision of will. We can indeed say, I might not have all that I want, but I have all that I need in Christ. [00:28:05] (21 seconds)
Today we live in a culture addicted to more, more stuff, more speed, more upgrades, more affirmation, more control. And all of that more has not led us to satisfaction or to contentment. It has only made us more tired, more anxious, more thirsty. But like the Israelites in the desert, we are chasing satisfaction in everything but God. And when it doesn't work, when the new phone doesn't silence the ache, when the next trip or promotion or relationship doesn't fix us, we get dramatic, we complain and we grumble and we question God, are you even there? And he is. In mercy, God met the Israelites at the rock. He didn't scold them. He didn't strike them. He lets himself be struck for them. Just like Paul wrote, Jesus was that rock. And the rock splits and the water flows. And centuries later, Paul would write, that rock was Jesus. [00:32:08] (53 seconds)
He learned to be content in Christ, though. So, Paul writes to his son in 1 Timothy, his spiritual son, about how contentment is the mark of maturity. He says, a devout life brings wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and we will leave it penniless if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that is enough. That sounds like a pipe dream, right? That sounds fake for you to be able to say, but Paul is saying, no. You know, I've learned to be content in everything. The ESV puts it a little bit shorter. He says, godliness with contentment is great gain. [00:31:08] (41 seconds)
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Well, God, I trust in you and your providence because the truth of the matter is that we long for all of these things. However, there is only one thing. There is only one person who will satisfy us for eternity, and that is God. In this section in the scripture with the Israelites, I believe what we see, the key issue of our humanity and our sinful nature is the fact that contentment doesn't come naturally, but indeed supernaturally. And what I don't mean is that it comes from astrological signs or rocks that, you know, you think like make, you know, good feelings for you, because it doesn't. It only comes through Jesus Christ. Contentment comes only through Christ. [00:18:02] (38 seconds)
desiring that we worship him not for, and we don't need to worship God for himself or for his ego, but it's for our benefit. When we worship God, when we trust in his provision, when we are content most fully, when we realize that he is the source of all things good, that he is the one who makes water come from the rock and desires to make springs of living water come out of every one of us to the point where we are content in him. He is our source. Augustine actually wrote, you have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds rests in you. Our heart is restless until it rests in God. [00:24:17] (38 seconds)
Will we as the church of Jesus Christ worship God in spirit and in truth, or will we realize that we will always be restless until we rest in Christ? He is the only one that can bring us living water. He is the only one that can bring rock in the desert. And I've talked with you, many of you, about Exodus. Our family groups, we've been walking through it as well. And I've talked with so many of you, and they say, Pastor, how could the Israelites do that? They just saw wonderful things. They saw God move and do all of that. How could they be so discontent? How could they see God move day in and day out? How could they see pillars of cloud and fire? How could they witness all of this and then doubt God? And many times I look back at them and I say, you're so right. How could they? But then I look at them and I turn on them and I say, how could you? [00:24:54] (49 seconds)
You don't have to sit there at a well looking for Jesus. He is there waiting for you. If you've chosen to follow Christ in this room, if you have asked him to wipe away all of your sins, you have springs of living water leading up to eternal life within you. You know that your sins are wiped away, that Jesus' act on the cross has made a way for you to experience eternal life with him, that the old is gone, the new has come, and you know that Jesus loved you so much that he gave his life for yours. And yet we still sit here on Sunday mornings, grumpy, discontent, and doubting God, coming in here going, are they going to play the songs I want? Instead of going, Jesus, you are worthy. And even if I got to listen to a reggae band worship you or something else that I don't necessarily like, I'm going to worship you because you are worthy. And if I don't cry out, the rocks are going to. But I'm not going to let them get it. I want to worship you because you are good. [00:26:07] (51 seconds)
And we can be like the Israelites, and we can sit here and groan and complain and be rude and gossip and grumble, or we can choose to be like Jesus Christ. We can choose to be content in everything. We can choose to trust in God's provision of will. We can indeed say, I might not have all that I want, but I have all that I need in Christ. [00:28:05] (21 seconds)
Today we live in a culture addicted to more, more stuff, more speed, more upgrades, more affirmation, more control. And all of that more has not led us to satisfaction or to contentment. It has only made us more tired, more anxious, more thirsty. But like the Israelites in the desert, we are chasing satisfaction in everything but God. And when it doesn't work, when the new phone doesn't silence the ache, when the next trip or promotion or relationship doesn't fix us, we get dramatic, we complain and we grumble and we question God, are you even there? And he is. In mercy, God met the Israelites at the rock. He didn't scold them. He didn't strike them. He lets himself be struck for them. Just like Paul wrote, Jesus was that rock. And the rock splits and the water flows. And centuries later, Paul would write, that rock was Jesus. [00:32:08] (53 seconds)
He learned to be content in Christ, though. So, Paul writes to his son in 1 Timothy, his spiritual son, about how contentment is the mark of maturity. He says, a devout life brings wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and we will leave it penniless if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that is enough. That sounds like a pipe dream, right? That sounds fake for you to be able to say, but Paul is saying, no. You know, I've learned to be content in everything. The ESV puts it a little bit shorter. He says, godliness with contentment is great gain. [00:31:08] (41 seconds)
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