| Introduction During the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War, former secretary of state Henry Kissinger said: To Americans usually tragedy is wanting something very badly and not getting it. Many people have had to learn in their private lives, and nations have had to learn in their historical experience, that perhaps the worst form of tragedy is wanting something very badly, getting it, and finding it empty. What Mr. Kissinger described is not just the American experience, but the human experience. At the root of covetousness and discontent is a search for fulfillment in things, experiences, statuses, and people who were not meant to fulfill the core desire that humanity has: the desire for God. These two verses help us see that. By the end of this sermon I would like to have explained the relationships among covetousness, contentment, and love for the brethren. I. Covetousness Is the Opposite of Contentment A. The words without covetousnesstranslate a word that literally means not love of silver(avfila,rguroj). 1. Somebody who is a fila,rgurojis driven in life by the love of money, the love of possession. a. Accumulating stuff is what makes him tick. b. The foundation of life is the material. c. He is not satisfied with what he has, he wants what others have – the buried coins story when I was Grace's age. "Give a man everything he wants, and at that moment, everything will not be everything." Immanuel Kant d. The Bible tells us that this driving desire for money and stuff is the root for all kinds of evil and at the end proves itself to be empty. 1 Tim. 6:10(NASB) – For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 2. Therefore someone who is avfila,rgurojis the opposite of that. a. Accumulating things is not what drives him. b. The most important thing in life is not things. 3. A man in order to be even considered for the office of elder or pastor must be a avfila,rguroj, as an example for everybody else to follow, 1 Tim. 3:3 B. The life of the follower of Jesus Christ is not to be characterized by the love of things, 5a. 1. Though there is no verb in this clause in the original language, the command here is implied as in the rest of the context. 2. The conduct, the way of life, the habits of a child of God must not be governed by this covetous desire for material improvement. II. The Way to Get Rid of Covetousness Is to Be Content A. Though our translation has it as a command, the word contentis actually describing what it looks like not to love money. 1. It would be proper to read that clause as follows: Let your conduct be without covetousness, being content with what you have. 2. Therefore, the way to not be covetous is to be content. B. Contentment has to do with the idea of sufficiency, with having enough, with not needing anything else. 2 Cor. 12:9– And He said to me, "My grace is sufficientfor you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Jn. 14:8– Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficientfor us." C. A couple definitions of contentment 1. Jeremiah Burroughs – Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition (and I add because of the cross of Christ) – The Rare Jewell of Christian Contentment 2. John Owen – Contentment is a gracious frame or disposition of mind, quiet and composed; without, [1.] Complaining… at God's providential disposals of our outward concerns; [2.] (without) All envy at the more prosperous conditions of others; [3.] (without) Fears and anxious cares about future supplies; and [4.] (without) Desires and designs of those things which a more plentiful condition than what we are in would supply us [with] – Commentary on Hebrews III. The Basis of Contentment A. That first clause in verse 5 ends with the words with such things as you have, better yet is the translation with what you have, which includes more than things. 1. Does it mean that we are to look at the things, experiences, relationships we have and we are to find contentment in them? 2. The next word will be crucial in answering this question. B. The word translated formeans becauseand what follows it is the cause for Christian contentment. 1. The cause of Christian contentment is God and his promises. 2. This is not a precise quotation from a particular passage of the OT, instead it is a summary of God's character and covenantal promises given to his church in the OT. a. The Holy Spirit included in this clause as many negatives as it was grammatically possible to show how strong God's faithfulness to his people is. b. Not only that he adds extra pronouns so that no one can doubt who said it: he himself has said it. c. In addition, the verb has saidtells us that what was said continues to be true. d. This thought is well expressed by the last stanza of How Firm a Foundation: The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes; that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake. 3. So, does the Christian look to the things, experiences, relationships he has in order to find fulfillment? No, he looks to God and his promises. 4. And nowhere is God and his promises revealed more clearly than in Jesus Christ and his cross. a. Jesus's person and work secured God's faithfulness to his people. Jn. 10:27-29– My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given themto Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch themout of My Father's hand. b. The Father is pleased with you because he is pleased with his Son. Mt. 3:17– And suddenly a voice camefrom heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." C. So, a one-word definition of contentment is CHRIST. D. Therefore, the key to contentment is treasuring God in Christ. IV. The Contented Person Is the One Who Treasures Christ. A. If Christ is your treasure, then your heart is going to be in Christ, that is, what matters to you will be Christ and having him. Lk. 12:34– For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. B. The Scriptures portray the search for contentment as the search for a great treasure. Mt. 13:44-46– Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. 1. Notice that, in order to secure the treasure, this person divested himself of all he had. 2. All that was left was the treasure itself. 3. That treasure is Christ. 2 Cor. 4:6-7– For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to givethe light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. C. Contentment is not achieved by comparison because it will be based on what we have and others don't. D.Contentment is achieved by having Christ and being satisfied with him. E. Contentment comes though building your life on Christ, not on something you want him to give you. 1. In Ps. 73, Asaph was getting angry with God because the wicked had everything: houses, chariots, clothes, etc. 2. He was serving the Lord and was getting nothing. 3. He was getting angrier and angrier till he realized that houses, chariots, clothes, etc. was all that the wicked had. He had God. Ps. 73:25-28– Whom have I in heaven but You?And there isnone upon earth thatI desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; butGod isthe strength of my heart and my portion forever. For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry. But it isgood for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works. V. Contentment in Christ Empowers Us to Be Very Bold for the Gospel's Sake, 6. A. John Calvin says that contentment gives us the power to overcome all fears, which it does, but it also does much more than that. B. The point of this quotation from Ps. 118:6 is this: man can take everything from you, even your life, but he can't take Christ. Therefore, man can never take your joy, your satisfaction, your fulfillment. Rom. 8:38-39– For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. VI. Staying Content Takes Work A. The very first temptation in history was a temptation to be discontent with the state God put Eve in – Satan challenged Eve's fulfillment in God. 1. Satan tried to get Jesus to be discontent with the Father's plan for him, Mt. 4. 2. Satan continues to follow the same strategy. 3. So, we must resist the Devil B. We must also resist our own propensity to be discontent with God. 1 Tim. 6:10– For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this cravingthat some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. C. We must resist the effects that the pressures of life can have in our contentment. Mk. 4:18-19– Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they arethe ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. D.How do we cultivate contentment? 1. We must keep on going back to the great indicative of the cross: Christ died for you sins. a. That is how Paul learned to be content. Phil 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. b. In essence Paul is saying, "I can be content through Christ." (the all things refer to the things he described). 3. We must live in light of eternity. a. You have never seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul. b. Generosity helps us live in light of eternity. 1 Tim. 6:17-19– Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. c. Make your aim to give more, not accumulate more. 2 Cor. 8:10-12, 9:6-8 – And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it;that as there wasa readiness to desire it,so therealso may bea completion out of what youhave. For if there is first a willing mind, it isaccepted according to what one has, andnot according to what he does not have…. But this I say:He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one giveas he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God isable to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things,may have an abundance for every good work. VII. Contentment and Ambition A. Contentment is not the same as a passive satisfaction with the status quote. B. Contentment is not the same as laziness C. We are commanded to lay up treasures for us. Mt. 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 nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. D.Paul says that he has learned to be content and yet he is going to pursue more. Phil 3:12-14– Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do,forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. E. If Christ is our greatest treasure, the pursuit of our ambitions if going to be the pursuit of Christ. Phil. 3:7-10– But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which isfrom the law, but that which isthrough faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 1. If this is our desire, we can pursue any lawful ambition with great contentment. 2. This understanding of contentment will drive us to serve Christ with every desire and ambition. VIII.Contentment and the Love for the Brethren A. Loving the brethren in rooted on loving God. B. Covetousness disrupts our love for God and thus makes us unfit to love each other. C. If we are not satisfied with God, we are not going to be satisfied with one another. D.If we try to find in one another the satisfaction that we can find only in God, we are going to be hurt again and again by each other.
Contentment with what we have is grounded on contentment with God. If we are not satisfied with having God and nothing else, we will not be content though we have everything else.
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