Godliness with contentment is great gain.

Sermon Transcript

The Olympic Games in Paris draw to a close today. I hope by now you’ve heard of The Specialist, Clark Kent, you know, Pommel Horse Guy. (Picture on screen). His real name is Stephen Nedoroscick, but he’s now rightly known as Clark Kent because he wears glasses and doesn’t look like a world class athlete, but when the glasses come off his pommel horse superpower is revealed. When you watch him you can hardly believe that what’s doing is humanly possible. Contentment is like that. Contentment is like a superpower. Contentment is the ability to have a peaceful heart attitude independent of your circumstances. And when someone has learned contentment, you can hardly believe that what you’re seeing is possible. The Apostle Paul learned this superpower. In Philippians 4:11, Paul writes, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” That single verse is an invitation to all of us and this month we’re taking hold of it. Together we are learning to be content in all circumstances. What is Contentment? The Greek word translated “content” in Philippians 4:11 (autarkes), means “independent from circumstances.” However, Christian contentment is more than that. Listen to the following Bible passages:

The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need. Psalm 23:1

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Christian contentment is more than independence from circumstances. Christian contentment is a peaceful heart attitude that delights in God’s Fatherly wisdom in all circumstances. Let’s break that down phrase by phrase for a moment. A Peaceful Heart Attitude. Contentment isn’t having a peaceful face, while a storm is brewing on the inside. It’s not like a shoe that looks good on the outside, but causes blisters on the inside. Contentment is a peaceful heart attitude. It’s having a quiet heart, even when you have a noisy life. Now, in The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Jeremiah Burroughs reminds us that a peaceful heart attitude is not opposed to feeling afflicted. Similarly, contentment is not opposed to unburdening your heart to God and a trusted friend or using God-pleasing means to change your circumstances. However, Burroughs says that a peaceful heart attitude is opposed to complaining against God, letting circumstances unsettle you in a way that distracts you from your God-given responsibilities, and it is opposed to sinking discouragements that quench your love for God and leads you to seek relief in ungodly ways. It’s a peaceful heart attitude. Delights in God’s Fatherly Wisdom. Christian contentment isn’t self-mastery, rather it’s a peaceful heart because it delights in all our Heavenly Father’s ways because his ways are always good. A content heart says with Burroughs, “The Lord knows how to order things better than I. The Lord sees further than I do: I only see things at present but the Lord sees a great while from now. And how do I know but that had it not been for this affliction, I should have been undone.” In All Circumstances. Since the Father is working all things – the good, the bad, and our failings – together for good for those who love him in Christ, contentment comes as we learn to praise God in all circumstances. As Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “I have learned to kiss the waves that throw me up against the Rock of Ages.” Christian contentment is a peaceful heart attitude that delights in God’s Fatherly wisdom in all circumstances.

Sounds like a superpower. We want it, but we need to be honest with ourselves: Learning contentment isn’t easy. Contentment isn’t automatic, intuitive, or easy for any of us. Contentment is something that we learn and learning contentment is a grace-motivated hard work of faith. Contentment is rarely enjoyed because so few are willing to sweat for it. Therefore, my goal this morning is to help us love contentment. Before we spend the next two weeks learning how to find contentment, this morning we’re going to see why contentment is a treasure worth digging for. The heart of the passage is in verse 6. Paul writes, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” And that brings us to the big idea of our passage this morning. To love contentment enough to dig for it, we must see that Godliness with contentment is great gain. Godliness with contentment is great gain. To see that godliness with contentment is great gain, this morning we are going to take our passage in two parts: (1) The gain of contentment (vv. 6-8) and (2) The sadness of discontentment (vv. 9-10).

THE GAIN OF CONTENTMENT

Discontentment is so sad. It ruins everything. When you have a discontent heart attitude, even when you’re full, you’re never satisfied. It’s such a loss. Contentment is different. Contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6-8 – But godliness with contentment is great gain, [7] for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. These verses show us at least four reasons why contentment is such great gain. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment helps with each.

Contentment is great gain because it helps us relate rightly to the world

1 Timothy 6:7 – for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. Contentment helps us relate rightly to this world; we are travelers in this world and can’t take anything out of it. We are travelers and that helps us keep a peaceful heart attitude in all circumstances. This week I had to travel to Richmond VA for a day for meetings at Grimke Seminary where I teach. The house I stayed at didn’t have the coffee I prefer. However, it didn’t upset me at all because it’s not my house, I’m just a traveler, and I knew I was coming home to the coffee I prefer in a day. The gain of contentment is that it teaches us to live as unbothered travelers in this world. Of the person who has learned through contentment to relate to this world as a traveler, Burroughs writes, “…yet this thought may moderate his spirit: I am a traveler and I must not be finding fault, I am in another man’s house, and it would be bad manners to find fault in someone else’s house, even though things are not as much to my liking as at home.” The gain of contentment is that it teaches us to relate to this world rightly, so that we have a peaceful heart attitude that delights in the way our Father runs it. That’s great gain.

Contentment is great gain because it teaches us to make up what we lack in God himself.

1 Timothy 6:8 – But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. God’s kindness is often expressed in our lives through conduits. Think of it this way: water comes into your house through pipes that flow from a source. In a similar way, God’s kindness flows into our lives through good gifts like good health, good friends, a good job, a good family, and so forth. Contentment teaches us to go to the source, even when all pipes are cut off. Burroughs writes, “The pipe is cut off,” says God, ‘come to me, the fountain, and drink immediately?’ Though the beams are taken away, yet the sun remains the same in the firmament as ever it was…A gracious heart can indeed tell how to enjoy God as all in all to him. That is the happiness of heaven to have God to be all in all. The gain of contentment is that when all the pipes of God’s blessing are cut off, you can be satisfied with just food and clothing because you’ve learned to make up everything that you lack in God, the source. That’s great gain.

Contentment is gain because it gives you the comfort of things you don’t have.

How can Paul say, “But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content? Because when you learn to have a peaceful heart attitude that delights in God’s Fatherly wisdom in all circumstances, then you have what everyone is trying to get through things and experiences. By contentment, a godly person can be more satisfied with nothing than an ungodly person who possesses everything. Let me ask you a question. What do you use your spare moments to research and look up on your phone? New house? Better financial portfolio? Amazing vacation? A better job? Another degree? Happier marriage? Godlier kids? Pick-up truck? Why do we do that? Having or experiencing that will bring me more comfort and satisfaction. That’s the great gain of contentment. When you have learned to have a peaceful heart attitude in all circumstances, then it’s as though you have all the things you want without having them. It’s as though you own Bill Gates’s house because you have the inward peace that he thought that house would bring. Contentment gives you the comfort of things you don’t have. That’s great gain.

Contentment is great gain because it’s compelling to others

If you’ve become a follower of Jesus, then you want others to follow Him as well. You know how wonderful He is and you want others to be drawn as well. A church is meant to be a compelling community. Of course, it’s compelling to others when what we do pleases God. Do you know what’s often even more compelling? When we learn to be pleased with what God does, even if it wasn’t what we planned. A church that has learned to be pleased with what God does, even in suffering, is an attractively different community. Jeremiah Burroughs writes, “So when a Christian can walk in the midst of fiery trials, without his garments being singed, and has comfort and joy in the midst of everything (when like Paul in the stocks he can sing, which wrought upon the jailor), it will convince men, when they see the power of grace in the midst of afflictions. When they can behave themselves in a gracious and holy manner in such afflictions as would make others roar: oh, this is the glory of a Christian.” Contentment is compelling. That’s great gain. Citylight Church contentment is great gain. It’s worth digging for. It’s worth learning. However, if you still need more motivation, then let’s turn secondly to…

THE SADNESS OF DISCONTENTMENT

If we will not dig for contentment, it’s not as though we will remain natural. We will dig for contentment or we will dig our own grave. 1 Timothy 6:9-10 – But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. [10] For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. These verses reveal at least three reasons why discontent is so sad, making contentment so worth the work of faith to learn.

First, discontent is sad because it’s the bitter root of all other sins. Since our passage uses the example of money, let’s begin there. Why are we tempted to love money? Why are we tempted to look to money to give us a sense of security or significance? Why are we tempted to be savers or spenders instead of servants with our money? Why are we tempted to lie or bend the rules in order to advance in our career to get more money? Why do we waste our time being sad or sullen about the things we wish we had or experienced, but don’t? Why do we drift away from God and get busy with other things? The bitter root behind all of these money related temptations is discontent. When we don’t have a peaceful heart attitude that delights in what God has given, then we will always be craving, full and never satisfied, and we’ll pierce ourselves with many pangs. Discontent is so sad because it never remains small, it always grows into life damaging sins. Contentment is great gain, but discontent is so sad.

The second reason why discontent is so sad is that it steals your comfort. When you’re always craving, you can never enjoy the present comfort of God’s gifts. Silly example: Many of you would like to buy a first house or a better house. Have you noticed what happens when the desire for a house becomes a craving? When the desire becomes a craving you think about the new house all the time, you research houses on Zillow constantly, and you fret about interest rates. Have you noticed what you don’t do? Enjoy the present comfort of your future home. No Zillow addict ever enjoys the comfort of feeling and saying, “Isn’t it amazing that I have a bedroom, running water, and heat in the winter. I love this house. What a gift and comfort.” Nope. Your discontent stole your comfort so you can’t. Contentment is great gain, but discontent is so sad.

But the saddest part of discontent is that it provokes the just wrath of God. Out of love, God created everyone to glorify and enjoy him forever. Therefore, the heart of sin is refusing to glorify God and give him thanks. Unthankfulness to God our creator is the height of evil and it grows out of discontent. As Jeremiah Burroughs says, “[Discontent] makes those mercies they have from God as nothing to them, because they cannot have what they want.” Discontent spits in the face of God’s mercy and provokes his just wrath. That’s why the secret of contentment isn’t a technique, but a person; The Savior Jesus Christ. We’ve all committed the sin of discontent. We’ve all looked to things other than God for hope and happiness, significance and security. And by this we have provoked the wrath of God, but the secret of contentment is Jesus Christ because He took the wrath of God for us on the cross so that we can be happily reconciled to God forever. And as a Christian, reconciled to God, you can learn contentment from your new relationship to God. Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, you stand in relation to God as your Father. The sovereign God is now your loving and good Father in every circumstance, why would we ever grumble or be discontent. Through the gospel you stand in relation to Jesus Christ as your groom! There are some happy women in this church because they’re married to a godly man. The Lord Jesus Christ is our bridegroom. Discontent is beneath us. We can learn contentment through him. Through the gospel we have an entirely new relationship with the Holy Spirit; He is our ever present Comforter. He is with you always as your comforter; you can learn contentment. And finally, through the gospel you have an entirely new relationship with other believers in Christ. You are one body, one mystical family, and the happiness of every other member is your happiness too. All this is ours through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Contentment truly is great gain. It is the hidden treasure. Come back next week and we’ll learn how to find it.