You Were Made For More Pt. 1
“Contentment”
Ex 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's." NKJV
You were made to be content.
The biggest room in the world - is the room for contentment
We have 2 tents contentment or discontentment.
Dessert = you wish you had what someone else had.
The average family goal is make as much as you’re spending.
Our yearnings will always outspend our earnings.
You know what budget is? It is a mathematical equation of our suspicions.
Just when you think you’re making ends meet the ends move.
This is the way most people spend their lives = I see it, I want it, I’ve got to have it.
We buy things we don’t want, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like.
I love this impulse shoppers = on sale 52 easy payments.
We have the haves, the have not’s and those that have not paid. (they still owe).
Ware it out, make it do or do without.
Some people need plastic surgery, they need to cut up their credit cards.
The 10th commandment - do not covet (materialism), what does that mean? To desire with intent to own something you could never rightfully say is yours.
In the Greek rendering of this word epithumeo epi = upon thumeo – thumos our word thermos = means to desire something so much that you would do anything to get.
If are materialistic obsessed it will cause you problems.
4 Areas I want to cover today about materialism.
- Worry
- That there are limitations to wealth
- It will cause you not to focus on people
- It will make you temporal minded
Number 1 Worry:
Life is more than things - the number one family worry is money.
Materialism will wear you out. Prov 23:4 Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich;
restrain yourself! THE MESSAGE
The Bible does not say wealth or money is evil…it says the love of money is evil.
God is not opposed to wealth, it’s the worshiping of wealth – we are more than things.
Jesus taught a lot on money 16 out of 38 parables Jesus taught we are more than possessions.
Matthew 19:24 Jesus most famous – camel and the eye of the needle.
This is a lesson on material things – man with Porsha trying to drive it through glass revolving doors. Pt. It’s not that the wealthy can’t get to heaven, they just can’t take the stuff with them.
Possessions don’t get you into heaven.
Covetousness is the mother of all sins, people lie, cheat, steal, because we want more.
People say I don’t steal = if you show up for work late and leave early then you are stealing. If you take pens from work or paper clips then you are stealing.
If you show up on time your late, it you 10 minutes early you’re on time.
The opposite of covetousness isCONTENTMENT.
To receive contentment you need
1.Be Grateful For What You Have.
1 Tim 6:6-7, 6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. NKJV
The best way to be content is to count your blessings, not your cash. You may not have cash but you have a list of blessings – you’re sitting here today not in an intensive care unit.
When then – when then robs you.
When I get promoted them…
When I get another 0 then
When I get the car then
When I get house them – When and Then rob you of the precious relationships around you – be happy where you are.
Farmer- old & tired wanted to retire and take it easy – real estate came up with add that went something like this. Beautiful peaceful land, lake trees, spacious house with magnificent views of animals running around. The farmer looked at it said I’ve been looking for something like that all my life. Be happy where you are.
a.If you have food on your table and roof over your head you are 75% richer than most people in the world.
b.If you have savings or money in the bank you are in the top 8% of people in the world.
c.If you woke up this morning with your health you are more blessed than the 1,000,000 who won’t survive this week.
d.If you’re not tortured or starving you are more blessed than 500,000 people in the world.
DO YOU HAVE ANATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
We need to be more thankful for what we have right now
– TAKE PRAISE BREAK – Not when and then. But right now.
2.Recognize the limitations of wealth – One man said money isn’t # 1, but its way ahead of what comes next. Sounds funny but that is the way people think – people think money will solve all there problems – ask Whitney Huston’s daughter that or her family.
We need to teach our children the value of money:
Money can medicine but it can’t buy health.
Money can buy a house but not a home.
Money can buy companionship but not friendship.
Money can buy entertainment but not happiness.
Money can buy a bed but not sleep.
Money can buy food but not an appetite.
Money can buy a crucifix but not salivation.
Enjoy your salvation, your family, your blessings – these will be known the good ole days.
Get your eyes off what you don’t have.
King – suffered from anxiety and depression. The cure was buy a shirt from a contented man – they searched and searched the entire kingdom and finally they found a contented man – but he did have a shirt.
Eccl 5:10 If you love money and wealth, you will never be satisfied with what you have…
CEV
Prov 18:10-11,10 The Lord is a mighty tower where his people can run for safety-11 the rich think their money is a wall of protection. CEV
Your money is not a high wall of protection…your one little blood vessel away from not enjoying it.
Your safety is not in your money, houses or things. Our safety in He will never leave us nor forsake us.
I’ve been young and I’ve been old but I’ve never seen the righteous or his seed begging for bread. Ps 37:25
Security and Happiness can’t be bought.
Philosopher once said “I can’t no satisfaction cause I tired and I tried and I tried.
You were made for more than parties or the works of the flesh as stated over in Gal 5:19
If something is missing from your life its Jesus Amen, Jesus satisfies the soul.
Man asked God a question how long is 1 million years in heaven compared to earth, God replied 1 second, then he asked how much is 1 million dollars in heaven compared to earth, God replied 1 penny. So the man asks God could I have a penny and God said yes in a second.
True contentment is not found in everything we want, but is found it not wanting everything we see.
3.We need to focus on people not possessions.
We can covet so much that things become more important than people.
Possessions cannot compensate for successful relationships, people bring happiness not things.
Prov 15:27 Greedy people bring trouble to their families, but the person who can't be paid to do wrong will live. NCV
Greediness will bring trouble marriage, family, relationships, bank accounts and business.
Best thing you give your family is time not treasure, presence not presents,.
Love people, use things, don’t love things and use people.
4.You need to look beyond the temporal.
If you want true contentment – you need to look beyond the temporal.
2 Cor 4:18while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. NKJV
We need to relize that our life is blip on the eternal screen. Live life in the light of eternity. “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” Mk 8:6
Society says live for the here & now, that’s the world says. When you live for the here and now you will be miserable.
Just look at the nightly news and you’ll see what I mean, look at all those movie stars and see how happy they are and how many spouses they’ve or significant others. The trend now is to date have a child and if it works get married. That is the here and now.
God is certainly not against us having wealth or things…but once those material things takes the place of where God should be in your life you’ve got a problem.
The man who left everything:
In 1909, the heir to the Borden dairy fortune, William Borden, was given his inheritance byhis parents. He was a young man ready to take on the world. They felt that he would investit wisely, and he did. He fell on his knees and began to pray, "Lord, what should I do withall this money?" The Lord led him to give it all to missions—millions of dollars in 1909! Heobeyed God's leading to the great distress of his parents.
In the front of his Bible, he wrote, "No Reserve?'
Now, trying to decide what to do with his life, he began to seek God again. God led him tobe a missionary and, upon his graduation from Yale University, he left his family and all thecomforts of home to go to Africa. Under "No Reserve," he now wrote, "No Return."
In route to his destination in Africa, he stopped in Egypt to visit some missionary friends.There, he contracted a deadly disease and died within two weeks. His body and belongingswere returned to his parents in the United States. They found his Bible, clasped in his handsacross his chest. Upon opening it, they immediately saw the words written in the front "NoReserve, No Return;" each dated at the time of entry. Underneath this, dated two days before he breathed his last breath, was written,"No Regret."
Many Christians are ruining their lives, marriages, families because of relentless pursuit of things. “You were made for more than that.”
Money doesn’t satisfy, things don’t satisfy – How much is enough, just a little more.
The world says your value is based on what you have, the more money the more value. They say he dies with the most toys when dies wins.
Not true with God. William Borden No Reserve, No Return, No Return.
Crumple up a twenty dollar bill throw it on the floor step on it. Pick it up it is still worth 20.00 the value has not diminished.
You are valuable a precious to God.
Ps 139:14I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;Marvelous are Your works,And that my soul knows very well. NKJV
Some people are here today and not happy your life is based on things and what you have. Jesus needs to be more than your savior, He needs be your Lord. He needs to have Lordship of your life.
Some here today have never made Jesus their savior, you need to that – first and foremost. Then you need to give Him Lordship over your life.
No Reserve, No Return, No Regret.
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