The FaithFul of God

The FaithFul of God

REVELATION

CHAPTER 18
LESSON 6B
TRUE WEALTH IS ONLY IN JESUS CULTIVATING BIBLICAL CONTENTMENT
A CONTENTED CHRISTIAN HAS A CORRECT VIEW OF
LITTLE THINGS
Thirdly, A contented Christian has a Correct View of LITTLE THINGS.
If you are faithful with little things you will be with big things!
God is into little things.
* Matthew 6:28-30
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field,
 how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not
 arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is,
 and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you,
 O ye of little faith?
* Matthew 10:29-30
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not
 fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
A CONTENTED CHRISTIAN HAS A CORRECT VIEW OF PEOPLE
Fourthly, A contented Christian has a Correct View of PEOPLE.
 True riches are people who we take with us.
* 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even
ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
20 For ye are our glory and joy.
* Luke 16:11-12
11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon,
who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s,
 who shall give you that which is your own?
* Luke 19:17-19
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast
been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
AVOID DISCONTENTMENT BECAUSE IT EQUALS IDOLATRY
Fifthly, A contented Christian has a strong desire to AVOID DISCONTENTMENT because it  . . . EQUALS IDOLATRY
* Matthew 19:23-24
23 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you,
That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
POSSESSION OVERLOAD – We have more (things per person) than any other nation in history.
Closets are full, storage space is used up, and cars can’t fit into garages.
Having first imprisoned us with debt, possessions then take over our houses and occupy our time.
This begins to sound like an invasion. Everything I own owns me. Why would I want more?
Jesus said care of things makes your heart grow cold…
* Matthew 6:24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
 or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
* Colossians 3:5
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness,
 inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
* 1 Timothy 6:9-10
9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish
 and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after,
 they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
AVOID DISCONTENTMENT BECAUSE IT IMPEDES SPIRITUALITY
Sixthly, A contented Christian has a strong desire to AVOID DISCONTENTMENT because it  . . . IMPEDES SPIRITUALITY
* THINGS NEVER SATISFY
* Ecclesiastes 5:10-11
10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance
with increase: this is also vanity.
11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat
 them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes?
* Isaiah 55:2
 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?
And your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me,
 and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
GOD HATES WORLDLINESS
* James 4:4-5
 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship
 of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the
 world is the enemy of God.  Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain,
the spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
* Revelation 3:17-18
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be
rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of
thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see.
WORLDLINESS IS SATANISM
* 1 John 2:15-17
 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
 If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
DISCONTENT LEADS TO ANXIETY
Make a list of all the things you need and then start crossing things off.
 Remembering the One who said, in
Matthew 6:25-34:
* LIFE IS MORE THAN EATING AND EXISTING
 v.25  Therefore I say unto you,
Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink;
nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat,
and the body than raiment?
* YOU ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO GOD   v. 26 “Behold the fowls of the air: for they
sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father
feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
* GOD TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN v.
27-31 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field,
 how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:  And yet I say unto you,
 That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is,
 and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you,
 O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat?
Or, what shall we drink? Or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?
* GOD KNOWS YOUR NEEDS   GOD GIVES EACH OF US THE PRIORITY OF OUR LIVES
 v.33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you.
* GOD ASKS US TO GIVE OUR CARES TO HIM   v.34 Take therefore no thought
for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.
 Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
A contented Christian has a strong desire to AVOID DISCONTENTMENT because it CHANGES DIVINE PRIORITY
* Matthew 13:22
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word;
 and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word,
 and he becometh unfruitful.
* 2 Timothy 2:4
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life;
that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
* Luke 14:16-24
16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden,
Come; for all things are now ready.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto
 him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I
pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove
 them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master
 of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets
 and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the
 halt, and the blind.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and
 compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.
An English nobleman who lay dying said with remorse and self-censure,
“What I spent, I had; what I kept, I lost; what I gave I have.”
In those six laws or principles, we have a summary of Jesus’ teaching on the subject.
Listen to Packer’s insightful analysis:
“Discontent will destroy your peace, rob you of joy, make you miserable,
 spoil your witness,” warns Packer.  We dishonor God if we proclaim a
Savior who satisfies and then go around discontent.”  The advantages of
 contentment, on the other hand, are many: freedom, gratitude, rest, and
 peace — all components of health.  They who are content do not have to
worry about the latest styles or what to wear tomorrow.  They can rejoice
 in their neighbor’s good fortune without having to feel inferior.  They
 do not fret with wrinkles or graying because they accept what comes.
They do not have to worry how they might buy this or that because they
 have no desire for this or that.  They are not consumed with how to get
 out of debt because they have no debt.  They have time for gratitude even
 in small things.  They have time for relationships because possessions
and the bank do not own them.
CONTENTMENT IS NOT OPTIONAL: IT IS MANDATORY
FOR GODLINESS!
Contentment is not optional.
THE SECRET OF Contentment is not only a good idea, it is our duty.
If God recommends something, we ought to do it.  If God requires something,
we must do it.  As J.I. Packer has emphasized, contentment is both commended,
I Timothy 6:6 (“Godliness with contentment is great gain”) and commanded,
Hebrews 13:5 (“Be content with what you have”).  Such a forceful endorsement
by the Almighty should make contentment a prominent concern for each of us.
Instead, we make it a secret concealed by our indifference to it.  When the
Apostle Paul wrote, “I have learned the secret of being content,” his use of
 the word secret was intentional.  Those things we expect to bring contentment
surprisingly do not.  We cannot depend upon it to fall into place through the
progressive evolving of civilization, for contentment arises from a different
source. Most of us do not know how to uncover this secret and have never seriously
 tried.  Our quest is usually not for contentment but for more.  This quest
brings us into an immense maze, where before us lie dozens of avenues.
Some are wide, luxurious, downhill, and tempting, and we see a rush of our
friends entering them.  They lead to beautiful houses, comfortable cars,
exotic vacations, and affluence.  Other avenues, equally popular, lead to
prestigious colleges, distinguished jobs, important friends, and power.
Still others direct us to beautiful spouses, beautiful children, deep tans,
and popularity. All the while, off to one side, courses a narrow uphill road,
 unadorned and unpopular.  It is dusty from its sparse use and lonely from
lack of travelers.
The sole treasure at its end is an elusive commodity called “GODLINESS WITH CONTENTMENT.”
Godliness is an attitude whereby what we want is to please God.
Contentment, explains J.I. Packer, “is essentially a matter of accepting from God’s hand
what He sends because we know that He is good and therefore it is good.”
REST FOR YOUR SOULS “HOW TO UNLOAD MY LIFE”
MATTHEW 11:28-30
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and
I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
One of the classics of ancient literature is the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer
 in his 8th century account of the great warrior Ulysses [Odysseus], he is seen
plugging his sailors ears with wax so that they would not be drawn to destruction
 by the irresistible songs of the Sirens. Ulysses however had himself lashed to
 the mast so he could hear them and yet not be able to be drawn into their deadly
 presence.
 LASHED what a great way to describe Matthew 11:28-30. Lashed to Jesus
 Christ is the only way to keep from crashing on the rocks of the world.
Let’s look at these three verses and with the four letters of that word L-A-S-H see how Jesus wants us to be victorious in Him.
* LISTEN to Christ’s Message “Come…and I will give…”  This is not an invitation to a party to sip and sample something.
1. Jesus said I AM THE ANSWER, COME TO ME. Note His earnest message to us the Church in Revelation 1-3.
 [Listening to Christ is Listening to the Holy Spirit and is obeying the Word!].
Revelation 2:29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
2. Jesus called for a complete turning to Himself as the way of true life:
*  Matthew 6:22
   The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single,
   thy whole body shall be full of light.
*  Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
*  Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
*  ADMIT there is a Need  “all who are weary”
1. Luke 6:46
   And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
2. Luke 22:61
   And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered
the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.
3. Revelation 1:14
   His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
* SUBMIT to Christ “take my Yoke”
1. Yoke is a universal sign of submission
2. What does it mean to be yoked to Christ? Submission:
* In Prayer [automatic];
* In Bible Study [daily bread, more than necessary food];
* In Obedience [instant obedience to the initial prompting of the Holy Spirit];
* In Service [Phil 4 ‘true yokefellow].
* HOLD on to Him
1. Cleave to me
2. Hold fast to Revelation
3. Cling
Do you want to be lashed to Christ? Ulysses only had a wooden mast to hold himself
 back. You have a Cross stained with blood, A Savior Risen and Living for you.
Won’t you be lashed to Christ?
THE PROSPERITY LADDER  Another erroneous measure of contentment is the prosperity ladder.
 Most of us look “up the ladder” and notice that the wealthy have more than we do.
This, of course, strikes a near fatal blow at one’s contentment.  If, instead,
we reversed our gaze and looked down the ladder, our gratitude would thrive and
opportunities for sharing would abound. The pettiness of my own sources of
discontentment would be amusing were I not so repentant about them.  I have
been know to grumble when our house temperature drops to sixty degrees,
yet there are untold millions in the world who do not have shelter.
I have been known to complain if the day is rainy, yet a large segment
of the world’s land is shriveling up in drought.  I have been known to
groan if I miss my dinner, yet thousands who go to sleep tonight without
food will not awaken in the morning.  Christ came to save me from sin —
not from sixty-degree homes, rainy weather, and delayed dinners. This
relativism, where the grass is greener on your neighbor’s lawn, can be
remedied, but first it must be confessed.  We need to quit staring at
those who have more than we do.  We need to override the set point by
spiritual maturity, to look down rather than up the ladder, and to fix
our contentment on godliness rather than relativism.  It helps immeasurably
if we are surrounded by a community of like–minded friends rather than a
society where envy has been normalized.
“relativism-the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in
relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.”
NINE STEPS ON THE PATH TO BIBLICAL CONTENTMENT
1. GET TO WORK.
2. DIVORCE YOUR THINKING FROM SOCIETY’S RELATIVISTIC STANDARDS.
3. TURN OFF THE ADS AND TUNE OUT THE LIES.
4. DEFER TO GOD’S OPINION CONCERNING YOUR FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS.
5. SET NEW STANDARDS.
6. DEVELOPE COUNTER HABITS.
7. SUBTRACT FROM YOUR NEEDS.
8. ACCEPT FROM GOD’S HAND THAT WHICH HE GIVES.
9. IF YOU STILL DO NOT FEEL THE STIRRINGS OF CONTENTMENT WITHIN, ARGUE WITH YOURSELF AND TELL YOURSELF THE TRUTH.
GET TO WORK.
* The Christian life is always described as a struggle in the NT. It is hard so get to work!
The New Testament describes the Christian life with 3 metaphors.
1. Running as we look toward our goal of Heaven
* Philippians 3:12-14
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect:
 but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
* This is the metaphor most often used of Christians in the N.T.
* Acts 20:24
 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life
dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the
ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel
 of the grace of God.
* 1 Corinthians 9:24-26
 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all,
 but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man
that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to
 obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run,
 not as uncertainly;
* 1 Timothy 4:7
But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
* Hebrews 12:1-2
 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,
 let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
 patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
 who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at
the right hand of the throne of God.
2.Boxing in a match as we fight against the Enemy within us
1 Corinthians 9:26-27
I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I,
not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring
it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others,
I myself should be a castaway.
3. Wrestling as we face the constant onslaught of the powers of darkness
around and beneath us.
Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of

this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

“Only one life to live and soon is past
Only what’s done for Christ will last!”
Hoping to make the time I have left count for the glory of God.
REVELATION CHAPTER 18 LESSON 6B

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