Message: “For What Are You Seeking and Why” from Pastor Joe

Joe Summers - November 15, 2020

For What Are You Seeking and Why

For What are you Seeking and Why Lesson Objective: The Christian life is based upon Faith in Jesus Christ. This lesson will review the basics of faith and contentment discussed in previous lessons and look at how they are dependent on each other in our Christian Life. Scriptures: Romans 10:17; Hebrews 13:5; Philippians 4:11-12 Point to Ponder: If I have faith in God, I'll be content with the things that I have and will not worry about the things that I do not have First let’s talk a little about contentment Contentment is a character quality essential in living the Christian life. This quality is developed as a result of having confidence in God's ability and desire to provide what is needed. But we must have a servant attitude, not demanding that God give us the things we want to satisfy our own desires, but only what we need to serve Him as He desires according to the responsibilities He has given us. 1 Timothy 6:6 Godliness with contentment is great gain 1 Timothy 6: 9-10 - People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 - For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Faith Faith occurs in the Bible 247 times in the Bible in 231 verses Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true. Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust.. Faith is the result of teaching Romans 10:17. Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Scripture definition - Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. A. Can you be Thankful without contentment? – Colossians 3:17; Philippians 4: 6-11 Our lives are to be a presentation of who Christ is to the rest of the unbelieving world. We should consistently give thanks for how God has changed us. You can’t really be thankful without having contentment B. Can earthly pleasures give complete happiness and contentment to man? Ecclesiastes 2:17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 2:1-2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish C. So how does a person live a contented life? Through Faith in God By Seeking God and trusting in Him. (Having Faith that God will provide) Matthew 6:28-34- Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God God has placed us in the wisest possible circumstances to secure our contentment in Him If I have faith in God, I'll be content with the things that I have and will not worry about the things that I do not have c. By Knowing that God is the source and controller of all our material things. (Having faith that God grace is sufficient)- 1 Timothy 6: 6-10 D. Problems we have with faith and contentment Our attitude should be "God, you say the word," but so often we water down the faith with a "if it's your will" qualifier Many do not really know Christ- Matthew 13: 53-58 We initially receive Christ by faith, realizing that we will never be good enough to be accepted by God, and thus need Christ for forgiveness of sin. We are then to live by faith in Christ, trusting Him who now indwells us to live righteously through us--and to be our joy, contentment, strength, and wisdom. Attempting to live good lives by trying real hard to change our ways will not work. Neither will we find contentment through our circumstances Be careful not to allow contentment to lead to loss of blessing (tribes of Reuben and Gad)- Numbers 32: 1-15 Being content should not stop spiritual growth E. Examples of Faith and Contentment Hebrew Boys- Daniel 3: 16-18 Esther – Esther 4:16 Christ- Matthew 26: 38-39 F. Questions to Ponder: Take a minute and think about yourself. Are you content because of total and complete faith in the Lord? Or, are you dissatisfied with your life? Are you content being a Christian? Is it okay for me to desire more out of life and have Faith that God will give it to me? Prayer of Jabez Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:10 If I can ask God for anything through Faith than why should I be content with the little that I have It is useless; it is like chasing the wind. It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else Ecclesiastes 6:9

Scripture References: Philippians 4:11-12, Hebrews 13:5, Romans 10:17