Rediscovering Joy #8 | March 5 2023

Rediscovering Joy #8 | March 5 2023
Logan Holloman | Next Gen Pastor

The Secret to Contentment

Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)
11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.

Have you learned to be content?

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (NIV)
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

Who or what is the source of your contentment?

Matthew 28:18 (NIV)
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

“The irony of this surprising command is that, though it’s what we all really want to hear, we have as much difficulty, if not more, in obeying this command as any other. We all cherish fear so closely that we find we can’t shed it even when we are told to do so.”
-- NT Wright, Following Jesus

Who might benefit from your contentment?

Therefore, we are not surprised if living as Christians brings us to the place where we find we are at the end of our own resources, and that we are called to rely on the God who raises the dead. Living by faith rather than fear is so odd for us, so scary for us, that it takes a lot of learning. Bit by bit we must open ourselves to the power of this resurrection God; and sometimes this will only happen when we find ourselves in the sudden crisis where there is nothing else that we can do. Don’t be surprised if this happens, not least when you face an uncertain future. Use such an opportunity as the moment when your belief in the resurrection of Jesus, your trust in the God who raises the dead, your determination to follow the Lamb wherever he goes, reaches down one or two levels deeper in your own innermost being, the palace where all those fears still live.
-- NT Wright, Following Jesus

How content are you with your faith?

Reflection Questions:
1) What are the people, things, or circumstances that bring you joy? Why do they bring you joy?
2) Can those people, things, or circumstances change? If so, what or whom do you turn to in order to find deep contentment?
3) Who in your life would you consider to be a content person?
4) What area of your life, whether plenty or need, is your greatest temptation to control or hold on to? What needs to happen in order to hand that over to God?

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Notes Page: https://journeyweb.net/sermons/notes/2023.03.05.pdf