Bayside Baptist Church

Jason King: We're going to jump in today and continue in the series that we started last week. Thanks for coming back for week two of talking about money. I appreciate you being here. I didn't know if anybody was going to show up. You talk about money and it's one of those things where it often hits a little closer to home than we're comfortable with.

We're learning over the last couple of weeks how God wants something for you. He doesn't want something from you; he wants something for you. That's what I want to continue to talk about today. The General Social Survey, which has been going on for several years, asked people not only in our country but around the world to rate their happiness levels.

Between 1990 and 2018, the share of Americans who put themselves in the lowest happiness category increased by more than 50 percent. That was before the pandemic. The bad news is across the world. Every year, the Gallup survey asks roughly 150,000 people across 140 countries about their emotional lives.

They ask them about experiences of negative emotions related to stress, sadness, anger, worry, or physical pain. All of these hit record highs in 2021. In this survey, they ask people to rate their lives from a zero to ten. Zero means you are living the worst possible life, and ten means you're living the best.

Sixteen years ago, only 1.6 percent of people across the world rated their life as a zero. As of 2021, this survey showed that the share of people who said their life is a zero—the worst possible—had quadrupled. Unhappiness and discontent is an epidemic in our society. We all wrestle with it.

Art critic Robert Hughes wrote a book called The Culture of Complaint. He said we perceive ourselves as being entitled to the fulfillment of all our wants and desires. By being Americans, it's not the pursuit of happiness; it's the fulfillment and attainment of our happiness that we're entitled to.

When that doesn't happen, he goes on to say that we become victims. We whine, complain, and grumble. If we see that our inconvenience or our inability to find what we're looking for is caused by somebody else's issue, then we sue or go after that person or institution. At least we post a rant on social media.

For you, discontentment might hit closer to home and not be as in your face as he writes about. It could be something as simple as wishing you had a different job. Every time you go to work, you're reminded of that, and it affects your attitude and your engagement while you're at work.

Or you may be disappointed with your relationships. It could be with your parents if you're a student, a spouse, your kids, friends, or co-workers. They might not meet your emotional needs like you'd like for them to, and frustration or resentment creeps in. Your discontent could be connected to your finances where you wish that you had a little bit more than what you have right now.

If you could get there, you'd be able to do whatever you'd like to do. People deal with discontent in a number of different ways. For you, maybe you pull out your phone and begin to scroll. It's like an adult pacifier to keep you busy for a little while. You might watch a lot of TV, go shopping to ease the pain, or look at pornography.

Maybe you go have a few drinks or use a substance that helps ease the pain. You're chasing something that you hope will make you feel better. Advertisers contribute to our discontent or give us avenues to pursue what we feel like we want. They tell us that we need something more.

They spend an inordinate amount of time and money to tell us that we are dissatisfied. They have a product or service, and when we compare our lives and what we have or what we're receiving with what they offer, there's a gap. If we'll pursue whatever it is, then we'll find what we're looking for. They know that if we become discontent enough, we'll spend money.

We all struggle with it. Nobody is mad at you if you struggle; we all wrestle with this at times. Fellas, a guy drives by with a nicer truck than yours, and yours doesn't look so good anymore. His has leather, yours has cloth seats, and you start to wonder. Maybe a friend moves into a new home and suddenly your house is looking dated and a little older.

You see somebody at church with a brand-new purse or some new boots, and you think you need to go by the store this afternoon. Maybe you enjoy your job, but somebody else seems to be doing better, and yours isn't so great anymore. Discontentment doesn't stop there; it can extend into every area of life.

I've heard it said that a person with six kids is better satisfied than a person with six million dollars. The reason for this is that the man with six million dollars wants more. I had to think about that for a minute. First service was a little slow, too. You didn't know I was going to go there.

A lot of what is a way of life for us as Americans contributes to it. We're constantly inundated, and that's a reality of our world. But discontentment was present even back in the days of Jesus. He taught about discontentment, and so did the Apostle Paul. We're going to learn today what it looks like to deal with this.

Think back to Jesus's day. Jesus performed an incredible miracle. He fed 5,000 people with two fish and five loaves of bread. I bet there were several people who complained about the bones in the fish, or they didn't like how the fish was cooked. There's something in us where we get discontent with what we have.

I read a Yahoo Finance article this week that came out back in January. It said that as Americans, 97 percent of us are sick of something. The article said that the thing that unifies us—our country is so divided and pushed apart in so many ways—is that we're all sick of something. We have discontent in our lives.

I would suggest to you that the scriptures teach that discontentment is far from benign in your life. Instead, cultivating, pursuing, or ignoring the fact that discontentment is a temptation can be destructive. It brings on debt, leads to divorce, and creates division among people you love or people close to you.

It can create discouragement in your own life. Most importantly, it keeps you from experiencing what God desires for your life. Discontentment is real, but the Bible says there is an answer. The Apostle Paul in Philippians 4 said these words. Look at this on the screen.

It said, "Not that I was ever in need," Paul says, "for I have learned to be content with whatever I have." That may be a verse you want to write down and try to memorize. He says, "I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little."

"For I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." That's what we're going to talk about today because I believe it can transform your life. It can transform our perspective on the resources that God has given to us and move us from money or stuff possessing us to understanding the intent that God has for the resources He's given to you.

The key to finding fulfillment is not more stuff or more money. The key is finding contentment. Paul is going to show us in the passage today that when you combine increasing spiritual growth with contentment, that's when you find what you're looking for. If you have your Bible, I want to invite you to open up to 1 Timothy chapter 6.

We'll be there in just a minute. Paul is going to teach us about what it looks like to practice contentment. To catch you up from last week, we started this series, "Right On The Money," talking about the reality that money is a spiritual barometer for your life. I don't know if you know much about a barometer—if you hunt or fish you probably do—but a barometer tells you the pressure in the atmosphere.

With the reading and the direction of the pressure and how it moves, it also gives you a forecast for the future. We talked about how the reality of Jesus's teaching and the scriptures' teaching on money is that there's more to it than just money when it comes to the resources God has given to you.

If you want to look at a snapshot of what's most important to you, where you are in your spiritual life, and where you are in relation to God, you look at how you've spent your money. The barometer part is that not only does it give you a snapshot, but if you look at the way that you use your resources, it will also tell you the spiritual trajectory that you're on.

We don't like it, but Jesus said your heart follows where your money goes. It's not the other way around. That's what we would think it would be. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." We talked about the reality that if you want to gain traction in your spiritual life—because it's not about money, it's about faith and trust in the Lord—then invite God into your finances.

If you remember last week, we talked about how the starting place for storing up your treasures in heaven, as Jesus told us to do, inviting God into your finances begins with what's called a tithe. It's counter-intuitive and counter-culture, I know, and it's not easy to start if you've never done it, but the Bible says that it's worth it.

A tithe is the biblical principle where you take the first ten percent that you earn and you give it back to God by giving it to your local church. I said last week and I'll say it again: if you're skeptical that this is a fundraising series and the church is after your money, give your tithe to another church.

What we're learning is that God wants something for us. If that's the obstacle where you're hesitant, give it to another church. This principle is where you give back because the scriptures teach us that everything belongs to God and He's given you everything you have. He gave you the job that you're able to go and earn your living at.

He gave you the opportunities and the abilities you have. It's all from God, and you're simply a manager or a steward of those resources. They belong to God, and I'm a manager, you're a manager; we're simply stewards. We start by acknowledging that God has given us everything.

We give back to Him by giving what's called a tithe. You give it to the church even before your taxes, not if you have money left over or if you think you can make it work. It's a step of faith, an act of faith to give back to God from what He's given to you. I think that starts with where you worship.

A tithe is not when you send it out to a bunch of different places; you give it to wherever you're connected in worship. We also talked about how an offering is when the Lord leads you, as you grow in generosity, to give more than just the starting point. That's when you choose to give above and beyond the floor of your giving.

You may support a missionary on the other side of the world or someone who works with FCA or Crew. You might invest in something like the Care Center, a scholarship for the next generation, a missions offering, or perhaps a person in need. That's where we offer extra because God has given to us. He's been so good.

That's the starting point. You start with tithing, and then you begin to give an offering. God is wanting to move beyond a couple of checks or debits that you make in your account each month. That's what we're going to talk about today because God is wanting to cultivate something in your heart and mine that we can't do for ourselves. It's this word: contentment.

In 1 Timothy chapter 6, Paul begins to teach us what it looks like to have contentment with our finances. Paul is writing to young Timothy. Timothy is a young pastor and leader. A lot of 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy is personal, like, "Hey Timothy, here's a challenge for you." But a lot of it is, "Hey, here's what it looks like in the church."

If you look back in chapter 3, he's teaching them about elders and leadership in the church and deacons who serve the church. Then he gets into chapter 6 and says, "Hey, there's this incredible message that not only do you, Timothy, need to wrestle to the ground, but you need to help the people understand who are gathered in your church."

He says when you face money, there's more at stake than simply money. He's going to teach us how to find contentment today. I want you to see the first principle that we find in 1 Timothy 6:6. It's this: contentment grows with your level of trust in God. The Bible teaches that contentment is to be out of the overflow of your faith and your trust in God.

Look at how Paul says it in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 6. He says, "Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth." What is he saying here? I think he's saying don't believe for a minute that wealth is only found when your portfolio is going up and to the right, when you get a new position and a raise, or when you receive a windfall.

Jesus said those things can be gone in a second. They can rust, wear out, or be stolen. You can lose them. That's not going to stand. Instead, Paul says godliness with contentment is actually the great gain. Maybe your translation says great wealth. We're tempted to think that money brings wealth, but Paul says that's not necessarily true.

Money doesn't bring happiness or joy. What brings joy and gladness—true wealth, great wealth—comes from godliness. In other words, a pursuit of God combined with contentment in God's provision. Paul said that's when you find incredible wealth. It's much more satisfying than the amount of money that's in your bank account today or tomorrow.

It's a picture of faith and trust in God that is growing. Church, you need to hear me: the Christian faith, the walk, the life that God is calling us to is simply walking in the truth of God's word, allowing the spirit to apply the word to your life. That's why we talk about the Life Journal so much.

It's a way for you to hear God speak into your life through His word. As you begin to practice that, you begin to grow in faith. You begin to learn that you can trust God no matter what your circumstances are. It's not just talking about money. You can trust God in your marriage. You can trust God with your kids.

You can trust God with honoring Him with your choices, with your character, and by letting Him shape you and mold you into who He wants you to become. As you grow in faith and the word is applied to your lives, spiritual growth happens. That's what Paul means when he says that godliness is spiritual growth.

You become the man or woman that God has created you to be as you walk in the power of the spirit according to the word. Godliness with contentment is recognizing that God has been good to you and being content that God is who He says He is and that you can trust Him.

As you grow more in your faith, and as you know God more—not just know more information about Him, but truly know God—contentment grows in your heart right alongside faith. That word for contentment literally gives the picture of someone who is independent of their circumstances.

No matter what someone is going through or facing, they are self-sufficient. They are not contingent on the circumstances; they are standing upon something greater than themselves, standing on their faith in the Lord. It's a trust that God knows who you are and where you are.

He knows every detail about your life, every circumstance, and everything that's coming in your future, and He cares for you. The Bible teaches us that it's His joy to provide for His children. Because of that—not because you feel it, your mama said it, or you saw a video on social media, but because the word of God says this is true—you trust Him.

He knows what your thing is. He knows your circumstances. He knows what your checkbook register looks like and how much money is or is not in your account. He knows what your needs are and He invites you to trust Him. Hebrews 13:5 says, "Don't love money. Be satisfied, be content with what you have."

For God has said, "I will never fail you and I will never abandon you." That's more than just a feeling. It means that He's walking with you through whatever you face. Whatever uncertainty is around the bend, He's already out ahead of that. He's faithful to His word. If you're His child, if you're in Christ, He's faithful to you.

That means you find contentment not in what you're earning, what you have, or what you might get. Instead, you find contentment in who God is and that He's faithful to provide for every need right when you need it. Paul says godliness—trust and faith in the Lord—and contentment—a satisfied sense of "Lord, you've got it"—leads to great gain.

That's the key. The second principle that Paul's teaching Timothy and downloading to us is that we need to make a choice. You have to choose to be satisfied with what God provides. There is an overflow and a contentment that comes as you walk with the Lord. But sometimes you just have to choose: "All right God, I'm good. You've provided that. I'm going to stop this nasty animal that's rising up in me that wants more."

Look how Paul says it right here in verse 7: "After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content." There's that word again. To grow in contentment takes intentionality on our part.

Paul says you didn't bring anything into this world, and you're not going to take anything with you when you leave. When our kids were born, they didn't come into this world holding a deed to a house and some land to live in later on. They didn't come into this world with a debit card or a bank account full of money.

They didn't come into this world with their own rifle or shotgun. They didn't come into this world with trendy clothes or whatever shoes they were looking for. They showed up with nothing, needing everything. That's how it works. That's what Paul's saying. You don't come into this world with anything.

Guess what? I've been to a lot of funerals, and I have never seen anyone take anything with them. What I have seen is the kids, grandkids, or whoever is left behind fighting over it after you're gone. You're not going to take it with you, so don't believe the hype. Everything else fades away, and more money doesn't bring more contentment.

If you're discontent now, if that's rising up in your heart and you're realizing this is your life right now, you're not going to be good at a certain financial number or status, when you get to retirement, or when the kids get out of the house. Because a lack of contentment, as the Bible is teaching us, is not a money problem.

It's a problem in our hearts. We have distracted hearts. Paul says you can't take it with you, so why are you going to live as if you are going to try to? Choose to be content because somebody else is going to have your stuff when you're gone. Job said it in the Old Testament, Job 1:21.

He says, "I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave." He says, "The Lord gave me what I have." On the heels of losing everything, Job said, "The Lord's taken it all away." He doesn't say that if he can get his portfolio to a certain number, he'll praise the name of the Lord. He doesn't say if he can pay off his house or get the kids in a certain school.