Open – Favorite or most memorable super bowl commercial
Commercials are companies’ attempts to get us to buy their
products, to show us how great our lives would be if we had their clothing,
drink, car, or whatever. Today we are going to see what the Bible says about
what we really need in life.
The two passages we are going to consider talk about
contentment. When we consider contentment vs. materialism, we are going to see
that the believer is encouraged to be content rather than focus on what he or
she does not have or what the “Joneses” have.
Paul, writing to the church in Philippi says this:
Philippians 4:10-14;
Paul is talking about contentment in “Whatever circumstances
he is in”.
Is it easier to be
content with lots of stuff or with very little stuff?
I think Paul has already described the “secret” to the
contentment he describes here in v4-9 above. What are some of the things He describes in the verses just before
those we read that can help with contentment?
The Bible’s get rich quick scheme. This next passage also
helps us put a desire for material things in perspective. Paul, writing to
Timothy, is explaining how to deal with people who in in it for the money,
people who are chasing what they perceive to be a great pathway to riches
through the church.
1 Timothy 6:3-11
V6 is a key verse. It explains that godliness is a means of
great gain when accompanied by contentment.
What are the two
things that Paul says once we get these, we can be content? Food, Covering.
If you have more
possessions than food and covering, should we consider you a greedy person?
If it is OK to have
more than just food and covering, how much is enough and how much is too much?
How can someone
identify the difference between “Foolish and harmful desires” and the desire to
earn the best standard of living possible for himself and his family?
Rhetorical: Think about your level of desire for material
possessions, money, the security you think might come with a little more, and
weigh that against your pursuit of righteousness, godliness, faith, love and
perseverance. If there were a gauge, like a fuel gauge on
your car, and one side was all out greed and materialism, and the other side
was the total pursuit of righteousness, where would the needle be on your
gauge?
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