Worship in All Circumstances: Contentment

Good morning.

That's pretty good.

Welcome if you're here for the first time.

My name's Chris.

I help oversee the community groups here.

And I'm on the staff team here.

If you notice in the summer, there's a lot of in and out coming and going.

I know some of you are going to be going away.

Some of you are coming back.

We're called Watermark Community Church.

One of the things we want to be about is community.

Even in the midst of the summer where things are transitioning in and out,

I encourage you, even after the service, don't just kind of run away.

Spend time getting to know people.

There's coffee downstairs.

There's great opportunities just to be able to connect with people.

Don't make the summer like a time where you kind of spiritually take your foot off the accelerator.

Let it be a time where we actually kind of move even deeper into God in this season.

So we're in this season as a church of looking at the Psalms and looking at how the Psalms take us through all the seasons of life.

Winter, spring, summer, autumn.

And that's very much a metaphor for our lives.

That our lives pass through different seasons and go through different realities of life.

We've looked at happiness.

We've looked at unhappiness.

We've looked at discouragement and depression.

And today we're going to look at envy and contentment and doubt.

There's a song in Watermark, which we may even sing later, which is called,

Christ is enough for me.

Christ is enough for me.

Everything I have is in you.

Now, I don't know if you ever look at the song lyrics.

I really encourage you to actually look at the lyrics and what you're saying.

Don't just sing them.

But look at what they're saying.

Because when I read the words to that song, it's saying what the Psalmist in Psalm 73 says.

He says,

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And what do I desire on earth but you, God?

If I have Jesus, then I am content no matter what.

That's what he's saying.

But I don't know if you've thought about that.

Because I thought about that and I thought, is that true of me?

Is that true of me?

I want it to be true.

Deep inside of me, I want to say, yeah, Jesus, you're everything to me.

But actually, a relative of mine is getting married.

I think, in about two weeks.

She hasn't booked the venue yet.

It's in France.

She hasn't actually chosen the exact date yet.

And we, me and my wife, we can't organize anything.

We want to book our holiday in advance.

But we can't do anything.

And it's driving me nuts.

And Christ is enough for me.

But I would like to say, yes, Christ is enough for me and a little bit of organization.

Because that would help me.

And I don't know about you, but maybe you have lots of Christ and, you know, Christ and my kids' education is enough for me.

Christ and my grades is enough for me.

Christ and lots of likes on Facebook is enough for me.

Whatever the fill in the blank is at that point.

And if God were to take away that and part, take away the plans, the dreams, whatever I have for myself, you know, strip me of health, my job, my holiday.

Is Jesus enough for me?

Can I be content if I never go on that holiday?

That's a real question.

And I'm wrestling with that at the moment.

So this is a sermon for myself.

Okay.

But as we think about it, you even think about that question, sometimes we can look at kind of people who are like the spiritual greats and say, those people are the people who can say that.

There's a guy called C.T. Studd.

I don't know if you've heard of him.

Unfortunate name.

But in the 19th century, he was an English guy, son of a wealthy businessman.

And he was an international sportsman.

He played cricket for England.

He was one of the most promising sports stars of the time.

He graduated from Cambridge.

He had a potential political career ahead of him.

And then at one point, he said he heard God speak to him.

And God told him, I want you to be a missionary in China and then in India and then in Africa.

And he gave away an inheritance of about 30 million Hong Kong dollars.

He endured hardship and sickness.

And when people asked him, how can you do that?

He said, if Jesus Christ is God and he died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.

Because Jesus is enough for him.

But I look at that.

And we can look at that.

And we can look at the psalmist prayer.

And you say, yeah, if you're a Christian, yeah, I want that.

But I have a lot of ands in my life.

And sometimes it doesn't feel real.

I just wonder, that's maybe just unrealistic for me to ever live like.

I'm just an ordinary Christian.

Well, if that's how you think, well, this psalm has actually got some hope for you.

So have your bulletin open, please.

We want to just, the Bible is important.

I want you to just look along, check at what I'm saying that's in here.

It's not just me making this up.

But let's go in.

I want to talk about two main things.

First thing, I'm slipping.

I'm slipping.

Second thing, I'm regaining my balance.

I'm slipping, I'm regaining my balance.

So I'm slipping.

The psalmist, whose name is Asaph, starts out with a bold declaration of faith.

He says, surely, truly, God is good to Israel and to those who are pure in heart.

Now, this guy, Asaph, who wrote this, he is one of King David's key music leaders.

He was there.

He was a songwriter.

He was an expert cymbal player.

You know, he would have been on the drums here this morning.

And he's a good Jew.

He's been well taught by his family, by his pastor, by his friends, that God is good and

he blesses people who follow him.

He knows it.

He knows it.

He's done the Sunday school.

He knows it.

But then, verse 2, he says,

He's saying,

He's saying,

God was at the top of the escalator and I started sliding down towards the bottom.

And what was the great banana skin that caused him to nearly lose his godly balance?

Well, it's verse 3.

Envy.

Now, in a competitive society like Hong Kong, I'm sure none of us have a problem with envy.

That's a joke.

Hong Kong breeds envy.

And we repackage it as something like ambition.

But actually, there is a very different ambition, which is usually a selfish ambition.

But envy is wanting someone else's talents, someone else's life, someone else's possessions,

someone else's opportunities for yourself.

And envy, at root, says, God's not really good.

It doubts God's goodness.

It says, God, you're not really giving me what's good in life.

If you were really good, you'd give me those opportunities, not these opportunities.

You'd give me his life, not my life.

That's what envy says.

It's like what Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, you know, they've got thousands of trees to choose from.

And what do they do?

They fix their eyes on the one tree that they can't have.

But that's the one they want.

And the lie comes in and says, if God is not giving it to you, then maybe God's not really good to you.

He's holding something back from you.

And you begin to doubt.

And that's what's going on in this psalm.

Asaph sees the prosperity.

And that word prosperity is actually the word shalom, which means not just financial prosperity.

It means every part of life seems complete and whole and well-being for them.

And he says he sees the prosperity of the arrogant, and he starts comparing his life with their life.

And, you know, envy always starts when you see, and then you start comparing.

Because his life is hard.

It's tough.

But then he sees their life, and it's amazing.

You know, he looks at the guys all around him, and look at verse 4.

There's no pangs in their death.

They don't get arthritis or back pain or asthma.

They're fit and healthy.

Even when they get into retirement, they kind of glide easily into death.

They don't kind of crawl there in pain.

Their body is fat and sleek.

Now, that doesn't sound something to be jealous of, you know.

I don't know many people, you know, I'm like, man, your obesity is really making me jealous, you know.

Yeah, I'm not sure I can trust God if I look at your beer belly.

You know, that's not what goes in.

But actually, that's not what's in a culture where there's poverty and malnutrition.

Fatness is the symbol of health and wealth and vitality.

These guys are successful.

They're not in trouble as others are.

Everything seems easy for them.

And they're even popular.

Verse 10.

Therefore, his people turn back to them and find no fault.

Everyone else thinks they're great and are following their advice, too.

And they're getting rich.

These are the guys.

They're only 30.

They're already buying their second house on the peak.

And the worst thing about it, if that's not bad enough, is they're not the good guys.

It'd be easier to accept if they're like nice people, but they're not.

They're arrogant.

They're self-reliant.

They cut everyone else down who doesn't do things as well as they do.

They're ruthless at getting their own way.

And everybody else seems to celebrate their success and look up to them.

And you're stupid if you do it any other way.

And isn't this so often our experience in Hong Kong?

I mean, think about it.

Maybe you've tried to be ethical at work.

You've been really hardworking.

You've got out of your way to work overtime, even for your boss when you didn't have to just to get him out of a hole.

You've tried to honor God in the way that you're working.

And yet, there's a guy in the office.

And he's a two-faced so-and-so.

Lies to get himself out of trouble.

Blames his mistakes on everybody else.

Cuts corners with his work.

Totally thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread and tells everybody about it.

He's a complete jerk.

And promotion time comes around.

And you think, I've given myself this company.

I should get this promotion.

Who gets it?

Demonic Damon in the corner.

And you think, it's not fair.

Or maybe you're single.

And you've been trying to lead a God-honoring life.

You've actually stopped having relationships with certain people.

You've not wanted to settle for anything less than someone who loves Christ in your life.

But you're still single.

And yet, the person who's just been going around with everybody, a promiscuous lifestyle, they come in and they announce their engagement.

And it's the engagement to the cutest person you know.

And you're like, outwardly, you say, oh, congratulations.

I'm so happy for you.

And inwardly, you're like, I want to take that ring.

I want to throw it in the South China Sea.

And you with it.

It's not fair.

And that little thought comes in.

What's the point in trying to honor God?

Trying to be ethical.

Trying to be pure.

Verse 13.

He says, all in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.

Why don't I just lie a little bit if that's what it takes to get ahead?

I can cut a few corners, make myself look good because it pays off, even with a few lies.

Because it often does.

And Asaph is really honest here.

Many of us, including myself, are not as honest as he is about this issue.

Because we kind of hope it's not true if you're a Christian.

You know, and we can even play this little game where underneath, we kind of make ourselves feel better by saying, well, but they're not really happy.

You know, really underneath, they're miserable and lonely.

And then you go and ask them and say, you must be miserable.

And they say, no, I'm really happy.

And you say, but you don't have Jesus.

How can you be happy?

And they're like, but I am.

And then you say, but when you're lying on your bed at night, that little voice comes to you, doesn't it, and says, oh, maybe my life is empty and meaningless.

And they say, no, I just turn on Netflix and it's great.

And they look at you and they say, but you're a Christian.

And you look like you're missing out on all the fun.

And you're saying, no, no, no, I have a deep joy.

It's so deep that it's like a submarine that hasn't surfaced for years.

And deep inside you, there's that voice which is like, but I'd like Jesus and just a little bit of what you've got.

Right?

Anyone tracking with me?

That's envy.

And envy says, God's not really good to you.

Look at what he's keeping from you.

Because if he was really good, he'd have made your life so much easier, so much better.

And those doubts just start coming in and you start slipping.

Why do we do that?

One of the reasons we do that is because, like Asaph, we believe sometimes a version of Christianity,

which he's been told, which is actually superficial.

And the tragedy is actually preached in many churches today.

Here's how one guy, the pastor of the biggest church in America,

says this.

He says, right now, something is looking for you.

Something already has your name on it.

As long as you're doing your best to honor God and you have a heart to help others,

an explosive blessing will find its way into your hands.

We know that God's plan always leads to peace, health, and prosperity in every area of your life.

That's what Joel Osteen says.

It's the biggest church in America.

And he'll quote the Bible to show it.

He says, if you follow God, he'll bless you with a materially prosperous life now.

But the problem with that idea, Asaph believed it,

that the problem with that idea is the timing's wrong.

God does promise physical blessing,

but Jesus says, your treasures are stored in heaven, not on earth.

There is a promise of physical blessing, but it's for a new creation.

And it's not guaranteed now.

Now, God does bless us.

Many of us, we know God does bless us physically with things now.

But the point is not to make you comfortable here.

The point is to make and point you to the goodness of God so that you trust him

and find your treasure in him because you know that he really is good.

And the testimony of faithful Christians throughout generations shows that Joel Osteen's view of Christianity is so far wrong.

Take this guy Rashid.

He's a Pakistani man who, after converting to Christianity, he was disowned by his whole family.

Here's what he says.

Some might conclude that my life is pitiable.

After all, every evening after I finish my shift, I go home to an empty flat,

one not filled with the gleeful shouts of a six-year-old child.

When I go to bed at night, there is no one beside me to say I love you.

I expect never to hear from my parents on my birthday or on any other day for that matter.

The only noise in my home comes from a television set that I do not watch very often.

But to pity me would be to miss the joy I have experienced.

I believe things are better now than they were before I was a Christian.

My heart might be quiet, but I'm not lonely.

My family may have forsaken me, but I'm not abandoned.

I have Christ, and that is enough.

Indeed, it's more than enough.

In my eyes, I've been blessed beyond measure,

far greater than I deserve, and more than I could have hoped.

Osteen would say, Rashid, physical blessing is coming.

Rashid would say, I'm already blessed with the greatest blessing of knowing Christ.

Everything else is bonus.

Now, which version is more Christ-exaltering, God-honoring?

That's why Asaph has believed that, and he's starting to slip.

And when doubts come, they test the superficiality of your faith.

Because when that meets the reality of the world,

when the spoon-fed kind of childish faith that we think that,

okay, if I just put enough coins in the God slot,

then he gives me enough blessings in return,

that is childish faith.

And you can't just live off what everyone else has told you.

When doubts begin to come into your life,

it's like a diving board.

You either walk away slowly

because you can't see how the water can be good,

or you plunge deeper than ever into the beauty of God,

and you begin to really know his goodness.

He's slipping, Asaph.

And just as an aside for kind of the flip side,

that if you're thinking,

okay, yeah, I hate those arrogant, successful people too,

be careful.

Because, you know, when we're successful,

can't we be exactly the same?

You know, when things are down, we often run to God.

When things are good,

don't we become kind of subtly,

you know, we don't say it out loud,

but kind of self-reliant.

You know, I can do this.

I'm pretty good.

You know, it was down to my cleverness,

my hard work that I got that job,

that I got that opportunity.

Because when your success is going up,

all too often your prayer life is going down.

Have you noticed that?

It's so easy to think that it was all down to me.

And I don't really need God now.

Yeah, I'll come to church,

but I don't really need him.

But everything we have is gift.

Your talents,

many of your talents are shaped by your genes

and are shaped by the opportunities you've been given.

If you were born in a remote village in Angola

with a disability,

your life would probably be very different now.

Everything we have is grace.

And in every community,

it doesn't matter whether it's in Hong Kong,

whether it's in your sports club,

whether it's in the playground at school,

whether it's in the church,

those at the top are proud,

those at the bottom are envious,

and God is calling us to something better as a church.

Asaph slipping.

But now, second,

I'm regaining my balance.

Have a look at verse 16.

With me.

He says,

but when I thought how to understand this,

it seemed to me a wearisome task.

He's tried to understand it.

He's read all the apologetics books.

He's read all the things,

and it's not getting him anywhere

until he enters into the sanctuary of God.

The sanctuary of God is the tent of meeting,

which later became the temple.

It was a symbol of where God's presence dwelt.

And that's the place where the Jews would go up

to worship God.

So he's going up.

He goes to worship God,

as his habit was.

Like many of you,

you come every Sunday.

His habit.

But suddenly,

as he enters into worship,

he suddenly sees life

from a different perspective.

He gets God's perspective,

and he realizes he hadn't seen the full picture.

Because someone said,

life is more like a cube than a square.

A cube has many sides to it.

Many different facets.

If you just look at one angle,

all you do is see a square,

a 2D image.

But you miss the depth.

You miss the reality and the contours of life,

which is so much more complex

than just a 2D image.

You know,

it's like,

you know,

if you watch a magician

doing the soaring,

like soaring the lady in half,

you know that?

And you just see it from a frontal angle.

That's a very different perspective you get

than if you can actually see

all the way around.

Right?

You get a totally different understanding

of what's going on.

That's what Asaph is saying.

He's only been looking square

in a 2D image of life.

And in God's presence,

he's beginning to start seeing 3D.

And so what are the kind of sides

that Asaph is seeing here?

Three sides

that I like to think about.

One,

eternity

resets

the balance.

Eternity.

When he goes

into the sanctuary,

then in verse 17,

he discerns the end

of those

he envied.

He says later,

it's like life

is like a dream.

And for those

who've trusted in themselves,

the arrogant,

the ones that we envy,

who seem successful

without God,

they'll wake up

to a nightmare.

He says,

the short-term forecast

may look sunny,

but the long-term prospects

are bleak.

He says,

there are two fixed days

in your life

when you're born

and when you die.

And over both of them,

we don't have

that much control,

particularly over the first one.

And between those two dates,

God is going to hold you

accountable

for how you've related

to him

in your life.

Judgment

that God will bring

is like the great audit.

It sets

an unfair world

to rights.

And Tim Keller

says this,

that the rich

without God

will be eternally poor.

Celebrities

without God

are on their way

to being

permanently ignored.

It resets

the balance.

I don't know

if you remember that.

There was a Miss Universe

contest about two years ago.

Now,

I don't normally watch

Miss Universe,

just...

I could get in trouble here.

But two years ago,

I watched

because it was on the news.

Okay?

That's my get out class.

It was on the news.

And Miss Columbia

got crowned the winner.

Does anyone remember this?

Yeah?

Sorry?

Was it last December?

Oh, wow.

I know it was recently.

You see,

I'm getting old.

I'm getting close

to that final date of death

and the...

Is it only a few months ago?

Okay,

it was a few months ago.

That's why it's so fresh

in my mind.

And...

But do you remember?

Miss Columbia

got crowned the winner

until someone told the presenter

that he'd misread the name

on the card.

Remember that?

And she hadn't won.

And her joy

instantly

turned to sadness.

She was stripped,

like literally stripped

of her success

in front of everybody.

Her crown

was taken off

and given to someone else.

Remember that?

That's what

Asaph is saying here

when you have eternity

in perspective.

God has a card

with the names

of those

who will enjoy

his heaven

in a renewed earth.

And the only names

on his card

are the ones

who will run

and trust

in Christ.

the temporary joy

of Miss Columbia

wasn't actually real.

If only she knew

the end result.

If only she knew

the end result.

Eternity changes

all your envy

in perspective.

You see,

when the game of life

is over,

everything goes back

in the box.

Your success,

your money,

relationships,

but what do you have

that outlasts the game?

If you're not a Christian

or if you think

that you're just

a spiritual person

who doesn't really know

what I mean

when I say

you need to find

treasure in Christ.

If you don't get

what that means,

if you don't get

what that means,

do you actually think

you're okay with God

if you were to meet

him right now?

Or have you even

thought about that

at all?

Life is too short

for us to ignore it.

Life is like a countdown

where the clock

is ticking.

It's your name

on the card.

Because if it's not

or if you're not sure,

today is the day

where God actually

wants to say to you,

you can get right

with me

because my son

has died on a cross

for you

so your name

can be engraved

on that card

and there won't be

anyone misreading it.

But if you are

a Christian,

in 2 Corinthians 4

it says this.

He says,

Paul says,

to paraphrase,

the scratches of life

we receive now

are nothing compared

to the eternal

void of glory

that is beyond

all comparison.

When Jesus

rose from the dead,

he has inscribed

your name

on that card

to receive

a lasting crown

which is better

than Miss Columbia

would ever get.

It's one

where you come

into a restored

creation with Christ.

C.S. Lewis

once said this.

He says,

there have been times

where I wonder,

I think we do not

desire heaven

but more often

I find myself

wondering

whether in our

heart of hearts

we have desired

anything else.

all the cravings

for acceptance,

for love,

for prosperity,

for health,

for security

all met

completely in God

in a new creation.

That's the promise

for you and me

as a Christian.

And we won't be saying,

well wow,

now I see

why I suffered

all those bad things.

We won't be saying that

when we see Christ

face to face.

We'll say,

what bad things?

Because the painful

training for the Olympics

is seen in a new light

when the gold medal

is hung around your neck.

And that prize

for the Christians

is Christ.

Laura Story

is a Christian

singer-songwriter.

She's successful.

Everything seemed

to be going well

with her.

And then her athlete

husband got a brain tumor.

Her life started

collapsing.

But then she

wrote a song.

It's a famous song

called Blessings.

It goes like this.

I'm not going to sing it

to you,

so you're okay.

That's right.

Some of you

are getting worried.

Because what if

your blessings

come through raindrops?

What if your healing

comes through tears?

What if a thousand

sleepless nights

are what it takes

to know you're near?

What if trials

of this life

are your mercies

in disguise?

What if my

greatest disappointments

or the aching

of this life

is the revealing

of a greater thirst

this world

can't satisfy?

For the believer,

the brief pain

of this world,

someone has said,

is the closest

you'll come to hell.

And for the unbeliever,

the pleasures

of this world

are the closest

you'll come to heaven.

So are you seeing

life in eternity

3D perspective

today?

That's the first side.

The second side

is how he sees

his relationship

with God,

how he views God.

Verse 21.

When my soul

was embittered,

when I was pricked

in heart,

I was brutish.

We don't use that

very often.

It means I was stupid.

That's what it means.

The Bible does call

people stupid sometimes.

He says,

I was stupid

and ignorant.

I was like a beast

towards you.

He's saying,

when I got to that point

of comparison

and resentment

and envy

with other people,

when I got there

and I started doubting

in God's goodness,

I was like an unthinking

beast towards you, God.

Not a little

kind of cute dog

kind of animal.

I was a complete

unthinking,

unfeeling slug

towards you.

He's saying,

I wanted your stuff

more than I wanted

you, God.

And that's where

the rub, I think,

really hits me

when I think about

my envy.

Because when I get

those little doubts,

I get disillusioned

with God,

or when you actually

get to that point

of being mad

with God

at something,

it's always

because I want

something more

than God.

It's always

because I want

something more

than God.

Tim Keller again,

he gives this example.

He says,

imagine you meet

someone,

you start falling

in love with them,

and you kind of

agree to get married,

and before you do,

you tell them

that you're going

to come into

a whole load

of money.

You've got this

huge trust fund

that's going

to come to you

after marriage,

and they say to you,

okay, that's fine,

but I'm not

marrying you

for your money.

I just love you.

And so,

you get to the

wedding,

just before the

wedding,

and you then

tell your future

spouse,

actually,

I'm really sorry,

but I've just

found out that

actually my brother's

going to inherit

all of this stuff,

and I'm not going

to get any of it,

and your fiancé

turns around

and calls off

the wedding

and says,

sorry, it's over.

How would you feel?

You'd be absolutely

devastated, wouldn't you?

You'd say,

you never really

loved me.

You only loved me

because you wanted

my money.

Well,

you were just

using me

to get what you

wanted,

and that's

what Asaph

has realized

in God's

presence.

That's how

he was treating

God.

He was a user,

not a lover.

He realizes,

his envy

realizes,

it shows him

that I was

treating you,

God,

as just a tool

to kind of

get what I

wanted for myself,

and when you

weren't giving

it to me,

then I was

going to run

away from you.

And envy

reveals what the

Bible calls

idolatry.

It's when you

want something

more than God.

What does

your envy

reveal that

you want

more than

God?

I've had to

think about

this myself,

because the

call for you

when you see

that in your

heart is to

run to God,

repent,

and confess

as honestly

as Asaph

does.

Run back

to a God

who loves

us,

and he

doesn't use

us like we

try and use

him.

That's the

second side.

He sees how

he views God.

The third

side is

he sees

that God,

that Christ

is enough

for him.

Whom,

verse 25,

whom have I

in heaven

but you?

And there

is nothing

on earth

that I

desire

besides you.

My flesh

and my

heart may

fail,

but God

is the

strength,

literally the

rock of

my heart.

And then

verse 28

he says,

for me

it is good

to be

near God.

One

translation,

I like

this translation,

it says,

the nearness

of God

is my

good.

The nearness

of God

is my

good.

You see,

Asaph's gone

from having

this square

shaped view

of God's

goodness,

where it's

just about

getting the

blessings,

to seeing

that God,

when he

promises

blessing to

us,

he's

promising

above all

himself

to you.

Because when

we get

physical

blessings,

our response

should be

gratitude

and thanksgiving

to God

for his

goodness.

And Asaph

has gone

from seeing

his greatest

good as

getting a

healthy body,

as getting

a successful

career,

as God

and something.

He's gone

from that

to seeing

the nearness

of God

is my

good.

shift.

You see

the shift

in perspective.

And you

know,

the problem

is if you're

a Christian,

you kind

of know

it.

You know,

if I tell

you,

okay,

what's the

answer?

What's the

answer in

church?

Jesus.

Right?

But the

thing is it's

so cliché

that we get

to,

we think,

if you've

been in

church a

little while,

you know,

okay,

I know

that.

Now can

you move

on to

something else

that I'd

really like

to help

which can

help me

with the

and parts

of my

life?

Right?

Can you

inspire me

so I can

enjoy a

good life?

I kind

of know

the Jesus

bit.

That's

the superficial

faith that

Asaph had.

But this

psalm is

saying everything

that causes

you to envy

in others

is a desire

for what

Christ alone

can satisfy

you and

fully provide.

Think about

it.

Do you

crave

acceptance

and love

from others?

Do you

envy when

other people

are more

popular than

you and

get more

likes on

Facebook

than you?

Well,

verse 23

he says,

I am

with you

continually.

How?

Well,

the psalmist

only knew

this in part,

but we know

this more

fully,

because Christ

was Emmanuel,

God with

us,

he came

down to

us,

he was

nailed on

a cross

with nine

inch nails

hammered

through his

hands for

people like

you and

me who

treated him

as a

beast,

who were

beasts

towards him,

who rejected

him, and yet

he still

said,

Father,

forgive.

And we so

often live

like that,

and yet he

still says,

I died to

bring you

into relationship

with me,

not just to

say,

oh yeah,

thank you for

that,

but here's

all the other

stuff I want,

but no,

to give you

full acceptance

and approval

with the most

powerful king

of the whole

universe.

Why do I

need approval

from those

who care far

less about me

than I care

about them

and their

opinion?

It's true,

isn't it?

When Christ

is enough

for your

need for

acceptance.

Do you

crave

security

and envy

those who

seem to be

more financially

secure,

more job

secure,

more housing

secure than

you?

Because he

says,

you hold

my right

hand.

Do you get

that?

You know,

the kid who's

walking along

on a climbing

frame,

and they're

tottering along,

afraid they're

going to fall,

and they cling

to anything

for security,

and then her

father comes

alongside her

and grabs

hold of her

hand and

says,

I'm not

letting you

go.

We're going

to walk

through this

together.

How much

difference does

that make

now to that

child?

Because her

father is

holding her

right hand.

He holds you

more secure

than any

financial market

can be secure,

more than any

house or

accommodation

can be secure,

more than any

job can give

you security.

If you're a

Christian,

you're the most

secure person

in this city,

because he

holds your

right hand,

and we

forget it.

Is Christ

enough for your

security today?

Do you crave

success and

envy those who

seem more

talented,

more successful

than you?

It says,

God is your

portion.

Now,

I don't know if

you know what

portion is.

Your portion

is what you're

allotted when

a father is

about to die

and he's going

to distribute

his inheritance

to his sons

or to his

family.

You know,

and your

portion over

there,

you get

ten million

dollars.

Your portion,

that guy's

portion,

it's a house

on the peak.

That guy's

portion,

it's an

amazing six

pack.

That guy's

portion,

it's a holiday

in France.

Your portion

is the

God of

the universe

who owns

all the

other stuff

anyway.

Christ is

enough for

your success.

And if he

gives you the

other stuff,

it's because

he is good

and he wants

to show you

his love,

but his love

is not conditional

on you getting

good things or

not in

physical terms.

Christ is

enough for

your success.

You can be

incredible

successful,

you can be

in the world's

eyes totally

unsuccessful,

but he will

receive you to

glory and you

will receive the

crown.

Is Christ

enough for

you?

If nothing

else changes

in your life

right now,

can you be

content in a

city that lacks

contentment?

This church

is called to be

a people who

are content

in Christ.

Let me finish

with a quote.

John Piper

says this,

you cannot

show the

preciousness of

a person by

being happy

with his

gifts.

Ingratitude

will certainly

show you that

the giver is

not loved,

but gratitude

for the gifts

does not

prove that the

giver is

precious.

What proves

that the giver

is precious

is the

glad-hearted

readiness to

leave all his

gifts to be

with him.

Do you hold

what you have

in open hands

knowing that he

is enough for

you?

Let me pray.

Father, as we

think about

what it means

to, for you

to be enough

for us,

Lord, I just

pray you would

show us what

we're envying

right now.

It's so easy,

Lord, to

focus on

what,

everything that

we don't

have, and

to miss

everything that

we do have.

Father, I pray

that we would

not take you

for granted.

Forgive me

where I do

that so

often.

Thank you

that you

are enough

for us, and

Lord, when you

say that, you're

going to provide

everything that

we need.

I don't have to

cling for security

worried about

whether you're

going to provide

or not,

because you

will.

But I pray

for those of us

here who don't

know you, who

that idea that

you can be

somehow enough

just seems

crazy, I pray

that you would

show them how

beautiful you

are, that you

would die for

us, to bring

us in a

relationship with

a holy God.

I pray for

those of us who

are Christians.

May we not

treat you as

just a cash

machine to get

what we want

when we can.

I pray that you

would really help

us to run and

chase after you,

to know that

you're enough for

us, whatever's

going on in our

lives, in the

craziness of the

world at the

moment.

Let us find our

hope in you,

our contentment

in you.

In your name.

Amen.