1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,680 This is week three in our four week series, 2 00:00:02,680 –> 00:00:05,040 the Art of Contentment. 3 00:00:05,040 –> 00:00:09,000 We are seeing that contentment is a journey 4 00:00:09,000 –> 00:00:11,020 in which we move from anger to peace, 5 00:00:11,020 –> 00:00:13,040 from frustration to satisfaction, 6 00:00:13,040 –> 00:00:15,360 and from anxiety to trust. 7 00:00:15,360 –> 00:00:17,920 It really is an art that is learned or cultivated 8 00:00:17,920 –> 00:00:21,879 or fostered, and therefore we grow in it 9 00:00:21,879 –> 00:00:24,260 in our Christian journey over time. 10 00:00:24,260 –> 00:00:28,120 Last week we looked particularly at how that growth happens 11 00:00:28,120 –> 00:00:30,879 as we savor the blessings of Christ 12 00:00:30,879 –> 00:00:33,419 and we affirm the sufficiency of Christ 13 00:00:33,419 –> 00:00:36,639 and we embrace the supremacy of Jesus Christ. 14 00:00:36,639 –> 00:00:38,900 And it’s for that reason that in this third week 15 00:00:38,900 –> 00:00:42,820 of the series we’re turning to 1 Timothy in chapter six, 16 00:00:42,820 –> 00:00:44,099 which has been read to us. 17 00:00:44,099 –> 00:00:45,639 I’m sure you noticed that there are not 18 00:00:45,639 –> 00:00:50,320 one but two references to contentment in these verses. 19 00:00:50,320 –> 00:00:52,200 The first is in verse six. 20 00:00:52,200 –> 00:00:56,160 Godliness with contentment is great gain. 21 00:00:56,160 –> 00:00:58,020 Then Paul gives the reason. 22 00:00:58,020 –> 00:01:01,259 For, we brought nothing into the world 23 00:01:01,259 –> 00:01:04,559 and we cannot take anything out of the world. 24 00:01:04,559 –> 00:01:06,279 In other words, here’s the reason 25 00:01:06,279 –> 00:01:09,040 why godliness with contentment is great gain. 26 00:01:09,040 –> 00:01:11,820 Cause God made you to live in this world 27 00:01:11,820 –> 00:01:13,500 for a very short time. 28 00:01:13,500 –> 00:01:17,000 But then to live with him forever and forever. 29 00:01:17,000 –> 00:01:21,239 And from that perspective, Paul then says in verse eight, 30 00:01:21,239 –> 00:01:24,639 so if we have food and clothing, 31 00:01:24,639 –> 00:01:28,620 with these we will be content, there it is again. 32 00:01:28,620 –> 00:01:29,959 That really is all that we need 33 00:01:29,959 –> 00:01:33,279 during this short journey through this world. 34 00:01:33,279 –> 00:01:34,400 The challenge, of course, 35 00:01:34,400 –> 00:01:37,839 is that all of us want a lot more than that. 36 00:01:37,839 –> 00:01:42,680 And Paul says, here’s the problem with wanting more. 37 00:01:42,680 –> 00:01:44,800 Those, verse nine, who desire 38 00:01:44,800 –> 00:01:49,440 to be rich fall into temptation. 39 00:01:50,500 –> 00:01:52,559 Now what has been most striking to me, folks, 40 00:01:52,599 –> 00:01:53,959 in meditating on this, 41 00:01:53,959 –> 00:01:57,680 is that this is an unqualified statement. 42 00:01:58,660 –> 00:02:01,519 Paul says, unqualified, 43 00:02:01,519 –> 00:02:06,120 those who desire to be rich fall into temptation. 44 00:02:07,019 –> 00:02:09,380 He doesn’t say they might fall into temptation 45 00:02:09,380 –> 00:02:10,220 or is some of them. 46 00:02:10,220 –> 00:02:11,479 He says they will. 47 00:02:12,600 –> 00:02:14,720 They do, those who desire to be rich. 48 00:02:14,720 –> 00:02:18,339 In other words, if the goal of your life 49 00:02:18,339 –> 00:02:21,080 revolves around having more, 50 00:02:21,080 –> 00:02:23,039 you will fall into temptation. 51 00:02:23,039 –> 00:02:24,619 It will be a snare to you. 52 00:02:24,619 –> 00:02:26,179 None of us wants to be there, 53 00:02:26,179 –> 00:02:30,199 we cannot therefore allow ourselves to be in this position. 54 00:02:30,199 –> 00:02:32,419 And so this is why Paul speaks here, 55 00:02:32,419 –> 00:02:34,820 particularly about contentment, 56 00:02:34,820 –> 00:02:38,500 our theme for this month in relation to money. 57 00:02:38,500 –> 00:02:42,240 When God gives you more, you will have more opportunity. 58 00:02:42,240 –> 00:02:45,619 You will also, as we see today, have more responsibility 59 00:02:45,619 –> 00:02:49,440 and with it will come particular temptations. 60 00:02:49,479 –> 00:02:52,199 Therefore, we all need to know 61 00:02:52,199 –> 00:02:55,279 how to handle the blessing of God 62 00:02:55,279 –> 00:02:56,440 and that is the subject 63 00:02:56,440 –> 00:02:59,320 that we are looking at together today. 64 00:02:59,320 –> 00:03:02,960 Now, the person that I have learned most from 65 00:03:02,960 –> 00:03:06,919 in terms of writing about Scripture on this subject 66 00:03:06,919 –> 00:03:09,320 is this man, Jeremiah Burroughs, 67 00:03:09,320 –> 00:03:12,360 whose story I want to tell you today. 68 00:03:12,360 –> 00:03:14,020 I mentioned him a couple of weeks ago. 69 00:03:14,020 –> 00:03:15,979 This is the man who wrote two books 70 00:03:15,979 –> 00:03:18,580 on the subject of Christian contentment, 71 00:03:18,580 –> 00:03:21,279 one, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, 72 00:03:21,279 –> 00:03:24,600 which really is the classic work on this subject. 73 00:03:24,600 –> 00:03:26,940 Now, 400 years since he wrote it, 74 00:03:26,940 –> 00:03:28,440 it has never been bettered. 75 00:03:28,440 –> 00:03:30,919 And then he wrote a second and shorter book 76 00:03:30,919 –> 00:03:34,839 called Contentment, Prosperity, and God’s Glory. 77 00:03:34,839 –> 00:03:38,399 Now, let me tell you the story of the life of the man 78 00:03:38,399 –> 00:03:42,160 who, as it were, wrote the book on contentment. 79 00:03:42,160 –> 00:03:46,979 Jeremiah Burroughs was born in 1599, 80 00:03:47,440 –> 00:03:49,759 very, very gifted and godly man, 81 00:03:49,759 –> 00:03:52,720 studied at the University of Cambridge. 82 00:03:52,720 –> 00:03:55,880 At the age of 28, began his ministry, 83 00:03:55,880 –> 00:03:59,720 serving as a pastor in the delightful 84 00:03:59,720 –> 00:04:04,000 town of Bury, St. Edmund’s in England. 85 00:04:04,000 –> 00:04:05,919 Well, it didn’t go well. 86 00:04:05,919 –> 00:04:07,919 Burroughs said, after three years, 87 00:04:07,919 –> 00:04:10,320 he said, I’ve been here nearly three and a half years 88 00:04:10,320 –> 00:04:13,440 with these people and with little success. 89 00:04:13,440 –> 00:04:16,880 He describes how the people had a strange disposition 90 00:04:16,880 –> 00:04:17,640 towards him. 91 00:04:17,640 –> 00:04:20,239 Somehow the chemistry just didn’t seem to work. 92 00:04:20,239 –> 00:04:23,140 They didn’t seem responsive to him or to like him. 93 00:04:23,140 –> 00:04:25,640 And I think it’s pretty clear that they wanted him to move on 94 00:04:25,640 –> 00:04:29,160 because after three years, they cut his salary in half, 95 00:04:29,160 –> 00:04:31,320 which is kind of a way of kind of saying you know, 96 00:04:31,320 –> 00:04:34,119 3 years is enough time for you to move on. 97 00:04:34,119 –> 00:04:37,100 Well, Burroughs moved on from this larger town, 98 00:04:37,100 –> 00:04:41,880 Bury, St. Edmund’s, and took a church in a smaller village. 99 00:04:41,880 –> 00:04:44,739 It was a place called Tivertshall, 100 00:04:44,739 –> 00:04:47,019 and things didn’t go well there either. 101 00:04:47,019 –> 00:04:49,859 But for very, very different reasons. 102 00:04:49,859 –> 00:04:54,940 The king, Charles the I was concerned at the time 103 00:04:54,940 –> 00:04:58,820 about the general health of his population. 104 00:04:58,820 –> 00:05:04,320 And he published what was known as the King’s Book of Sports, 105 00:05:04,320 –> 00:05:08,100 which was a royal decree laying out 106 00:05:08,100 –> 00:05:11,100 what citizens were required to do 107 00:05:11,160 –> 00:05:15,540 by way of recreation for their own general health 108 00:05:15,540 –> 00:05:18,260 on Sunday afternoons. 109 00:05:18,260 –> 00:05:22,059 And the King’s Book of Sports prescribed 110 00:05:22,059 –> 00:05:27,739 leaping, vaulting, Morris dancing, 111 00:05:27,739 –> 00:05:31,739 and the setting up of maypoles across the country 112 00:05:31,739 –> 00:05:34,179 on Sunday afternoons so that the folks got 113 00:05:34,179 –> 00:05:35,660 some good exercise. 114 00:05:35,660 –> 00:05:39,140 Now are you not glad that you are not 115 00:05:39,140 –> 00:05:42,179 living in 17th century England when 116 00:05:42,179 –> 00:05:46,179 the king tells all of us what to do with our relaxation 117 00:05:46,179 –> 00:05:48,359 time on a Sunday afternoon? 118 00:05:48,359 –> 00:05:51,700 But this was the world in which Jeremiah Burroughs 119 00:05:51,700 –> 00:05:53,660 lived and served. 120 00:05:53,660 –> 00:05:55,760 And you see, you know, you’ve got no television, 121 00:05:55,760 –> 00:05:56,739 you’ve got no radio. 122 00:05:56,739 –> 00:05:59,519 So how does the King get a proclamation out 123 00:05:59,519 –> 00:06:01,980 to the entire population and tell the people 124 00:06:01,980 –> 00:06:03,619 what they’re supposed to do? 125 00:06:03,619 –> 00:06:07,260 Well, the established church, the state church of which 126 00:06:07,260 –> 00:06:12,700 the King was the head, it was required of ministers 127 00:06:12,700 –> 00:06:16,500 that they should read the King’s book of sports 128 00:06:16,500 –> 00:06:22,640 to the congregations across the country on a Sunday morning. 129 00:06:22,640 –> 00:06:25,640 Well, you can imagine that that didn’t go down well with some. 130 00:06:25,640 –> 00:06:30,260 The Puritan ministers were men of strong convictions 131 00:06:30,320 –> 00:06:34,019 and especially with regards to the holiness of the Lord’s day, 132 00:06:34,019 –> 00:06:36,260 and there was no way in the world 133 00:06:36,260 –> 00:06:38,500 that these men, men like Jeremiah Buroughs, 134 00:06:38,500 –> 00:06:40,019 were gonna get up in their pulpits 135 00:06:40,019 –> 00:06:42,140 and read the King’s book of sports 136 00:06:42,140 –> 00:06:44,540 and tell the people they were to do leaping, 137 00:06:44,540 –> 00:06:47,899 vaulting, and Morris-dancing on a Sunday afternoon. 138 00:06:47,899 –> 00:06:49,760 I mean, you know, we’re here for the Bible. 139 00:06:49,760 –> 00:06:52,779 We’re not here to put out the latest policy document 140 00:06:52,779 –> 00:06:55,100 from the King and so forth and so on. 141 00:06:55,100 –> 00:06:57,299 And so Buroughs, along with many others, 142 00:06:57,299 –> 00:07:00,079 simply ignored the King’s book of sports. 143 00:07:01,100 –> 00:07:03,299 And ministers who did this, 144 00:07:03,299 –> 00:07:05,459 and there were a good number of them, 145 00:07:05,459 –> 00:07:10,140 became known as non-conformists. 146 00:07:11,100 –> 00:07:12,660 And you should be interested 147 00:07:12,660 –> 00:07:14,660 because this is actually our history. 148 00:07:14,660 –> 00:07:17,380 This is where we come from as free churches. 149 00:07:17,380 –> 00:07:19,579 Throughout Europe, there were different situations 150 00:07:19,579 –> 00:07:21,260 in which this manifested itself. 151 00:07:21,260 –> 00:07:23,760 But believers who said, you know, 152 00:07:23,760 –> 00:07:27,220 when we get together, we meet around the Bible 153 00:07:27,220 –> 00:07:30,040 and we’re not here to hear some proclamation 154 00:07:30,160 –> 00:07:32,920 from the king and we’re not gonna conform with that. 155 00:07:32,920 –> 00:07:34,480 And it’s an issue of conscience 156 00:07:34,480 –> 00:07:37,399 and we assert the independence of congregations 157 00:07:37,399 –> 00:07:39,239 and the centrality of the Bible. 158 00:07:39,239 –> 00:07:42,260 All of these things are in the DNA 159 00:07:42,260 –> 00:07:44,220 from which free churches, 160 00:07:44,220 –> 00:07:48,200 of which we are a part here today, have come. 161 00:07:48,200 –> 00:07:50,200 Well, Burroughs was in that sense, 162 00:07:50,200 –> 00:07:51,720 one of our forebearers. 163 00:07:52,940 –> 00:07:54,480 But of course you will understand 164 00:07:54,480 –> 00:07:57,540 you don’t refuse the king without consequence. 165 00:07:58,500 –> 00:08:02,660 The archbishop who was the agent of the king 166 00:08:02,660 –> 00:08:05,339 went after the non-conformists 167 00:08:05,339 –> 00:08:07,640 and there was a bit of a purge that went on. 168 00:08:09,579 –> 00:08:13,359 At the age of 36, Burroughs was therefore suspended 169 00:08:13,359 –> 00:08:14,899 from his ministry in Tibichal, 170 00:08:16,000 –> 00:08:16,859 and a year later 171 00:08:16,859 –> 00:08:18,380 because he still would not conform 172 00:08:18,380 –> 00:08:20,459 to reading kings’ proclamations 173 00:08:20,459 –> 00:08:22,420 instead of the Bible from the pulpit, 174 00:08:22,420 –> 00:08:25,019 he was fired, which meant that he lost 175 00:08:25,019 –> 00:08:27,619 not only his income, but also of course his home 176 00:08:27,619 –> 00:08:31,720 which was tied to the parish that he had been serving. 177 00:08:31,720 –> 00:08:34,099 At that point in his life, 178 00:08:34,099 –> 00:08:37,219 a man by the name of the Earl of Warwick, 179 00:08:37,219 –> 00:08:40,900 landed family, man of some means, 180 00:08:40,900 –> 00:08:43,219 took Jeremiah Burroughs in and said to him, 181 00:08:43,219 –> 00:08:44,380 ”Look, why don’t you come? 182 00:08:44,380 –> 00:08:46,419 Why don’t you come into our home? 183 00:08:46,419 –> 00:08:48,539 Why don’t you become basically the pastor 184 00:08:48,539 –> 00:08:52,299 to our extended family and our servants 185 00:08:52,299 –> 00:08:53,900 and so forth and so on?” 186 00:08:53,900 –> 00:08:56,679 It was a great kindness and it was the Lord’s provision. 187 00:08:56,679 –> 00:08:59,599 But you see the pattern of this man’s life. 188 00:08:59,599 –> 00:09:02,780 Here is a gifted and godly man who commits his life 189 00:09:02,780 –> 00:09:04,859 to serve the Lord as a pastor 190 00:09:04,859 –> 00:09:09,359 and every step of his life is a step downwards. 191 00:09:09,359 –> 00:09:14,359 He begins in a town, he then ends up in a village 192 00:09:14,359 –> 00:09:16,580 and because of his own conscience 193 00:09:16,580 –> 00:09:20,659 he ends up having a congregation that is only one family, 194 00:09:20,659 –> 00:09:23,840 the family of the Earl of Warwick. 195 00:09:23,940 –> 00:09:25,919 And then it got worse. 196 00:09:25,919 –> 00:09:27,880 After all of these discouragements 197 00:09:27,880 –> 00:09:31,599 in the years of his ministry in 1638 198 00:09:32,599 –> 00:09:35,719 there was a false accusation 199 00:09:35,719 –> 00:09:37,960 that was made against Jeremiah Burroughs 200 00:09:37,960 –> 00:09:39,159 to the effect that, 201 00:09:39,159 –> 00:09:42,799 and here I’ve got to confess some personal interest, 202 00:09:42,799 –> 00:09:46,880 that he had supported the Scots 203 00:09:46,880 –> 00:09:49,880 who were up to their old trickery 204 00:09:49,880 –> 00:09:52,580 rebelling yet again against the king. 205 00:09:52,580 –> 00:09:53,979 If you know anything about the history 206 00:09:53,979 –> 00:09:55,559 of the country from which I come 207 00:09:55,559 –> 00:09:57,820 you know that that’s a long-running saga. 208 00:09:57,820 –> 00:09:59,099 And for me to be married 209 00:09:59,099 –> 00:10:00,619 to a wonderful english woman, 210 00:10:00,619 –> 00:10:02,059 well that is not only a privilege 211 00:10:02,059 –> 00:10:04,280 but it’s also a kind of miracle 212 00:10:04,280 –> 00:10:06,280 of reconciliation. 213 00:10:06,280 –> 00:10:08,580 But the Scots were rebelling 214 00:10:08,580 –> 00:10:09,900 as they always seemed to be, 215 00:10:09,900 –> 00:10:10,719 and someone said, 216 00:10:10,719 –> 00:10:11,739 that man Jeremiah Burroughs, 217 00:10:11,739 –> 00:10:13,099 he’s supporting them. 218 00:10:13,099 –> 00:10:14,419 Well that was a, 219 00:10:14,419 –> 00:10:16,940 if true that was a capital offense, 220 00:10:17,799 –> 00:10:18,760 sedition. 221 00:10:19,739 –> 00:10:21,359 So a warrant was issued 222 00:10:21,359 –> 00:10:23,479 on the basis of this false accusation 223 00:10:23,479 –> 00:10:24,520 for Burrough’s arrest 224 00:10:24,520 –> 00:10:26,119 he had no alternative 225 00:10:26,119 –> 00:10:27,599 under these circumstances 226 00:10:27,599 –> 00:10:28,979 but to flee the country. 227 00:10:30,200 –> 00:10:32,599 And he went to Holland 228 00:10:32,599 –> 00:10:33,880 which on pain of his life 229 00:10:33,880 –> 00:10:35,539 was clearly the right thing to do 230 00:10:35,539 –> 00:10:37,299 though clearly very costly. 231 00:10:37,299 –> 00:10:39,200 Phil Simpson who wrote a biography 232 00:10:39,200 –> 00:10:41,440 of Burroughs describes these years 233 00:10:41,440 –> 00:10:44,719 of his life as a downward spiral 234 00:10:44,719 –> 00:10:47,280 of narrowing influence 235 00:10:47,280 –> 00:10:48,919 and opportunity. 236 00:10:49,900 –> 00:10:51,000 Gifted and Godly man 237 00:10:51,000 –> 00:10:55,219 and his life is just a downward spiral 238 00:10:55,219 –> 00:10:58,159 of narrowing influence 239 00:10:58,159 –> 00:10:59,359 and opportunity. 240 00:11:00,599 –> 00:11:03,479 Now there were clearly many, many things 241 00:11:03,479 –> 00:11:05,820 injustices of all sorts 242 00:11:06,719 –> 00:11:08,080 that could have led, 243 00:11:08,080 –> 00:11:11,320 Jeremiah Burrows to be bitter and complaining. 244 00:11:12,640 –> 00:11:15,400 But this is the guy who wrote 245 00:11:15,400 –> 00:11:17,159 what is widely recognized 246 00:11:17,380 –> 00:11:21,119 as the Christian classic on contentment. 247 00:11:21,119 –> 00:11:23,159 I have learned what it is 248 00:11:23,159 –> 00:11:25,460 to be content 249 00:11:25,460 –> 00:11:28,479 and knowing a little bit of his life story 250 00:11:28,479 –> 00:11:30,020 I think gives an insight 251 00:11:30,020 –> 00:11:31,559 into how God taught him 252 00:11:31,559 –> 00:11:33,880 some of the precious things that he learned 253 00:11:33,880 –> 00:11:36,599 and applied from the scripture. 254 00:11:36,599 –> 00:11:40,659 Now here’s where this story takes a surprising turn 255 00:11:40,659 –> 00:11:42,719 and why I tell it to you today. 256 00:11:43,859 –> 00:11:46,119 After three years in which Burrows 257 00:11:46,119 –> 00:11:48,119 was in exile in Holland, 258 00:11:49,140 –> 00:11:52,739 the Parliament passed legislation 259 00:11:52,739 –> 00:11:55,080 allowing ministers who had stood 260 00:11:55,080 –> 00:11:56,419 on the grounds of conscience 261 00:11:56,419 –> 00:11:59,219 or had been ejected from their churches 262 00:11:59,219 –> 00:12:01,380 to return to their churches 263 00:12:01,380 –> 00:12:02,979 and to resume their ministries. 264 00:12:02,979 –> 00:12:05,520 There was always a kind of push-pull 265 00:12:05,520 –> 00:12:07,700 between the king and the Parliament 266 00:12:07,700 –> 00:12:09,780 and Charles, more than anyone else, 267 00:12:09,780 –> 00:12:11,340 exceeded his authority 268 00:12:11,340 –> 00:12:13,760 and so eventually, you know how these things are. 269 00:12:13,760 –> 00:12:15,659 There was a push-back from Parliament 270 00:12:16,059 –> 00:12:18,219 and in the end, Charles ended up 271 00:12:18,219 –> 00:12:19,640 being beheaded himself, 272 00:12:19,640 –> 00:12:22,840 so there was a change that took place 273 00:12:22,840 –> 00:12:24,400 at this time in history 274 00:12:24,400 –> 00:12:26,320 and for that reason, 275 00:12:26,320 –> 00:12:30,260 Jeremiah Burroughs was able to return to England 276 00:12:30,260 –> 00:12:31,880 and when he came back 277 00:12:31,880 –> 00:12:34,380 after these three years in exile, 278 00:12:35,280 –> 00:12:36,880 this gifted and godly man 279 00:12:36,880 –> 00:12:38,119 for whom his whole life had been 280 00:12:38,119 –> 00:12:40,659 a downward spiral of narrowing influence 281 00:12:41,619 –> 00:12:46,140 was appointed as the pastor 282 00:12:46,140 –> 00:12:48,979 of one of the wealthiest 283 00:12:48,979 –> 00:12:51,940 and most prestigious churches 284 00:12:51,940 –> 00:12:55,299 in the city of London itself. 285 00:12:56,640 –> 00:12:58,359 He was preaching every Sunday 286 00:12:58,359 –> 00:13:00,719 to some of the wealthiest people in the city 287 00:13:01,960 –> 00:13:06,159 and with it he received a large stipend 288 00:13:06,159 –> 00:13:08,440 that was quite different from anything else 289 00:13:08,440 –> 00:13:12,099 that he had known or experienced before. 290 00:13:12,099 –> 00:13:14,719 And here’s what he discovered. 291 00:13:14,719 –> 00:13:19,719 That it is easier to be content when we have less, 292 00:13:20,400 –> 00:13:25,380 it is harder to be content when you have more. 293 00:13:25,380 –> 00:13:27,039 And so when he came to London, 294 00:13:27,039 –> 00:13:28,760 the second little book that’s called 295 00:13:28,760 –> 00:13:31,440 Contentment, Prosperity, and the Glory of God, 296 00:13:31,440 –> 00:13:34,320 this came out of his ministry in London 297 00:13:34,320 –> 00:13:36,359 to a very wealthy congregation. 298 00:13:36,359 –> 00:13:38,559 He said, I thought I knew all about contentment. 299 00:13:38,559 –> 00:13:40,200 I’ve written everything that there was to be said. 300 00:13:40,200 –> 00:13:42,880 But actually there’s more to be said, 301 00:13:42,880 –> 00:13:44,859 because there’s something to be learned 302 00:13:44,859 –> 00:13:48,919 in relation to contentment, not only when you have less, 303 00:13:48,919 –> 00:13:51,719 but there’s something also that needs to be learned 304 00:13:51,719 –> 00:13:55,760 in relation to contentment when you have more. 305 00:13:55,760 –> 00:13:59,119 Now, more obviously is a relative term. 306 00:13:59,119 –> 00:14:01,719 When we say more, if I say more, 307 00:14:01,719 –> 00:14:05,039 I immediately, instinctively think 308 00:14:05,039 –> 00:14:09,159 about wonderful people who have more than I do, 309 00:14:09,159 –> 00:14:11,599 and I’m sure that you do the same. 310 00:14:11,599 –> 00:14:13,780 Let’s not do that today. 311 00:14:14,679 –> 00:14:18,080 Ask the question, do you have more 312 00:14:18,080 –> 00:14:19,960 than you had 10 years ago? 313 00:14:20,919 –> 00:14:22,640 And for many in our congregation, 314 00:14:22,640 –> 00:14:25,719 the answer to that question will be yes. 315 00:14:25,719 –> 00:14:29,280 And if you have more than you had 10 years ago, 316 00:14:29,280 –> 00:14:33,880 then you need, by definition, to know how to handle more. 317 00:14:35,419 –> 00:14:37,679 And there will be some who have less 318 00:14:37,679 –> 00:14:39,559 than you had 10 years ago. 319 00:14:39,559 –> 00:14:43,400 But even if you have less than you had 10 years ago, 320 00:14:43,400 –> 00:14:46,880 the vast majority of us have vastly more 321 00:14:46,880 –> 00:14:50,919 than the great majority of people in this world. 322 00:14:50,919 –> 00:14:54,280 Indeed, I would say that anybody who lives in America 323 00:14:54,280 –> 00:14:59,280 needs to know how to handle the blessing of God. 324 00:15:00,760 –> 00:15:03,700 And in the scripture that we looked at last week 325 00:15:03,739 –> 00:15:05,000 from Philippians, Paul says, 326 00:15:05,000 –> 00:15:08,000 “‘Now, I have, I know how to be brought low, 327 00:15:08,000 –> 00:15:11,640 “‘I know how to be content with less.’” 328 00:15:11,640 –> 00:15:12,440 But he also says, 329 00:15:12,440 –> 00:15:16,580 “‘I know how to abound, 330 00:15:16,580 –> 00:15:19,280 “‘I know how to handle the blessing of God 331 00:15:19,280 –> 00:15:20,979 “‘when God gives me more.’” 332 00:15:20,979 –> 00:15:22,500 So here’s the question. 333 00:15:23,739 –> 00:15:26,140 Do you know how to abound? 334 00:15:27,979 –> 00:15:32,059 Do you know how to wisely handle the blessing of God 335 00:15:32,119 –> 00:15:33,840 when He gives you more. 336 00:15:35,440 –> 00:15:36,359 Jeremiah Burroughs says, 337 00:15:36,359 –> 00:15:38,080 “‘I thought I knew all about contentment.’ 338 00:15:38,080 –> 00:15:40,719 “‘I learned it all when I was getting less. 339 00:15:40,719 –> 00:15:42,059 “‘What I discovered was 340 00:15:42,059 –> 00:15:43,659 “‘that there were a whole other bunch of things 341 00:15:43,659 –> 00:15:45,280 “‘that I needed to learn about contentment 342 00:15:45,280 –> 00:15:47,000 “‘when God gave me more.’ 343 00:15:48,320 –> 00:15:51,659 “‘I know how to abound,’ says the apostle Paul.” 344 00:15:53,000 –> 00:15:54,140 Now can you say that? 345 00:15:54,140 –> 00:15:56,059 I know how to abound, 346 00:15:56,059 –> 00:15:58,320 I know how to handle the blessing of God, 347 00:15:58,320 –> 00:15:59,619 how are you gonna do that? 348 00:16:00,000 –> 00:16:02,400 I may give to you these four pointers 349 00:16:02,400 –> 00:16:04,640 that all come from 1 Timothy in chapter six 350 00:16:04,640 –> 00:16:07,119 that we have read together today. 351 00:16:07,119 –> 00:16:08,979 First, you know how to abound 352 00:16:08,979 –> 00:16:12,159 when you resist the temptations 353 00:16:12,159 –> 00:16:15,020 that come with having more. 354 00:16:15,020 –> 00:16:15,859 Now you say, 355 00:16:15,859 –> 00:16:19,159 what are these temptations that come with having more? 356 00:16:19,159 –> 00:16:21,200 And the answer is in verse 17. 357 00:16:21,200 –> 00:16:24,659 As for the rich in this present age, 358 00:16:24,659 –> 00:16:26,679 so those who have more, 359 00:16:26,719 –> 00:16:30,599 charge them not to be haughty 360 00:16:31,799 –> 00:16:34,159 nor to set their hopes 361 00:16:34,159 –> 00:16:38,119 on the uncertainty of riches. 362 00:16:38,119 –> 00:16:39,039 So very clearly, 363 00:16:39,039 –> 00:16:40,940 the first temptation you will have 364 00:16:40,940 –> 00:16:42,140 when God gives you more 365 00:16:42,140 –> 00:16:44,539 is the temptation to pride. 366 00:16:44,539 –> 00:16:47,020 It will be the temptation to credit yourself 367 00:16:47,020 –> 00:16:49,619 with what you have accomplished. 368 00:16:49,619 –> 00:16:51,760 Remember, Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament, 369 00:16:51,760 –> 00:16:52,599 he did that. 370 00:16:52,599 –> 00:16:55,520 He walked on the palace in Babylon that he had built 371 00:16:55,679 –> 00:16:57,919 and he said, is this not great Babylon 372 00:16:57,919 –> 00:17:00,320 that I have built by my own mighty power 373 00:17:00,320 –> 00:17:03,280 as a Royal residence for my glory 374 00:17:03,280 –> 00:17:04,880 and for my majesty? 375 00:17:04,880 –> 00:17:06,420 Look at what I’ve done 376 00:17:06,420 –> 00:17:08,260 and he’s walking on the roof of the palace 377 00:17:08,260 –> 00:17:10,000 and the Bible says the next moment, 378 00:17:10,000 –> 00:17:11,500 his mind snapped 379 00:17:13,280 –> 00:17:16,760 and he’s out in the grass like an animal. 380 00:17:17,900 –> 00:17:20,760 I have to remind myself 381 00:17:21,719 –> 00:17:24,959 that apart from the grace of God. 382 00:17:25,719 –> 00:17:30,640 I could not string two coherent thoughts together. 383 00:17:32,880 –> 00:17:34,479 I have to remind myself of that. 384 00:17:35,719 –> 00:17:37,400 Apart from the grace of God 385 00:17:37,400 –> 00:17:42,239 could not string two coherent thoughts together. 386 00:17:43,839 –> 00:17:46,119 When some Christians in Corinth 387 00:17:46,119 –> 00:17:49,439 were getting too big for their boots, 388 00:17:49,439 –> 00:17:52,199 the apostle Paul said to them, 389 00:17:52,199 –> 00:17:57,160 what do you have that you did not receive? 390 00:17:59,760 –> 00:18:02,699 Deuteronomy 8, God says to His people, 391 00:18:02,699 –> 00:18:05,140 Beware lest you say in your heart, 392 00:18:05,140 –> 00:18:08,800 my power and my might and my hand have gotten me this wealth. 393 00:18:08,800 –> 00:18:10,599 You shall remember the Lord your God 394 00:18:10,599 –> 00:18:13,439 for it is he who gives you power to get wealth. 395 00:18:13,439 –> 00:18:16,119 The first temptation that comes with having more 396 00:18:16,119 –> 00:18:17,520 is the temptation to pride. 397 00:18:18,579 –> 00:18:21,959 The second temptation is the temptation to presumption. 398 00:18:22,859 –> 00:18:26,219 Teach them not to be haughty nor to set their hopes 399 00:18:26,219 –> 00:18:30,599 on the uncertainty of riches. 400 00:18:30,599 –> 00:18:32,300 Now here’s the point. 401 00:18:32,300 –> 00:18:36,680 Money seems to make things more certain, 402 00:18:36,680 –> 00:18:41,079 therefore it gives to us a sense of greater comfort. 403 00:18:41,079 –> 00:18:43,979 It is easy when you have more to have the idea 404 00:18:43,979 –> 00:18:46,939 that it will always be so. 405 00:18:46,939 –> 00:18:51,939 So people say, I will do more for Christ later, 406 00:18:52,439 –> 00:18:55,300 really how much more time do you have? 407 00:18:55,300 –> 00:18:57,260 You don’t know how much time you have. 408 00:18:58,260 –> 00:19:00,400 I will give more to the Lord later, 409 00:19:00,400 –> 00:19:03,260 really, how much will you have to give in the future? 410 00:19:03,260 –> 00:19:06,680 All you know is what you have right now. 411 00:19:07,839 –> 00:19:09,319 The temptation to presumption. 412 00:19:09,319 –> 00:19:12,739 People who know how to abound, 413 00:19:12,739 –> 00:19:17,380 they resist the temptations that come with having more. 414 00:19:17,380 –> 00:19:20,000 So there is a genuine humility about them, 415 00:19:20,000 –> 00:19:21,839 they know that what they have 416 00:19:21,839 –> 00:19:22,920 is what God has given. 417 00:19:22,920 –> 00:19:25,900 They don’t take the credit for it themselves. 418 00:19:25,900 –> 00:19:27,540 There’s a shrewdness about them. 419 00:19:27,540 –> 00:19:30,079 They know that money is uncertain 420 00:19:30,079 –> 00:19:32,800 and so they don’t set their hope on it. 421 00:19:32,800 –> 00:19:34,760 They know how to honor God 422 00:19:34,760 –> 00:19:36,260 and to make the best use 423 00:19:36,260 –> 00:19:39,500 of all that he has entrusted to them. 424 00:19:41,219 –> 00:19:42,939 You know how to abound 425 00:19:44,239 –> 00:19:47,479 when you resist the temptations 426 00:19:47,479 –> 00:19:49,359 that inevitably come 427 00:19:50,479 –> 00:19:51,520 with having more. 428 00:19:51,520 –> 00:19:54,760 Second, you know how to abound 429 00:19:54,760 –> 00:19:57,760 when you remember 430 00:19:57,760 –> 00:19:59,260 that you will give an account. 431 00:20:00,719 –> 00:20:03,199 Now here, Paul speaks about the appearing, 432 00:20:03,199 –> 00:20:07,520 verse 14, of our Lord Jesus Christ. 433 00:20:08,439 –> 00:20:10,680 And everything, in fact, in these verses 434 00:20:10,680 –> 00:20:15,119 is framed around the appearing of Jesus Christ. 435 00:20:15,119 –> 00:20:17,319 Timothy, here is how you are to live 436 00:20:17,319 –> 00:20:19,920 in the light of the appearing of Jesus. 437 00:20:19,920 –> 00:20:21,839 Here is what you are to avoid 438 00:20:21,839 –> 00:20:25,180 in the light of the appearing of the Lord Jesus. 439 00:20:25,180 –> 00:20:27,300 So this theme is right at the center 440 00:20:27,300 –> 00:20:29,260 of what the Apostle is saying here. 441 00:20:30,439 –> 00:20:35,439 We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 442 00:20:35,459 –> 00:20:38,199 Every one of us, we will. 443 00:20:38,199 –> 00:20:39,479 And when we’re there, 444 00:20:39,479 –> 00:20:43,719 we will give an account of ourselves to God. 445 00:20:43,719 –> 00:20:45,119 Each of us must do that. 446 00:20:46,160 –> 00:20:48,780 And our Lord has made very clear this principle 447 00:20:48,800 –> 00:20:51,939 that everyone to whom much is given, 448 00:20:51,939 –> 00:20:56,619 of him or of her, much will be required. 449 00:20:57,540 –> 00:21:01,439 Now this principle of more given, more required 450 00:21:01,439 –> 00:21:04,660 is made especially clear in Matthew 25 451 00:21:04,660 –> 00:21:07,640 when our Lord gives the parable of the servants 452 00:21:07,640 –> 00:21:10,880 who were trusted with various talents. 453 00:21:10,880 –> 00:21:12,300 One is given five talents. 454 00:21:12,300 –> 00:21:15,780 He brings back five more from his good investment. 455 00:21:15,780 –> 00:21:17,339 Another is given two talents. 456 00:21:17,400 –> 00:21:20,339 He brings back two more in the same way. 457 00:21:20,339 –> 00:21:22,439 And the significant thing about these two 458 00:21:22,439 –> 00:21:27,020 is that they are both commended in exactly the same words. 459 00:21:27,020 –> 00:21:28,500 Well done, good and faithful servant. 460 00:21:28,500 –> 00:21:32,400 Enter into your master’s joy. 461 00:21:32,400 –> 00:21:36,579 In other words, the master did not judge them 462 00:21:36,579 –> 00:21:39,859 by the results they achieved, 463 00:21:39,859 –> 00:21:43,619 but rather by the use that they made 464 00:21:43,619 –> 00:21:46,060 of what they were given. 465 00:21:46,060 –> 00:21:47,780 If it was simply results, 466 00:21:47,780 –> 00:21:51,140 then clearly the one who brought back five extra talents 467 00:21:51,140 –> 00:21:52,900 would have been more highly commended 468 00:21:52,900 –> 00:21:55,420 than the one who only brought back two talents. 469 00:21:55,420 –> 00:21:59,439 But it’s not based on results achieved. 470 00:22:00,380 –> 00:22:04,020 The assessment that the master makes 471 00:22:04,020 –> 00:22:06,500 in our Lord’s Story is based on 472 00:22:06,500 –> 00:22:11,300 what did you do with what you were given? 473 00:22:11,300 –> 00:22:13,180 You were given two, and you came back with two more. 474 00:22:13,180 –> 00:22:15,660 You’ve made the best use of what you were given. 475 00:22:16,819 –> 00:22:19,359 You were given five, if you only came back with two more. 476 00:22:19,359 –> 00:22:21,339 That’s not the best use of what you were given, 477 00:22:21,339 –> 00:22:23,180 but you came back with five, 478 00:22:23,180 –> 00:22:26,660 and you have made really good use of what you were given. 479 00:22:26,660 –> 00:22:28,819 So, that’s the principle. 480 00:22:28,819 –> 00:22:32,260 In other words, the more you are given, 481 00:22:32,260 –> 00:22:36,339 the more the Lord requires of you. 482 00:22:37,459 –> 00:22:39,579 Now, think about this, then. 483 00:22:40,699 –> 00:22:44,219 So, what will it be for you, then, 484 00:22:44,260 –> 00:22:46,400 when God says to you, 485 00:22:46,400 –> 00:22:48,500 now, let’s look at everything 486 00:22:48,500 –> 00:22:50,459 that I trusted to you in your life. 487 00:22:51,459 –> 00:22:52,540 Let’s total it all up, 488 00:22:52,540 –> 00:22:54,140 everything that passed through your hands, 489 00:22:54,140 –> 00:22:55,719 all the years that I gave to you, 490 00:22:55,719 –> 00:22:58,140 the gifts and the talents that I gave to you, 491 00:22:58,140 –> 00:22:59,459 the money that I gave to you, 492 00:22:59,459 –> 00:23:01,920 the opportunities that I held before you. 493 00:23:03,020 –> 00:23:04,939 What did you do with all of this? 494 00:23:06,699 –> 00:23:09,520 How did you deploy everything that I trusted to you 495 00:23:09,520 –> 00:23:10,819 over the course of your life 496 00:23:10,819 –> 00:23:13,459 for the advance of my great purpose in the world? 497 00:23:15,079 –> 00:23:17,280 I sent my son into the world 498 00:23:17,280 –> 00:23:19,859 and he said, I will build my church. 499 00:23:19,859 –> 00:23:22,939 So how did you use all that I gave to you 500 00:23:22,939 –> 00:23:27,339 for this great purpose of gathering together my people? 501 00:23:28,839 –> 00:23:30,859 The more God gives you, 502 00:23:31,819 –> 00:23:35,819 by definition, the more you will have to account for, 503 00:23:36,780 –> 00:23:39,660 listen to our Jeremiah Burrows puts this, 504 00:23:39,660 –> 00:23:44,660 he says, if a man who had a wealthy estate 505 00:23:45,699 –> 00:23:49,540 had nothing else to do, but sit by the fire 506 00:23:49,540 –> 00:23:53,339 and have his servants bring him his provisions. 507 00:23:53,339 –> 00:23:57,660 it would be easy for a man to know how to abound. 508 00:23:58,579 –> 00:24:00,099 I mean, if that’s all that’s expected 509 00:24:00,099 –> 00:24:01,459 of someone who’s given much, 510 00:24:01,459 –> 00:24:02,619 that you just sit by the fire 511 00:24:02,619 –> 00:24:04,959 and have everything everyone do what you need 512 00:24:04,959 –> 00:24:05,800 and so forth, 513 00:24:05,800 –> 00:24:08,540 everything nicely in place, anyone can do that. 514 00:24:09,540 –> 00:24:11,699 And then here’s what Marous says. 515 00:24:11,699 –> 00:24:15,339 But you must know that there is much more falls 516 00:24:15,339 –> 00:24:17,319 on your shoulders than this. 517 00:24:18,500 –> 00:24:21,900 Things for which you must answer 518 00:24:21,900 –> 00:24:26,780 and for which you must give an account before God. 519 00:24:28,079 –> 00:24:29,619 Friends, I say this from the heart. 520 00:24:29,619 –> 00:24:32,880 Don’t ever envy the rich. 521 00:24:33,900 –> 00:24:35,260 You may be tempted to do that, 522 00:24:35,260 –> 00:24:37,140 to envy those who have more than you do. 523 00:24:37,180 –> 00:24:41,859 They will have more to give account for than you do. 524 00:24:42,900 –> 00:24:45,619 Never envy the rich. 525 00:24:45,619 –> 00:24:48,180 Never envy someone who has a greater opportunity 526 00:24:48,180 –> 00:24:49,000 than you do. 527 00:24:49,000 –> 00:24:51,939 With it comes a greater accountability 528 00:24:51,939 –> 00:24:54,880 with regards to them on that great day 529 00:24:54,880 –> 00:24:56,060 that we will all face. 530 00:24:56,060 –> 00:24:57,599 I try to think how to just press 531 00:24:57,599 –> 00:24:59,660 this home from a different angle. 532 00:25:01,099 –> 00:25:02,839 And so let me translate this 533 00:25:02,839 –> 00:25:04,119 out of the world of money 534 00:25:05,020 –> 00:25:07,520 into the world in which I serve 535 00:25:07,520 –> 00:25:09,040 in terms of pastoral ministry 536 00:25:09,040 –> 00:25:10,780 and give you this parallel. 537 00:25:11,780 –> 00:25:15,020 John Brown, to whom I’ve referred a few times, 538 00:25:15,020 –> 00:25:16,640 I’ve been reading his biography, 539 00:25:17,680 –> 00:25:21,560 he was a great encourager of younger pastors. 540 00:25:21,560 –> 00:25:24,660 And over the years, he had cohorts of younger guys 541 00:25:24,660 –> 00:25:26,439 that he encouraged and mentored 542 00:25:26,439 –> 00:25:28,479 and in his later years had great joy 543 00:25:28,479 –> 00:25:30,920 in seeing them thrive in ministry 544 00:25:30,920 –> 00:25:33,579 and all of these good things. 545 00:25:33,579 –> 00:25:35,300 And he walked with them very closely 546 00:25:35,300 –> 00:25:37,060 and loved them very deeply and 547 00:25:38,859 –> 00:25:40,479 on one occasion, one of the men 548 00:25:40,479 –> 00:25:42,660 that he had mentored in the cohort 549 00:25:43,640 –> 00:25:47,660 was appointed to serve a congregation 550 00:25:47,660 –> 00:25:51,900 that was much smaller than the congregations 551 00:25:51,900 –> 00:25:56,339 that his peers and colleagues in that group 552 00:25:56,339 –> 00:25:58,099 had been called to serve. 553 00:25:59,040 –> 00:26:01,579 And Brown wrote to this young pastor 554 00:26:01,579 –> 00:26:03,000 and this is what he said. 555 00:26:04,540 –> 00:26:07,939 I know the vanity of yur heart 556 00:26:07,939 –> 00:26:11,060 that you will feel mortified 557 00:26:11,060 –> 00:26:13,660 that your congregation is very small 558 00:26:13,660 –> 00:26:17,939 in comparison to those of your brethren around you. 559 00:26:17,939 –> 00:26:19,199 By the way, I just love the way 560 00:26:19,199 –> 00:26:22,260 that people could speak so directly in those days. 561 00:26:22,260 –> 00:26:23,280 Here’s someone he loves. 562 00:26:23,280 –> 00:26:24,839 You don’t have to have three affirmations 563 00:26:24,839 –> 00:26:25,900 before you get to the point 564 00:26:25,900 –> 00:26:27,079 and all that kind of thing, y’know, 565 00:26:27,079 –> 00:26:30,300 just, look, I know the reality. 566 00:26:30,300 –> 00:26:31,339 I know my own heart. 567 00:26:31,479 –> 00:26:33,939 I know something about your heart. 568 00:26:33,939 –> 00:26:35,959 And I know this is the most natural reaction 569 00:26:35,959 –> 00:26:38,040 in the world, my friend, 570 00:26:38,040 –> 00:26:39,579 that you will feel mortified 571 00:26:39,579 –> 00:26:41,459 that your congregation is much smaller 572 00:26:41,459 –> 00:26:44,719 than all the rest of the guys with whom you studied. 573 00:26:44,719 –> 00:26:49,719 But assure yourself on the word of an old man 574 00:26:50,959 –> 00:26:54,780 that when you come to give an account for them, 575 00:26:54,780 –> 00:26:57,859 your church, to the Lord Jesus Christ 576 00:26:57,859 –> 00:26:59,599 at his judgment seat, 577 00:27:00,479 –> 00:27:03,800 you will think that you have had enough. 578 00:27:04,939 –> 00:27:06,140 You see what he’s saying? 579 00:27:07,060 –> 00:27:09,780 You’re tempted to envy your friends 580 00:27:09,780 –> 00:27:10,979 who have been given the trust 581 00:27:10,979 –> 00:27:13,000 of much larger churches than you have. 582 00:27:13,979 –> 00:27:16,699 They’re gonna have to give an account 583 00:27:16,699 –> 00:27:19,479 for a whole lot more even than you will. 584 00:27:19,479 –> 00:27:21,400 And when you give account for the congregation 585 00:27:21,400 –> 00:27:24,380 where God has set you with a charge, 586 00:27:24,380 –> 00:27:25,800 you will think on that day 587 00:27:25,800 –> 00:27:29,680 that was quite enough for me. 588 00:27:29,680 –> 00:27:32,680 Now you see the principle that he’s working with. 589 00:27:32,680 –> 00:27:36,119 The more God gives to you, 590 00:27:36,119 –> 00:27:39,780 the more that is required from you. 591 00:27:40,800 –> 00:27:42,760 So you know how to abound 592 00:27:42,760 –> 00:27:45,739 when you resist the temptations that come 593 00:27:45,739 –> 00:27:48,540 with having more, like pride and presumption, 594 00:27:48,540 –> 00:27:52,459 and when you remember that you will have to give an account, 595 00:27:52,459 –> 00:27:54,500 and that is true for everyone of us. 596 00:27:55,319 –> 00:27:57,680 Third, you know how to abound, 597 00:27:57,680 –> 00:27:59,000 you know how to handle more 598 00:27:59,000 –> 00:28:02,060 when you can discern how best 599 00:28:02,060 –> 00:28:03,800 to use what God has given. 600 00:28:03,800 –> 00:28:06,300 And here I’m looking at verse 18. 601 00:28:06,300 –> 00:28:08,660 They are to do good, 602 00:28:08,660 –> 00:28:11,219 to be rich in good works, 603 00:28:11,219 –> 00:28:15,500 to be generous and ready to share. 604 00:28:15,500 –> 00:28:16,920 Now notice very clearly here, 605 00:28:16,920 –> 00:28:19,060 when God gives you more, 606 00:28:19,060 –> 00:28:22,239 it is his purpose that you will be generous, 607 00:28:22,239 –> 00:28:25,079 and what he requires of you and requires of me 608 00:28:25,079 –> 00:28:28,099 is that we will make the best use 609 00:28:28,099 –> 00:28:31,619 of all that has been given to us, 610 00:28:31,619 –> 00:28:33,579 that we will learn to abound 611 00:28:33,579 –> 00:28:38,040 by wisely discerning how to make the best use 612 00:28:38,040 –> 00:28:41,380 of what he has trusted into our hands. 613 00:28:41,380 –> 00:28:42,959 So what that means very practically 614 00:28:42,959 –> 00:28:44,880 is that you look at your life 615 00:28:44,880 –> 00:28:48,199 and you say now, here is what I have. 616 00:28:49,119 –> 00:28:51,079 How can I make the best use 617 00:28:51,119 –> 00:28:54,099 of what Jesus Christ has trusted to me? 618 00:28:54,099 –> 00:28:56,219 Where can I make a difference? 619 00:28:56,219 –> 00:28:59,459 How can that best be done? 620 00:28:59,459 –> 00:29:02,280 Now what will come of this generosity 621 00:29:02,280 –> 00:29:04,359 that Paul speaks about here? 622 00:29:04,359 –> 00:29:05,819 Notice verse 19. 623 00:29:06,719 –> 00:29:10,000 To be generous and ready to share, 624 00:29:10,000 –> 00:29:14,579 thus storing up treasure for themselves 625 00:29:14,579 –> 00:29:17,400 as a good foundation for the future 626 00:29:17,420 –> 00:29:21,660 so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. 627 00:29:23,939 –> 00:29:25,619 Let me give you a picture 628 00:29:25,619 –> 00:29:28,660 and then I’m gonna turn it in a direction 629 00:29:28,660 –> 00:29:32,000 that’s perhaps different from where you may think 630 00:29:32,000 –> 00:29:33,680 I’m going with this. 631 00:29:34,439 –> 00:29:37,160 Think about packing luggage 632 00:29:37,160 –> 00:29:39,160 when you go for a trip. 633 00:29:40,319 –> 00:29:43,099 It’s always the same for Karna and for me. 634 00:29:43,099 –> 00:29:46,099 Let’s please travel light this time. 635 00:29:48,359 –> 00:29:50,380 We always take too much, 636 00:29:51,699 –> 00:29:55,180 we’re only going for a few days, 637 00:29:55,180 –> 00:29:59,219 and so we set out to pack as little as we possibly can 638 00:29:59,219 –> 00:30:01,199 because we’re going to have to lug it on one plane 639 00:30:01,199 –> 00:30:02,500 and then off and then onto another 640 00:30:02,500 –> 00:30:04,420 and so forth and so on. 641 00:30:06,199 –> 00:30:08,680 Home is where we belong, 642 00:30:08,680 –> 00:30:12,500 so we only pack what we need for the journey. 643 00:30:14,260 –> 00:30:16,479 But here’s the turn. 644 00:30:16,479 –> 00:30:20,119 Suppose for a minute you were going on a trip 645 00:30:20,119 –> 00:30:23,500 from which you would never come back, 646 00:30:23,500 –> 00:30:26,719 suppose that everything in your house 647 00:30:26,719 –> 00:30:28,479 would be left behind, 648 00:30:30,180 –> 00:30:32,020 well then you would think about packing 649 00:30:32,020 –> 00:30:34,439 in an entirely different way. 650 00:30:35,680 –> 00:30:39,040 You would say we must pack as much as we possibly can 651 00:30:39,040 –> 00:30:41,660 because only what we pack is actually going to go with us, 652 00:30:41,660 –> 00:30:45,680 we’re going on a journey from which we never return. 653 00:30:46,099 –> 00:30:47,920 Talking with folks in the foyer, in the Gap, 654 00:30:47,920 –> 00:30:51,640 and several of you will have had this experience. 655 00:30:51,640 –> 00:30:53,859 A brother said to me, yeah when we arrived in this country 656 00:30:53,859 –> 00:30:56,599 we had only three suitcases, everything else behind, 657 00:30:56,599 –> 00:31:00,260 you see when you, when you’re on that kind of journey, 658 00:31:00,260 –> 00:31:04,739 you say, what’s in the cases is what’s going to stay with me 659 00:31:04,739 –> 00:31:08,400 and I want to be sure that I pack as much 660 00:31:08,400 –> 00:31:09,900 as I possibly can. 661 00:31:11,160 –> 00:31:12,819 Now, you see, in a profound sense 662 00:31:12,819 –> 00:31:15,920 it is what you do when you give. 663 00:31:15,920 –> 00:31:18,660 When you are generous, look at what it says in this verse, 664 00:31:18,660 –> 00:31:22,180 you are storing up treasure for yourself 665 00:31:22,180 –> 00:31:25,040 as a good foundation for the future 666 00:31:25,040 –> 00:31:28,760 so that you may take hold of that which is truly life. 667 00:31:28,760 –> 00:31:32,939 In other words, what is given in some sense goes with you 668 00:31:34,900 –> 00:31:39,060 and everything else is what is ultimately left behind. 669 00:31:39,359 –> 00:31:43,119 So pack in all the generosity you possibly can 670 00:31:46,359 –> 00:31:51,239 in the course of your very short life in this world. 671 00:31:51,239 –> 00:31:54,640 Then you know how to abound, that’s how you do it. 672 00:31:54,640 –> 00:31:56,540 And lastly and very briefly this, 673 00:31:56,540 –> 00:31:59,640 you know how to abound when you enjoy what you have 674 00:31:59,640 –> 00:32:02,520 but you do not depend on it for your joy. 675 00:32:02,520 –> 00:32:04,400 Look at verse 17 here, 676 00:32:04,400 –> 00:32:08,560 God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy, 677 00:32:09,699 –> 00:32:13,859 I love that statement, God gives us everything to enjoy. 678 00:32:14,800 –> 00:32:16,819 A person who knows how to abound 679 00:32:16,819 –> 00:32:20,079 will have great freedom, great joy. 680 00:32:20,079 –> 00:32:21,939 The person who knows how to abound 681 00:32:21,939 –> 00:32:23,959 does not go through life 682 00:32:23,959 –> 00:32:26,640 with a kind of scrupulous conscience, 683 00:32:26,640 –> 00:32:29,859 always wondering, is it okay to buy this coat 684 00:32:29,859 –> 00:32:32,579 or to drive this car or to go on this vacation 685 00:32:32,579 –> 00:32:34,560 or to live in this home. 686 00:32:34,560 –> 00:32:38,500 No, knowing how to abound means enjoying what you have 687 00:32:38,500 –> 00:32:40,619 in a way that glorifies God. 688 00:32:40,619 –> 00:32:43,579 Where the spirit of God is, there is great happiness 689 00:32:43,579 –> 00:32:45,680 and there is great freedom. 690 00:32:45,680 –> 00:32:48,339 But here’s the deal, knowing how to abound 691 00:32:48,339 –> 00:32:50,000 means that you enjoy what you have 692 00:32:50,000 –> 00:32:54,660 but you don’t depend on what you have for your joy. 693 00:32:54,660 –> 00:32:56,040 And there is at the end of the day 694 00:32:56,040 –> 00:32:59,280 only one way in which you can do that 695 00:32:59,280 –> 00:33:02,660 and that is that you have more joy in Jesus Christ 696 00:33:02,660 –> 00:33:06,859 than in everything he has given to you in this world. 697 00:33:06,880 –> 00:33:08,800 That’s why right in the middle of this scripture 698 00:33:08,800 –> 00:33:11,119 we have reference to the blessed and only sovereign, 699 00:33:11,119 –> 00:33:13,619 the king of kings and the Lord of lords. 700 00:33:13,619 –> 00:33:16,060 Have you come to a place 701 00:33:16,060 –> 00:33:20,219 where truly Jesus Christ is more than the world to you? 702 00:33:22,500 –> 00:33:25,640 Because if the world is more to you than Jesus 703 00:33:25,640 –> 00:33:27,939 you will always be chasing the world 704 00:33:27,939 –> 00:33:29,939 and you will never be content. 705 00:33:29,939 –> 00:33:32,160 Your joy will depend on what you have 706 00:33:32,160 –> 00:33:35,880 and one day your joy will be taken away. 707 00:33:36,020 –> 00:33:39,699 But if Jesus Christ is more to you than the world 708 00:33:39,699 –> 00:33:42,599 you can enjoy what he gives to you 709 00:33:42,599 –> 00:33:45,599 but you will not depend on it for your joy. 710 00:33:45,599 –> 00:33:48,439 Your greater joy will be in Jesus Christ. 711 00:33:48,439 –> 00:33:50,719 Therefore you will hold what he gives to you 712 00:33:50,719 –> 00:33:52,359 with an open hand. 713 00:33:52,359 –> 00:33:54,719 You will know that you are a steward 714 00:33:54,719 –> 00:33:57,260 who one day will give an account. 715 00:33:57,260 –> 00:33:58,760 You will constantly be asking, 716 00:33:58,760 –> 00:34:00,839 what is the best use that I can make 717 00:34:00,839 –> 00:34:03,800 of all that Jesus Christ trusts to me? 718 00:34:03,819 –> 00:34:06,000 When your joy is in Jesus, 719 00:34:08,100 –> 00:34:11,939 nobody will ever be able to take away your joy. 720 00:34:16,340 –> 00:34:19,679 Father we so want to know how to abound. 721 00:34:24,719 –> 00:34:27,300 We so want to learn what it is 722 00:34:30,000 –> 00:34:33,000 to be wise stewards of your blessing. 723 00:34:34,560 –> 00:34:38,159 And to live in this world for your glory, 724 00:34:38,159 –> 00:34:40,840 in the light of eternity. 725 00:34:40,840 –> 00:34:43,800 Teach us to do these things with freedom, 726 00:34:43,800 –> 00:34:47,959 gladness and joy for we ask it in Jesus’ name, amen.