live. All right, well, we'll go ahead and start, even though we're probably got half the group that will be here in a few minutes. So I'm substituting for Mike today, although he is back from Ohio. I assume he'll be, I don't know if he'll come in here or not, but Danny asked me to teach a few weeks ago. It's been a long time since I've taught adult Sunday schools. I'm way out of practice, so you all have to help me. And basically what I'm going to do is just walk through a lot of scripture. I'm going to read a lot of scripture. So we'll let the scripture teach us and I'll try to add a little bit to it here and there. Well, let's pray before we get started. Lord God, we praise you for this day, the Lord's day, the day Jesus rose from the dead. And we thank you that because of that, we are here and we're gathered to worship you and to learn from you. and to be blessed by you and to bless your name. And so we do that now. Help us now to do that even as we look at your word, think about all that you've taught us, and try to walk it out. We pray for your help in that, your Holy Spirit. And we thank you for the body of Christ gathered here and for how you're working in each of our lives. We just praise you and bless you in Christ's name. Amen. So I probably can't read it in the back, but I just wrote on the board a few just like a title and then a little chart. I'm not going to keep writing like Mike does. I don't know how he does it. It's kind of hard to do. But the topic is be content or being content with being discontent. So just kind of a play on words, and I'll get into that in a minute. Or alternative title might be or expect to be discontent, but not forever. And then this little chart here, I don't know if you can see it in the back, but I've just got If you talk about godliness and ungodliness, two opposites. If you talk about contentment and discontentment, two opposites, you can come up with four combinations, and that's kind of what we're gonna look at today with the emphasis on this one here. So there's such a thing as godly contentment, that's 1 Timothy 6. There's obviously such a thing as ungodly content, well I say it's obviously, to me it wasn't really obvious at first until I started reading the scripture, ungodly contentment. And for discontentment, it can be godly discontentment. We'll talk about that. And then ungodly discontentment. So we'll get into that in a minute. Hopefully it'll make sense. But the reason I picked this is just when Danny asked me to teach and then I thought about what would I want to teach on or what does God want me to teach on. So, you know, 1 Timothy 6, 6 talks about godliness with contentment is great gain. And that's been a verse I've always latched onto and prayed for myself and prayed for my children. But, you know, as I go throughout my days and my weeks and my months and my years, I'm still, you know, feeling discontent or either about my own situation or my children's or any number of things. So, you know, I just thought it'd be a good thing to look into deeper in the scripture, the whole idea of contentment. And after, you know, I've been an adult, been in the adult world for 32 years, I've been a Christian all those years, and I've been kind of slow to learn, but, you know, just the whole experience of you start out your day with you want to do A, B, C, 1, 2, 3, you've got your list of things you feel like you need to do or want to do that are good, not bad, and you just end up being frustrated because they don't get done for one reason or another. So interruptions would be a way to put a word on that. So I'll use that word sometimes through this lesson. So interruptions to your agenda or your plans could be other people, things they do, It had nothing to do with people. Your car breaks down, your computer quicks working, power goes out, all those kind of things. And again, to be my own self, just my own distractions in my own mind, or procrastinating, or getting off my own agenda that I set for myself. So all these kind of things are what I'd call interruptions. So I'm learning, have been learning, still learning, You know, my agenda is not the best. God's agenda is the best. His, of course, overrules mine, and that's for a good reason. And so that's part of the whole contentment, I guess, aspect of your life, is not expecting things to go how you planned them, what you expect needs to be accomplished or how things should be. And so, like, I was mainly preparing this last weekend, Sure enough, on Monday, I got a phone call from one of my children, and it wasn't a major event in their personal life, but somebody really close to them. It was very major, very tragic, and just kind of overshadowed the whole week, even to us today. And so just, that's kind of what I'm getting at here, why I look at contentment, and can you be content? every day, as a Christian. We're talking about it as a Christian, of course. And that's what we'll investigate. So I'm going to put it out to you guys first. I'm using this word contentment. The Bible uses it fairly frequently, but not more than a dozen times or so, at least. It depended on the translation, of course. But how would you define contentment? Anybody? Satisfaction. Satisfaction. That's good. peace, all right? Soul peace, like an inner peace. Yeah, I like that word, resting. Okay, those are all good, and obviously there's different sides to it, or you can choose a definition and go with it. So that's kind of what I did. I'm saying it's desires that are fulfilled. So, that's kind of a broad definition that I chose. I noticed in the Bible it mainly, when it talks about contentment, it seems to be on material blessings and provision, God's provision for you being content as opposed to coveting, accepting what God has given you and not demanding more or wishing you had more. But, you know, obviously we use that word and I think The Bible can include that, just if it's pain and suffering in your life, or anything, just recognizing God's good hand in all of it. So then discontentment, if you say it's, if contentment is desires fulfilled, obviously discontentment would be desires unfulfilled, okay? So the problem we have in this life, even as Christians, is where every day, potentially and usually, frustrated or disappointed or sad or mad and so on, due to things not going as planned or as desired. Sometimes we call this Murphy's Law, just something can go wrong, it will, and it seems like it does. Examples can range from stubbing your toe to getting a fatal disease, losing a little money to losing your life savings, your child like a young child misbehaving or an adult child rebelling, and on and on it goes. I know some people have chronic pain. It's not just kind of a surprise one day, but it's something you experience every day. So just looking at, before we look at what all the Bible has to say, if you just kind of logically think about, I have desires, If they're fulfilled, I'm content. If they're not fulfilled, I'm discontent. Just that kind of real simplistic look at it. Then what's the possible solutions to that problem? Well, Buddhism would say, well, just get rid of all desire. And I think we all know intuitively that's not really an option. It's not an option. We're obviously full of desires, and God made us that way. So I was a little curious and looked on the internet. There was a blog, a blogger. He just said, yeah, I've tried that. It's terrible, it's really what he calls clinical depression, if you have no desires. So, obviously, God has made us with desires, so the key is fulfilling them, and of course, they've got to be good desires, not evil desires, and we'll talk about that next. So, you know, a simplistic solution would be live in a world where your every desire and plan are fulfilled. Right? So if you can find that world where everything always goes as planned, you're going to be content. All right, so let's look at, before we get into scripture, just thinking about the word desire, how would you define that? It's almost a base word that can't be further defined, but maybe somebody can think of some synonyms way to describe it. Want as opposed to need. Cravings. Longing. Hopes. That's our experience. Usually there's something we desire and You could almost say by that definition, it's something you can't have. Because of our evil desires, right? That raises up desires in us when we can't have it. What were you going to say, Ken? Wait, just to share first that you're a speakable language. OK. What you brought up, especially around Ken. Well, good. Because I, in fact, it was in our conversations with my wife the other day that you talked about it. And it's a big issue today. I'll make up. Yeah, yeah, that's how I am. That's good. I'll try to summarize what you're saying. You start out each day with a to-do list or things you want to accomplish, but at the same time, you've learned to submit it to God, and you can be... Try to, yeah, absolutely. We totally understand that. Yep. Very good. Well, thank you for those. So yeah, cravings or what you want, like what you need, if you need it, whether you want it or not. Yeah, that makes sense to use the word want more than need. So I'm just going to dive right into what are good desires, what are evil desires. So I will say good desires is only possible with a new heart that God gives you. It's true love for God and neighbor. And that includes self-love, valid love for yourself. So, basically, God and all his creatures. And wanting to do those things that glorify God and that provide for the needs of others and self. So, for example, and I think the sixth commandment might be the next one coming up in Mike's teaching, but I just kind of picked that, you know, you shout out murder, the larger catechism says this is in a long list of things that it requires. And part of that list says, lawful endeavors to preserve the life of ourselves and others. So there you have it. That's a good desire is to want to preserve your life and others' lives. So our desire to seek physical health, for example, this is just one example, for ourselves and others is good in God's eyes. So obviously we can over do it on that to the exclusion of other priorities that God has for us. But that's just one example of a, that is a good desire. It's not an evil desire to want to preserve life for yourself and others. All right, so what is an evil desire? I'm just, you know, it's basically the opposite of that. Not loving God, neighbor, or self. For example, the sixth commandment, the larger catechism speaks to that as well. Sinful anger. hatred, envy, desire of revenge, all excessive passions, distracting cares, and moderate use of meat, drink, labor, and recreations, provoking words, oppression, quarreling. So notice how these are perversions of good desires, right? They're not just something totally alien from the human heart. They're just, they're perversions of good desires. So seeking life and health apart from God and without wanting the same benefits for a neighbor. That's how I'm going to define evil desires. So you can have good desires, you can have evil desires, and depending on what you are experiencing in your heart, if one of them, whichever one you're experiencing, is not fulfilled, then that's what I'm calling discontentment. So that's why we've got these categories. You can have good desires that are not fulfilled. and that can be a godly type of discontentment. All right, so let's dive into some scripture, and I'll, just to kinda keep things moving, I'm not gonna, I'll give you enough time to flip there if you want to, but I'm just gonna read the passages. So the first one is what I mentioned at the beginning, 1 Timothy 6, 2B to 10. So now, so I'm gonna focus for a minute on what the Bible says about contentment. So in 1 Timothy, Paul says, teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth. Imagining that godliness is a means of gain. So that, usually when I'm, the next verse is the familiar one, but godliness with contentment is great gain. But leading up to that, Paul's setting the stage, he's looking at false teachers who have a type of godliness. It's really a fake godliness. And they're obviously discontent, and they're seeking contentment through worldly gain. All right, so then Paul says, but godliness with contentment is great gain. Obviously he means true godliness. For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. So there's that emphasis on material provisions. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs." Alright, so a lot in there, but today I'm just kind of focusing on You know, is Paul saying that if you're godly, you will always be content in any and every situation? We'll look at that next, Philippians 4. I'm going to say no. But let's move on. So one more point I'm going to say about 1 Timothy. So these false teachers were using an outward godliness for worldly gain. Because if you look back in chapter 4 in 1 Timothy, that's exactly what he says. about these people, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer." So the false teachers were putting an emphasis on outward shows of godliness. That's what he's talking about. He's not saying that they truly were godly. And he's saying he promotes true godliness, which is not an emphasis on these outward things, but on the truth of God and the gospel and all that Paul's been teaching. But let's go next to Philippians 4. Verses 10 to 13, that's very familiar, also something we pray for ourselves and our children and try to put into practice. So Philippians 4, starting at verse 10. I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, For I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." All right, so that's one of those verses where, when I was really a young Christian, I thought, well, that just means you can be Superman and do anything. It's good, God will strengthen you to do it, but really the focus here is on contentment. But I realize even after this study that it is a little more focused on, you know, food and drink, clothing, shelter, the basic things like you said in Timothy, that Paul can be content with those things, not always having to have more. But notice here he says, I've learned the secret. And then what do you all think the secret is that he learned? And I may not have given you time to get there. That's Philippians 4, 13. Trusting in the Lord. It's like choosing your path and sticking with it. Right. I mean, that's great. He's saying, whether I've got abundance or very little, I'm going to be content in either situation. Maybe the hardest part of that is when God has provided and then He takes away. I mean, if you've learned to live with something, and then it's gone, that's going to be the hard part. Right. Well, I was thinking back to Danny's sermon last week. I think learning here is kind of like wisdom and meaning. Not like somebody just tells you something once, and then you remember it forever. But you've, by practice, gained the skill of being able to do it. So like practicing basketball and getting good at basketball. I think that might be kind of what he's getting at. If he's learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. So, I mean, Laurie's absolutely right. There is no solving the problem without Christ. It's looking to Christ, trusting Christ, believing that Christ is providing what Paul needs every day. But in terms of that wording, learn the secret, I think it seems to be that. You know, I've gained the skill, the ability to do that through practice. So one more thing on just focusing on contentment or godly contentment. Obviously the 10th commandment says you shall not covet. So the opposite of that is being content with what God has given you. And I just wrote down Psalm 23. It's just, to me, a good prayer. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. So that's that trusting God with what he's provided. Yes, Ken. You brought up a good point about the 10th commandment, because the negative element of the lack of contentment violates the entire Decalogue, because that's the last thing they put in there. What is everything when thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not All of those things are based upon that covetousness of all of those things. So as Christians, we should realize when we are in that state, we are violating God's law, actually. Right. Yep. Very good. Even at the heart level, the Tenth Commandment particularly focuses on the heart. And when we covet, that leads to other sins like murder and adultery, stealing. Very good. I feel as a doer and as a worker, if you don't work, you won't eat. So you should be striving to meet your own needs. But a lot of contentment is always in that trusting that instead of going out and grabbing to be by their knees, trusting that God will support us. And that's hard. Like, how much do you go get on it? And how much do you weigh upon God? Right. And finding that balance, that's hard. That's good. Yeah, the Bible tells us to work, doesn't it? There's not these verses about being content and trusting God, aren't they? Don't negate that. God tells us to work. Yes, Christian. I'm not sure how to make a prediction. Companies nowadays talk a lot about self-care and a lot of the culture that's being built is about almost like you're saying my wants and my needs and I am suffering, you're not a good employer. So just, you know, to think that the culture is pushing us to always think like, you know, we deserve more than what we have. And almost teaching us to be discontent all the time. So just think about that, you know. Because the companies teach you to watch videos of kitties and make these 10 exercises a day or just work this many hours, you know. And that's going to be the solution, you know? And anyways, just something to think about. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, so the overemphasizing your own needs, and that's what we all tend to do in our sinful nature. And the advertising and the world puts fuel on that fire and it stokes it. Yeah, we have to fight against that constantly. The culture is telling us we have a right to be content. Oh, OK. Well, that's good. And that's a good lead in to where we'll be going with this is, yeah, even though there is such a thing as godly contentment, it's what the Christians should pursue. Yeah, what we're going to be talking about is there's going to be a discontentment that we should expect and that we're going to continue to have it throughout our lives. Right, and it gets into definitions, exactly. All right, let's see here. So then going on to, so if there's such a thing as godly contentment, is there such a thing, we're not gonna go to discontentment yet, we'll keep talking about contentment, is there such a thing as ungodly contentment? And I say there is. So, you know, we're in a fallen, crooked world. If we're content in it the way it is, I say we're on shaky ground. Daniel 4.4 is Nebuchadnezzar saying, I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous. This is right before God greatly humbles him. So Nebuchadnezzar was content, but he really shouldn't have been, right? Because he had, through evil means and without any faith in God or submission to God, had conquered all the nations. Psalm 73, all this stuff we're talking about today, just that whole psalm is a really good one, but I picked out a few verses. So the psalmist prays, he says, for I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death. Their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are. They are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Then further on in the psalm, after he'd entered the sanctuary, he says, Okay, so the non-Christian potentially can be fairly content in this world. Christian could be, but that's a wake-up call of something to repent of if you find yourself in that situation. Yes, Ken. I always find it very interesting that advertising, for the most part, is all about discontentment and promising that we will be content when we purchase this product or that product or whatever. And I think we've all found out that Frequently that's not the case. We like the box better than the content. Yeah, exactly. Very good. OK, yeah, go ahead. I'll repeat it. Yeah, that's a good point. So, Leanne's pointing out, you know, again, an unbeliever who's filling all their desires with the things of the world, truly be content, and it gets into definitions. I mean, you know, we would say if their heart hasn't been changed, then there is really no true conflict between their desires and what the world's, but obviously there's the frustrations of the entire universe of the curse, and we're gonna talk about that in a minute. They experience those too. And there's, yeah, there's a remaining conscience, even though it's seared, by the fall, that conscience does still speak. So you're right. But I mean, here it is in scripture. There's this picture in Nebuchadnezzar. Maybe he had some pains of conscience, but for the most part, he's doing what he wants to do and living his best life, so to speak. That's almost the definition of someone who's not a Christian who can be doing something sinful and not feel very Yeah. Yeah, there's degrees in all these things, but that's a good point. Right. Yeah. You know, I'd say also a Christian can get pretty far down that road of fulfilling their desires for the things of the world, thinking they're content or somewhat being content, and that these kind of verses here are a warning Nathan Graybill I Think it's important to to look where did Jesus find his contentment on earth and when you look at John chapter 4 and the disciples come back with food and they're like you need to eat and His response is You know I have food to eat that you know nothing about My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. So Jesus found contentment But his contempt was based on the Father, not on the things of this earth. It didn't matter whether he was hungry or not. He didn't care about that. That's a good point. And yet, in a minute, we're going to talk about, does God, did Jesus experience discontentment in any way? We'll talk about that. All right, so back to ungodly contentment, one more passage on that idea. 1 Timothy 6, the same passage where we started out with godliness with contentment is great gain. Later in that chapter, verses 17 through 19, Paul says, as for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life." So there's that emphasis on the future and having a foundation for future contentment, I'm going to say, or real life. All right, well, let's talk about discontentment now. So the way I've kind of defined some words here We could basically say there's two ways to be discontent. And up here I said godly and ungodly. You could also say good or bad. So the first type of discontentment I'm going to talk about is what's caused by my evil desires not being met, okay? All right, and Danny's preached on this. has been and will be James chapter 4, the first two verses. James says, What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. So that's, you know, some extremes there, but we can obviously fill in many ways that we do the same thing, whether it's not actual murder, but just being mad at somebody, thinking bad of somebody. You know, those are the evil desires that as Christians we fight against every day. But that obviously, if you have an evil desire and you don't immediately repent of it, you're trying to carry it out, whatever it may be, obviously you're going to be frustrated, discontent when it doesn't get fulfilled. Maybe you want something, getting back to kind of material things, you just really want a certain material thing and you just can't have it and that discontentment that comes from that. So that's what we're mainly familiar with when we think about discontentment is that we're wanting things we shouldn't want or that God just in his wisdom isn't providing. All right, Psalm 38 is a prayer of confession by David. In one verse in there, he says, there is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation. There is no health in my bones because of my sin. So David's experiencing, I'll call it discontentment, obviously, just as the conviction of sin, and it's all good, of course, but still that feeling, that experience, I would call discontentment. as he goes through it. Then on the other side, there can be contentment when he experiences God's forgiveness and cleansing. But in the moment, that's a discontentment. So that's a type of discontentment we have due to evil desires. That's maybe a little bit off topic, but that's one of my firmest arguments against marijuana, even when our society is going to legalize it, is that Paul, I mean, David is experiencing discontentment and anguish in the soul, and God uses that to drive him to Christ. And I think marijuana tends to give a before contentment apart from true godliness. And I think that can be a very bad thing. I mean, we do need to feel bad sometimes. It's just the way it is. We're supposed to feel bad. And really, that's the topic of the lesson, We're gonna feel bad or we need to feel bad, things like that. That's a good point, yeah, that rather than seek alcohol or drugs or pleasures to mask our feelings of discontent, we should take them to God. And that's God's grace. All right, so then, but obviously we can have, we talked about like with the sixth commandment, it's not a sin to want to, Feed yourself and clothe yourself, help others to do the same, and there's, you know, hundreds of ways we can do good, have good desires that are legitimate, that are appropriate, and yet we can't accomplish them for various reasons. So, but I'll just, some scripture here. So, one thing would be, obviously, other people oppose, you're trying to really do something right, and other people are opposing you. same psalm, David prays, those who seek my life lay their snares, those who seek my hurt speak of ruin and meditate treachery all day long. So we don't have the power to stop all the evil out there that may come against us. That's obviously going to create discontentment or pain, suffering in our lives. But another category is just the brokenness of the creation, right? So from what Mike's been preaching on, the curse from part of that, and there's grace in it, of course, but still the fact remains, you plant a garden, weeds come up, right? You got to sweat and get poison ivy and get scratched to keep your garden doing well. Things break down, you know, just constant, all kinds of things like that. So Genesis 317, cursed is the ground because of you. In pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you. And then Paul picks that up again in Romans 8, which is another, like Psalm 73, Romans 8 is another one that just, if you just read the whole chapter, we could just go home. It's all in there, it's so good. But anyway, in verses 18 and 20 of Romans 8, For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it. All right, and then even when Jesus says, don't worry, in Matthew 6, verse 34, at the end he says, therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. So I take that to mean daily trouble is to be assumed. It's going to happen. OK? He's telling you don't worry about it, but do expect it to be there. All right. So moving on then to we've pretty much already touched on it, but is. Yeah, go ahead. But just thinking about our longings for our loved ones to come to Christ, that's a discontentment. Absolutely. And trying to trust the Lord. Yep. Yep. And so I kind of started out talking about my daily task list. Give me an interrupter. That's just one very narrow way of looking at this, that in this life there's a huge range of small and big disappointments, right? And reasons to be sad. And yet, your children not walking with the Lord would be a major one. So I think we've already touched it on it, but I'm going to put the question out there. To be, as a Christian, to be discontent, are you sinning? And obviously, there's different situations. I guess I should rephrase that. Are there ever any situations where it's not simple to be discontent? But still experience contentment within ourselves. So Gary's saying we can experience disappointments, but still have contentment at the same time. Am I more or less saying that right? So again, yeah, you're right, we get into definitions. Because later we'll talk about, James says, have joy in the midst of sufferings. So I am kind of trying to meditate on that some more. Can you accept God's will and be at peace? You could call it be content. I'm saying you're discontent, meaning you're longing for, you're not happy with things staying as they are forever. That's kind of what I'm saying. I think there's something to the disappointment and disconnect, but I do think it's a little semantic. We all, we go through a process. So when it says to be content or even to be joyful at all times, I don't think he's basically thinking of this stoic, monotone state. I think that you experience the frustration, you experience the anguish, and then there is a choice that you make to submit your will to the Lord, just like Jesus in Garden of Gethsemane, where he's actually saying in anguish, I don't want this, but I'm submitting my will to your will. And so I think that process is very important. Right. Very good. Thank you. OK. Well, so I'm just going to jump in. Is discontentment sinful? Depends on the definition. So I'm going to say yes and no. First, yes. Discontentment is sinful if it's characterized by grumbling, complaining, worrying, based on an idolatrous view of God as if he's not good, as if he's not just or not caring and so on. This would be what the first generation of the Israelites, the majority of them did in the wilderness after the Exodus. That's talked about extensively in Psalm 95 and again in Hebrews 3. God is angry with them and they therefore do not enter his rest. Okay, so that's an ungodly, sinful type of discontentment, grumbling, complaining, not believing God that He's good. All right, but I'm gonna say there is, the other answer can be no. This is what I'm trying to say. I think what Mike was saying. If you want to call it discontentment and it's a longing for the consummation of the kingdom, the return of Christ, the beginning of the glories of heaven, This is what I'm calling a good type of discontentment or a godly discontentment. Yes? We are exiles in this world. Right. Exiles and strangers. Exiles and strangers. Yep, I think that gets at the same idea. So let's look at some verses here. So Paul who said godliness with contentment is great gain. In Philippians 4 he says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can be content. He also says in Philippians 2, He's talking about his friend Epaphroditus. Indeed, he was ill, near to death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. Okay, so Paul's expressing these emotions of sorrow and being anxious that I don't think he's saying are sinful. I think he's saying they're legitimate. Romans 9 is a real pinnacle of that idea. Paul says, I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen, according to the flesh. So he's got deep sorrow over seeing his fellow Israelites not accept Christ and not receive the grace that's offered to them. So I say those are legitimate feelings of, I'm saying, using the word discontentment just to kind of pick a word that's the opposite of contentment. But obviously the Bible's using words like sorrow and anxious. So does that make, am I clear as mud or any? Have I got the point across? Okay. So I think we've got time for this. I was going to put the question out there and we've kind of touched on it already. Can God be discontent? What do you think? Is that possible? Now obviously Jesus was God and human in one person, so we know he experienced the Garden of Gethsemane, the cross, So, yes, but what, you know, God, throughout scripture, do you, can you think? Anger, yeah, that's a good association, a righteous anger that you can maybe call a discontent. All right, Mike's gonna help out here. This comes back to the, the age-old issue, God is both transcendent and personal. So in his transcendence, all things are under his authority, obviously, but he also is personal and eminent with us. And so then, I was just gonna bring up Genesis 6. The Lord saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart. So there you have a situation, some translations even say he repented, like he was so upset that he had made man. As he's looking at the evil that man is doing, that's not a denial of his transcendence. It's not a denial of his overall plan to bring all things under his powerful hand, but it is, When man goes against his holy moral will, it grieves him, just like we can grieve the Holy Spirit. So I think that that's... That's hard, Jesus, I mean, he's human too, but Jesus, when he's crying and laying out his hands against Jerusalem, I've prayed for you, I've sought your deliverance, and why have you been so stubborn? It hurts him, and there's a frustration there. So we didn't use the word frustration, but that's hard to think about with God, but I think that there's, on the personal side, as long as you don't push it so far that he's no longer transcendent, I think on that personal side, he does experience those feelings. All right, so he's validated what I've been getting ready to say. That's good. Because, yeah, Jesus is weeping over Jerusalem is the one I picked out. Yeah, so thank you. That's exactly what I'm getting at. If you look at the confession, Westminster Confession 2.1, it says that God is without passions. And I think I've heard Mike explain to us that doesn't mean he doesn't have any emotion. That just means he's not, and that's what you're saying, Richard, I think, he's not frustrated. Wish I could do this, I just can't do it. He does not experience that, you're right. But, and this is what I wrote, he does feel or expresses grief and similar emotions, at least that's how he reveals himself to us in the scripture. For example, Hosea 11.8, he's saying, how can I give you up, O Ephraim? So that'd be the northern kingdom, that'd be Israel. How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? So that'd be like Sodom and Gomorrah, just utterly destroy them. My heart recoils within me. My compassion grows warm and tender. So there's that, you can call it a tension or just a problem that, you know, at least in God's interaction with us, he expresses that, those feelings. All right, Luke 19, Jesus says, and when he drew near, or it says about Jesus, when he drew near and saw the city, Jerusalem, he wept over it, saying, would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace, but now they are hidden from your eyes. So he wept because of their rebellion. First Samuel, and this, Genesis 6, Mike mentioned, First Samuel 15 is kind of similar to that. We're talking about the kingship of Saul being It seems like a mistake, but of course God doesn't make mistakes, but listen to how he does describe it. He says, then, this is Samuel, then the word of the Lord came to Samuel saying, this is God speaking, I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following me and has not carried out my instructions. And down in verse 29, moreover the glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind, for he is not a man, that he should change his mind. And then down at verse 35, and to the day of his death, Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. So there's a real tension there. It clearly says God does not change his mind or lie. He says, I'm gonna do something and then not do it. He's not like man in that sense. But he does express this regret. He enters into that relationship with his people, so those emotions are going to be there. God is always holy, so if he were indifferent to Saul's rebellion, that would be a change in God's attitude towards sin. So he can't do that. So when, even in our situation, we're covered under the blood, you know, we're imputed righteousness of Christ, but there's still, when we sin, that God has to have a reaction. Otherwise his, his, his very nature would be changing, like flopping in his attitude towards sin. And that's what doesn't change. His attitude towards sin never changes. So that, therefore, when we change, he has to react to that. That's that personal side. Yeah, here's how I kind of try to sum it up. Our God is like us, and he is not like us. He is not frustrated as if he is not in control, and he never has an evil desire. Yet he has chosen to interact with sinful human beings, even to covenant with them. Thus, he experiences the pain associated with that covenant relationship. how I tried to sum it up. All right. So getting back to just kind of our own experience at the present time, we're in the already and not yet. You're sure familiar with that terminology. We and I'd say and God are waiting for the full restoration of our relationship. No more pain, complete joy and peace. Our good desires will be fully met and we will be rid of evil desires. The tension or the stress or the longing for that day is what I'm calling a good or godly discontentment. So we see that in like Romans 8.22, for we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. But why do we have to wait so long? As individuals, we have to live out a life of pain and suffering, potentially. The church has been waiting for a couple thousand years now, or even longer than that if you consider the Old Testament church. So here's what Paul Tripp says in a devotion called Delayed Gratification. If I was at the wheel, Adam and Eve would fall in the morning, Christ would come in the afternoon, and the new heavens and the new earth would appear by sunset. The whole thing would take 18 hours max. But God had a plan, a perfect plan, and everything happened according to divine timing. God knows why, we don't know the detail. We know what he's working out, how he's working it out, but as far as the why, why does he choose for it to be delayed, that's in his wisdom. So, we'll look at Romans 11 in a second. But first, just another thing on that theme of legitimate groaning, waiting for that day. Listen to what it says in Revelation 6. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, O sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth." So they're crying out for justice, which is good and appropriate and has not yet been carried out. Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. Alright, then at Romans 11, Paul's expressing why is it that the Gentiles are coming in but the Israelites are rejecting Christ and all the details of that and he prays this, oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. So there's a mystery in what Paul was talking about there, and I'm saying that that can also apply just to the timing of all these plans, including the consummation of the kingdom and the end, the reign of evil in this earth. So that waiting for that day is a good kind of discontent All right, I'm going to say some things in conclusion. So we were created with desires and the need for them to be fulfilled, to be content. Eliminating all desire is not an option. If we are very content in this fallen crooked world and we're on shaky ground like Nebuchadnezzar or the wicked in Psalm 73, the Christian can go through a process of recognizing this sinful type of contentment. becoming discontent with it, going through conviction, repenting of that sin, and then having a new contentment that is different and good based on trusting God rather than in riches. All right, regarding material things, we should be and can be content with basic necessities. That's Philippians 4.13. The secret is the skill, the faith of trusting God, knowing that he is good and will provide those necessities or that he will withhold them for some good purpose. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. All right, we cannot be fully content in this life, in this fallen, crooked world. If we have godly desires, love for God, others, and self, we will be at odds with the world and its desires and its brokenness. Our discontentment in this life is due to godly desires that are yet unfulfilled. That's good, it's appropriate. We should expect this type of discontentment daily as we experience or witness pain, suffering, death, and wickedness. The Bible says to count these things as joy, but I believe that's a joy mixed with sorrow. So in James chapter one is where God says that through James. He says, count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." So I would say the trials themselves are not joyful, but there is a joy in knowing they will yield eternal, abundant, joyful life. That's going to be the fruit of your tested faith. Later on in James, he says in chapter 5, be patient So there's that waiting, right? He's not saying, just be joyful, everything's okay, no matter what's happening to you. He says, be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the judge is standing at the door. So be patient. Establish your hearts. You could say you have a contentment or a peace, a faith in the midst of the suffering. During that time, do not grumble. But you're not being content to just stay in that same situation forever. You're hoping, you're expecting the relief of that tension that one day all is going to be made right. So it is, Danny said Sunday school ends at 945. So I got, there's some more like Isaiah and Revelation, just the description of what heaven's gonna be like. It's wonderful. And I'll just get back to the beginning, like the interruption in my schedule or my plans this past week was that bad news from one of my children. And, you know, just a striking reminder of the brokenness of this world, and it redirected our attention toward eternity, toward longing for Jesus' return and his making all things new. I'll end with 2 Corinthians 4. So we do not lose heart, though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." So with that in mind, let's face the disappointments of each day with a prayer something like this, Lord, thy will be done. You know what is best. Help me to respond to this disappointment with repentance, faith, and love as the situation requires. And thank you that soon there will be no more disappointments, either due to my sin or other sin or a broken world. I will be with you and you will wipe away every tear. All right, let's pray. Lord, we thank you so much for these incredible promises. And we know and you know that we're not fully experiencing them yet. but we will, and that's, so our faith is in you, and we thank you that you will bring it about, help us to wait patiently, and have the right attitude, but not to have a stoic kind of unrealistic fake contentment, but to truly be content with what you give us, but be longing for the real thing, the full, kingdom that you've promised. Thank you, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen.