Gospel Bible Baptist Church

Heb. 13:5-6

Introduction

People are never contented or satisfied. Humans always wants something more. In the 1960’s a song “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” became very popular because it expresses human needs that are never satisfied. Little did the writer/singer of the song knows that there is a solution for his need. Contentment is a word that we rarely hear now not only from unbelievers but also from true believers or Christians. Contentment is the state of being satisfied. Godliness with contentment is great gain; but contentment without godliness is great greed!

I. We are to… be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Heb. 13:5)
A. The opposite of covetousness is contentment (Heb. 13:5-6).
B. Contentment – The condition of being satisfied without pain, worry, or agitation. (Excerpted from American Heritage Talking Dictionary.)
C. The Greek word is arkeo, which means “to be satisfied”. When one is content, they are satisfied with what they have.
D. Contentment does come naturally. It can be learned. Notice that Paul said, I have learned. Contentment is something we have to learn. (Phil. 4:11)
E. One of the ways to learn contentment is to count the blessings we already have. (1 Tim. 6:6-8).

Illustration/Application: Lazy Fisherman
Philip Parham tells the story of a rich industrialist who was disturbed to find a fisherman sitting lazily beside his boat. “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked.
“Because I’ve caught enough fish for today,” said the fisherman.
“Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?’ the rich man asked.
“What would I do with them?”
“You could earn more money,” came the impatient reply, “and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. You could purchase nylon nets, catch even more fish, and make more money. Soon you’d have a fleet of boats and be rich like me.”
The fisherman asked, “Then what would I do?”
“You could sit down and enjoy life,” said the industrialist.
“What do you think I’m doing now?” the fisherman replied as he looked placidly out to sea.
Our Daily Bread, May 18, 1994

II. Material things can never satisfy
A. Regarding material things, it is written in 1 Tim. 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
B. Most people including Christians wants to have lots of money. We need money to survive. Money itself is not evil. What is bad is the love of money. Money can never bring satisfaction. King Solomon observed that “He that loveth silver (money) shall not be satisfied with silver (money); nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. Man will always want more.
C. All those material possessions, will be left behind when you die. Always remember that we have only one life to live, it would soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last. Material things are only temporary and cannot really bring satisfaction. (Eccl. 5:10, Mat. 16:26).
D. It’s a sad thing that some people even sell their souls to the devil just to have money and all the things that money can buy.
E. It’s a sad thing also that many are allowed to “accumulate” riches, but will not enjoy the fruits of their labor (Eccl. 6:1-2). Many rich people cannot eat and enjoy the delicious and expensive foods they can afford to buy because it is bad to their health.

III. The reason for contentment (Heb. 13:5-6)
A. The Lord said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. This is the greatest reason for contentment. We have the Lord! What else do we need?
B. God has promised never to leave nor forsake us
C. The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me (Heb. 13:6). With the Lord as our helper, we have all the help we need.
D. If the Lord provides for the needs of the fowls in the air as well as the lilies, He will do the same for us
E. When we seek God first (Mt. 6:33), and put our trust in Him, then everything we need will be provided. Honestly speaking, all our essential needs are being provided by the Lord to us daily. It’s up to us to be thankful, appreciate, and be contented for all the blessings He gives.
F. There is always a void space in man’s heart that only our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ can fill. (Ps. 107:8-9). If He is in your heart, you can have contentment.
G. The ability to enjoy the fruits of one’s labor is a gift from God. (Eccl. 2:24-26; 3:12-13; 5:18-20)

Illustration/Application: Painted Sticks
One Sunday a preacher told how, while sitting in his garden, he had watched a caterpillar climb a painted stick that was for decoration. After reaching the top, the caterpillar reared itself, feeling this way and that for a juicy twig to feed on, or some way to further progress. Finding nothing, it slowly returned to the ground, crawled along till it reached another painted stick, and did the same thing all over again. The preacher said: “There are many painted sticks in the world—those of pleasure, wealth, and fame. All these call man and say, ‘Climb me to find the desire of your heart, fulfill the purpose of your existence, taste the fruit of success, and find satisfaction, but they are only painted sticks.’ “
Solomon tried to find the purpose of his life in the world’s “painted sticks.” He gave his heart to seek wisdom, but learned that it was “vanity and vexation of spirit” (Eccl. 1:15).
He then turned to the pleasures of the world for meaning in life. He built great houses, and gardens, and pools. He had servants and maidens; in fact, he had all that a man could desire. Solomon’s comment on pleasure as a true source of happiness, however, was, “All was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun” (Eccl. 2:11).
After trying all that the world could offer, Solomon’s final decision was, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13). A Treasury of Bible Illustrations.

IV. Conclusion:
Let us all be contented for all the things that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has given us. All the riches in the world can never really satisfy us. He has promised not to leave us and forsake us. Trust and obey the Lord. Seek Him first and all these things will be added unto you. Will you do it my friend?