Enough Already!
Want to Make aDifference?
Want to knowhow to move from being a survivor to being a difference-maker? From being a takerto a maker? From existing as a person to investing in people? From paying thebills to changing the world?
The answer tothis question is a simple, 2-syllable, 7-letter word with a punctuation mark.Content … period. Does this describe your life? Are you content, period?
We’re allwaiting for that magical moment when we’re in the right place at the right time.That stage in life when all our problems disappear. When we suddenly have asurplus of money and time to make a difference. But have you noticed? That timenever comes.
Here’s the goodnews. To make a differencefor God, you don’t need anything more than what you already have. You needto look at what you already have and say three words: “I have enough.” That’swhat it means to be content, but can you say that and mean it?
Unfortunately, manyChristians are discontent, and this prevents them from making a God-sizeddifference in the world. They go through hard things and become dissatisfied withtheir Christian life. That’s what the book of Hebrews is all about.
It’s ToughBeing a Christian
The person who wrote Hebrews wanted to help Christianswho were suffering.
- Nonbelieverswere reluctant to hire them or give them business.
- Unbelievingrelatives were pressuring them to abandon the church, expelling them from homesand disowning them from families.
- Theywere being reported to government officials, put into prison, tortured, and executedby wild animals and gladiators at the Coliseum.
To some, thispressure was overwhelming. Being a Christian felt more like one big setbackrather than a step in the right direction. Some found it so unbearable thatthey chose to abandon Christ (or they thought about it at least). Have you thoughtabout it? About quitting? About walking away from Christ, church, and being a Christian?
What Are Your CopingMechanisms?
That’s where “coping mechanisms” come in – strategiespeople use to handle ongoing problems. The question is this – what areyour coping mechanisms? How do you handle the ongoing challenges you face becauseyou’re a Christian?
Side Effects
Not all copingmechanisms are equal. Some are harmless and even beneficial, like wearing noise-cancelingheadphones on the subway, taking an outdoor walk on your lunch break, or takinga hot, sudsy bath at the end of a long day.
Other copingmechanisms carry harmful side-effects, like snacking on junk food during theday or binge-watching an entire Netflix series into the early hours of themorning.
Still othercoping mechanism are far more serious and have no place in the Christian life.
Running Away
Some earlyChristians were tempted by a very serious coping mechanism called quitting. Thebook calls it “driftingaway,” “departing from God,” “falling away,” “drawing back,” and “falling short”(Heb 2:1-4; 3:7-4:13; 5:11-6:12; 10:19-39; 12:14-29).
People who claimedto be Christians but couldn’t endure the rigors of being a Christian handled theirongoing struggle by bailing out on Christ. By doing so, they showed that theyhad never truly believed on Christ at all. I trust this will never happen toyou.
Some believers,though, chose other coping mechanisms. They stayed put as a Christian but triedto feed their dissatisfaction other ways. They subtly shifted from meeting theneeds of the world to meeting their own needs through the world.
Hebrews 13:4-5highlights two major coping mechanisms that Christians often choose when the rigorsof the Christian life overwhelm their soul – immorality and materialism.
Immorality
Hebrews 13:4 warns struggling Christians to stay awayfrom fornication and adultery.
- Fornication is all wrong sexual behavior, both before and after marriage –like prostitution, nightclubs, pornography, homosexuality, and so on.
- Adultery is the same behavior, but it focuses on married people. Itdescribes people who commit various kinds of fornication even when they’remarried.
Why did this needto be mentioned? Because some of those early Christians were resorting to thesetemptations to cope with their unsatisfying experience as a Christian, dissatisfiedwith their marital situation (whether married or unmarried) and dissatisfied withbeing a Christian in general.
Materialism
Hebrews 13:5 warns struggling Christians to stay awayfrom covetousness, too.
Covetousness is a strong desire for more money and more of the things and experiencesthat money can buy in this physical, material world.
Why did thisneed to be mentioned? Because some of those early Christians were resorting tothis behavior to cope with their unsatisfying experience as a Christian, dissatisfiedwith their financial situation (whether rich or poor) and dissatisfied withbeing a Christian in general.
It’s Not All Bad
In speakingabout these harmful (and sinful) coping mechanisms, we need to keep a balancedperspective. That’s what Hebrews13:4-5 helps us understand.
For instance, thoughfornication and adultery are always wrong and carry serious side effects (Godwill judge them!), marriage and sexual intimacy within marriage are good.
You shouldhonor marriage, which means you should value it highly and place it high onyour list of priorities in life. What’s more, sex within marriage is more thana concession – it is a blessing from God to enjoy.
In a similarway, though covetousness is always wrong, it is not wrong to have things. Infact, you should be thankful for the things you already have and be content.
Getting PastCoping Mechanisms
So you want tobe a difference maker in the world for Christ, even though you face significantchallenges as a Christian?
- Youmust abandon the harmful coping mechanisms of immorality and materialism.
- Yet youdon’t need to abandon marriage or jettison money and things altogether.
- Infact, you should want to get married and be happy with the things you alreadyhave.
Even so, marriageand the things God has given you are not good coping mechanisms in and of themselves.It’s not that that they’re harmful. They’re not. They’re just inadequate.
Think about itthis way:
- Immoralityand materialism are coping mechanisms that look for satisfaction in things thatGod has not given to you.
- Marriage(and sex) and money (and things) that you already possess are coping mechanismsthat look for satisfaction in the things that God has given you.
Yet none of these things, that whichis forbidden or that which God has given, are good enough to satisfy your soul.If you’re dissatisfied with your Christian life and frustrated by yourchallenges, you need to get past coping mechanisms altogether and trust inChrist.
A Fundamental Misunderstanding
The problemwith turning to these things, the bad and the good, as coping mechanisms, isthat they reveal a fundamental misunderstanding about you, your life, and God.
A Christianleader from 1,500 years ago named Augustine said this: “You [God] have made us for yourself, and our heartis restless until it rests in you.” This is true. More sex, more money,and more things will never satisfy your restless soul. God alone can do that.
Deep within youis a desire for more. Yet no matter how much you earn and experience, enjoy andpossess, it’s never enough.
- Graduatingfrom high school
- Gettinga job and earning a part-time paycheck
- Gettingyour own car
- Graduatingfrom college
- Movingto a new city, state, or country
- Settlinginto your first career and earning a full-time salary
- Gettingmarried
- Rentingyour own place
- Havingchildren
- Earninga bonus or a raise
- Buyingyour own home
- A largesavings account or portfolio balance
- A vacationor cruise
- Anythingyou’ve ever paid for or received (possession, experience, entertainment)
Did any ofthese things satisfy your desire? Does immoral behavior ever satisfy you in a realway? Do any of these things make the Christian life more bearable and meaningful?The answer is “no.” Only Christ is able to give you the satisfying life thatyou desire.
He’s AlwaysThere
Immoralrelationships are bad, and a marriage relationship is good, but only a relationshipwith God is able to satisfy your soul.
Covetousness isbad, and the things God has already given you are good enough, but only in a closerelationship with God can you be content.
Here’s the goodnews. The Lord JesusChrist, who is God, is already always with you. If you have believed onhim as your God and Savior, you have his constant presence (Heb 13:5).
He “will neverleave you nor forsake you.” The word never is written in a strong way,like when we underline a word today to emphasis.
This is also aloose quotation from the Old Testament (OT).
- Godsaid something like this to Jacob when Jacob was scared to go into the PromisedLand where his brother Esau lived (Gen 28:15). Esau hated Jacob and wanted to kill him. He wasalso an immoral and materialistic man (Heb 12:16).
- Godsaid this to Joshua when as he prepared to lead Israel into the same PromisedLand years later (Deut31:6, 8; Josh 1:5). The people who lived in the land hated theIsraelites and wanted to kill them. They were also immoral and materialisticpeople.
Do you seeparallels with your life today? You believed on Christ, but the world is makingyour life more difficult as a result. You’re tempted to handle that pressurelike the people around you, looking for happiness in immorality and materialisminstead.
Yet what dothese coping mechanisms do for you? Immoral habits leave you more dissatisfiedthan before. The money you earn and things you buy, it all slips away.
Mostimportantly, the people who participate with you in immoral practices and whocome into your life because of your money and things, they also slip away.
That’s why youneed to rest in the constant presence of Christ. He’s always with you. He’llnever leave you. He’ll never abandon you. So why should you abandon him?
What you need is not more of the world – more sex, moremoney, and more things. You need more of Christ, and he’s not hard to get. He’s always there.
Dial 1-800-Jesus
The good thingabout Christ is not just that he’s always there, but he’s always there to helpyou (Heb 13:6).That’s what the word helper means. It describes someone, like a paramedic,who runs to help you when you’re hurt and need assistance.
Christ is not somekind of “Elf on a Shelf” who is always sitting there to find out if you’rebeing good or bad. He’s there to help you in every situation you face. Nomatter what you go through as a Christian, he’s there – and he’s there for you.
When you’restruggling in the Christian life, do you dial 1-800-Run-Away? 1-800-Pornography?1-800-Fantasy? 1-800-Adultery? 1-800-More-Money? 1-800-More-Things? 1-800-More-Experiences?1-800-Marriage? 1-800-Things-I-Already-Have?
Or do you dial 1-800-Jesus?If you do reach out to Jesus, what do you say? You should say something like, “Lord,you are my helper; I will not be afraid of anything I am going through right.What can anyone do to me anyway?”
Say it with fromyour heart. Say it verbatim. Say it in your own words (like I just did). Say itinternally. Say it audibly. Say it frequently. Most of all, say it confidently.
Help! You SavedMe, but Now I’m in the Wilderness!
This statementcomes from the book of Psalms (Psa 118:6). Jewish people read this statement atthe climax of Passover to focus on the salvation God gave them when he deliveredthem from slavery in Egypt.
At first, Israelwas thrilled that God had delivered them from Egypt. Afterwards, however, theyhad second thoughts. Though God had delivered them from slavery, he broughtthem into a deserted wilderness with no good sources for food and water. Had heforgotten them, or did he have another reason for doing this?
The people weretempted to return to slavery in Egypt just so they could have delicious foodsagain. But God had another plan. He wanted them to experience these challenges to teach them that healone was enough to meet their needs.
Do you believethis today? Christ can deliver you from everything you go through in the Christianlife today – and sometimes it feels like an empty wilderness.
- Unmarried(singe, divorced, widowed)? Christ is enough
- Married(to a godly believer, struggling believer, or nonbeliever)? Christ is enough
- Feellike you need more money and don’t know how to get it? Christ is enough
- Feellike you need more things and experiences? Christ is enough
Can you saythis and mean it? Do you believe it? No matter what you go through in theChristian life, Christ is sufficient. He is always there to meet your needs ofevery kind.
Don’t turn toimmorality or materialism to cope with your problems. Turn to Christ alone.
Contentment atChristmastime
As the holidayseason approaches, it’s time for a pre-flight safety check. Just as thefriendly stewardess reminds you to fasten your seatbelt before departure, Iwant to remind you to check your level of contentment.
You see, in November you claimed to begrateful. You thanked God for the things, people, and even challenges inyour life. But in December,your gratefulness will be tested.
One catalog, promotionalemail, social media ad, billboard, storefront, Christmas party, familygathering at a time will test your contentment with Christ.
There’s nothingwrong with family and friends. There’s nothing wrong with giving and receivinggifts – within your means. But there is something wrong when you view thesepeople and do these things at Christmastime as a coping mechanism.
Here’s how itworks. We go through hard times as Christians from January to November. Then welook to the experiences of the Christmas holidays as an emotional, material,and social lift to get them through. It’s a form of covetousness and discontent.
How does this turnout? Not so good. We ride the emotional highs and lows of the season, only to belet down by January 1st like everyone else.
Instead, weshould enjoy the Christmas season with a heart that needs nothing more because we’recompletely content in Christ already. We should be able to look at the holidayseason from beginning to end and say, “I have Jesus. I have enough already.”
A Verse and aSong
To grow in yourcontentment with Christ, let me encourage you to do these two things:
- Memorize Hebrews 13:4-6. Write the words on a 3x5 card. Put the card where you’ll see it orcarry it with you daily. Think about it and study it more carefully for yourself.
- Memorize Christis Sufficient. Listen to it online (you can find itat Amazon here and here). Sing it frequently. Let it be a wayof doing what Hebrews 13:6 teaches. Then be at church as much as possible thismonth so you can sing it together with us.
If you do thesetwo things this the month, you’ll increase in your closeness and contentmentwith Christ and begin to position yourself to be a difference maker in theworld for him.
Don’t miss nextSunday as we’ll hear Part 2 of the “Content Period” preaching series by takinga close look at a big and deadly mistake that many Christians make thatprevents them from being content and from making a difference for God with theirlife.
