tonight's big idea getting started sunday night synopsis

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Jonathan Rue May 22, 2010 True Happiness Philippians 4:10-13

TONIGHT’S BIG IDEA Tonight we will be discussing the idea of learning contentment. None of us learn discontentment—somehow we find ourselves really good at it. God wants us to have lives filled with his brand of happiness. In order to have this, we need to be people who understand what it means to be content. We are going to talk about this idea and how we can lay hold of contentment and rid ourselves of toxic discontent.

GETTING STARTED 1. Have you ever received a raise? How long was it until it felt like you “needed” more money? 2. What are your biggest pet peeves? What, if it happens, can make you feel almost instantly discontent? 3. What is your reaction to feeling discontent? Do you start assigning blame? Do you try to control and change things or people around you? Do you get angry? 4. Think about less-than-desirable situations in your life where you do feel content. Ask yourself: are you content, or are you only resigned to the way things are? Do you believe God can still change the situation?

SUNDAY NIGHT SYNOPSIS 1. Explain: We as humans are born knowing how to be discontent. The sense of contentment we do experience is usually a momentary response to ideal circumstances, and it has almost nothing to do with the learned contentment Paul talks about in Philippians 4:10-13. This learned contentment is something that grows internally, and does not grow in response to acquiring more stuff or eliminating stress from our lives. How does it grow then? It is completely dependent on the work of God in our hearts. OR: 2. Ask someone to briefly give a synopsis of this week’s sermon. What insight, principle, or observation from this weekend’s message did you find to be most helpful, eye-opening, or troubling? Briefly explain.

GETTING INTO THE TEXT 3. Read Luke 12:13-34:

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Q1. Where did the rich man’s thoughts go in verse 17 when he was presented with a greater crop than he needed? Were his established riches enough for him? What would a “contented” response have looked like for this rich man? Q2. In verse 20, God appeals to the unavoidable nature of death to show how fragile our “ownership” of our possessions is. Note all the uses of “I” and “my” in verses 17-19 - how does the rich man’s wrong idea about him “owning” things feed his greed? Do you think discontentment arises when we attach a strong sense of personal ownership to our possessions? Why or why not? Q3. In verse 21, Jesus finds the rich man guilty of not being “rich toward God.” Notice here, Jesus does not actually decry being rich. Based on verses 22-28, where do we learn how to be “rich toward God?” Q4. Why is there a passage (vv. 22-34) about worry after a passage on coveting and greed (vv. 15-21)? What is the connection here? What is at the heart of greed? Q5. Imagine holding a beloved object in your hand. How does your hand hold that object if you’re following God and truly understanding Him? With an open hand, or with a closed hand? (vv. 29-30) Q6. Look at verse 32. What does Jesus seem most concerned that we have? What happens if we try to fit the kingdom of God inside of our pursuit of material things, and not the other way around, as Jesus commands in verse 31? Q7. Finally, note verse 34. Which item does this verse imply that we have the most control over - our heart or what we treasure? What does it mean to “treasure” something?

Ministry Time: For ministry time, pray that God would grant the freedom and understanding to seek His kingdom first over your “treasures.” Spend some time on reflecting on “treasures” by asking some questions and listening to the Lord in response. • What makes me angry or happy? • Where do I spend most of my money? • Where do I spend most of my time? Do these match up with Jesus’ command to seek the kingdom of God first?

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