Hillsong Church - Content, Not Lacking

[Music] sokar gonna praise morning slightly stands it hands together come on everybody wants a single weekend [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] morning church who are you a shot [Music] [Music] [Music] that's it [Music] [Music] [Music] I give my to [Music] I'm forgiving [Music] come on this mess [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Oh to all of this love [Music] amen Christ is risen amen [Music] this morning we gather together we remind ourselves of who we serve this morning we remind ourselves of who our God is this morning isn't it good to do that chance come on isn't it good to do that come on we got to stir ourselves this morning remind ourselves of who it is we serve come on would you give Him praise this money come on give us thank you Jesus [Music] [Music] I stand upon the Sun like a fake it was steadfast Oshana break apart with it [Music] should his promises will never fade his faith [Music] [Applause] [Music] listen [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] yes [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh come on you can do better than that [Music] I am chosen not forsaken I am who he says I am you are who he says you are he says you're a child of God the decade and his spirit imbibe that but that in your pipe and smoke it but that in your pipe and smokin what they're on a child of God amen don't look religious at me all this religious spirit of 11:15 a.m. service [Music] rather we just thank you you call us your children we're children of God that's who we are help us to see ourselves through your eyes not just our eyes help us to live according to the promise of God we commit this service to you we thank you for powerful faithful worship the Lord believe today you're going to speak to people throughout the service could you put your hand or die's prayer repair requests Lord you know every one of these by name the ones coming up on the screen and the ones who don't father every one of these needs physical spiritual emotional whatever they are Lord you have answers for it there's miracle-working power in the name of Jesus there's power in the blood of Jesus in Jesus Christ all the promise of God is yes and amen we accept your promise for these people deliverance freedom healing breakthrough new beginnings their prayers answered visas granted Lord whatever the knee you're bigger than we claim promise of God on every one of these areas in Jesus name [Music] none against man [Music] [Applause] [Music] beautiful say hi to a few people 20-second mingle we're on discounted mingle today twenty second mingle all of those whose babies have been dedicated come on up to the platform right now come on down everyone whose baby has been dedicated bring your children bring your family right now up onto the platform someone's thanking God for his protection in a car accident that's good news someone was protected in a car accident someone else thanking God for a beautiful home that they've recently been able to purchase some of thanking God for favor in their exams someone thanking God for a brand new job as a pharmacist so that's good and someone's thanking God for good marks then their exam there's a miracle right there someone thank you God for successful heart surgery lots and lots of stuff here praise God for that 35th wedding anniversary etc etc etc awesome Bobby amen well right now as the church family we're gonna dedicate some beautiful babies look as we do we have nine families here nine children and the last service we had eleven babies which is incredible so welcome to you guys we're so excited for this moment special welcome to any friends or family who have come to witness today feel free to come down take photos if you want but um it's just a beautiful moment where we just realized how lovely it is as a family to stand and to pray and dedicate these little ones to the goodness and the grace and the Providence and the care of an amazing God in here and everyone said yes amen totally so no baby beautiful kids nice to have our powerhouse pastors right here gorgeous so beautiful medicating yet another baby to the Lord you know this true story this baby was prophesied by the doctors who are infallible as a boy now everything all the preparations because you know you can find out these days all their preparations or for a boy prettiest looking boy amazing beautiful Bobby's making sure she's okay just oily in the situation here this is a little guy this is Rockwell Harrison Little Rock fantastic so look at all these kids and I love I always love that it's United Nations when we both dedicate babies it's a true reflection of the demographic of this part of Sydney and it's also a democratic demographic of the kingdom of God red and yellow black and white all the precious in His sight so cool incredible what's your heritage India India I love beating India and cricket it's one of my favorite things in life it hardly ever happens anymore by the way India is always too good but you don't care you just care that you've got a beautiful little girl whose name is hold on a second whose name is vibha Jessica Cala Conda how good is that very pronounced very good pronunciation he says thank you thank you I speak I speak several Indian languages I speak Tamil in Hindi yeah single A's sig Alize that's right but that's Malay yeah I don't speak any of them but stirlitz I've never even heard of some of them but it's fantastic I have actually come on stand please if you don't mind you know what this is powerful and we never want to be trivialized in it because every one of these beautiful babies is a gift from God this is little Aleta a gift from God this guy a gift from God and look at this Louis Koopa Jones Everton Everton Wow gift from God fantastic and look at you Archer Archer how cool is that Archer look at you - you look great every one of these children this little guy is Marcus Uriah Morales beautiful and Joanna okay we're gonna eat your children to the Lord what a gift they are from God what a blessing from God and now what a beautiful actor commit them back to God effectively you're saying effectively is so good hey I got a pray come on put your hand to watch them we're gonna pray father I just thank you for the beautiful children a gift from you Lord you use children as an example of our relationship to you a simple faith in God Lord what a beautiful beautiful thing it is to raise children and to have the chance to raise them in the ways of the Lord I pray for these parents I pray for godly wisdom I pray Lord oh no the hand of God on their children on their family on their marriage on their relationship father we just thank you we trust you I believe for the salvation the relationship with Jesus transforming salvation of every one of these children I thank you for the fullness of the Holy Spirit I thank you for good health I thank you for god-given purpose I thank you that you bless them and you keep them and your face is shining upon them and we can look forward with expectation in a world of uncertainty to the certainty of the promise of God and the faithfulness of God so we commit each of these children now to the faithfulness of God and we believe you to have your way in each life as we dedicate them to you in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus amen amen give him a big congratulation as always church family we have a Bible for you a gift for your little one first Bible and a certificate to mark today and again family if you're hearing you want to stay we have refreshments for you in the western foyer so enjoy the service say ma'am you guys god bless I'm a child of God yes [Music] exactly the same key more or less come on you guys come boring you than this [Music] yes sir speaker believe in Jesus [Music] peaceful courage [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music] well [Music] [Applause] [Music] beautiful beautiful singing so good you guys can be seated and we're blessed for their youth pastors and leaders in our church and here at the Hills campus we got a fantastic youth team overseeing the kids of many of the families in their church the young people and teenagers and students but also many young people who are not part of our church body their families are not so they also reach so many kids Paul Callaway is a brand new dad brand new father a beautiful little girl but also a great man of God and does such a great job with their wildlife high school students give him a hand he's gonna share with us around our giving so get ready to get get ready to tie get really to honor God first and Paul's going to encourage us Thank You boss appreciate it it's good thank you sir saw you looking sharp this morning how you doin Church cuz you were definitely good you were definitely carrying a few extra kilos if I was a cohort no it's true there was plenty there people we're gonna continue our worship around our tithes and offering this morning so if you'd like to start preparing all the ways on the screen behind me but hey if you're new or if you're visiting sit back relax please feel under no obligation to be a part of this if you want to be involved you can if not let the container pass you by can I share a thought quickly 2 Corinthians verse 9 and sorry chapter 9 verse 7 says this I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over and make up your own mind on what you will give this will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting God loves it when the giver delights in the giving now don't know if I'm the only one in the room but are there any men in the room that sometimes we say or we do things that might get us in a little bit of trouble with our wives yep just me in the front row wonderful so what's the first thing you do when you're in a little bit of trouble well the first thing I do is that I apologize because even though I've only been married for five years I know that it's normally my fault the second thing I do is I go straight to the shops and I get a bunch of flowers and a piece of chocolate for my beautiful wife now why do I do this because that gift says something Christel about the fact that I'm sorry and I hope that that gift will help me get the relationship back to the way that I want to be the challenge is that when it comes to our giving I so often come with the same mentality I come giving hoping that I will get something from God or hoping that my giving will somehow get my relationship right with him the challenge with that is it's never the way that God called us to give see my dad taught me growing up that I should buy gifts for my wife by my wife flowers not because I'm in trouble but because I want to honor her and I want to put her first church today that is what we're doing without giving we are delighting in Jesus in this place not because we have to not because we're trying to get something out of God because we want to put him first in our finance is that okay Church can I pray for you Lord we just thank you so much for who you are and everything you give to us Lord guidance today we make the choice card to put you at the center of our lives to put you first go with our tithes are offering Lord we thank you so much God do you take it so much further than we ever could in your mighty name everyone said and then our amazing host hello boss our amazing hosts are going to service and that's the bus yes they are and they are amazing and they so faithful the people who serve and host in church all volunteers all giving in their own time all right it's that time of year stuff the bus we're gonna help hundreds and hundreds of families maybe thousands of families across Australia with Stuff the Bus this year this break records let's provide more food what do you call it non-perishable goods non-perishable food and toys we need lots of toys so I should hold this Teddy with more dignity we need lots and lots of toys you know I'm saying it's how you hold your teddy is really important and so that's all everybody the whole church get involved in helping fill one of these up this one's heavy so there's plenty of stuff in there and I reckon that you can do something very equal to the Hat as well I just passed that Lebanon's greatest ever rugby league player right there Lebanon's greatest ever rugby league player legendary status in Lebanon because of his rugby league Eddie loves me talking about a big church he loves and he lives for it I can tell he's second I'm gonna kill you I'm gonna kill you he's thinking ah anyway it's pretty awesome being Lebanon's greatest ever rugby league play well what is it about me that loves annoying people no why why aren't I a real pastor caring compassionate I actually think I am but that's a different story and I'm wasting time mainly because I forget what's coming next I'll tell you what's coming next tonight tonight we're switching on the Christmas lights and it's gonna be amazing we're excited about that it's a big deal and we got fireworks with a difference the fireworks are going to be equally as powerful as other years but totally there's going to be a difference to it bring the family bring the kids have a night out I'm preaching tonight at church about overcoming lack how to overcome lack in your life and I'm looking for that will have a powerful time in here then we're gonna have a fun family and church community time out there bring friends bring people who don't normally come to church the Krishna why would we spend that money on Christmas lights to light up this property well I'll give you a couple of reasons number one you and your kids and making it a blessing and making Christmas awesome but number two the community those who never come to church those who they'll come onto this property because of the Christmas lights and hopefully connect with some of the people from church and we'll reach out and reach a whole lot of people we don't do anything for nothing we do it with God's purpose of mind and so that's why right there Church news [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] deep are we walking to him doctor said he's not just saying come up but he's saying come in once you get there you feel that sense of of God's present God's waiting any promises to lead us if we commit our lives to seeking [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hey ladies color Jessica and I are so excited to get on a plane from the iraq-syria side of the world and join you guys for the color conference 2018 when Jessica was with you last year it was transformative for her but more than anything was transformative for our organization transformative for the hundreds of thousands of people that you've impacted across the world you ladies are a force for good a force of nature a force to be reckoned with we can't wait to come alongside you and celebrate and work for the more beautiful world that our hearts know is possible excited to see you soon [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] big hi to a whole church family right across Australia across to the west coast this now we go right to the west coast with our campus over there and of course we're here on the best coast up and down the east coast of Australia and we love every one of you and in the far north how good is that in the far north what do we call it again the far north we call up the om Bali that's what I wasn't thinking about I'll still get a Darwin the far north of Australia is not barley I'm not here to give geography lessons all right over here to preach the Word of God Cala conference if you would at sisterhood and you didn't get the brochure then we'll have one for you on the way to church the main thing is to know this is not just pretty pictures and a bit of graphic are Bobby and her team deliberate I'd say almost agonize over this to get the real message and the Spirit of God into it so I hope all the women in our church make sure you have one of these and you give them to others and you really take in the message content not lacking is what I'm going to preach about but first we're gonna sing a worship song it's called new why come on across the entire church everywhere let's stand let's get ready to sing this song amen make me of the soon make me enough three make me whatever you want me okay [Music] give me cheese [Music] [Music] oh Jesus thank you Father you make us a vessel Lord we give ourselves as an offering father we just thank you in Jesus name for the new wine that you can bring out from us I pray your message look the word of God today will be like new wine to people father law that you'll bring new life new promise we thank you in your precious name Amen right across every location why don't we give the Lord a great praise offering and you can all be seated amen content and not lacking the third in a series of messages I've done the first was called content not settled totally different things the idea of being content or settling down totally opposite things Sega message was content not resigned not just accepting just unpro testing unresisted whatever will be not resigned and today content not lacking and tonight I'm going to be speaking about overcoming lack and so really ultimately I'm going to talk about money your money and that makes people nervous and it makes me nervous why does it make me nervous fall to be honest with you money is such a dominant thing in people's lives and you know a lot of people they're like don't mix Church of money and so a lot of people they get very protective begin to throw darts when you ever mentioned money and especially your money I wonder how you respond when someone teaches from the Word of God about biblical finance and our approach to money and what our approach to our own finance would be some people money as a god it's a spirit it controls their life it dominates them and the scripture itself said it leads to many sorrows when people have a craving and a thirst and a lust for money the love of money leads to all kinds of trouble the Bible says all kinds divorces sickness ulcers etc some people end up lying and cheating and in trouble all kinds of sorrow so money money ha ha ha I think it's every pastors responsibility to speak about the things that affect people's everyday lives where the biblical perspective so for that reason I give no apology whatsoever to talk to you about money amen Philippians chapter 4 verse 10 here's the text that's Phillip or excuse me it's Paul speaking to the Philippians and in verse 10 he says I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again though you surely did care but you lacked opportunity now that I speak in regard to need for I have learned them whatever state I am to be content I know how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and to suffer need I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving only you for even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again you didn't stop with once you did it again for my necessities not that I seek the gift but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account indeed I have all and abound I am full having having received from Epaphroditus Epaphroditus is a big name it's a long name so we might just call him a path here is the Philippian pastor so we'll call him pastor EP for maybe even Ozzy's we always give everyone nicknames I'm going to call you throughout this message pastor puffy I'm not messing with the context just bringing some life to Pastor puffy there so and so it goes on it talks about he pastored itis bringing to me I've received from Epaphroditus that things set from you a sweet smelling aroma an acceptable sacrifice well pleasing to God remember that well pleasing to God and my god the God who I love and preach Paul is saying the God has been so so good to me the God who has taught me how to live my life contented my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus and in verse 20 now to our God and Father be glory for ever and ever amen and so Paul is speaking to the Philippians and thanking them for their generosity and their giving that imagine if this was going to be a movie and someone was writing a screen as a script so they literally are a a scream writer and they're getting ready to make this story a movie or maybe a script writer who has turned the story into a stage production who are the characters B what would the settings look like well obviously a central character is the Apostle Paul and the setting would be a bleak dark stinking Roman prison nothing beautiful about this Roman prison if you're thinking about some kind of humble bed think noble just a floor if you're thinking about pretty rough prison food no food if there's no outside help you're gonna perish you're gonna starve to death you're gonna die think about the fact that Paul's real outlook was death the Romans were going to kill him and by now he probably knows that and so you get the harshness of Paul's circumstance and then the other characters would be the Philippian Church the Philippian Church are a long way from Rome they're in Macedonia Macedonia is over the ocean and over a lot of harsh terrain away from where Paul is in Rome the fact that Philip Liars in Macedonia is significant because remember Paul and second Corinthians chapter 8 he speaks to the churches of Macedonia if you ever think that that church isn't local churches then think about the fact that this talks to the churches in Macedonia some people think that church is just every Christian and there is God's great church but the Bible very clearly points to local churches so this is the Church of Philippi one of the churches of Macedonia - it's poems Paul said in second Corinthians 8 verse 1 I make known to you the grace bestowed to the churches of Macedonia Paul tells the Corinthians who in deep trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty have imagined those two being partners abundant joy and deep poverty abounded in the levels of the generosity abounded in the riches of their liberality and so you get an idea that the actual Macedonians including the Philippians that they themselves are going through difficulty arc extremely painful financial times a financial crisis and so then you can think about pastor puffy pastor pepe he's the Philippian pastor as I mentioned and the Philippians they receive an offering and they organized supplies for Paul in prison and pastor Pepe takes it upon himself to deliver hello haha I'm here you all good everyone good you just look a little you know screen over that's all you look like so everyone's good here everyone's happy relaxed feeling good here to serve yes you are and so pastor Pepe he takes it upon himself to make sure that the offering gets to Paul and so he heads off over the ocean over the husk terrain and the program is he gets sick much as a little bit sick he done just faint Paul says he's sick unto death for God nearly dying he was that close to death and because he is that close to death no one knows where he's gone he left with the offering he never arrived to Paul there would have been a lot of people who thought he has stolen the money pastor Pepe's taken the money and run he's done a runner some people would have thought that rumors started getting at them maybe he had got sick but he was so determined to be faithful to God and faithful to the Philippian Church and faithful to Paul that eventually half-dead epaphroditus pastor puffy turns up at the Roman prison and then we could talk about Timothy who is taking this letter this epistle of Paul rates and child back to the Philippians and maybe we could talk also about the palace guard the prison warmint warns the people who are making sure that Paul stayed where he was and they're part of the story is amazing because they have to confess they have to admit that Paul being and change is making no difference to the work of Christ that Paul being and change the gospel spreading quicker and faster than ever it's a great story have a look at Philippians 1 verse 12 which is giving some context it says I want you to I want you to know brethren that the things which happened to me had actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel let's get it so that it has become evident even to the palace guard and of all the rest that my chains are in Christ the palace guard even can't deny that the work of Jesus is going forward Caesars own guards can't deny that the work of Christ that Paul's chains are in Christ it's an amazing story you know you hear that mafia maybe mafia people they go to jail but they're still running their nefarious activities from inside the jail bikie gangs may they're still somehow managed to get a mobile phone or whatever and they're running operations Paul was running operations in a good way in a powerful way in other words he was Philly apostle he was still pulling the levers under the power of the Holy Spirit when it came to the spread of the gospel I love that scene we we should make that estates production one day and so there's certain things in the story that inspire me first thing is I'm inspired by Paul's remarkable attitude but Paul's remarkable perspective because Paul is in jail we've just made sure that's understood he was in jail but listen to what he says in verse 18 and verse 17 Paul says not that I seek the gift and seek the fruit that abounds to your account listen to it again not that I seek the gift but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account indeed I have all and abound I am full having received from Epaphroditus the sense that things sent from you a sweet-smelling aroma an acceptable sacrifice well pleasing to God listen to again I have all I abound I am full what's for talking about Paul you're in jail they're gonna kill you Paul you don't have food unless someone looks after you from the outside you've only got the basics you're sleeping on the floor how can you say I have all and abound and info it's amazing how Paul is able to see the glass half full because there are many Christians today can only ever see the glass so empty Paul says that he has learned to be content when he's abased and suffering need an empty and he's learned to be content when he is full and when he is abounding and when he is blessed so the key is contentment and so Paul is saying I'm not ruled by a jail cell I understand it through your generosity Philippians through my awesome God I have all I am full you know what I love about that is so many people including many believers they they only ever seem to see the glass half empty Matthew Henry's a commentator and his commentary is very conservative mainstream and reliable and balanced really old-school he is is really cool words and so on these scriptures he talks about listen to it it's so quaint you're fickle disrelish I want to talk to you about being thick ly dis relishing your tickle dis relish how cute is there for your fickle disraeli relish listen friends we need to break free of our fickle dis relish what is fickle dis relish this is what matthew henry actually says quoting on these verses talking about discontentment the fickle dis relish of prison things in other words fickle changeable up-and-down never happy the fickle just relish dislike an appreciation of present things mate men discontented even under favorable circumstances in other words even when they're blessed even when they're getting a promotion at work even when their business is booming even when this blessing coming from unlikely sources some people they're fickle dis relish their absolute an appreciation they're not even being happy with present circumstances won't feel like they are blessed even in favorable circumstances even when they are abounding how sad is that Paul you had a look at the bright side of life the only way we can see the bright side of life is to build the kind of contentment in a sufficiency that comes from Jesus Christ I love Paul's remarkable perspective the second thing that inspires me in the story is Paul's pure motive because it's important because Paul is in fact talking about giving that was for his own support and was for the furtherance of the gospel but he never ever made it about himself and he made that clear that it was about the people and what would abound to their account have a listen to Philippians 4 verse 17 and look what it says he said not that I seek the gift this is not about me receiving Paul saying but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account I want to see you blessed my focus is on you he's telling the Philippian people and today still I believe that we need to read the Word of God understanding how it builds our lives do you know the house of God all the way back have you wanted to go back to the tabernacle and then the temple as God's house was always built by the generosity and giving and offering of God's people always in the early church the church was built on the generosity and the giving of people and today still churches across the globe the way they function is through the generosity and the giving and the firstfruits of believing people it's powerful however the integrity in that is critical and the integrity of church leadership and then the integrity of church believers is so so important and Paul saying and verse 11 he says I do not speak in regard to need in other words he said this is not about me the moment giving becomes selfishly motivated or has an impure motive or we make it about ourselves or even if we make it about just the church and what you can do for the church to me it's tainted but when it's all about you and what abounds to your account and how we can bless and help you and build you and equip you to live God's Way the Bible Way that's when I believe it has an integrity tour you know I learned this years ago I learned that when one of my great friends who I just had lunch at breakfast with again last Thursday Nabi Saleh being part of our church over 30 years and when Navi and Angela came into our church there was just something beautiful about them they actually set back and the crowd for a little while had been through a couple of bad experiences with churches so they set and watched for a while but it wasn't soon it wasn't long excuse me before this spirit became evident they're just so generous generous of spirit generous literally if their finances they I don't know how well-off but they were pretty well-off relatively well-off back then and so they were generous and her givers and more than that there were such supporters so one to see the church go forward so one does see Bobbie and I living in the purpose of God for our lives so releasing and I prayed a prayer one day way back I said God can be more like Navi effectively I was praying Lord bring more millionaires through the door bringing more people who can support the vision bringing more people who can see the work go forward bringing more big spirited people like now be bring them in III had this attitude of God bringing them through the door but I fellow the Holy Spirit spoke to me and says you have to raise them up and you know all that time ago I stopped waiting for people to walk through the door and we took on the long term responsibility to build people and raise them and care about them just to see the effect of it just this last week I was talking to a young guy on a Gold Coast campus who just received his second national entrepreneurs young entrepreneurs of the Year award his second one for people under 40 years of age what I loved about it he says that I don't for a moment allude to this beam because of me he's giving glory to God and what I loved about it he says keep giving me staff meetings in other words keep supplying me with their kind of teaching that I can build my business on because to me that's what we're here for and I think mode have become so critical the motiva every one of us when we give in the motive of church leaders when they are challenging people to give and the wording is beautiful the wording is powerful in the amplified it says Paul cared about the harvest of blessing that is accumulating to your account in the message not that I'm looking for handouts but I do want you to experience the blessing that she's from generosity he says and think about that I do want you to experience the blessing that comes from generosity he cared about seeing people blessed you know I'll tell you right now offerings and giving and prosperity in some of these things people love to skewer love to manipulate as soon as impure motive then it's tainted and a moment that becomes just about greed and avarice and if you do this God's gonna make you really really really rich then it's tainted and when it builds false expectation false expectation here's where people manipulate by saying if you buy this holy water or if you buy this special oil or you buy this and you rub it on your far in three times a day God will do this for you or some other things similar to that but when there's a purity to it when there's a beauty to it it's what God really cares about and it's all about seeing your life fruitful seen your life blessed seeing the blessing in your account in Jesus name I love I love Paul's pure heart another three I love Paul's revelation of contentment I'm inspired by his revelation of contentment being and anything and not an out of thing in other words it's not about content with stuff out here but it's about being content on the inside the greek word or turkish excuse me if you're greek and i don't say that well but or Tarkus aut 8rk TS and what does it say it's talking about in a sufficiency again if i were to take that greek word and go to Strong's Concordance and he talks about it like this listen with sufficiency in word sufficiency is as valid in low times suffering as in high times temporal prosperity so temporal prosperity earthly prosperity so Paul is saying I've learned how to be content in low times and in high times in suffering need and in earthly prosperity he talks about both not just one and so as known as though one is necessarily more godly than the other our spirit and to decides what's godly and I love the fact that he understood inner contentment one more sentence from the actual Greek meaning literally inward adequacy I mean all they need within through the indwelling Christ having all they need within through the indwelling Christ it's all about Christ building as sufficiency to you amen built on who Jesus is a sense of adequacy built on who Christ is not being ruled out of our inadequacy the fourth thing that inspires me here is the Philippians and their generosity generosity is just attractive it's just attractive it just looks good on people when people are genuinely generous and so the Philippians clearly were in verse 15 now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia no church share with me concerning giving and receiving that you only in other words there's no one like you Philippians even when no one else was giving you were still giving he didn't just give to me in jail he gave to me in my first missionary journey to Thessalonica you didn't just do it once but you did it again that's what Paul literally says he is commending them on their generosity generosity it looks good it's a tractor but it feels so so good you don't I mean it's just there's something about generosity that's fulfilling like nothing else and so you'll see it when Christmas comes and you can get through the kids just fighting over the toys and you look at the happy faces and the shark and the Oran kids faces and it makes you feel good as a parent doesn't it that's what you are wanting you didn't you didn't go to all that all that trouble fighting everyone else in the mall if you don't know how to buy stuff on the net like me and say you still go to mall just still old school and yeah you know yeah yeah yeah yeah man it's worth it I was able to give my son been recently something valuable and it's basically valuable to me and he cried happy tears I can't tell you the dead had good that felt and so it was like sentimentally valuable and when I saw Ben again he says you know this is not mine I'm just looking after it for blaze and blazes his son and so that was the spirit behind it and that's that's how he received it well generosity I want to encourage you in every walk of life not just church offerings every walk of life live your life generously it's a beautiful way to live it's inspiring and so the fifth thing that inspires me is not only the Philippian generosity but their consistency in generosity I already mentioned it Paul says you were generous in jail but they weren't just out of sympathy taking an offering for poor paulie's locked up in jail and probably gonna die no no they weren't just interested you were generous to me when no other Church was when I started taking the mission out the earliest the beginnings of taking the gospel to the globe when we went from Macedonia to Thessalonica you gave once and you gave a game he says they were consistent in it and then of course I already mentioned they were themselves were a Macedonian Church under extreme harsh circumstances financially but they contributed to the offering that Paul received for the poor in the Jerusalem church and so generosity was something that marked their lives it wasn't just an act it was a way of living and so those things all inspire me and ultimately everyone in this story pleases God Pastor peffy pleases God because people thought he had robbed the offeree no maybe they heard he had got sick but even almond has been dead wasn't gonna stop him from getting to get e de Paul in prison he's half dead he's half dead do I look half dead I'm not gonna get down I'll make my suit dirty hey look I mean look I dressed up for the baby dedication stood up look at that I know I know I look good I have to admit it pink suits me God was pleased with the Pepperdine us he's pleased with the Philippians he's pleased with Paul he's pleased with Timothy Paul says there's nobody like Timothy and so how do you and I please God when it comes to our money how do we please God how do we make sure that our attitude to money is like a sweet-smelling sacrifice imagine if you went home to lunch today it's probably not going to happen so we're just imagine it and you come home to the beautiful smell of a roast dinner roast lamb mint sauce roast crispy potatoes how beautiful crispy on the edges green peas beans or you've put in whatever they're and you're smelling it's a sweet smelling aroma that's what Paul's talking about it's talking about people's offering and their sacrifice and their giving being a sweet aroma before God and specifically says it pleases God it pleases God how do we please God well I think we really can but we've got to have a true understanding of money and we're going to have a right perspective about riches and being rich and what been rich means and so here's some other scriptures you know to be honest with you the Bible is pretty harsh on rich people it is it's kind of harsh this is not a good time to start wriggling it'll be obvious you're not comfortable alright so just just look straight ahead if there's a bit of sweat on your brow maybe just because people can see it you know what I'm saying they could tell then maybe you don't know is this going the Bob was pretty harsh on rich people and I read your a few scriptures I could read a whole lot more like James one that says the rich will fade away in their pursuits or revelation 3:17 that says you say you're rich and have need of nothing and I say you're poor and Richard and naked and blind but we won't worry about those we'll just go to this one first Timothy chapter 6 verse 10 it says now godly with contentment is great gain but we brought nothing into this world and it's certain we can take nothing out and having food and Claire that clothing with these we shall be content Paul saying if you've only got food and clothing it shouldn't affect your contentment he's not saying just accept it just be resigned to it he's saying that's not what decides our contentment and there may be times at life where that's pretty well where it's at just food and clothing well it goes on it says verse 9 but those who decide to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmonies which drown men in destruction and perdition for the love of money not money the love of it the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil all kinds of evil people cheat people live people steal people get divorced many sorrows it goes on and says come when people are lustful and loving of money and so reading right on the lover money is the root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith and the greediness and pests themselves through with many sorrows many saw rose just a few verses later verse 16 verse 17 verse 17 aridity and the message to those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money which is here today and gone tomorrow tell him to go after God who piles on all the riches we could ever manage who piles on all the riches he's talking about the true riches we could ever manage to do good to be rich in helping others to be extravagantly generous if they do that they'll build a Treasury that will last gaining life that is truly life because other translations that don't trust uncertain riches power tells us not to love money not to trust money not to serve money you can't serve God and Mammon and so all of those things there and so let me tell you this I don't think it's the will of God for everybody here to be rich I don't they weren't quite enough that time I'll take it a step further now that I'm on a roll I don't believe any Christian she'll be rich did he say I told you not to wriggle remember I told you not to wriggle hey why do I mean well rich is a spirit it's a way of thinking there's not how much you have in the bank rich and blessed are very different blessed is beautiful blessed gives a sense that it's come from somewhere greater god bless you blessing straightaway says there's not about me I'm living in the blessing of favor of an Almighty God blessing is beautiful rich is a spirit it's the spirit that says I am rich have need of nothing key words I have need of nothing I'm cool I'm good rich is the spirit of Mammon the Bible talks about them and four times Jesus mentions that three of those four times money and Mammon are not the same thing they're different money can have the Spirit of God on it or it can have the spirit of man in on it Mammon it's in a Aramaic word and it literally is talking about riches but Mammon was a god Mammon and money are different Mammon says this I don't need God I don't need God I am self-sufficient money sometimes in the hand of a believer can have the Spirit of God on it not the spirit of Mammon and they are different Mammon tries to take God's place and promises deceptively what only God can give things like identity independence and God and identity comes and yeah dependence is on him that offers security and security is in Christ it offers significant your significance is who you are in Christ you're a child of God yes you are it offers power but I'll tell you right power is of God it offers freedom but freedom comes from Christ don't look for your freedom and Mammon must be a freedom in Jesus let's not live our life rich let's not take on the spirit of Nevin let's live our life blessed blessed is an entirely different spirit altogether blessing is an indication and a confession that God is my source and blessing has the belief about it that this is something I hold lightly I'm not a poor steward but I hold it lightly because I realized that God has graced me with these blessings in my life it's a beautiful beautiful difference you know what I think is so sad if the Bible talks about the true riches worth to all eternal so as believers our riches are in Christ but our blessing comes from God and it can come in the form of what the Apostle Paul spoke about as temporal or earthly prosperity prosperity in this life and you wonder why people hate that word so much it is bible word I wonder why religious people get so angry with that word even though the old and new Testament used the word I uh I wonder what it is spirit amendment loving money see lover money doesn't just come to those who have money it's often showing an anger and the envy and the resentment that people feel when someone dare to approach the subject of money haha oh that's quiet hey hey you know what what makes me sad is people's attitude towards contentment and you need to understand and this time in the Philippian church that their prevailing philosophies among Gentiles amongst the Romans and the Greeks was either epicurean or stoic philosophy but if you put it all together I asked darken Duncan Kobi from our college team to write it in one sentence for me and so I put it on the screen it's like the philosophy of the time as human existence is random and uncertain out of our control and in the hands of God the gods or nature whoever it is that's out there there's someone out there but we have no clue who it is who is not concerned about us but with working out some cosmic plan of which we are ignorant the best we can do is realize we're mere cogs in the machine and play the role Nature has given us with Noble resignation Noble resignation and others we just accept their lot in life it's fate we cannot desire or hope for more as that would lead to disappointment and go against nature it's like saying just what you're given is what you're given just accept it be content that's it that's what you have you know a lot of people have that kind of skewered idea of sovereignty that's that's a skewered sovereignty it says there is a god out they don't care about us and ultimately we just have to receive what we're given I believe in the sovereignty of God that a lot of people skewer sovereignty to a similar thing where they glorify they glorify lack they actually glorify being a based they spiritual eyes and an actual fact what their spiritual I seen is anything but spiritual it's plain selfish because this is what it sounds like I I'm content don't rock my boat unhappy I had a lovely little family look at a lovely house you see iiiii see that's that's no god-glorifying a lady said exact that exactly that to me once you came a long time ago when she came complaining she's there in church we shouldn't we shouldn't talk about giving him money she said I don't need anything else I have a lovely home and then ironic a lot of people that they don't but I'm content this is the wrong idea of contaminants not it's anything but what the Bible saying the Bible say no matter what's going on blessed hookup the sinner sufficiency in Christ struggling I got the sinner sufficiency of Christ it's a different spirit only food and clothes I've got a sufficiency in Christ vastly prosperity I've got a sufficiency in Christ it's a different thing altogether and we need to understand the importance we need to understand I'm not trying to sound like a patronizing you and telling you what to have to do but I pray we can understand that God wants us to live our lives positioned for his purpose it's all about positioning and that's what Paul speaks about here in verse 10 he says to the Philippian church at last for your care for me has flourished again he says you did care but you lacked opportunity now obviously there was a pause there was a gap in Paul receiving their giving because poor al pastor Pepe was half-dead somewhere between Rome and between a Roman prison and Macedonia and so there was a lag there but I think also that maybe there were times when they lacked opportunities they wanted to give but they just weren't positioned for it they they liked opportunity and you you know what it's like you'd love to be aloof so much more but just circumstances means you lack opportunity and positioning takes all of a selfishness ad of believing God to bless you alive because your position for service your possession to make a different I've seen in our church people abound and a base one lovely girl woman she's a girl then really when we first started a hundred Kingdom men which is a group of people who gathered together to bless the church made it possible for us to get in our very first building here on our health campus by a hundred men out of a men's event banding together and decide am I gonna make a difference so we started the hundred kingdom men but there was one young woman who put a hand over since what about me I want to be a blessing too I want to be a part of this and seen 51 percent of the population they say fifty-one percent you'll always have to go one better ladies don't you hey 51 percent of the population a woman has seemed like a good idea to let her in as well well here's the thing she had their spirit as a young young adult but she went through terrible abasement horrible times virtually penisula penniless and homeless and two tiny children devastating circumstances and today by God's grace she is like unbelievably abounding not just financially but definitely financially but family friendship finance emotionally physically materially you know every single way every way bless and then I tell you I love to see someone on that journey but even though she did go through very dark times and it obviously was difficult for her her source of contentment they are trusting God never faulted her source of contentment never changed she still had that sense of Jesus Christ as my Lord and I trust him with my life and I'm gonna trust him in my tough timing in a trust of him a bad time and so it's so so good to me to see you've been so so good to me but I'm saying that it's so so good to see when God causes someone who has been content in a base and then see them content in blessing and abounding oh man it makes me so excited as a pastor close your eyes please you got eyes closed in all those other locations I'm checking which eyes dream outrageous I mean outrageous but ridiculous it's like being able to help and sustain every refugee on earth that's outrageous some Christians get so caught up in the political side they forget about the human side the devastation kids drown in people drown in people without shelter and harsh winters people who just want to go home not able to go home this thing you could help every one of them nation if what he said church could help me buddy imagine if we could take on an African country and set up every every poor impoverished living under a dollar a day person there with some kind of micro enterprise some ability to start earning themselves a little love imagine you could do that major we could afford the hundreds of millions to get ourselves a building a Theatre in the heart of London or in the heart of New York where we have to spend a fortune on rented facilities just imagine imagine imagine that one of Australia's very few commercial free-to-air stations that we are able to have a license that was freed air into every television everywhere and for nothing for free he mention that oh you can imagine your own thing you can imagine that's called positioning has called opportunity blessing does not have to be selfish if you understand opportunity if you understand have a look this way now have a look this way I've got one challenging question to ask you've gone so far over time I'm going to be in trouble I could get fired for that listen to it one last thing if God answered your prayers would it just change your world or would it change the world often when we live rich it changes our world when we live blessed we're all about changing the world what a beautiful beautiful thought that is father I just thank you for the power of your word and I thank you again your word speaks life into people I thank you Father today we can trust you with their finances you can help us overcome lack you can't help us live according to the promise of an Almighty God you can give us the inner inner sufficiency and Christ that enables us to be content no matter what's going on in the world around and about us father we thank you in Jesus now listen I don't want to say this in a condemning waiver I think sometimes in church life were made just content because content is basically don't rock my boat I'm happy I've got a lovely home and I think sometimes in church life when you get what you want and you just rock roll out early you just decide I'm not waiting for the last couple of minutes of the selim that's gonna roll out I think sometimes that there's a reflection of selfish contentment and I always try to challenge that in the culture of that church and I'll tell you why because you don't understand how much it impacts the spirit of faith and the true culture of our church and so I just say that and it's food for thought sometimes people that literally have an emergency need to go to the bathroom yeah something's going on their world so I don't presume or assume to know every circumstance but I just really pray in our church that everyone comes to contribute to the Spirit of the church and not just my own contentment and so just just meditate on that but I got a question I want to ask you every individual every location have you ever made a conscious choice for Jesus have you ever encountered God in a personal way have you ever known what it is to be saved and born again and to pray a prayer say Jesus come into my life the Bible teaches us salvation by faith that teaches us by putting our trust in our faith in God and inviting him to in our lives that we can have an ongoing relationship with Jesus and then live with the eternal promise but also the promise on earth of living life for Christ and with Christ guided by the Spirit of God I'm gonna believe today for people to make a choice to Jesus have you ever never made a choice like that in just a moment I'm gonna count to three and when I do I'm gonna ask every person everywhere who would say Brian please pray for me pray that I might know Jesus include me in your prayer now I want to pray for you now you know I believe a whole lot of people will respond so later I'll say I'm gonna count to three and I say every single person this is Brian include me in that prayer and I just go on through to lift your hand in the year and I know across our entire church there's going to be a whole lot of hands because there always is and it's a beautiful moment of transformation it's a beautiful moment of new beginnings a new life and so maybe you said well I prayed a prayer like that somewhere along the way though I lost my way and it's not as though God moved he said I'll never leave you nor forsake you he doesn't move but we make our choices and we can make choices to live alienated from the purpose of God every person here who says Broman you pray for people to be born again to be saved to make a conscious choice to Jesus to encounter God to know that I know that I know that there was a moment there was a time that kind of encounter to encounter God in a personal way Bryant which include me in that prayer that I'm three can I ask you to join many raise your hand in the air maybe you say Prime and you pray for people turn from their backsliding to get right with God to believe for a new day and a new beginning Brian would you include me in that prayer I would love to pray for you I would love to I would love this to be your time I would love this to be your day is that you is that you so Brian you pray this prayer please pray over my life I would love to do it and I believe many people were a sponsor give every eye closed every location all around this room every person in prayer everything about where we are at spiritually and when I count to three if you say Brian please include me in that prayer on three join others any others across the church lift your hand in the air I believe this is your day if you say Brian and clue me in that prayer on three you raise your hands here ready ready to raise your hand on three here we go one two three lift them up right now and lift them high lift them high beautiful powerful thank you so wonderful who else you raise your hand as well join those around the room whose hands were already raised you lift your hand as well and of course up and down the country across the country you raise your hands as well here all these people are big big congratulations and thank God thank God for every single one of them and let's pray this prayer together out loud everybody pray and faith these words dear Jesus this is the moment I surrender ownership of my life to the Lord Jesus Christ because of you Jesus from this moment on a child of God a follower of Christ thank you for your love thank you for your forgiveness I ever believed her jesus is alive in me amen amen amen amen and as always as always if you raise your hand we're gonna bible we're gonna give you as a gift from our church and it's a pleasure to be able to give it to you in every foyer every lobby across Hillsong Church today there were people there with Bibles if you prayed that prayer raise your hand in the year go to the people there receive a Bible I believe it can change your life on your feet the time has come now is the hour when we must say goodbye let's pray this prayer together father I thank you you bless people and you keep them you cause your face to shine upon them you're a gracious god you're a merciful God you're the god of blessing you are our source I thank you this week it'll be a week of breakthrough a week a new beginnings a week father of people seeing a turnaround in this situation we trust you with their very lives we believe you go before us you come behind us Lord I believe to hear testimonies of the Grace and goodness of people is good grace and goodness of God in the lives of people I thank you for it now in Jesus name Amen amen amen you be blessed thank you so much coach Missy course all praise this morning the CF car you have to and we have [Music] everlasting now will I know you're free [Music] [Music] see [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Hillsong Church

Views: 31,526

Rating: 4.835351 out of 5

Keywords: jesus, hillsong, praise, worship, Brian Houston

Id: LAAStD1pc-g

Length: 92min 50sec (5570 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 25 2017