Simplicity 210424

Bethel Elim Church

Simplicity - When Less Is Better One of the biggest lies—Tell ourselves - More is better! Reflects the 1st Lie—Serpent told Adam/Eve—Garden. 'Did God really say?’ Message was clear …What you don’t have is what you need to make you Happy, Fulfilled andContent. That’s the marketing strategy of the age. More is always better! More money-toys-Shoes-bags-Watches-Muscles, house. More house- More travel - More likes-More followers -More hair. You need more, you need more, you need more because more is always better Question: What if the stuff we have, is keeping us from the life we want? Read: Acts 27:33-38 Paul on ship from Caesarea trying to get to Italy. Beaten down by storm-Crew thought they were going to die. After 2 weeks w/o eating-Paul - Broke bread—Gave thanks. When they had eaten … Enough. v.38 Lightened ship—Threw out what they didn’t need. Why lighten ship?-Less is better-Ship moves faster/Outrun/Avoid rocks. When did they lighten ship? When they… Had Enough. Question: What is enough? - When we have what we need. The Problem—Way that we live communicates a different message. Don’t believe you have enough … The Lord is my Shepherd, I have enough. The Lord is my shepherd and I have all that I need. If we want to have a healthy heart of simplicity, there are two prayers we can pray regularly: Lord, give me less of what doesn’t matter. Lord, give me more of what does matter. God, Give me Less of What Doesn’t Matter. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also Matthew 6:19-21 If you want to change your life—Change your habits. If you want to change your habits, let God change your heart. Jesus said … Don’t store up—Don’t accumulate—Don’t hoard. Check your attitude toward things because that will show you what the state of your heart is. But the reality is for most of us is almost a goal to accumulate. Accumulating-Bigger bank balance -Security in material wealth- Not God. And this is what Jesus says Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Jesus spoke a lot about money 11 of the 39 parables talk about money. 1 out of every 7 verses of Jesus’ words talk about money. Those are both true. BUT those statistic doesn’t tell the story. Jesus often used money, something everyone understood, as an illustration to a larger point or as a symbol of something else. Did Jesus talk about money? Yes. Does He care how we use our money? Yes. Is it the most talked-about/taught issue? No. So what is Jesus talking about if not money of itself?...He is talking about our hearts. If We Want less of what doesn’t matter- What do we do? Chapter about people of faith Abel, Enoch, Noah Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Moses Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1 Strip off, throw off everything you don’t need—Slows down—Interferes. Throw out as if your life depends on it-Why? Does. Haven’t used in last year—Get rid of it-Throw/Give it away. Lord, give me more of what does matter. Ecclesiastes 4:6 Better is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind. Jelly Beans—Why is one handful better? •If you have a free hand what can you do for those around you? You can hug someone, you can encourage someone, you can pray with someone, you can send a scripture, you can praise God, you can surrender if you have one handful. If you have two hands full, you end up toiling and labouring. Better is one handful without the debt that’s weighing you down. Better is one handful than pursuing things that don’t last. when your marriage is struggling. Better is one handful and time with your children, instead of pouring your life into things. Better is one handful is better than two When we have less of what doesn’t matter, we have room for more of what does. One handful … To have more of what matters most—Need to know—What matters. We need to be clear/define in our thinking what matters most. The Things That Matter Most In Life Are Not Things. As a Dad—2 grown girls - Look back-Remember moments—Not things. Better is 1 handful with things that matter than 2 with things that don’t. Say : ‘I Have Enough’ Because I have Jesus, I have enough Some say—I have Jesus—Still don’t have enough. 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. Philippians 4:12-13 (Well-fed - I have Jesus) (Hungry - I still have Jesus) (Plenty - I have Jesus) (In want - I still have Jesus) Because I have Jesus, I have enough. But some of you say, I have Jesus but I still want more. Why? - Jesus still in background figure in the stage of your life. Video games have NPC’s (Non Player Characters) (Background—Easy to miss—Ignore) (Front—Impossible to miss) Put Jesus in the forefront of your life—Not historical figure. Closest friend—Counselor—Confidant—Comforter. Something starts to change when we begin to understand what Paul said about contentment in all circumstances. Doesn’t matter what I have, I have Jesus, All I need. You want Jesus walking next to you in time of crisis. You end up in a hospital room, an operating theatre. You don't want more followers. You want more of Jesus. When you send your Children into the big wide world, you don't want just name brand shoes on their feet. You want Jesus in their hearts. But when your life does come to an end, you're not going care where you traveled last year. You're going care where you're going for eternity. And that's why Paul said, I've learned the secret of being content. I can do all things through Christ. He's everything. Because I have Jesus, I have enough.