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True Contentment: In the Winning and the Losing
Pastor Rollan Fisher
Focus:
True Contentment Comes When I Learn to Worship God in the Winning and in the Losing
Contentment in the Win
Contentment in the Loss
Contentment in the Resurrector
I. Contentment in the Win
One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way. Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.” One day he came there, and he turned into the chamber and rested there. And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him. And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?’” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” And he said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” He said, “Call her.” And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. And he said, “At this season, about this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not lie to your servant.” But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time the following spring, as Elisha had said to her. And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who is continually passing our way.
2 Kings 4:8-17
Let’s start out by being real. Some of you have been discontent with Christianity because you’ve seen the wrong things.
The Shunammite woman had an ambition to be a part of whatever God was doing in whatever way she could. She even arranged things so that her family could be in proximity to the benevolent influence of God.
This should be our heart. That’s why they built the room.
This is a much different attitude than the confusing one many of you saw growing up. You threw off religion because you were surrounded by the hypocrisy with which it can be associated. You had people claiming Christ but who never read their Bibles, never attempted to put into practice what Jesus said with any seriousness and were some of the most hateful, spiteful out of touch people that you could meet. And therefore you threw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater.
The reason why many people live in this hypocritical manner is because they have rules without an actual relationship with God.
“Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.”
- Josh McDowell
This is the antithesis of what the Shunammite woman exemplified.
Regardless of what you feel like you’ve seen, like Elisha with the Shunammite woman, God has been continually passing your way. This is your call from the Lord to look past the poor examples, to see Jesus clearly and to make your way back to God.
It is important that we do so because:
“A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will come out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping, we are becoming.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
True Contentment comes when I worship the God of Israel with my first and best in all things.
When we make room for God, he is sure to show up.
Elisha, who was God’s representative, would stop in whenever he passed that way. The woman made a room to host Elisha as a priority simply because he was a servant of the Lord. As a wealthy woman she had what she needed in terms of material wealth and civil security. The room was built to honor God because he was God, not because the Shunammite was looking for anything in return. Essentially, the Shunammite woman learned to worship God while she was “winning” in life.
We get it twisted. Most people do what they want and ask God to bless it. This is not lordship, the very thing God requires. God has no obligation to follow the pursuits of your heart. When we act like he does, it’s why we end up in so much trouble in our relationships, in our careers, in our finances and in our mental states.
God actually tells us to order our lives like the Shunammite woman so that he can give good things to us.
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:3-4
We need to be about God’s business and then he’ll be about ours.
What’s interesting is how God responded to her priorities. Some of us, like the Shunammite woman have gone so long without certain experiences in life, that we’re scared to even ask for the desires of our hearts.
When we find contentment in and delight in Christ, the blessings we weren’t even looking for, the ones the rest of the world is running after, often find a way of showing up in our lives (Matthew 6:33).
II. Contentment in the Loss
When we feel like we’re winning, it reveals how aware we are of the source. When things are lost, it reveals what’s in our hearts.
When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. And he said to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him and went out.
Then she called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again.” And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “All is well.” Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, “Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite. Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’” And she answered, “All is well.” And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me?’” He said to Gehazi, “Tie up your garment and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not reply. And lay my staff on the face of the child.” Then the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. Therefore he returned to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.”When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. Then he summoned Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.
2 Kings 4:18-37
Much like this pandemic, the boy’s tragedy seemed to come out of nowhere. The woman was sure to be hoping for a recovery as she held the child in her arms. But the child died. Should she have been content with that?
I can be content when things are taken away from me when I know it is not because of God’s lack of love that things are lost. It is in the midst of his love.
How often does pain lead us to consider what is most important in life?
How often are our lives reordered for the better when we remember what is most important?
God is ultimately using the circumstances in our lives to lead us to eternal freedom in Jesus.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
To set us free, Jesus has to change our perspective on sin.
Sin isnʼt only doing bad things; it’s more fundamentally making good things into ultimate things. Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry.
-Timothy Keller
We focus on these good things because they give us some sense of joy and fulfillment.
We miss the mark and sin when we begin to find our contentment in the good things rather than the giver of those things. When I’m in sin, God can allow that which I am worshiping before him to be taken away. The good things that we would turn into idols would eventually disappoint and enslave us if left to be worshipped.
For example, how often has your happiness, state of well being or peace of mind been destroyed by the loss of a job, a relationship or even something that you put your confidence in, like your looks?
This does not imply that all loss is God taking things away. It does however, speak of the larger picture of God’s sovereignty and eternal ends that are being worked out beyond our individual experience.
Our contentment is found when we understand that we are a part of God’s redemptive meta narrative, not the central figure. Jesus Christ is the star, the protagonist and plays the key role. Our culture today promotes a pronounced sense of myopia and narcissism.
Though deeply loved individuals, we are humbled to realize that we are mere beneficiaries, supporting cast members in God’s grand history.
What we have to embrace is that whether it be the passing of a loved one, a financial collapse or a health challenge, loss will at some point hit all of us.
It is inevitable. This can be particularly challenging for those who are used to succeeding in life, who wouldn’t characterize their journey by major setbacks. When you’re used to winning, it can be an especially difficult task to find contentment in the worship of God when this “winning streak” is disrupted.
The woman began to flail because unbeknownst to her, though she appreciated God, she wasn’t as secure in his heart towards her as she may have previously thought.
How often have you heard of people making decisions to distance themselves from the faith and contentment in God when the things that they cherish are lost?
In those moments, our convictions become emotional rather than logical. It becomes a challenge not to forget the testimony of all of the goodness God has shown us before the moment of pain. We begin to question God’s care, his character, his intentions and even his existence.
Temporary loss is a part of life. I must learn to worship God in the midst of it.
What are we to do? We are to remember that:
“While it looks like things are out of control behind the scenes there is a God who has not surrendered authority.”
– A.W. Tozer
The first thing the woman knew to do was to set the child that had been lost before God, on Elisha’s bed.
“I think the reason we sometimes have the false sense that God is so far away is because that is where we have put him. We have kept him at a distance, and then when we are in need and call on him in prayer, we wonder where he is. He is exactly where we left him.”
Ravi Zacharias, Has Christianity Failed You?
When you’ve cultivated a relationship with God based on his Word to you, you have confidence to go to him outside of the confines of tradition and dead religion.
When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite. Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’
2 Kings 4:25,26
The point is that, just like Elisha, God cares about our well being.
And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
2 Kings 4:27
We need to commit to not suffering alone.
In the past, I’ve been guilty of getting angry when I shouldn’t - in times of need getting offended with people for not showing up at my door when they no idea there was even any trouble.
Have you been there before?
The boy had been growing for years in good health. Up to the point of his head injury, “no news was good news.”
Don’t expect even the most gifted or intuitive people in your life to be mind readers. In loss, you have to communicate your need to the people of God who can help you. God leaves it to us to reach out. This is the activation of our faith.
Then the mother of the child said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”
2 Kings 4:30
What the Shunammite needed was an eternal perspective in her devotion to God so that when things were out of her realm of control and understanding, her response was still to worship.
Don’t make God your last resort or plan B.
The woman hastened to God. God hastens to answer our cries. Gehazi wasn’t supposed to greet anyone on the road - he was to make haste to the child’s dead body.
While you’re looking for a solution to your situation, involve God with earnest. The staff was putting a stake in the ground saying ‘I’m determined to get God involved’. If the first thing you do doesn’t work, God is not done. Keep pressing. This is worship in the loss.
When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. 2 Kings 4:33
The Shunammite woman couldn’t see what was going on behind the closed door. In fact, she probably would have misunderstood it if she did see. This is how it is for us when God is working behind the scenes. All we know is that he’s able, we’ve made a petition and we have to trust him with the results.
Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
2 Kings 4:34-35
Elisha stretched out on the boy multiple times. We need to P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens), whether in our circumstance or in our hearts.
Sometimes God wants to change the circumstance. Sometimes God wants to change me.
Elisha touched the eyes, the mouth and the hands of the dead boy.
God wants to change what we’re setting our eyes on, what we’re feeding on and our behaviors in our losses. This is repentance that brings life.
God wants to bring you into alignment with his Word.
In your losses, are your habits?
Are your relationships?
How about how you spend your time and resources?
III. Contentment in the Resurrector
The woman’s response was worship after the resurrection of her son. It should be ours as well as we serve the resurrector.
The Son of God himself won against the forces of darkness in his earthly ministry life, was taken away at the cross, only to be resurrected, ascend and is preparing to one day make his ultimate return.
Think of the track record and promises of Jesus in regards to winning and loss. There are several times that Jesus said that loss, though incalculably painful, leads to his redemptive purposes. This is why our contentment can always be found in our resurrector.
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
John 12:24-25
This is making sure the good things aren’t ultimate things.
But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
John 16:6-7
Jesus our resurrector came into the world and took on flesh. This was the gift of the incarnation. He became just like us in every way to become a merciful and faithful high priest.
He never sinned.
He showed God’s compassion by opening blind eyes, unstopping deaf ears, delivering those tormented by demons and giving deceased children back to their widowed mothers.
Yet he also died a gruesome, substitutionary death on the cross for our sin against God. This was great loss.
Like Elisha who came face to face with the death of the child by stretching out his body on the boy, Jesus stretched out his arms on the cross to literally absorb death for us.
Just as the Shunammite’s son was resurrected from the dead, God raised his only son Jesus so that we might find true contentment in him.
We do so because he, the giver of all good things, is looking out for our best interests and remains worthy of worship in the winning and in the losses.
Jesus said:
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live”
John 11:25
Repent of sin today and trust in the one who whether in gain or loss will ultimately lead us to life.
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Second City Church - True Contentment - Pastor Rollan Fisher 2020