How Can I Be Content With What I Have and Who I Am?

6 · Extends the illustration to show the pattern repeating across multiple consumer categories—journals, pens, tools

Someone like me, and this is what happened over and over and over as I looked at what was out there and compared them, those things to what I owned, my own items came up short again and again. I have a journal and a pen, but I do not have an heirloom leather-bound journal and like a pen that you use to write world-changing ideas. Because I have a normal Bic pen. That's why my ideas have been lame lately. If I had that pen, or maybe if— If I— listen, I mean, I'm trying to learn to do more stuff around the house, and I have an old janky Ryobi drill, but I walked by the Lowe's display for Milwaukee drills where you can— they just have it out there chained, and you can try it. And I tried it, and I thought, oh my, this is the jacket of a man— this is a drill. I should be wearing the jacket. And if I wore the jacket and held the drill, I could— there would be no limit to what I could construct. There would be no repair I could not make. That's what I felt as I held that Milwaukee drill over and over and over.

7 · Pivots from the illustration to explicit theological diagnosis: the problem is not external circumstances but internal discontent that was always there waiting to be activated

I assume that I'm a content person, but here's the reality that I found out in the last 2 months. I am actually not a content person. I just was waiting for my discontent to have room to grow, right? Room to come out. And this issue of contentment is the issue at hand in this passage for all of us.

8 · Broadens the application from consumer goods to every major domain of life—marriage, singleness, vocation, location, family, past

I think our struggle, if we're honest, with contentment goes way deeper than just the advertisements around us. We struggle comparing what we have to what else is out there constantly. We struggle with being married to this spouse perhaps and wish, I wish I was married to a different spouse. Or maybe I wish I wasn't married at all. I wish I was back in my free single days. Or maybe if you're single, you struggle wishing that you were married to someone else or had someone else. And it could be anyone else. We struggle profoundly with our vocation and our job and our career path. We wish that we had a different one or had chosen differently. We struggle with the home we live in. We struggle with the city we live in. We struggle with our extended family. And you just think, Oh, look at that extended family. They're doing Christmas traditions. Look at those things, right? And Instagram is more than happy to show you all of them. And you're like, my family is lame and we just get together and watch the Cowboys and fight when they lose. And that family is out making Christmas memories, right? This is what we do all the time. Here's what I have. Here's what else is out there. I wish I had that. We struggle with our past. We struggle with our present, wishing we woke up somewhere else with someone else next to us. To do a different job somewhere else.

9 · Transitions from diagnostic exposition to textual engagement, promising that the seemingly disconnected passage will address the modern problem just diagnosed

And so, while this passage may at first seem disconnected from our modern world, the principles here of contentment could not be more relevant. And Paul does not want us to miss, in the midst of all the other discussion about bond service and circumcision, he gives us the headline right up front in verse 17:

10 · Close exegesis of verse 17 focusing on the two key verbs 'assigned' and 'called' to establish divine sovereignty over our circumstances

"Let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him. And to which God has called him." The passage begins with a reminder, a profoundly theological reminder, that where we are in life is no accident. That the Lord, if you could say it this way, has written us into the story where we are and when we are with what we have and who we have. That is how Paul begins. He uses the two words, "The Lord assigns," meaning the Lord has in his wisdom and goodness decided what we have and what we do not have. And if we do not have something, it's because the Lord has not yet given it to us and may not give it to us. And it says, "The Lord calls," meaning that when it comes to who you are and where you are and what you are, God has called you to it. He's called you to that storyline, to that part of the story.

11 · Qualifies the exposition by clarifying scope—the passage addresses unchangeable circumstances or those requiring long patience

Now, this qualification needs to be made up front. It doesn't mean that, that your circumstances will never change or could never change, or that you shouldn't try to change any of your circumstances. But here is the reality: this passage is mostly about those things we cannot change. And if we're honest, there are many things in our lives we cannot change, or perhaps it will be years or decades until we can change them. And so we are setting ourselves up for profound unhappiness and discontent if we constantly think, "If only I had blank," or, "If only I was blank, then I would be content." And this passage is the antidote to the restlessness and discontent of our current age.

12 · Shifts from exposition to direct pastoral appeal, using a scholarly quotation to authorize an invitation for personal reflection

Dr. Pryor, a commentator on this passage, summarizes this well. He says, "Paul is urging a basic attitude of contentment with whatever lot God gives to us, even if this includes circumstances which cause us friction and frustration." And so, I just want to encourage you at the outset here, go to those places in your mind of friction and frustration. Where you tend to wrestle with, "If only this, if only that."

13 · Structural signal introducing the sermon's two-movement architecture: Part 1 addresses 'If only I had blank' (circumcision section), Part 2 will address 'If only I was blank' (slavery section)

And we're going to answer, we're going to do two fill-in-the-blanks this morning. The first fill-in-the-blank is, "If only I had blank or didn't have blank." If only I had blank. That's what this first discussion about circumcision is aimed at.

14 · Exposition of verse 18 focusing on the historical-cultural significance of circumcision for the original audience

Verse 18, "Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision." Anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised, let him not seek circumcision. Now, at first this seems like a strange and bizarre, frankly, discussion in our modern world, but for the original hearers, it was a discussion of profound significance. For the Jewish people, remember that circumcision was the primary physical marker of being one of God's people. It mattered on a religious level, on an ethnic level, on a cultural level. It meant you were one of us in terms of the Jewish people. And it meant that you were one of God's people that were carried along from Adam to Abraham to David to the exile to the return. All of those things, you were carried along, brought into those promises, brought into those stories. You were part of that people.

15 · Theological exposition tracing the fulfillment trajectory of circumcision—from physical covenant marker to spiritual reality in Christ

And yet, as we've seen, Jesus' coming changes our relationship to the law in many profound ways. Where once the markers of God's people were physical like this, they are now spiritual. And circumcision was a picture of cutting a covenant, a reminder that blood was shed as you were separated out from the world. And yet it was meant to point forward to Christ because for Christians, cutting the covenant was done by Jesus shedding his blood for us, not us shedding our blood that we might be separated out, but rather Jesus shedding his blood for us, marking us as God's people.

16 · Reconstructs the situation in the Corinthian church: Jewish Christians envying Gentile acceptance, Gentile Christians envying Jewish covenant heritage

And so, in the Corinthian church, there would be some people who were born Jewish and some people who were not born Jewish. And evidently some who were born Jewish thought, "Man, in Corinth, it's better not to be Jewish." In Corinth, it's more acceptable to the broader Roman society. You're viewed less suspiciously. It's, "I wish I had never— now that I know circumcision is not necessary for salvation in Christ, I wish I'd never been circumcised. And in fact, I'd rather pretend like I wasn't so that I'd be accepted by all the Gentiles around me. And then I wouldn't, you know, have comments made about me or things like that. I would be—" I wish I was kind of one of everyone else now that I know Jesus is the thing that circumcision was pointing to. I wish I'd never been born into this ethnic family. Or you also have, though, new Christians who thought, well, I did not grow up in a Jewish family. I was born a Gentile, but, man, when I hear one of our pastors teach from the Old Testament, from the stories of God's people. Man, I wish I was part of those stories. I feel like a little bit like an outsider. I wish that was my family. I wish I'd been marked out. I wish I could speak to the other Jewish people around me as if they were my brothers and sisters in an ethnic sense. I wish I had those things.

17 · Summarizes the Corinthian situation and introduces Paul's answer from verse 19, which radically reorients both groups: neither state matters; what matters is keeping God's commandments

And so it's this situation, although it's an odd thing to envy somebody about, it's a situation in which each group was looking at the others and thought, Well, if only I had that, then I would be content. And yet Paul replies to them in verse 19, "Neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called."

18 · Draws out the first theological implication of verse 19: Paul shifts not only what counts but who does the counting

Now Paul does a few powerful things here that help us with our battle in contentment. First, he reorients everyone in the church to consider what really counts and who does the counting. The implication is not only that what counts changes, but in fact, who is doing the counting changes. Because for the ethnic Jewish people thinking about the Gentiles, they thought, okay, I want what counts for the Gentile people. Or the reverse happened, right? The Gentile people are thinking, well, I want to have what counts 'in view of the Jewish people in my city.' And yet they were both seeking the wrong thing. Paul reminds them subtly, 'Listen, the only person you should be worried about their opinion is the Lord. The only person doing the counting that actually matters is not the Jewish crowd or the Gentile crowd, it's the Lord.' So are you considering what counts to him?

19 · Applies the theological insight to modern contexts (high school, workplace, family), emphasizing the freedom that comes from reorienting from horizontal to vertical evaluation

Now, this is incredibly freeing. Just that basic kind of truth is incredibly freeing. It means this: that your contentment is not bound toward what any crowd says about you or thinks about you. Whatever counts with them, whether you're in high school or a workplace or extended family, if those things are not biblical definitions of what counts, listen, then you're free. You don't have to worry about what they think about you. Instead, worry about what God thinks about you, and God thinks about profoundly different things than the world does.

20 · Second theological implication of verse 19: Paul redirects their worry from circumstances (getting or not getting things) to obedience (keeping God's commandments)

Notice this, he reorients them to worry about the right things. And we spend so much of our lives worrying, "Well, what if I don't get that thing?" Or, "What if I never get rid of this thing?" Instead, it says, "Neither circumcision counts nor uncircumcision, but," and you think he's going to list some other thing. No, no, no, but keeping the commandments of God. Now, what does that mean? It just means the stuff of following Jesus, the stuff that honors God. That's what you should be concerned about. Meaning your life and your thoughts and your mind are so taken up with, well, how do I get in with this crowd? How do I get in with that crowd? And Paul is saying, stop, stop all of that. Just consider what does God consider important? Important, and you pursue those things.

21 · Synthesizes the exposition into a governing principle using the controlling metaphor: God writes the story; we are responsible only for our next faithful step

Now, that, if you get it, is profoundly freeing because it means this: it means that where you are in your life, God has written you in your story to be there, and it is not a mistake. And your part is not worrying about, well, well, I don't know if I like the first act of the story. I don't know if I like the second act. I don't know if I like where the story is going. God is saying, "No, no, no, no, let me worry about your story. You worry about your next step in the story. You worry about does this next move honor God? Does this next day honor God? That's what you're to be concerned about. And let the Lord write the story as a whole." Man, if you get that, that is incredibly freeing.

22 · Extended illustration applying the principle to regret about the past, specifically religious upbringing

Let me give you one example. Think about your past, okay? Perhaps you wish you'd grown up in a different family or in a different place. I hear all the time with— one funny example is kids that grew up in church are always bemoaning growing up in church. It's like, oh my gosh, we were subjected to so much weird stuff. The singing vegetables, the— if you're like my age, the Salty the Singing Songbook, which is a terrifying anthropomorphic blue book that would teach kids lessons, and they dyed the guy's beard blue also. So he's like a book with a beard singing and dancing, and it's just weird. And you think, I wish I didn't have any of that. And honestly, though, on a more serious level, they're like, man, I wish, I wish I hadn't grown up in some of the weird parts of Christian culture, and I wish I could have been unencumbered in my faith by growing up outside the walls of the church. But then people who grew up in a sort of non— sort of an American family, non-religious sense, They're looking at the people who grew up in church and thinking, "Man, I wish I'd grown up in church. I wish I knew some of the scriptures from when I was young. I wish I'd been protected from some of the things that I experienced." And each group is going like, "Man, I wish I had what you had." And we're tempted to do that with all the parts of our past, aren't we? Whatever we have, we're tempted to wish we had something else.

23 · Shifts from lighter illustration to heavier examples of past regret—out-of-wedlock children, pre-Christian marriage decisions

Maybe, maybe on a more serious level, You had a child before you got married or not with the child's father or mother anymore. You wish you didn't have that. You wish the story had gone different or you wish you hadn't made a decision about getting married before becoming a Christian or whatever else it is. You wish you could grab the pen that had written your past and go, "No, no, no. I'm going to use the eraser. I'm going to erase all that." and write a better story.

24 · Applies the theological principle directly to past regrets: God called you to this part of the story; it was for your good and his glory even if you cannot yet see it

But look at this, listen to this: God has called you to the part of the story and the place in the story that is right for you. It was for your good and his ultimate glory. And you may not be able to see it yet. This is a long story that in eternity will be complete. But your part in the story is not seeking to go back and change the story, but rather to worry about, okay, From right here to the next page, what does God desire of me? What does God want me to do with my next step?

25 · Personal testimony about chronic pain—a circumstance the pastor cannot change and wishes were different

Now, let me give you an example from my own life. I struggle at times thinking, "I wish I had this or didn't have this and wish I was this or wasn't this," right? A couple examples. One, I wish I did not have semi-chronic pain. A number of— a few years ago, I picked up this chronic pain issue. Where you, you know, when you're a kid, you often hit yourself and then you just get better and you're like, great, I'm not in pain anymore. And then sometime in your 30s, I guess, apparently, you get hurt and then you just stay hurt. It's just, you're just, that's your new life. You're now hurt. And so I remember going to the pain management specialist and thinking, how am I in my 30s at the pain management specialist? Like, this is not what I wanted as part of my story. And not only that, So I wish I could rewrite, you know, go back and erase that part of my life and give myself something else like strength or being a great CrossFitter. Like, yeah, I'd rather spend the last decade without chronic pain and with CrossFit championship wins. I wish that was part of my story, right?

26 · Completes the chronic pain illustration by showing God's redemptive purpose through it—pastoral empathy and encouragement to fellow sufferers

Or think about your— well, let me say one more thing about that. The fact that I have chronic pain, though, I don't know everything that God's done through it, but I do know this: I have had so many more conversations with people who struggle with chronic pain than I ever did before this. And I understand so much more about their world. And God has used me to bring profound encouragement at key times to people who feel like they're misunderstood, or others don't understand what their life is like. And listen, I have to acknowledge that God has brought good out of something I wish was not in my life.

27 · Extended personal story about ethnic identity ambiguity and the repeated experience of not quite fitting in any cultural category

Or here's another example: I wish I had a clear, simple ethnic identity. Okay, my ethnic identity is a balding white Mexican American. That is like a real specific category that there's no like celebration for culturally yet. I'm assuming at some point there'll be like a day for us, but, but, and, and really, I'm joking about this, but really it, the And the struggle is real because when I lived on the East Coast for a couple of years, I always thought, yeah, yeah, I'm pretty American, I'm pretty white. And then I spent time with a bunch of like white, white people, like Anglo, Anglo people on the East Coast. And I'm like, man, these people are weird. You know, I'll give you one example. Meatloaf, right? What is that, man? It's like a bread of meat. And that is not something the Lord has given us to eat, guys. Like, eat the bread or eat the meat, but don't put them together. And it's hard to remember, you know, some of the food they'd make. I'd be like, this is not good, man, not good. But also growing up in El Paso, okay, there are moments where it's like, oh man, I remember a bunch of like Hispanic or Mexican-American kids were like playing one day and they're like, ah, and we— I don't know, you know kids do this stuff and they don't realize it's offensive. They're like, we're gonna play soccer, the white people against the Mexican people. And Ricky's on the white team. And I'm like, what? My name is Jose, bro. And they're like, yeah, but you white, man. And so it's just like, get assigned to the— and I'm like, what? And all white people are like, your name's Jose? And you're just— and here— and it's real, man. I really wish at times I had a clear, simple ethnic identity. And I wish my identity was not a balding, white, Mexican-American.

28 · Completes the ethnic identity illustration by identifying how God has used that exact ambiguous identity for pastoral good—cross-cultural understanding and ministry effectiveness

But I have to acknowledge, man, the Lord writes a story. The Lord writes a story. And there have been times that I have been able to help people because I know something about the, like, a Hispanic background that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. And there's other times I've been able to help people that aren't Hispanic because I understand something about that. And there's sometimes I'm able to help people from Mississippi randomly that end up in El Paso by accident because my granddad was from Mississippi and I get it. I get some of it, right? And I don't know exactly what God's doing with that. But I do know this. This text calls me that rather than wishing I could change that part of me, that I had something different or was something different, or rather be content in what the Lord has given me and ask instead, what can I do to honor you, Lord, with my next step?

29 · Applies the principle to marital discontent—the 'I married the wrong person' complaint

Let me give you one more example here with marriage. One phrase you hear over and over as you talk to people about their marriages is people inevitably say, "I married the wrong person." Now, I don't mean extreme cases of abuse here. I mean more the everyday, you know, "They're just not right for me," kind of comments. Or, "They don't love what I love." Or, "They don't understand me." "They have annoying habits." "Their personality is all wrong." I remember somebody saying that one time. Their personality is just all wrong. You're like, okay, well— And in that place, when you're there, you can easily compare your spouse either to other spouses you could have had or wish you had, or to no spouse at all and think, man, I would rather just take marriage altogether and be single again. And here is why this is so helpful. If you're there struggling with contentment in your marriage, Remember that God has called you there. And outside of a very narrow set of divorceable issues, God has called you there. And the more time you spend in comparison, comparison, and the more time you spend in discontent, you will doubt that. But it is freeing to take hold of this passage and say, look, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to let God worry about writing my whole story, and I'm just going to worry about my next step in my marriage? How can I love my spouse as a picture of the gospel? How can I do everything I can to tell the story of Christ and the church through my marriage, not knowing where it's all going? It's freeing. It's freeing.

30 · Structural transition marking the shift from Part 1 (circumstances) to Part 2 (identity)

So that's the first section, "If only I had blank." The second section is this, "If only I was blank," getting more at issues of identity, right?

31 · Exposition of verse 21 introducing the slavery section

Verse 21: Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it, but if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. Now, he uses here probably the most extreme example of an identity that we wish we could change, and that was the identity of a bondservant. Slavery could not be a more profound statement of identity. 'Cause it affected everything from your rights to your living situation to your food. It was a constant reminder of who you were and what you were.

32 · Historical-cultural exposition clarifying the complex nature of slavery in Corinth: not ethnic, sometimes voluntary, highly variable in conditions, but here probably focusing on time-bound bond service

And it is estimated that in Corinth, around a third of the population, so probably by extension about a third of the church were bondservants or slaves. A third had never been slaves and about a third were freedmen who once were bondservants or slaves. And as you can tell, slavery in this time period was very complex. It was not primarily ethnic. It wasn't usually ethnic. And it also could be entered into willingly for the sake of safety or food or opportunity for advancement in some cases. And the situations of slaves were very wide-ranging. It ranged from at the top end, Some slaves or bondservants could be comfortable and wealthy and own their own bondservants at the high end. All the way to the bottom is maybe an abused slave captured in war that had literally no rights and no end to their service. But Paul is here likely addressing those under a bond with a specific set of years of service until they're free. The specific amount that they needed to earn to gain their freedom. So, it was likely not a life sentence, but a particular set of years that they were demanded to serve. And until that was done, they could do nothing to change their situation. So, their issue of identity was profound.

33 · Exposition of Paul's counsel: don't fret about bond service, but take freedom if you can get it because freedom better serves Christ's cause

And Paul then surprisingly counsels them to not fret if they are in bond service. He does encourage them, listen, you should try to become free if you can. And the implication is, listen, I think you're going to be able to serve God much more freely and have many more options to serve the Lord outside of bond service, which, by the way, is why he actually encourages people, please don't go to bond service. Don't think of that as another good career option like the world does, because we want you to be free to serve the cause of Christ. And so, yet, these people were kind of stuck for the time being. And yet, he wants them to see that even there, this principle of contentment can apply.

34 · Uses Gordon Fee quotation to clarify the passage's instruction—it's not 'stay where you are' but 'don't be anxious about your social condition'—then imaginatively reconstructs the bondservant's daily struggle with 'if only I was free

Gordon Fee writes this: "His point all along has not been simply 'stay where you are,' but precisely, as in this case, 'do not let your social condition be a concern to you.'" Don't keep worrying about your social condition thinking, "If only I were something different, then I would be content." And this, man, can you imagine how often a bondservant would wake up and think, "If only I was unbound. If only I were free again. If only I'd never gotten desperate and kind of assigned myself into this service with them." this long decade of service.

35 · Applies the bondservant's 'if only I was free' longing to modern identity struggles: singleness vs

And I think that calls to mind places in our own lives, places of our own identity we wish we could change, but either cannot ever, or perhaps cannot change for a long time. Maybe you're thinking, "If only I were married and not single. If only I were educated, not a day laborer. If only I were part of the in-crowd by virtue of this or that. If only I were the right ethnicity. If only I were a son or daughter," to someone, "If only I had a son or daughter."

36 · Close exposition of verse 22 focusing on the three prepositional phrases ('in the Lord', 'of the Lord', 'of Christ') that reorient identity from horizontal (social evaluation) to vertical (relationship to God)

And therefore Paul's encouragement in verse 22 is for all of us. Verse 22, "For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise, he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ." So Paul transforms the way that they think about identity with those simple prepositional phrases. Because here's the reality, they were thinking of who they were in relationship to those around them or their culture or their society. They were thinking horizontally about their identity. But Paul reorients them to think vertically about their identity. He says 3 times, what's called in the Lord, meaning their identity that matters is not their horizontal one, but their vertical one. "A bondservant is a freed man of the Lord." Again, vertical. "He who is free when called is a bondservant of Christ." Meaning, he's saying, "Stop looking horizontally for your evaluation of your identity. Remember rather your vertical identity in relationship to the Lord."

37 · Exposition of the phrase 'bought with a price' tracing the basis of vertical identity: redemption through Christ's blood

And he reminds them, "You were bought with a price." that the only reason you have that vertical identity at all is because Jesus Christ bought you with a price, right? He has given you a new blood-bought identity, that you were a slave, as he said, as he says in other letters, of death, a slave of Satan, a slave to your own sin. But those chains, those eternal chains, have been broken by the sacrifice of Jesus, and he has purchased you. He has bought you back so that now your most important identity is found in your relationship to God, not your relationship to the people around you or the society around you or the culture around you.

38 · Pastoral-theological argument addressing the objection 'I don't trust God's assignment of my circumstances

And one excursus here is this: if you are tempted at any point as you're reading this to think, but I don't like where he assigned me, I don't like where he called me, and I wonder if he really has my best interests at heart. Oh friend, look at that phrase, "You were bought with a price." Jesus Christ himself, the Son of God, laid down his life for you that you might be free. And he meticulously planned out the drama of redemption. From Genesis 3 to the Davidic promises to the sending of Christ so that every debt you had to pay would be paid, so that every chain you were wrapped up in would be broken. And so then, do you think now the one who wrote all of that in your story will falter in writing your story now? Or do you think, "Oh man, he loved me on the cross, but not right now, not here in my life." "Not in this situation." No, He is the same God. He bought you with a price. Do you think He's going to drop you now? Do you think He's going to forget you now? No. You were bought with the very blood of the Son of God. He will complete the good work He has begun in you. And you will see in the end that it is for your good and for the glory of God. Right? That— That simple reminder then changes how much we trust him with our own story, doesn't it? We're like, "You know what? Yeah, when I had the pen, the story I wrote in my life was death, darkness, slavery. That's not a good story. But the story he has written for us is bought, redeemed, reconciled, justified." So ask yourself, which one of the two of us do you think should probably hold the pen? "From here on out," right? I think we should all be going, "Listen, you write the story. You write the story."

39 · Theological synthesis: vertical identity in Christ simultaneously humbles and dignifies

And when we see that he writes the story, part of that story is this unshakable, unbreakable identity that we have in Christ that transforms the way we look at the circumstances in our life horizontally. And it transforms those circumstances in a profound and powerful way by both Whoever we are to the world, we find that this identity in Christ both dignifies us and it humbles us in the way that only the gospel can. It humbles us, first of all, because as he's talking about to the freed people who think, "Well, yeah, I'm free. I have Roman citizenship. I have this and that and this and that and this and that." Paul is saying, "Listen, you may be that horizontally, But to the Lord, you are a servant of Jesus Christ. Nobody's going like, "Yeah, I'm looking down on all the other Christians." Nope, we're all servants of Jesus Christ. So there's no room for pride, no room for arrogance this side of the cross. But it not only humbles us, it dignifies us. Meaning that whatever your job is in the world, whatever your job is horizontally, whatever your vocation is, your identity is horizontally, It is full of dignity and value and worth because you are a freed person in Christ. Meaning you are, you are, you have been taken from the lowly and exalted with Christ. You've been taken from the grave and raised with Christ. And that dignifies you no matter your identity, no matter who you are, no matter what you do.

40 · Applies the dignity/humility principle to vocational discontent, diagnosing the modern tendency to burden jobs with identity, meaning, fulfillment, and income simultaneously

Let me apply this to vocation for just a second. Our culture often looks for our happiness and contentment in our jobs. Because in previous generations, perhaps a job meant economic freedom and prosperity. But we, in recent decades, have added all kinds of other things to the job. Your job is also supposed to be perfectly fulfilling. Your job is also supposed to be the place you find meaning. The job is also supposed to be the place you find your societal value. And it's still supposed to give you all the income you want. And you think over and over and over again, "If only I had that vocation. If only I had that job, then I would be content. Just if I was— Lord, if I just had a perfectly fulfilling job where I could make, like, a half million dollars a year, I would be so content. I'd be so content," you know. And yet here is the reality: that will not make you content. Because if it— if, look, being rich made you content, all the headlines about the rich in our world would be like, "They're so happy and content." Are you reading those headlines? I'm reading like the opposite.

41 · Continues vocational application with specific examples of career regret, then applies the vertical identity principle: all work (toilets to CEO) has dignity in God's sight, and all workers (janitor to executive) are servants before God

And yet, this paradigm being flipped on its head is so where we live, isn't it? We think, "If only I hadn't chosen this career. If only I'd gone to college like my grandma told me to. If only I hadn't gone to college, or if only I hadn't gone to college and majored in..." Fine arts or something. I'm sorry, I love all the fine arts people, right? But I've heard a lot of fine arts people every once in a while be like, "If only I hadn't done dance as my major." You know, like, "I assumed the world would have a lot more dancing in it, and yet I find myself mistaken." I'm sorry, if you're a dance major, we love you too. We're glad you're here. And that is why applying this paradigm is so helpful. Whatever your you spend your day doing has both humility and dignity in God's sight. Whether you're scrubbing toilets or changing diapers or driving a bus or loading crates or logging spreadsheets or scheduling meetings, all of it is valuable in the sight of God. And even if you could change it, even if you became the wealthiest lawyer, the most respected doctor, the most effective CEO, CEO, you still would only be a servant in the sight of God. And so that dignity and humility together, man, put us in a place of contentment and joy.

42 · Exposition of verse 24's concluding phrase 'with God', identifying it as the passage's climactic truth: God's presence accompanies his assignment

And then they allow us to take in that very last verse, verse 24. So brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God. Now those two words, with God, are two of the most important words of this passage because it means this: where God has assigned us, where he has called us to be, he remains with us. God does not assign us anywhere that he does not go with us. God doesn't call us to anything he does not accompany us in. Where he calls us to be, he goes.

43 · High-stakes application to dating and singleness during the holiday season

And here's where the rubber meets the road. Let's apply this to dating, for for just a second. Perhaps, especially in the holiday season, the part of your identity you most wish you could change was the word single. And as a result, you're tempted to date someone you shouldn't date, or date someone who isn't a Christian, or date someone who is immature, or date someone— look, this is real life, man— who is abusive even, just because you don't wanna be alone. But here is the encouragement of this passage. It is far better to be where the Lord has called you to be, even if that's single, and be there with God than to be where you want to be without God. That's the truth.

44 · Extends the dating application with pastoral logic: (1) no human can fill the God-shaped hole in your heart; (2) if you're not content single with God, you won't be content married without him; (3) looking to a person for what only God can provide produces crushing relational dynamics

And yet so often our emotions and our Hallmark-infused emotions lie to us and say, "But really, if we could just be where we wanted to be, I wouldn't care if God's there." And yet the reality is this: that person, whoever they are, will never fill in your heart the hole that only your Creator and Savior can fill. That is the truth. If you are not content— singles, hear me on this— if you are not content without being in a relationship but with the Lord, you will never be content in a relationship. Without the Lord. Because the relationship is not ultimately what completes you. It's not ultimately what gives you joy. It's not what ultimately brings you contentment. And it's only when you are content in the Lord that you can actually be in a healthy relationship. Because you're not looking to that person to fulfill what only God can do. And here's what happens when two people who are desperate to find completion find each other and burden one another with all of their hopes and dreams and fears and all that stuff and look to the other person to to do what only God can do, you know what happens? They crush each other.

45 · Pastoral moment of direct address acknowledging the continued struggle ('I still really wish I had someone') while reassuring of God's covenant presence

And so this, like, this is what I want you to hear this Christmas season. The Lord is with you, even in that place where you think, "Man, sure, Ricky, but I still really wish I had someone." Okay, I get it, man, I get it. But you— don't you forget, the Lord is there with you. And the Lord will not leave you and the Lord will not forsake you.

46 · Structural transition to the sermon's conclusion

And I want to take you somewhere here at the very end. I want you to turn to Psalm 84 as we close, because I want— we've seen the way that the Corinthians poorly answered those two questions. If only I had blank, or if only I was blank. But the psalmist here gives us a different answer to those questions. If only I had blank, and if only I was blank.

47 · Congregational reading of Psalm 84:1-2, presenting the psalm's opening longing for God's presence as the alternative to longing for circumstances or identity markers

I want to read out loud together a couple sections of this, and then I'm going to read some parts of it to you. So if you have an ESV Bible, let's read together the psalmist's answer to that question, "If only I had blank." Psalm 84, verses— let's read verses 1 and 2 together. How lovely is your dwelling place, dwelling place, O Lord of hosts. My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord. My heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

48 · Pastor reads Psalm 84:3-9, emphasizing the psalmist's vision of finding home and blessing in God's presence even in desolate valleys

Now listen to this. Let me read this to you and you take it in. Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay down her young. At your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God! Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca, meaning a desolate place, they make it a place of springs. The early rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength. Each one appears before God in Zion. O Lord, God of hosts, Hear my prayer. Give ear, O God of Jacob. Behold our shield, O God. Look on the face of your anointed.

49 · Congregational reading of Psalm 84:10-12, the psalm's climactic declaration: one day with God is better than a thousand elsewhere, and even the lowest position in God's house (doorkeeper) is better than the highest position outside it

And now let's say this last section together. For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 'For the Lord God is a sun and a shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one whose trust is in you!'

50 · Illustration of the British boy who is overjoyed to be 'doorkeeper number 3' in the Christmas pageant because he hasn't yet learned to rank roles by worldly importance

Oh man, do you see the contentment welling up in the heart of this psalmist? It's meant to well up in our hearts. I don't know if you saw it this week, but let me end with this. There was this adorable little video I saw going around online this week of a little British boy who was very excited about the part he received in his Christmas pageant. And the best part is the little boy said, tells his mom from the backseat, "It's a classic one." And the mom's like, "Oh, what is it? Is it Joseph?" And he's like, "No." "Is it a wise man?" "No." And she's like, "Well, why don't you tell me?" And he goes, with just joy and the biggest smile in the world, he goes, "I'm doorkeeper number 3." And his mom is like, to her credit, she's like, "That's wonderful." You know. And this kid, here's what I love about it. This kid is probably too young to have the discontent of realizing, wait a minute, there are rankings in how important the roles are. There are lead roles and side roles, right? He doesn't get any of that. He just gets, "I've got a role," right? He's got a role and it's a classic one, right? And that is Psalm 84 for me. That is what the psalmist is saying.

51 · Conclusion synthesizing the entire sermon: the world's discontent comes from 'if only I had X or was Y,' but the psalmist found contentment by reframing the question to 'if only I had God

Where the rest of the world constantly lives in discontent thinking, "If only I had blank, or if only I was blank," this psalmist has found contentment in answering the question, "If only I had God." had a place in the courts of the Lord. If only I was one of the Lord's children, then I would be happy. I'd be happy with any part that is part of his story. I'd be happy with any role if it's in his house. And that, friends, that is the secret to contentment. Not in thinking, if I had this or if I had that, but remembering and rejoicing over what we do have in Christ. Amen.

52 · Transition from sermon to congregational worship

Let's stand and let's sing in response.

53 · Closing prayer applying the sermon specifically to singles during the holiday season, then broadening to all areas of friction and frustration

Lord, I do pray for— as we just applied it to— I do pray for our single brothers and sisters at this time of year who live in a just a constant, probably, haze at times of family members asking questions about their relationship status, and even them wondering and questioning their relationship status. Lord, I pray that this morning you would You'd free them from some of the discontent the world around them carries, and you'd remind them that their story is beautiful and precious in your sight, that they have been bought with a price, and that you hold the pen that is writing the story of their lives, and that it is a good story. It's a story that you died for. You died to write their story. You died to be with them right where they are today. So, Lord, I pray as we sing that they would feel the truth of Psalm 84 welling up in their soul. And while there is, as we started talking about, friction and frustration in life, there would also be a profound contentment. And, Lord, I pray for all of us, whatever that area is in our lives that we we wish we could change, we wish was different. Lord, I pray that as we turn to you, as we behold the courts of the Lord, as we turn our eyes from looking horizontally to the world around us in comparison and rather look up, look vertically at who you are and what you've done and what you are doing, may we find such profound world shattering contentment that we would never want to leave, that we would be content to remain in your presence, and that we would carry that with us all week. In Jesus' name, amen.