1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:14,760 Hey everyone, this is Josh from Encounter Church Henley and thanks so much for tuning 2 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,000 into our podcast. 3 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,680 Our prayer is that through this podcast you can have an encounter with Jesus that will 4 00:00:20,680 --> 00:00:22,800 change your life. 5 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:28,280 And now get ready for an inspiring message from our preaching team. 6 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:30,000 Hello church, welcome. 7 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,160 For those who don't know me, my name is Tex, I'm one of the pastors here. 8 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:40,080 We're going to start today with a bit of a slide with a content creator because everybody 9 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:42,520 loves content online these days. 10 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,960 So there's content creator by the name of, and I'm going to try and get this right, 11 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:52,440 and I just got to be how it sounds right, Nicocado Avocado. 12 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:56,000 I don't know if those are knowing laughs or not, but that's okay. 13 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:01,760 So in front of me we're going to get a bit of a slide going that helps to show who Nicocado 14 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:03,040 Avocado is. 15 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:07,880 This is him seated in front of by my calculations, I went on to, you can do calorie calculators 16 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:14,040 online, approximately 18,000 calories worth of fast food, which for someone of my size 17 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,560 and stature is about a week's worth of food. 18 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:22,040 Now why is he seated in front of 18,000 calories for all the world to see? 19 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:26,160 Okay, it's going to be everybody's favorite, going to start a new segment right now which 20 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:27,840 I've had to learn, we're going to have to do. 21 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:32,080 This is internet subculture explanation time. 22 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:35,280 So for some of you in the room, like Pastor Tim, when I asked him, do you know what a 23 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,760 mukbang is to which he responded with a very blank look, which to be fair is the same look 24 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:43,680 he gave me when I asked if he knew who Sabrina Carpenter was, but that's a different story. 25 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,400 So I don't know, we either talk to Tim after, pray for him. 26 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:53,320 So mukbangs are a trend in which people will just eat an incredible amount of food on a 27 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:58,040 live stream while chatting with their followers because reasons, right? 28 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,120 Like why does anything exist on the internet? 29 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:05,480 Now Nicocato's videos feature him eating different ones, I Googled a few, 10,000 calories worth 30 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:13,080 of instant ramen and one go, a 21 pound lobster and meals like the one shown all going down 31 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:14,600 in one sitting. 32 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:20,880 Now he didn't actually start here, he started as a vegan content creator before taking this 33 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:22,320 turn. 34 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,360 He transitioned to mukbang videos and even his earlier ones were a little bit more tame 35 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:27,960 than the ones behind me. 36 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:32,960 But as these things tend to go step by step and choice by choice, they escalated. 37 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,680 Now I said niche internet subculture time. 38 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:41,760 In 2023 Nicocato's various social media platforms had actually reached just over 10 million 39 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:47,320 subscribers and a total of just under 2.7 billion total views. 40 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,200 It doesn't feel so niche anymore, does it? 41 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:55,120 Now his gluttonous lifestyle was profiting an estimated 100 grand a month every month 42 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,680 in advertising revenue. 43 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:00,960 But all of that was at the expense of his own health, his own well-being. 44 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:05,040 Nicocato was literally dying of his own success. 45 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:11,600 I want to make really clear, I am not trying to score cheap points here at his expense. 46 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:17,320 But I think mukbangs really represent and highlight an extreme version of modern gluttony 47 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:19,680 that's pretty hard to ignore. 48 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,760 And Nicocato is one of the biggest names in that scene. 49 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:28,360 Now despite what we may think gluttony is not just about food, it is the first thing 50 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:29,840 that tends to come to mind. 51 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:34,320 Gluttony is actually made up of three different facets and each of them is really rooted in 52 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:39,080 a perceived lack of fulfillment and a hope that we can find contentment through a heightened 53 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:41,920 pursuit of want. 54 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:47,520 It tends to be really broken down into three different chunks, which is we want too much, 55 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:51,680 we want too extravagant and we want it too fast. 56 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:57,000 We see people like Nicocato and we kind of, if we're being honest, most of us probably 57 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:03,280 roll our eyes, our mouths are a bit of a gape, we're kind of shocked at the excess on display. 58 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:07,200 But gluttony has actually impacted every facet of Western culture. 59 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:12,120 We've invited it in, we've celebrated it, we just gave it a different name now, something 60 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:15,320 that makes it a little bit more palatable. 61 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,920 Now we just call it consumerism. 62 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:23,000 Entire industries have been built out of tricking us into thinking that more quantity, 63 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:27,760 more extravagance and immediacy will not only improve our lives, it will make them better 64 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:31,960 and it will be happier and it will lead us to a feeling of contentment. 65 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:36,040 Apple literally has us lining up every single year to drop two and a half grand on a two 66 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:42,040 year old Samsung. 67 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:49,360 Through advertising and manipulation, we continue to seek contentment in the wrong places. 68 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,440 We seek it through gluttony over contentment. 69 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:57,160 We seek it in the wrong spot and small step after small step and small purchase after 70 00:04:57,160 --> 00:05:04,880 small purchase, we do that towards these less obvious but equally gluttonous pursuits. 71 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:06,640 We want too much. 72 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:07,640 People say, no I don't. 73 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:09,160 Well how's your wardrobe looking? 74 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:15,120 Because I know you just really had to have that cute jumper that cost 20 bucks and you 75 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:18,920 really needed that new pair of white sneakers because your old ones like mine were looking 76 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:22,120 a little bit gray and a little bit mucky these days. 77 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:26,240 Retailers like H&M are actually making a killing off fast fashion, both figuratively 78 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:27,760 and literally. 79 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:33,120 Our insatiable desire for more not only creates excessive waste but working conditions for 80 00:05:33,120 --> 00:05:40,640 H&M was so bad that in 2018, 850,000 of their manufacturing workers said they were not earning 81 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:41,960 a living wage. 82 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:48,600 A majority of them female and many of them to boot were complaining of severe physical 83 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:52,240 and sexual abuse in these conditions. 84 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:59,800 All that to produce our, I won't say your, our $20 jumper that becomes tomorrow's salvo 85 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,080 drop off. 86 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:07,560 Now the average Australian also donates 12 kilograms of clothing to charity every single 87 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:08,560 year. 88 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:14,040 Now, the generous part of me says I really, really love that we're donating to charity. 89 00:06:14,040 --> 00:06:19,240 I just hate that that need for that donation is born out of really just pure excess unnecessary 90 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:20,240 purchases. 91 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:24,960 Now I said earlier that, you know, another facet of gluttony is we're just too excessive. 92 00:06:24,960 --> 00:06:26,920 We want something a little bit too extravagant. 93 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:32,880 To the tune of there's 11.8 million credit cards currently active in Australia. 94 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:38,080 This is just Australia average debt on each of $3,317. 95 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:39,080 Do the quick math. 96 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:40,080 That's cool. 97 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:43,720 $39 billion in credit card debt. 98 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:44,720 Thank you. 99 00:06:44,720 --> 00:06:45,720 I agree. 100 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:51,600 That is just credit card debt, not afterpay, not store cards, not zip pay, not mortgages. 101 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,240 That's credit cards. 102 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:59,600 So yes, I accept that for some people it's become a feeling of necessity due to a current 103 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:01,440 cost of living crisis that we're all in. 104 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:02,920 So let's not pretend we're not. 105 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,400 But I think you'll also find that our history with credit cards predates our modern day 106 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:07,400 as well. 107 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:08,400 Not right just right now. 108 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:10,240 We want everything a little bit too quickly. 109 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:12,720 It's that last facet of gluttony. 110 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,400 To the point where we've built an industry on shortcuts. 111 00:07:15,400 --> 00:07:19,320 Uber Eats will bring dinner to your house now. 112 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:23,760 Amazon Prime will bring a TV to your house now. 113 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:28,720 Tinder has cut out the middleman and has allowed us to have 12 conversations with potential 114 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:32,080 partners at once, cutting out awkward introductions. 115 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:34,840 And just brought it to our doorstep. 116 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:39,760 Even OnlyFans will deliver a personalized sexual experience to the phone in your pocket 117 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,080 right now. 118 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:47,360 We have sped up everything and we are worse for it. 119 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:48,760 This is summed up for me. 120 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,400 I'm a middle-aged, middle-class white man. 121 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:57,040 So of course Fight Club is very important in my growing up. 122 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:02,040 Chuck Philanix 97 nihilistic, anarchistic, anti-consumerism novel Fight Club states 123 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:09,480 this, we buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like. 124 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:11,040 That is gluttony at its core. 125 00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:15,400 I mean he's literally just described clout chasing on Instagram before the little heart 126 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:20,000 that you can click was even invented. 127 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:30,160 Thank goodness as we sit here in a church on a Sunday that this is only a secular affliction. 128 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:35,080 We have, let's face it, we have churches being treated as a service that is offered 129 00:08:35,080 --> 00:08:38,080 to be utilized and consumed. 130 00:08:38,080 --> 00:08:41,520 What can church do for me? 131 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:45,880 Not viewed as a loving community to join, an extension of Jesus himself, just another 132 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:46,880 product. 133 00:08:46,880 --> 00:08:54,280 At its most extreme we have the prosperity gospel in the American evangelical circles, 134 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:58,920 running rampant, one in which individuals lack of faith and thus lack of giving is incorrectly 135 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:02,280 attributed to their own misfortune. 136 00:09:02,280 --> 00:09:06,520 Many leaders in those churches living lavish lifestyles in 40 room mansions with Ferraris 137 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:09,680 and custom garages. 138 00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:10,680 Nice to know, right? 139 00:09:10,680 --> 00:09:12,280 Don't worry, we're safe. 140 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:22,920 The Littlefits don't live beachfront, I didn't rock up in a Lambo, Encounter is safe. 141 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:25,040 Obviously, no gluttony here. 142 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:26,040 But what about youth group? 143 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:31,120 If I can bring it down to a real macular level, what about youth group games where we time 144 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:35,080 kids and cheer them on as they swallow down as many donuts as they can in a shorter time 145 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:42,120 period as possible, where we have them sculling cups of drinking chocolate at the end of the 146 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:48,320 night with a smile on our face, I don't know what else to call that. 147 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,920 Let's not start on the side impact of what that is telling our young people about their 148 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:54,800 relationships with food. 149 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:59,320 And we've done it all in the name of fun, which I'm sure is the exact same excuse that 150 00:09:59,320 --> 00:10:04,280 Nicocato would use for what he's been doing. 151 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:09,920 And as disciples under Jesus, we claim to want to see God's will on earth or in Henley 152 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:17,960 as it is in heaven, but far too often and in reality, we'd really like to see it now 153 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:22,640 and we'd really like to see it in a way that suits us best. 154 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:27,520 And what are we saying when our deepest cries out to Jesus are replaced by verbose and lengthy 155 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:31,760 monologues that are there for the ears of our listeners and not for the heart of our 156 00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:32,760 Creator? 157 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:38,160 When our prayers turned to frustrations because we didn't get what we wanted and we didn't 158 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,760 get it when we asked for it. 159 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:42,440 God your will not mine, huh? 160 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:47,160 But let us never forget God in your time, not mine as well. 161 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:50,720 We want too much, we are too excessive and we want it too fast. 162 00:10:50,720 --> 00:10:56,400 So why are we choosing gluttony over contentment when we know that contentment is the choice 163 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,360 we should be making over gluttony? 164 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:03,480 The truth is we don't ever start at any of those positions, but through our words and 165 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:08,120 our actions and our choices, we've allowed this gluttonous consumer lifestyle to choice 166 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:13,480 by choice infiltrate absolutely everything. 167 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:17,640 Unfortunately even our relationship with Jesus. 168 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:21,880 We continue to choose gluttony over contentment. 169 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:29,760 Now I'll take a little breath, have a little sip of water. 170 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:36,280 You do not have to shuffle nervously in your seats because there's not just a solution 171 00:11:36,280 --> 00:11:37,280 to all of this. 172 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:41,520 There's also a model to follow and best of all, it's completely accessible to all of 173 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:42,520 us. 174 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,520 It won't even cost you anything. 175 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:48,880 Today's teaching text finds an imprisoned apostle Paul writing a letter to the church 176 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:51,400 that he's established in Philippi. 177 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:53,560 He's doing this for two main reasons. 178 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:56,320 The first is to encourage and thank them. 179 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:59,960 He praises the Lord for their concern for him and alleviates any fears they may have 180 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:04,440 had about not being able to help him because he's in prison. 181 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:06,480 This is a church that Paul himself has planted. 182 00:12:06,480 --> 00:12:09,520 These are people that he's journeyed with, that he's been in community with, that he 183 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:11,960 has loved and they have loved him in return. 184 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:18,240 Not just a consumptive relationship, but a relationship relationship. 185 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:26,240 Then he goes on to let them know like, it's actually okay that he knows he's in prison 186 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:30,800 and that he appreciates everything that they've done for him. 187 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:38,760 So again, he's writing this from prison, but he says, not that I was ever in need for I 188 00:12:38,760 --> 00:12:42,160 have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 189 00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:47,640 Now, today's big word is in there from today's teaching, which is content. 190 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:53,080 But what really should jump out there is that he has learned how to be content. 191 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:57,480 Paul has been in and out of prison, house arrest and literal dungeons for years at this 192 00:12:57,480 --> 00:12:58,480 point. 193 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,600 No doubt at times the gifts and well wishes were pouring in. 194 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:05,320 At other times, I'm sure he went weeks or months without a peep from anyone. 195 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:09,360 Anybody that has battled a long-term illness themselves or had a family member battling 196 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:12,320 a long-term illness can probably relate to this. 197 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:15,640 Sometimes the phone is ringing and the knocks at the door are so consistent, they're almost 198 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:16,640 annoying. 199 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:19,720 And other times you go months without a peep. 200 00:13:19,720 --> 00:13:24,120 And the phone on and off just to make sure it's still working. 201 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:27,560 Now Paul didn't declare I am content. 202 00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:30,960 He made the statement that he has learned to be content. 203 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:31,960 And why? 204 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:36,000 Because contentment really is not, it's not just like this natural state of being. 205 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,600 It's not intrinsic, but it's also not apathetic. 206 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:40,840 It's not a refusal to act. 207 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:41,960 It is learned. 208 00:13:41,960 --> 00:13:43,400 And then it must be chosen. 209 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:45,760 And then it must be implemented. 210 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:51,040 Paul has learned to live on almost nothing, which is nice to hear because I think for 211 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:55,920 most of us we think living on almost nothing is the space where we learn contentment because 212 00:13:55,920 --> 00:14:00,880 that's the space we have to learn contentment when we have no other choice but to do so. 213 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:04,520 And then Paul goes, yeah, but don't worry about that because I've also learned to be 214 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:07,880 content when I have everything as well. 215 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:08,880 Interesting. 216 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:17,120 How? Because Paul's contentment is linked directly to his conviction, not his circumstance. 217 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,280 As a result, his contentment is secure. 218 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:25,320 It's protected because the source of his contentment simply cannot be taken away from him, not in 219 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:27,760 any way that material possessions could be. 220 00:14:27,760 --> 00:14:29,760 The two are not linked. 221 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,760 Now a little sidebar here, I found this really interesting. 222 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:35,600 Paul, as he's writing this letter and talking about contentment and how he's learned to 223 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:39,760 be content, he's being held in the Mamma Team prison, which according to Roman historian, 224 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:40,760 salutes. 225 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:45,680 Few prisons were as dim, dank and dirty as the lower chamber Paul occupied known as 226 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:47,720 the Telenium Dungeon. 227 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:52,080 Its neglect darkness and stench gave it a hideous and terrifying appearance straight 228 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:54,760 out of fantasy novels as by the sounds of things. 229 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:59,600 And this is where Paul found contentment in a dungeon. 230 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:06,720 Now, I'll double down on that, because in ancient Rome, prison sentences weren't actually 231 00:15:06,720 --> 00:15:07,720 a thing. 232 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,240 They were an in-between thing. 233 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:18,280 So you were either being held in a prison for release or you were being held for execution. 234 00:15:18,280 --> 00:15:20,640 So Paul is learning how to be content. 235 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:22,560 He's saying, don't worry about me, I'm going to be okay. 236 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:27,120 And he's in a position where he's fully expecting to be executed. 237 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:30,280 Paul, he's content. 238 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:31,280 How? 239 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:36,720 Because the source and supply of Paul's contentment comes from the only place that any of us could 240 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:40,080 truly find it. 241 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:45,280 For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 242 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:51,520 This is not just everyone's favorite tattoo or hashtag, apologies, past ash. 243 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:52,520 My bad. 244 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:58,720 Paul can be content in his excess or in his lacking because his faith in Jesus is the 245 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:00,600 source of his contentment. 246 00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:06,560 Paul's earlier letter to the Corinthians tells us we do not lose heart though our outer self 247 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:07,760 is wasting away. 248 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:13,440 Our inner self is being renewed day by day for this light momentary affliction is preparing 249 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:17,040 us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. 250 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:20,400 As we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen, for the 251 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:26,400 things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 252 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:28,440 Paul knows the truth. 253 00:16:28,440 --> 00:16:34,080 He knows that our circumstances are temporary, that times of excess and times of despair 254 00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:40,880 and times of extreme joy and times of heartache, they're all temporary. 255 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:45,360 Our very bodies here on earth are temporary. 256 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:53,240 And that's weirdly enough why Paul can be and is content because he hasn't put stock 257 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:54,800 in any of it. 258 00:16:54,800 --> 00:17:04,000 Because he knows that the source of his life, the things unseen, our very salvation is eternal. 259 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:12,360 Faith by grace, not by deed and absolutely not by possession or consumption. 260 00:17:12,360 --> 00:17:19,200 Now Paul has chosen to believe in the merciful sovereignty of God, refusing to buy into a 261 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:23,720 consumerist view of the world or a consumerist relationship with God. 262 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:30,760 Paul can be content because he has chosen the contentment that has been offered to him. 263 00:17:30,760 --> 00:17:33,040 Now why? 264 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:38,000 Because church, this is one of those times where you simply cannot have both. 265 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:43,640 You cannot have gluttony and contentment hand in hand, it doesn't work that way. 266 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:48,000 Because we all have this little built-in bar graph in life and I was going to do it, but 267 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:51,640 I couldn't work out how to do it and I slide. 268 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:55,800 So you're going to have to work with me for a second. 269 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,480 Normally what happens is if you hand all the way up above your head and that's where 270 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:03,280 want sits, there you go, oh you can, you know what, yeah, Ash, let's do that. 271 00:18:03,280 --> 00:18:06,760 What we're going to do is if we put our hand way up above our head, there we go, I love 272 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:09,360 this, accidental participation time. 273 00:18:09,360 --> 00:18:11,240 No, no, this is great. 274 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:14,440 If we put our hand all the way up here, normally this is where we find want. 275 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:15,600 Okay? 276 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:22,440 And then if we put our hand all the way down here, this is normally where we find what 277 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:26,480 we think our needs and then if we go a little bit higher, quite often that's where what 278 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:27,480 we've got is. 279 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,320 That varies a little bit. 280 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:30,320 I love this. 281 00:18:30,320 --> 00:18:31,320 Ash is just mimicking me now. 282 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:32,600 I feel like I'm in a music video or something. 283 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:36,720 I don't know if I'm controlling Ash or she's controlling me, but we're going great. 284 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,840 You're doing better than you think Ash or maybe I am. 285 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:40,840 I don't know anymore. 286 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:41,840 All right? 287 00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:44,960 So that's what we've got fluctuates, but normally for most the want sits at the very 288 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:48,320 top, the need sits at the very bottom and we would go to somewhere in between. 289 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:50,000 So how do we simplify it? 290 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:55,240 How do we get our wants and our needs and our gots to actually sit closer together? 291 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:58,680 Because the closer you get those three to almost sit on top of each other, the closer 292 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:03,920 you are to finding contentment. 293 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:07,920 Dallas Willard puts it ever so beautifully. 294 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:10,400 He says, you must, I haven't even spoken yet. 295 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:11,560 Tim goes, that's good. 296 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:18,400 You want to get Tim's approach, honestly, just use one of these great theologians, 297 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,360 say their name and Tim is like, yes, I could say anything. 298 00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:22,760 Imagine if he was like, how good's Mac is? 299 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:25,880 And he's like, well, that's not good. 300 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:27,920 Dallas Willard puts it beautifully. 301 00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:33,520 He says, you must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy 302 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:38,960 and confidence in your everyday life with God. 303 00:19:38,960 --> 00:19:41,240 Now Jesus was all about, was that good, Tim? 304 00:19:41,240 --> 00:19:46,120 Just confirming Jesus was all about subverting our expectation and we learned earlier that 305 00:19:46,120 --> 00:19:50,640 gluttony is too much, is too fancy, it's a little bit too fast. 306 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:54,040 So what if we like Jesus just simply flip the script a bit, we find contentment not 307 00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:59,040 in gluttonous excess, but in our everyday life with God. 308 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,320 So just for something different, I've decided we'll have three different ways to look at 309 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:03,320 that. 310 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:06,160 I think Jesus really decided, I just kind of wrote him down. 311 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:10,840 So we're going to learn to be satisfied with less. 312 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:11,840 We can do that. 313 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,720 I've got some very direct, straightforward stuff here. 314 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:16,720 Fast. 315 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:17,720 Okay. 316 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:23,000 Remove any temptation to indulge in food or excess. 317 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:27,520 Fasting is all about a deliberate reduction of food and food intake for a very specific 318 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:29,120 period of time. 319 00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:34,400 And it could be, if you're never faster before, it can be an absolute game changer. 320 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:36,080 I've done a few different ones. 321 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:42,120 I'll talk to you one day about the 48 hour water only fast, which was a vibe. 322 00:20:42,120 --> 00:20:44,880 Fasting forces you to clear your mind of distraction. 323 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:46,240 It helps us draw closer to God. 324 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:50,240 It helps us to hear his voice and surrender to his will. 325 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:54,480 If you've never faster before, honestly, a sun up to sun down fast is a really great 326 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:56,600 place to start. 327 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:01,240 You'll feel the hunger pangs, I promise, but those are just a reminder of a choice that 328 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:07,680 you are currently making, a learning on the journey of choosing contentment over gluttony. 329 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:11,200 Now, there's another way we can subvert this a little bit. 330 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:12,800 Let's just get back to the basics. 331 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:14,600 Let's get away from too fancy, too excessive. 332 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:19,800 Let's get back to the basics. 333 00:21:19,800 --> 00:21:23,600 If you've never done it, you can try taking a Sabbath. 334 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,800 This reminds us that the Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. 335 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:27,800 So that's good. 336 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:29,720 You get to do it without guilt. 337 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:30,720 It's about rest. 338 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:32,080 It's about time with God. 339 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:35,320 It's about time in connection with your closest relationships. 340 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:37,640 Gives you time to be content. 341 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:39,760 I say just, but I hope you know what I mean. 342 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:44,320 Like just being with family, just being with friends, just kind of taking joy and satisfaction 343 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:48,280 in the life that you have, whatever that may look like. 344 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:52,920 While you're taking time to do that, we're actually just reflecting and reveling in the 345 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:56,960 joy and the life that Jesus has blessed us with. 346 00:21:56,960 --> 00:21:57,960 Full transparency. 347 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,280 I am not good at this. 348 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:01,280 Okay. 349 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:02,560 We're really not. 350 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:04,520 I do not have a consistent model for my Sabbath. 351 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:06,000 I am working on it. 352 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:07,080 Why don't I have one? 353 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:08,760 It's hard. 354 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:09,760 Why is a Sabbath hard? 355 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:12,400 Because you have to choose to do it. 356 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:19,240 You're not going to accidentally stumble across 24 hours to do this, to not do the washing, 357 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:24,440 to not stress about work, to not respond to the Slack notification, all that kind of stuff. 358 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:25,440 It's not easy. 359 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:31,960 I got to tell you, when the Horners do carve out that time, it's an absolute blessing and 360 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:33,680 it's a total game changer. 361 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,280 And we are just, I don't know, everything gets better. 362 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:38,440 Honestly, we talk to each other nicer. 363 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:39,880 We enjoy our time together. 364 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,840 We stop and we breathe and it is an absolute game changer. 365 00:22:43,840 --> 00:22:44,840 But it's a choice. 366 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:46,840 You also got to learn how to do it. 367 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:48,840 Learn how to make it work. 368 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:53,760 The third point I'm going to go with here is, if being a bit too fast is one of the sources 369 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:57,520 of gluttony, maybe we just need to slow down. 370 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:01,560 The Jesus had crowds following him and begging for his time. 371 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:06,480 He would often take time out to pray, to slow completely. 372 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:09,920 Now he could have, it would have been pretty easy to think in those instances to seek contentment 373 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:14,440 and fulfillment from, you know, speaking in front of thousands of people. 374 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:19,440 But he found it by choosing to spend time with his father. 375 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:26,040 Again, if this is something you struggle with, we offer some different options here. 376 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:29,680 We don't just run some of the things that we run here at Encounter Henley because it's 377 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:31,720 fun or it's just a good idea. 378 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:36,520 The design to help you draw deeper into discipleship in these spaces, we just finished Word Week 379 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:38,240 today. 380 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:42,240 If you don't know how to take time out to just kind of carve and prioritize spending 381 00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:45,680 time in the Bible, talk to any of our team here today. 382 00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:49,280 We would love to talk to you about the experience we just had with Word Week. 383 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:55,680 If you are someone who struggles to pray, we just had a 24-1 prayer day last Saturday. 384 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:59,360 We run these things because we believe in the power of prayer, but because we also know 385 00:23:59,360 --> 00:24:03,160 we need to learn how to rest in this space. 386 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:07,720 I have talked to so many people who, through one of our 24 ones, has gone like, I did not 387 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:09,840 know what I was going to do for an hour. 388 00:24:09,840 --> 00:24:13,200 I will pray it's right there in the title, but they were going to struggle with that. 389 00:24:13,200 --> 00:24:14,200 They were convinced. 390 00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:16,960 The amount of people I talked to were like, I walked in, I put my phone in the little 391 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:18,760 lock box, I shut it. 392 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:22,560 Next minute, someone's knocking on the door for me to come out. 393 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:25,240 Stop and slow down. 394 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:31,520 You have to choose to prioritize these things. 395 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:35,400 Much like contentment, these are learned behaviors, learned habits. 396 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:40,200 If you are informed, you will not accidentally stumble into them. 397 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:47,080 Now, I don't have a slide, but it's Henley Homework Time. 398 00:24:47,080 --> 00:24:48,080 That's good, Tim. 399 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:56,400 All right, so, honestly, if you've never spent a chunk of time in either Scripture or in 400 00:24:56,400 --> 00:25:02,720 prayer or you've never fasted before or you've never taken a Sabbath, grab somebody after 401 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,920 church today and have a chat with them and do it together. 402 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:08,240 That doesn't mean, by the way, like Sabbath means. 403 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:09,240 I mean, why not? 404 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:11,880 Why not Sabbath with somebody if you can make your time schedules align? 405 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:15,520 But if you're going to like fast, you can literally, this is how simple it is, I am 406 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,160 going to fast on Thursday. 407 00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:19,400 Ta-da. 408 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,480 Like, that's it. 409 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:22,560 Now I just have to do it, right? 410 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:23,560 But there you go. 411 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:24,560 That's my promise to you guys. 412 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:25,560 I'm going to fast Thursday. 413 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:26,560 Anybody else thinks they can make that work? 414 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:28,120 I'm going to go sun up till sundown on Thursday. 415 00:25:28,120 --> 00:25:29,120 It's that simple. 416 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:31,400 Find somebody, talk to them, talk about it. 417 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:35,240 Talk about the experience you had during, talk about your findings from it. 418 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:37,800 How did you lean into God in that space and in that time? 419 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,840 I think you'll find it can be an absolute game changer. 420 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:45,680 Share your insights, grab a coffee, talk about it. 421 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:47,000 The band can come back up now. 422 00:25:47,000 --> 00:25:49,920 That's cool. 423 00:25:49,920 --> 00:25:59,800 So, through all that, we do that to lean in closer to God, to lean in closer to Jesus. 424 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:03,160 And we do that because we want to choose contentment, right? 425 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:08,960 Now Jesus has made it incredibly clear where our contentment is to be found. 426 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:12,520 John 6.48 and 51 tells us, I am the bread of life. 427 00:26:12,520 --> 00:26:14,680 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. 428 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:19,280 Whoever eats this bread will live forever and the bread that I will give is my flesh 429 00:26:19,280 --> 00:26:22,920 for the life of the world. 430 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:23,920 We talk about that. 431 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:26,480 He hasn't said specifically contentment, the bread of life. 432 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:31,160 We talk about that because Jesus knows that you could gather up every bit of food that 433 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:35,600 you can find and you could just cram it all down your throat and tomorrow you'll still 434 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:37,800 be hungry again. 435 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:43,000 You could drink water until your stomach makes that weird sloshy sound and you drown your 436 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:48,800 organs and tomorrow you're still going to be thirsty again. 437 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:50,040 These things are of this world. 438 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:51,600 You can never be fully satisfied. 439 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:53,600 You will never be contented. 440 00:26:53,600 --> 00:27:02,120 Paul talks about in his letter that he's learnt the secret to contentment. 441 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:05,800 The awesome news is for us, it's not a secret. 442 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:06,800 The secret is Jesus. 443 00:27:06,800 --> 00:27:11,720 If you're here today and if you're a follower of Jesus, you know that already, but it's 444 00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:14,040 sometimes it's helpful to re-say it. 445 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:16,320 Jesus is the bread of life. 446 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:20,080 Those who eat that bread will never go hungry again. 447 00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:26,400 Jesus is living water, those who drink from that cup will never go thirsty again. 448 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:34,520 Earthly riches will be left right here on earth making way for treasure in heaven. 449 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:38,720 You want to talk about an anti-consumerism mindset, how about the fact that our salvation 450 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:42,600 was just simply given to us? 451 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:44,680 We can't earn it. 452 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:47,080 We didn't deserve it. 453 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:55,200 There's no imaginary bar that we're filling with prayers and tithes and service and work. 454 00:27:55,200 --> 00:28:02,040 Jesus was sacrificed on a cross for us from four hours sins with nothing in return, nothing 455 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:04,040 we offer in return. 456 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:10,840 He simply invites us to come and sit and be content with Him. 457 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:19,320 Church, this isn't restrictive, this is freeing because we don't have to worry about hoarding, 458 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,880 we don't have to worry about excess, desires. 459 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:27,360 We don't even have to worry about contentment because all of that has, can and will be fulfilled 460 00:28:27,360 --> 00:28:28,840 through Jesus Christ. 461 00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:34,920 A Savior who promises and also delivers in a way that things of this earth again simply 462 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:40,160 cannot because they are unable to. 463 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:46,800 I wonder as we come to the close now, if there are areas that you have been seeking contentment 464 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:53,760 from and they've just not been hitting the bar, you've been feeling that emptiness, 465 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:59,240 you've been feeling that gap, you've been looking for contentment elsewhere. 466 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:03,800 I'm going to ask you, if you're looking for contentment and you're not looking for it 467 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:09,760 with Jesus, why not? 468 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:14,240 What have you been pursuing with the same passion and enthusiasm that Jesus is pursuing 469 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:15,240 you with? 470 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:22,440 Where have you been searching off in an excess and just not finding it? 471 00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:30,720 And then what changes do you need to make to choose contentment? 472 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:36,200 What steps do you need to take to find that contentment in Jesus? 473 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:39,120 Thanks so much for tuning into this week's message. 474 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:45,400 If you felt challenged or need prayer, we'd love to hear from you on Instagram at EncounterHenry. 475 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:53,680 Or if you're interested in how you can support this ministry, please go to our website EncounterAdelaide.com.au. 476 00:29:53,680 --> 00:30:09,720 Thanks again for listening, God bless you.