Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - Bad Advice, Part 4: How to Be Dissatisfied

Episode Date: July 4, 2016

“How did I end up here?” Behind every mess of harmful habits and rough relationships, we can look back and see where we got on the wrong track. Let’s untangle our lives by learning how to avoid Bad Advice. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

We are Life Church, one church meeting in multiple locations and reaching around the world with the help of church online. If you have any questions or you'd like to learn more about us as a church, you can always check us out online simply by going to life. com. Coming up today, we conclude our message with senior pastor Craig Rochelle, as he shows us how we're living our life may be the reason for our dissatisfaction and points us to the one who promises eternal satisfaction. In part four, the message, bad advice. Let me get a show of hands at all of our churches. How many of you would say that if you had a little more money that would bring some relief, make life easier or perhaps better, raise up your hands, raise up your hands. Come on, be honest.

Be honest. If I gave you $10,000 now, would you be happy? Yeah, you go, raise up those hands, right? Absolutely, of course. Almost everybody would say a little more money would make life easier or better. Just like when I was growing up every year on my birthday or on Christmas. would send us a check. What's interesting, my little sister, her name is Lisa.

She actually shares the exact same birthday with me only three years apart. Same day. So we get a check on birthday, we get a check on Christmas, and every year she'd get her $10 check from Grandma, and it opened it up, she'd go, $10! And every year I'd get my $10 check from Grandma, and open it up and say, $50! Why?

Because that's the kind of big brother I was. And she was dream, no, you didn't get $50. Yes, I didn't. I did. It's show me. No, I won't show you. And every year she fell for it and every year she would cry and every year this happened until one year when Grandma sent me my $10 check and I went $50, $50, and Grandma sent Lisa a $50 check. And she went $50. It was really $50. And Grandma stuck it to me, okay? Grandma had the final say. And I just remember being devastated.

She got more, she got more, she got more, she got more, she got more, she got more. this is not fair. Why? Because we all know that if we had a little bit more, we would be happy. Today, what I want to do as we're in a message here is called bad advice, I'm actually giving bad advice. When we talk about bad advice in the context of the church, it becomes incredibly obvious that it's really bad advice. When we look at the way that we actually live, when we look at how we behave, it often appears that we are taking bad advice. As we hear bad advice, as we hear bad advice in this context, I believe it will highlight godly advice. Today, the bad advice I want to give you is the advice, how to be dissatisfied, how to be dissatisfied. Let's start with scripture today from

1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 6 through 8. Paul told Timothy this. He said that godliness with what, somebody helped me. He said, godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, In other words, we had nothing when we were born and we could take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, Paul said what? He said, we will be content with that. Now, let's be honest. How many of you ate this week?

How many of you ate this week? Yep. How many of you have clothing? Clothing? Clothing, everybody in a physical campus it does. There may be some people at church online that don't. Put on some pants right now at church online. Just saying?

Just saying, you've got them, wear them, okay? Just saying, don't come to church in your underwear. I guess you can at church online. Anyway, say, if we have food and clothing, we'll be content with that, but let's be honest. Most people we know have the basic necessities, at least where we live, and most people we know are not content. Why? Because we buy into the lie and believe the bad advice. If we only had a little bit more, then we would be happy. For example, how much money do you think that you need to make to be happy? Really interesting question.

There have been lots of different studies done on this. How much do you need to earn to be happy? And it depends, you know, where you live. In other words, where I live, the cost of living is less than on the coasts and such. But anyway, an average report is this. The Gallup poll did a study, and it found that if you earn $30,000 a year or less, you think that $74,000 a year would be enough. Now, there was a time when I made under $30,000 a year,

and I remember thinking very clearly, $74,000 of year would be unlimited funds. You could do anything and everything you wanted. Then we had six kids and two weddings, summer, back to back to back. And suddenly, $74,000 doesn't sound as unlimited as it. used to. Those who made around $50,000 a year, they said it would take $100,000 a year. They would be satisfied forever and completely happy. Some of you thought that at one point. And now you may make that or have a combined income and you may say, I've got news for you

with a big mortgage payment, two car payments, a kid or two in private school, dance, soccer, ballet, insurance, braces. $100,000 doesn't go that far. How much? How much? How much? much do we need to be satisfied, to be happy? And the answer generally is, what? Just a little bit more. Just a little bit more. In fact, Jesus told this parable that really captures where many of us might live spiritually. He said this in verse 16 of Luke chapter 12. He told this parable and said, the ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, what shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. Then he said, this is what I'll do.

I'll tear down my barns and I'll build bigger ones. And there I'll store my surplus grain and I'll say to myself, hey, you have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink and be merry. In other words, when I have all this, now I can be happy. Which this is what many of us actually think. If one day I can have the bigger place, the bigger this. more grain in the barn, then I can take life easy and be happy.

And it's not just financial dissatisfaction, right? Some of us, well, if I could just lose 20 pounds, then I'd feel better about myself. Or for some of you, if I could gain 20 pounds, then I would feel better about myself. If I just had a better job, any job, if I had a job with insurance, benefits, then I would feel better. Some people think, well, when I get married, then I can be satisfied.

Then they think, when I have kids, we can be satisfied. Then when our kids get out of diapers, we can live again. Then when our kids can drive, we'll be okay. Then when our kids get out of the house, we'll be fine. Then when they get out of college, they'll be fine. Then when they get out of the house again because they came home after college. Some of you know what I'm talking about, right? They're boomerang kids.

You did this. in their back, right? How'd that happen? God said this to the guy. He said, you fool? This very night your life will be demanded from you. And this is how it will be with whoever stores things up for themselves, but is not what? But is not rich toward God. Isn't it interesting that so many people think more things will make us happy, more things will make us satisfied, more things of this world will really bring meaning, but yet we're not really pursuing the riches that come from God. So what I want to do today is give you some bad advice.

If you ever wake up and you feel really blessed by God, if you're full of joy that could only come from heaven, if you've got a supernatural peace that goes beyond your human ability to understand, if you've got great friendships, great relationships, you know that you have health and you live in a great part of it, the world and you're blessed with a great church family and a life group and people that care for you and you find yourself life is just going so great and you want to be miserable I want to show you very clearly how to be dissatisfied okay you'll want to write this down because this can change your life

for the worse number one bad advice if you want to be dissatisfied number one I want to encourage you to focus on being ungrateful focus on being ungrateful focus on being ungrateful full. Paul told the Thessalonians, First Thessalonians 5, 16, and 17, he said to do what? Rejoice, always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you and Christ Jesus. I mean, who is that stupid to give thanks in all circumstances? Don't do that. You gripe in all circumstances. Complain in all circumstances. Find fault everywhere that you go and everything that you look at, foster a genuine spirit of ingratitude that is deep in your soul. What you want to do is you want to resent God's goodness in anyone else's life. Whenever someone else is blessed,

you just want to go, who do they think they are? And they're not that good of a person, and tell yourself that you're way better than them, and you deserve more. Be jealous of them. Be critical of them. Be envious of them. If they get a nice car, talk about how it'll probably break down, they pay too much for it, and I bet they have a high interest rate on it. Okay, if they get a raise, talk about how you deserved it, and they didn't. If they're married and you're not, just trash talk, the person they married. That'll make you feel so much better. If they have nicer clothes or get more attention, just tear them down.

Resent God's goodness in other people's lives, and then don't miss this. Ignore his goodness in your own. Don't be grateful for what you have. Don't be thankful for your health or your friends or the blessing. that you have, that you have plenty to eat, that you have a place to stay, that you have transportation, and on and on and on. Focus, number one, on being ungrateful. Number two, this is so good. Compare what you have to people who have more. This will mess with your mind every single time. Okay. Paul told the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 10, 12, he said, we do not dare to classify or what,

or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare it with themselves, what are they? They are not wise. And that is our goal. Our goal is to be completely foolish in all that we do. Compare with those who have way more. In other words, if you kind of like your house, binge watch some HGTV. It'll work every time.

You'll hate your pathetic little shack and be totally dissatisfied. I mean, compare everything. Compare salaries. Compare washer and dryers. Oh, ladies, this one's good, okay? If someone else has one of those front loaders and you got a top loader, oh, how do you even make it? Front loader's the only way.

Look at that front loader and just hate it. Compare your bodies with other people. Compare them with the anorexic models on magazines that are airbrushed that haven't eaten since 2008. you know the ones, the ones that have invested more in their upper half than you have invested in retirement. Compare with them. Did I just say that out loud?

Yes, I did. Deal with it. Compare yourself with them. Feel bad about yourself because you don't have the ability to airbrush yourself. Guys, compare whatever. Shoes, salaries, I don't have as much hair. Compare on social media. They get more likes on their sunset picture than you get likes on your sunset picture.

Your Bible verse. You get the same verse and you didn't get as many likes as they've got more followers. just whatever you do. Compare with someone that has more than you. This is one of the great sure fire ways to become dissatisfied. I hope you're taking notice because this is life-changing. If you want to be totally dissatisfied, number one, focus on being ungrateful. Number two, focus, compare with people who have more. And number three, pursue temporary possessions over eternal treasures. Pursue temporary possessions over eternal treasures. Pursue temporary possessions over eternal treasures. Jesus said this in Luke 1215. He said, watch out. Be on your guard against all kinds of

greed. Why? He said, because life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. How stupid is that? We all know life is what you have, right? You are what you drive. You are what you wear. That life is all about things, things, things, things. Don't care about people. Don't care about eternity, don't care about making a difference. Those are shallow, eternal things. You want to focus on the things that matter now, the self-centered thing. Don't ever settle for eternal blessings when you can settle for what really doesn't matter now. Think short-term, focus on the money. Just tell yourself again and again, more is better. You might say it with me. More is better. More is better. Bigger is better. Bigger is better. is better. Some of you are shaking your head. You won't even work with me. Why? Because this is bad

advice. This is bad advice. Okay. Pursue temporary possessions over eternal treasures. Number four, you want to be dissatisfied? Develop an attitude of entitlement. Develop an attitude of entitlement. Why? Romans 623 says the wages of sin is death. In other words, what do you think that Paul is saying we deserve. We actually deserve death. That's the stupidest thing ever. We deserve much more than that, right? You've had a rough life. You've worked hard. You've got more coming to you, right? You deserve more. You deserve those new shoes. You deserve that outfit that goes with those new shoes. You deserve a new car. You deserve a new boat. You deserve a new phone. You deserve a half gallon of chunky monkey ice cream. And somebody, said amen to that, okay? You deserve it. You deserve it. You deserve it. Foster that attitude of

entitlement. Here's what you do. Just do this today if you can. Drive your car to the place that you live. Push a button. Watch the garage door open. Drive your car into a house for your garage. Grype about how your car gets bad gas mileage. and isn't as nice as those with heated seats. Walk into your climate-controlled home. Stream a movie. Complain that the Wi-Fi is so slow. Walk into your closet and touch all of your clothes

and then say passionately, I've got nothing to wear. Do that again and again every single day. And what you're going to do is you're going to totally build an attitude of entitlement. Okay, some people ask me, is it hard to like say the opposite? Yes, it is and to keep a straight face. Really, really hard, but I hope that when we do this in the context of the church, you actually sit back and say, you know, that's really bad advice. But wouldn't you agree, a lot of times that's what so many of us actually end up doing.

We actually compare all day long. We're actually focused on what we don't have instead of focusing on what we do have. We're incredibly ungrateful. I mean, most of us, most people experiencing this message right now, we live in a really, really blessed part of the world. I mean, like, we're way, way, way, way up there. And in terms of blessings, most people would look at our lives and say, are you kidding me? You all have so much.

And yet sometimes the more we have, the more ungrateful, we can actually be. What I want to do is I want to zero in on one big thought that will really help tie the four weeks together. For those of you that have been here over the last four weeks, this one thought hopefully will help kind of bring a little revelation of why it is that we struggle so much. Someone said this to me, it's printed in your notes just as a title. Years ago, they said that how we live reveals what we believe. I like to, I like that. How we live reveals what we believe. In other words, don't tell me what you believe, show me. Your actions often show what you really believe. How we live reveals what we really believe. And this wouldn't necessarily

be true for everyone, but culturally, I think that many of you would agree that most lives are actually saying this. If our, if the way we live could speak, what many people's lives would be saying today would be this. What the lives would be saying is this. What Christ offers is not as good as what this world offers. That's what many people would say, that what Jesus offers us, really, by the way we live, isn't as good as what the world offers. If you go back to week number one, we talked about how to drift from God. If God is the source of life, if Jesus is everything, and yet we see shiny things and we start to chase shiny things. Well, these other things will satisfy me and so we end up drifting from God. Week number two, we talked about how to become an addict. And we know that God

offers peace, that God is the answer for our anxiety, that God is the source of everything that we need, but suddenly something in a bottle makes a promise. If you have me, you'll be able to relax. A pill says if you have me, you'll be able to have fun. If you smoke me, you'll be able to do, hey, if you go and place a bet, the rush, the adrum, the hip, the wind, that will make you satisfied. What we believe by how we behave is that Jesus doesn't offer what something else offers. I'll go take that. Week number three, we talked about adultery. Well, I promise God to be faithful to this person and believe that God ordained the covenant of marriage,

but something outside of God's plan. That could make me feel good in the moment. That could bring satisfaction to me. And again, our lives essentially say what Christ offers is not as good as what this world offers. Today, we're talking about how to be dissatisfied. Christ is life. Christ is what matters. And yet the way we live says, but if I had that car, if I had that toy, if I had that house, if I lived there, if I knew that person, if I had that many Instagram followers, if I just had those pair of news,

choose then I would be satisfied and we continue to live the bad advice. When we talk about gratitude, there's a couple of quotes that I say over and over and over again to myself. The first one is this, I tell myself again and again, that gratitude turns what I have into enough. Gratitude turns what we have into enough. Gratitude turns what we have into enough. Gratitude turns what we have into enough because it's not happy people who are grateful, right? It's not happy people who are grateful, but it's grateful people who are happy. I want to focus on a couple of verses to close this message series out, and these verses are amongst my favorite in all of Scripture. Philippians chapter 3, verses 7 to 8, Paul was talking to the

Philippians, and this is what he said. He said, but whatever word gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Whatever were gains to me, I now consider a loss for the sake of Christ. If you know about Paul, he was really into his titles, his accomplishments, who he was, what he had done. And the older I get, the more that portion of Scripture is absolutely and completely true to me. what I used to consider important, what I used to consider the wins, all these things now, they're actually a loss because the older I get, the closer I get to truly living in eternity, the more that that which really matters becomes obvious to me. Paul said, whatever war gains to me, I now consider a loss for the sake of Christ.

In verse 80, he says, what is more? I consider what? Let's all say it aloud. He said, I consider everything a loss because of what? because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ, Jesus, my Lord. For whose sake I've lost all things. Then he says, I consider them garbage,

that I may gain Christ. He says, I consider all these other things a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. What I want to talk about for just a moment is truly knowing him. Not just knowing about Jesus, but when you know him in a very intimate way, you connect with him. His spirit leads you.

His word guides you. His presence empowers you. You're never doing life on your own. When you wake up, you're not living for the temporary pleasures of this world. You're living for that which lasts eternity. Suddenly, you just look at people and say, you matter more than things. You look at what you have and say,

How can I use what I have to make a difference in this world? How can I use the influence that I have to influence others to know the intimacy that Jesus offers? Because of who he is, because of what he did for me. My only reasonable response is to say I count all that other stuff, a loss compared with knowing him. When I grew up, I just thought you could kind of know about God. I had no idea you could actually know him personally. Jesus said, and this is eternal life, John 17, that you may know my father, that you may know him personally.

And that's why his word matters so much, because he reveals who he is through the power of his word. And when you feed on his word every single day, then your mind drifts from the things of this world to the things of the kingdom that is to come. And suddenly you're not distracted by the shiny things that promise but do not deliver. They promise but do not deliver.

They promise if you have it, you'll be in the moment you have it, oh, that didn't satisfy. I consider all a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. Then there's a really, really rough word in this last portion of scripture. Paul said, I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ. The word that's translated garbage or rubbish, maybe in a different version, It's actually the Greek word scubula, and this word actually means human waste, okay? And that's the most appropriate way of saying it.

It actually means human waste in a way that's not quite as kind as I just said it, okay? And this is what Paul says. I consider all that stuff scubula, scubula. All the things that I thought mattered for so long, they're scubula that I may gain Christ. Now, for years, I tried to teach something like this. Christ is enough. Christ is enough. Christ is enough.

I got it all wrong. Christ is not enough. Christ is way more than enough. He's way more than enough. He is everything. He is eternal. He is real. He is truth.

He is the living water. He is the living vine. He is. He is the rock. He is the alpha, the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. He is our Redeemer. He is our righteousness. He is our Lord.

He is our Savior. He is the lion. He is the lamb. He is the soon returning King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And you have a spiritual enemy who wants to steal from you to kill and destroy. That's what our enemy wants to do, to steal, kill, and destroy. And the way we live often communicates that we believe what Christ offers is not enough. Because we tend to live, the way we live says if we have more, more of this, more of this, more of this, we'd be satisfied.

We'd be happy. But the only thing that brings true eternal satisfaction is more of Jesus. More of Jesus, more of Jesus. And all of our churches today, I pray that there will be some of you that you'll have a spiritual breakthrough. That just like Paul did, it's a breakthrough. He said, I consider all this stuff a loss compared with, okay? Compared with, I'm not comparing with people who have more. I'm comparing it with people who have settled for less.

Compared with the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ, for whom I've lost all things. I consider all that other stuff, scubula, compared with the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus. Because Jesus is not just enough. but he is way, way more than enough. So Father, today I pray at all of our churches that by the power of your Holy Spirit, you would do a work in us that only you can do. I ask God that you would minister life

in a spirit of deep contentment and gratitude in all of our hearts. As you pray today at all of our churches with nobody looking around, I wonder how many today would say, deep down, I actually can be dissatisfied. I often am a little more discontent. I find myself comparing, feeling less than, thinking, you know, by this point of my life,

I thought I'd be doing more, I'd be more, I'd be more important, I'd have more, and falling, pray to what so many of us are vulnerable to. I know that can be me, and I admit and acknowledge that. All of our churches, if you say, yes, I often really do, by the way I live, it just says it, I believe the lie, that if I had something more, something different, something better, then perhaps I'd be satisfied. And I want Christ to meet those deep needs. if that's you, would you lift up your hands right now?

All of our churches, just lift up your hands. Father, I thank you for your presence and what you're saying to so many people today. God, I just confess and repent in my own life of wanting more of the things of this world instead of pursuing more of the things that last forever. We pray, God, that in your presence, your Holy Spirit would minister to us

in a deep and a powerful way, God, that Jesus is not just enough, but he's more than enough. that he's more than enough. And God, I pray there would be spiritual breakthroughs and hearts in all of our churches today to recognize He is what we need, God. Increase our passion, our desire to pursue

and to know him. May we be found full of his goodness overflowing with his love and sharing his goodness with people every single day. As you keep praying today at all of our churches, I know there are many of you that when you look at your life right now, You may think, oh, man, I've messed up in so many different ways.

I've made so many mistakes. I've fallen short again and again. And when you look at how you're living, so many people today, I believe, are just looking for that something else that's going to fill the emptiness. I remember years ago in seminary, someone said that there's a Christ-shaped void in all of us. I love that imagery. There's a Christ-shaped void. You can continue to try to find meaning, go pursue everything you can. Go search it for, run it down.

Try things, parties, experiences, vacations, relationships, you name it, you get it, make more money, whatever. And at the end of the day, you will still wake up dissatisfied. Why? Because the things of the world never satisfy. You have a Christ-shaped void in your soul. You need him. You are created for eternity to know him, to serve him, and to be transformed by him. And all of our churches, there are those of you, you recognize, you've been settling for the things of this world,

and you want more. You want to know Christ. You want to recognize all those other things are a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing him. You may think for a moment, well, I'm not good enough. I need to clean up first. I need to do better.

Try harder. And the reality is you just come to him exactly as you are. You come to him and say, I need your grace. I need your forgiveness. Because God loved you so much. He sent Jesus to do for you

what you could not do for yourself. And all of our churches, those who say, yes, I am a sinner, needing a savior. There's emptiness inside of me. I turn from my sins. I call on Jesus. I ask him to fill the void to be the savior of my life, and I make Him Lord. Today, by faith, I give my life to Him. That's your prayer.

Would you lift your hands high right now? All of our churches say, yes, I surrender to Him. Those at church online, please click right below me, and we're all going to pray together aloud. Would you pray Heavenly Father? Forgive me of all of my sins. Make me brand new. I believe Jesus died for me. And he rose again so I could know you, so I could serve you, so I could follow you.

My life is not my own. I give it to you. You lead me. You direct me. I am yours. Thank you for new life. Today I give you mine. In Jesus name I pray, would you all worship big, worship loud?

As a church, it's our honor to play a very small part in all that God is doing in and through your life. And we would love to continue with you on that journey. To find out what your next steps could be in your relationship with Christ, all you have to do is go to life. church slash next. In May of 2016, Pastor Craig taught a message series called How to Neighbor that had a huge impact in our church as we learned how to respond to the needs in our local communities. It was amazing and I'd love to show you how it happened as we go beyond the message. We are not the answer. Jesus is the answer. We are the servants. Don't miss this. Jesus is the answer. We are the servants. Those who are struggling are not projects you help.

They are people you love instead of in my state, 10,500 children waiting for a family today. There were families waiting for children to be in need. Why? Because the church rose up and lived as the church. The church is plan A. You know what? I was a spiritual orphan separated from God by my sin. But because of Jesus, what did God do?

God adopted me into his family. That's how we enabled. We love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. And what do we do? We love our neighbor as ourself. Our church's response to the needs of foster children and families was staggering, with over 423 families saying yes to becoming foster or adoptive families, and another 554 willing to support those in foster care.

And that's just part of it. The How to Neighbor series has completely transformed the relationship that we have with our local missions partner. In one month, we watched. our engagement with that partner, Triple, which is the most engaged. We have seen our campus connects since I've been here in three years. We saw people say relational poverty is a serious issue, and as a result, we've seen hundreds and hundreds of people get connected to a life group. To see the entire How to Neighbor message series, as well as any other message, all you have to do is go to life.church slash watch. Thanks again for joining us today. We love leading people to become

fully devoted followers of Christ and helping them find God. and ultimately find life.