Series: Psalms
Title: Secret to Contentment and Happiness
Text: Ps 16: 5-9
Date: September 5, 2013
Place: SGBC, New Jersey
Psalm 16:6: The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places;
yea, I have a goodly heritage…. 9: Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory
rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
The man speaking is a happy
man. He is a contented man. Is that common among men? Is it common that men are content and
satisfied? Usually, those who appear to
have most reason to be happy and content are the ones complaining about how bad
things are in their lives. But the man speaking in our text is a happy and
content man! I want to know this man’s secret.
Is there anyone else who wants to know the secret to being content and
happy?
Our subject: Secret to Contentment and Happiness
Before we go any further,
who is this happy man that speaks in this Psalm? Read verse 8:
Psalm 16: 8: I have set the LORD always before me: because he is
at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
Acts
2: 25: [Peter said] David speaketh concerning [the Lord Jesus], I foresaw the
Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be
moved:
This content and happy man
in Psalm 16 is the Lord Jesus Christ, the GodMan.
Was it his circumstances in
life that made him content and happy? No—this
was his lot in life.
Isaiah
53: 3: He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we
esteemed him not.
He did not own even a piece
of property in this earth—yet he said in
verse 6, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I
have a goodly heritage.” What few
friends he had, all left him when he needed them most—yet he says in verse 9, “my
heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:”
Christ’s sorrows were far
greater than ours. We have not “resisted unto blood, striving against sin” (Heb
12: 4) It is doubtful we shall ever be
hung upon a cross. We certainly shall never have to bear the sins of our
brethren in our body. We who believe shall never have to suffer the wrath and
forsaking of God. Our affliction is light compared to Christ’s suffering.
Proposition: If Christ, who had the most sorrowful
life that any man ever had, could have this inward contentment and happiness,
then it must be possible for us, to have the same, whose lives are not nearly
as bitter as his. What, then, is this secret of contentment and happiness?
Divisions: 1) It is to have the LORD as the
portion of mine inheritance—v5: The LORD
is the portion of mine inheritance 2) It is to have the LORD as the portion
of my cup—v5:..and of my cup: 3) It
is to trust that the LORD maintains my lot—v5:…thou
maintainest my lot.
I. THE SECRET TO CONTENTMENT AND HAPPINESS IS TO HAVE THE LORD AS
THE PORTION OF MY INHERITANCE—v5: The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance…
To help us understand what
God is to his people, and what God is doing for his people, the Spirit of God
uses a metaphor comparing the LORD to an earthly inheritance and a daily cup
filled up. “Portion” means “a part
separated out.” The LORD was Christ’s part in two ways. First, he said, “The LORD
is the portion of my inheritance.” Secondly, he said, “and of my cup.”
The LORD is My Inheritance
An inheritance is a gift.
God gave himself to be Christ’s portion—his inheritance—therefore Christ says, “The
LORD is the portion of mine inheritance.”
Christ Jesus, as the GodMan, Mediator, had the strongest contentment and
happiness in the LORD God and from the LORD God. Christ happiness was in
looking forward to the future inheritance when his Father would be glorified
and Christ glorified in him and when he would be with his Father forever—the
LORD was Christ’s inheritance. This is
why Christ was about his Father’s business from the beginning and did not stop
until he said, “It is finished!”
The LORD being Christ’s
inheritance teaches us that Christ is the Great High Priest of God’s elect and
that we who believe have been made priests by him so that the LORD is our
inheritance. We see it pictured in the
Levitical priesthood.
Numbers
18:20: And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their
land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine
inheritance among the children of Israel.
Aaron, the high priest,
pictured Christ our great High Priest. Aaron, and his brethren, the Levite
priests, had no inheritance in the land like the other tribes of Israel did,
because God was their portion. It
pictured Christ, and his brethren, the elect of God, believers who he has made
priests. Together with Christ our High Priest, we who believe, have no
inheritance in this land, because God is our part and our inheritance.
Believer, because the LORD
is Christ’s inheritance who he desired to see glorified and because Christ is
our High Priest, Christ finished the work God gave him to do, fulfilling all
righteousness so that God is just and so that each of God’s elect given to him
are now made the righteousness of God in Christ.
Hebrews
9: 11: But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a
greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not
of this building; 12: Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own
blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us.
Therefore, each and every
believer, born of God the Holy Spirit and given faith in Christ, are fully
righteous! We must be holy for God to
receive us and in Christ we are holy and God receives us. We are accepted in
the Beloved!
Hebrews
10:14: For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified
Application:
Believer, we are God’s inheritance—his spiritual Jacob, his spiritual Israel,
his chosen, peculiar treasure.
Psalm
135:4: For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar
treasure.
Peter quotes this, applying
it to us who are Gentiles in the flesh…
1
Peter 2:9: But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation,
a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10: Which in time past were not
a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now
have obtained mercy.
And God our Savior and his
Son Jesus Christ is our Inheritance. We can say with Christ, “The LORD is the
portion of mine inheritance.”
Brethren, our contentment
and happiness is not outward in the flesh, it is inward, in the LORD, knowing
that we are the LORD’s inheritance and he is ours—v7: I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also
instruct me in the night seasons. There is no greater peace than knowing,
“I am my Beloved’s and he is mine.”
II. THE SECRET TO CONTENTMENT AND HAPPINESS IS KNOWING THAT THE
LORD IS THE PORTION OF MY CUP.
This is the second way the
LORD was Christ’s portion. He said in verse
6, “the LORD is the portion…of my cup.” Christ
knew that everything that came his way, each day, every hour was from the LORD
his God.
Every Sweet Blessing
Christ knew every good
thing, every word, was measured out and put into his cup by the LORD. This is
also pictured in Numbers 18. For Aaron the High Priest and his brethren the
priests of Levi, God provided all their daily needs—filled their cup—giving
them the tenth in Israel.
Numbers
18: 21: And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel
for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the
tabernacle of the congregation.
God gave his priests the
tenth part of the produce of the land; of wheat, barley, oil, and wine. Though they were the least of the tribes,
they had the greatest share of the increase of the land without any labor or
expense in producing those things.
Application: Believer,
God has given us our inheritance, not by our works, but because of the service
of Christ Jesus our Lord on our behalf. We may be the least in the earth—a
remnant—but we possess more than any people on earth. GOD has given it to
us—note verse 24:
Numbers
18: 24: But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave
offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I
have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no
inheritance.
All of those sacrifices were
God’s—God provided them and they were offered to God. So of those things which belonged to God, God
provided for the Levites that which they needed to live—giving to them that
which was his—the sacrifices which were his.
Deuteronomy
18:1: The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor
inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire,
and his inheritance. 2: Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their
brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.
Be sure to get the picture.
The Tenth Part of heave offerings and all those offerings burnt by
fire pictured Christ. God provided Christ and Christ gave himself to God, just
like those sacrifices. God is Christ’s inheritance and Christ is God’s
inheritance as were those sacrifices.
Believer, God fills our
cup—providing all we need—by giving us of his inheritance, Christ Jesus,
pictured in those sacrifices being used to give daily life to the priests. Therefore,
our inheritance and the provision of our daily cup is not the inheritance of
this world, the LORD is our inheritance and the portion of our cup.
By Christ, our burnt
offering, who suffered the fire of divine justice for his people our cup runneth over! Now the fire of
justice is satisfied toward us. God is just to show us abundant mercy. We are
complete in Christ! And as for our daily
cup—our daily needs—the Holy Spirit says,
Romans
8:32: He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Preachers are whipping poor
sinners with the law, forcing them to tithe. Sadly, religious folk are deceived
into thinking God will receive them because they tithe.
Instead, we preach Christ
who is pictured in those tithes, and God gives grace to his people freely,
causing his people to give freely, more than a tenth, because we are
constrained by his love, and are under grace, under the rule of Christ, the end
of the law because Christ is our Righteousness.
Sorrows and Sufferings
When Christ said, “the LORD
is the portion of my cup” he meant not only blessing, but also, sorrows and
sufferings. Christ knew the things that caused him sorrow was measured and put
into his cup, into his hand, by his Father. Therefore Christ took the cup and
drank it.
John
18: 10: Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s
servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 11: Then
said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my
Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?
Application: We
often don’t want to drink the cup that causes us suffering—we do like
Peter—wield the sword. Christ said, “My
Father gave this cup to me, shall I not drink it?
Brethren, contentment and
happiness is not outward in the flesh. That is what God our Father is teaching
us when he gives us the cup of chastening.
Chastening causes sorrow and suffering to our flesh because it cuts
against our fleshly, sinful wants.
Though, it caused sorrow and
suffering in Christ’s perfect flesh, Christ’s contentment and happiness was
inward, knowing that it was his Father that gave him this cup. He found great happiness and in serving his
Father, even drinking that bitter cup for his meat and drink was to serve him,
and to do his will.
Christ’s inward contentment
and happiness was knowing it was for God’s glory, for the exaltation of Christ
and the salvation of his people, which was Christ’s good, so he submitted to
the Father’s wisdom in filling his cup and drank it dry. And it yielded the
peaceable fruit of perfect righteousness for all those for whom he died.
And all our suffering by his
chastening cup, is for God’s glory, for Christ’s exaltation, for the salvation
of our brethren and for our own personal good. And “afterward it yieldeth the
peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” (Heb
12: 11)
Brethren, contentment and
happiness is inward, in the new man, knowing in our heart it is the LORD that
has filled our cup for those very reasons.
Psalm
11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain
snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion
of their cup.
Psalm
23:5: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou
anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psalm
116:12: What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? 13: I
will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
III. THE SECRET TO CONTENTMENT AND HAPPINESS IS KNOWING THE LORD
SHALL ALWAYS MAINTAIN OUR LOT—V5: thou maintainest my lot.
Christ Himself
Christ knew that after he
bore our sins away, suffering in our place, that the LORD would justify him.
Isaiah
50: 6: I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off
the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting. 7: For the Lord GOD will
help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like
a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. 8: He is near that
justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is
mine adversary? let him come near to me.
And God did.
Psalm
2:6: Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Christ said in Ps 9: 4:
Psalm
9:4: For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne
judging right.
Application: Brethren,
when you suffer wrongly, as 1 Peter 3: 9-12 says, do not render “evil for evil,
or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are
thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love
life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips
that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace,
and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his
ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is
against them that do evil.” (1Pe 3:9-12)
Remember, the LORD maintained Christ’s lot, and for his sake, he shall
maintain yours.
Christ’s People
Christ’s lot being his
people, he knew the LORD, for his sake, would maintain his people—even exalting
Christ so that he himself could divide the spoil with his people. And God did.
Isaiah
53:12: Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall
divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto
death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
So for you who he has
called—made joint-heirs with Christ—remember it is the LORD God our Savior and
his Son Jesus Christ that maintainest our lot. Our LORD is able to do so
because our God is not like the vain gods of men’s imaginations.
Jeremiah
10: 15:
They are vanity, and the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they
shall perish. 16: The PORTION of Jacob [of God’s elect] is not like them: for
HE [our portion, our inheritance] is the former of all things; and Israel [us,
his elect] is the rod of HIS INHERITANCE: THE LORD of HOSTS IS HIS NAME.
Our Inheritance is the
former—before all things. He made all
things. He upholds all things. He rules all things. By him all things consist.
We are the inheritance of our Inheritance. The LORD of hosts is his name.
He is ruling all things in
this earth for the well-being of his chosen, redeemed, people—maintaining our
lot—and everything shall one day be ours.
We see it pictured after the flood, when God confounded the languages
and divided the nations. Men did not take what they wanted, or as much as they
pleased, but God allotted and portioned out to them, what he would.
Deuteronomy
32: 8: When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he
separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the
number of the children of Israel. 9: For the LORD’S portion is his
people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
God put the land into the
hands of Canaan and his eleven sons, to possess only as their temporary
inheritance, to live on it as tenants to take care of it, until the time came
when God delivered it to the proper heirs—his people.
Just as God measured out and
set the bounds, which would be sufficient to hold the twelve tribes of Israel
in that day when God would deliver to them their inheritance so God has done in
this earth for us, brethren. God has put
the earth into the hands of a people cursed of God. They get to enjoy it and
should seek God while they can. So when
he has made all things new and takes it from them to give to his heirs there
will be no injustice done.
And just as God provided
Canaan for natural Israel long before they came into existence, so our heavenly
inheritance, was not only promised, but prepared, provided, secured, and
reserved for the spiritual Israel of God, before the foundation of the world,
from eternity. It is appointed according
to the number of his elect children; there shall be room enough in it for them
all, for in it are many mansions for the many sons to be brought to glory.
BELIEVER, GO HOME REMEMBERING THIS:
The secret to contentment and happiness in this life is to know:
1) The LORD is the portion
of my inheritance (and I am his)
2) The LORD is the portion
of my cup
3) The LORD maintainest my
lot.
If you believe Christ then
you can say, Ps 16: 6: The lines are
fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. How
good? He says,
Isaiah
53: 17: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue
that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the
heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith
the LORD.
Lastly, knowing these
things, let us do as Christ did. Let us
live with the LORD ever before our face—v8:
I have set the LORD always before me: And doing so let us rest assured v8:…because he is at my right hand, I shall
not be moved.
That
is the secret to contentment and happiness!
Amen!