1 Timothy 6 - Riches and Godliness

this is a message from the ministry of calvary chapel santa barbara for more information about our church please visit calvary SB dot-com in first Timothy chapter 6 Paul continues on in this last section 2 Timothy his young associate whom he left to oversee the work in Ephesus and so this is just sort of a section where he's giving a lot of concluding exhortations you almost have the idea that Paul's thinking oh yeah I need to remember talk about this and I need to remember talk about this and he's sort of a chicken off a little bit of a list in his mind so right here verse 1 let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blaspheme now please notice he's speaking about those who are bond servants or slaves the institution of slavery was very widespread in the ancient world and particularly in the ancient Roman Empire slaves came from a lot of different sources both in the Hebrew world of the Old Testament but then also in the Roman world of the New Testament slaves oftentimes came because people were in debt and couldn't pay off their debts they didn't have our modern systems of bankruptcies and all that kind of thing if you had debts you couldn't pay you went and you were basically somebody's slave until the debt was paid off sometimes slavery was a temporary arrangement because of some kind of apprenticeship or training oftentimes slavery was basically the result of being a prisoner of war and we look at that and go well that's a terrible terrible thing for somebody to be a prisoner of war well yes it is but the alternative was death you will either kill you or you come and be a slave and then I don't know how much this was practiced in the Roman world but I know it was practiced of course much later in history the idea of where slaves were kidnapped this is sort of the classic picture of slavery that we have in our minds the great African slavery that came over in the slaves that populated the United States again that was the idea of kidnapping people and forcing them into slavery that was not the predominant way that people became slaves in the Roman Empire but the Roman institution of slavery was not pretty there were a lot of Roman slaves matter of fact there were one time some politicians were discussing the idea that wouldn't it be good if we could be able to immediately identify who the slaves were and they thought of making the slaves wear a white armband until they realized do we really want everybody to know how many slaves are among us because if they all understood how great their numbers were in our midst we might have a revolution on our hands and there were times when they did have slave revolutions such as the famous one noted by the movie Spartacus notice what Paul tells slaves here verse one or actually what Paul tells Timothy to tell slaves let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blaspheme Paul told Timothy to teach slaves in the congregation to count their own masters worthy of all honor in other words to be good respectful workers for their masters now please understand Paul did not do this out of a general approval of the institution of slavery it's a very important point to make and I suppose we're going to take a little bit of time this evening to discuss this because it's an important point theologically that maybe you haven't run up against but I'll tell you why it's important there is a theological thinking in the world today that impacts us very much so even if you've never heard the term and the idea is the trajectory idea of God's work and this is how is the trajectory idea of God's work basically once to exaggerate the Bible's approval of slavery for this end the thinking is something like this the Bible commanded slavery and then as time went on culture and human beings got better and made progress and now we understand that slavery is bad now why would somebody want to emphasize that and of course let me tell you the big flaw in that I'll just cut to the chase brothers sisters the Bible never commands slavery never it never commands it it regulates it it tries to make it a more humane institution it fundamentally undermined slavery in ways I'll talk about in just a minute it set slavery on its death throes but the Bible never ever command slavery now why do people want to emphasize and act as if the Bible commanded slavery and I will admit there have been people perhaps a fair amount of people throughout the history of church that it said well the Bible commands slaver and they used the Bible to justify slavery this was especially true in the American South you know during the Civil War in pre Civil War days they would very much exaggerate this idea is the Bible command slavery but the Bible never command slavery never at all well why would people be interested in that because this is their idea just as much as the Bible commanded slavery at one time and now humanity is progressed and we've gotten over it so the Bible at one time commanded that there be a different order of men and women in authority in the church in the home but now we progressed and gotten over that and then here's the really tricky one they said yes the Bible command did that homosexual activity is sin against God but we progressed and now we've gotten over it again you see how it hits to modern day just right we're at they follow that same lie of continuity but it is based on a completely erroneous foundation and the erroneous foundation is simply this the idea that the Bible commands slavery it never does and actually the Bible subverts slavery by the very fundamental thing does it not interest you here in verse one that Paul assumed that slaves would be part of Christian congregations now Paul was a part of the Church of Ephesus where Timothy was a pastor and there were many congregations in Ephesus it wasn't like there was one Church or one big church there were many congregations over the whole region Paul was familiar at these congregations and this is what Paul knew he knew that slaves attended those churches and large numbers and I can't tell you what a scandal it was to the Roman world for a Roman a secular Roman someone who wasn't saved yet someone to visit a church congregation and they would come and they would see a slave and a master sitting side-by-side in church the secular will be absolutely scandalized by that but it was normal operating procedure for the church and what would really blow their mind is that in that very well church it might be that the slave was a elder or a pastor in the church and in that sense he had pastoral authority or elders authority over a master or his master but again that's how it was in the ancient world and in early Christianity brothers/sisters Christianity arose in this social setting where slavery was commonplace there were by some estimates 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire some slaves had very privileged positions other slaves were treated with terrible abuse but the Bible never commanded slavery it did permit it and regulate it now why didn't the Bible forbid slavery in the days of the Roman Empire and I'm just gonna be very straightforward with you I don't know I don't know now I can give you the theories people give and you can weigh these theories for yourself most people believe that the reason why the Bible did not forbid slavery by declaring it absolutely sinful and and commanding slaves to revolt against their masters is they simply say that Jesus Paul and others in the New Testament did not call for a violent revolution against the institution of slavery because in all likelihood at least humanly speaking it would have failed miserably and been a bloodbath yet through the transformation of the gospel they did effectively destroy the foundations of slavery racism greed class hatred and they made a civilization without slavery possible listen as soon as you recognize that that man or woman that you have regarded in your household is a brother or sister in Christ doesn't change everything there's a very famous seal of abolition of society from the Civil War period and and if I was sharper I would have put this up on the screen for you but I can just describe it for you it shows a black slave on one knee with his hands folded pleading with a chain you know coming down from his he's shackled on his wrists he's pleading with his hands folded together his eyes are a bit in an upward gaze and this is what it says around the prim erimeter of the the seal am I not a man and a brother well once you recognize that slavery is essentially destroyed it may take a while but the deathblow to slavery has been dealt and make no mistake about it slavery is active in the world today and some of the most monstrous regimes of our society of our history have been filled with slavery what else was the institution of communism under the Soviet Union under communist China under Mao under other places but vast machineries of slavery that enslaved millions upon millions of people and killed them without regard no slavery is not just in the modern world but the principles of Christianity completely undermine slavery even though there have been people who twist the scriptures and have tried to use the Bible to excuse or establish slavery now listen all I can reply to that is people have been using the scriptures to twist their own ends for any time then people twist the scriptures to worship Mary people twist the scriptures to baptize babies people twist the scriptures to justify any number of things now we don't judge it by how the scriptures are twisted but what they teach when they are rightly divided no the church itself was the place where slavery was destroyed it was not uncommon as I said before for a master and a slave to go to church together it blew the minds of the secular Roman culture but it was the proclamation of the gospel the men are brothers the church is one family now with all that in context and again do you understand why I spend so much time on that I want you to understand that there's fundamental equivalence that people make slavery the order of men and women in the church and in the home homosexual behavior that it's all on this trajectory where mankind's getting better and better and we just need to get along with the times which by the way I don't even know what to say about that kind of thinking we'll just we'll just leave that at that but but anyway that's why I spent so much time speaking about them but please understand the command here work well these same principles apply to our occupations today when we work hard and honor our employees and I know some of you you worked your jobs go well my boss treats me like a slave I can take this but we're all in this thing of being employees and we should work hard for our employers it glorifies God but when we're bad workers when we're disrespectful to those in authority over us at the workplace it brings shame on the name of Jesus Christ and again notices he says do it so that the name of God and his doctrine may not be blaspheme now verse 2 and those who have believing masters let them not despise them because their brethren but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved teach and exhort these things now again post carefully if you're a slave and you have a believing master don't expect that he's gonna give you you know lenient treatment and just well he shouldn't be abusive toward you the scriptures are very clear on that in other places there are many places in the New Testament which consciously exhort masters to treat their slaves well as again the Bible never come and slavery but it did regulate it and part of that regulation was to say to masters you treat your slaves well nevertheless this why don't you send Paul saying just because your boss is a Christian don't expect to get favored treatment okay I think that's honorable what we shouldn't think well you know I can get away with with taking more time off because I'm a believer my boss is a believer well I can get away with you know pilfering things from the job cuz I'm a believer the boss doesn't believe it no Paul says that brings dishonor to the name of God Warren where's Bea relates the story of a young woman who had left a secular job to work for a Christian organization she had been with the Christian organization for about a month and she was totally disillusioned this is what she said I thought it was gonna be heaven on earth she complained instead there's nothing but problems so Warren where's me asked her if she was working just as hard for her new boss in the Christian organization as she did in the secular job the look on her face said no so where's Bea told her try working harder and show your boss real respect just because you're in the office and are saved it doesn't mean that you can do less than your best she took his advice and the problems cleared up so again don't expect special treatment on the job because your boss is a believer and again the idea teach and exhort these things now going on in verse 3 where he begins to talk about money contentment and godliness and before we get this between now and the end of the chapter he's gonna talk a lot about money and it kind of struck me well why why talking so much about money here well understand something Ephesus was a banking and financial center for that whole region of the Roman Empire Ephesus was a wealthy city there is no doubt that there were some people in the whole Ephesian congregations and I imagine that over the whole region of what was called the Roman province of Asia Minor of which Ephesus was the capital in that entire region there were thousands of Christians when you read the work described in Acts chapter 19 you had probably suppose that there were thousands of believers among those thousands were no doubt some who had considerable resources so here Paul's gonna speak to those who misuse but notice this before he talks about money he's gonna lead into it by talking about what people do with God's Word verse 3 if anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words even the words of our lord jesus christ and to the doctrine which accords with godliness he's proud knowing nothing but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words from which come envy strife reviling evil suspicions useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain from such withdraw yourself again Paul is coming back to a theme that he established earlier in the first chapter that Timothy must be on guard against those who would miss use the word of God those who look at verse 3 do not consent to wholesome words he's warning Timothy against the argumentative heretic who leaves the Word of God to promote his own ideas brothers and sisters all I got to tell you is those people are out there there there are people out there and I won't call them crazy people because oftentimes they're not crazy people their very same people who might hold one crazy idea but man they hold that one crazy idea with all their strength and they're obsessed with it they are as he says they do not consent with wholesome words but they claim to honor God's Word while actually misusing it there's a lot of different ways that people do not consent to the truth of God's Word some people deny God's Word well that's that's not consenting to it some people ignore God's Word that's not consenting to it some people try to explain away God's Word some people twist God's Word and those kind of people look what Paul says about him in verse 4 he is proud knowing nothing and just like all the proud they won't admit to their lack of knowledge and like most proud people they're able to convince other people that they're experts when actually they must use it and one way to know these people look at verse 4 they are obsessed with disputes and arguments those who misuse God's Word they love to argue and again I don't know if you've met people like this maybe and I don't say with anything like supernatural knowledge or anything maybe there's an issue or two where you could be like this look there there's something like this in my life that I have to very consciously hold myself back and I don't know for how many years it's been five years ten years last five or ten years I've thought a lot about the issue of infant baptism or believers baptism it can be a little bit of a hobby horse for me in my own mind and you know what a hobby horse is a hobby horse is a horse that rocks back and forth but never goes anywhere and I make in my mind the treatise I'm gonna write I'm got in my mind the videos I'm gonna make and maybe I'll make them but you know what you know me my testimony is clear before have I conducted this hobbyhorse before you from this pulpit I have not maybe I've mentioned it from time to time but if you only knew how much I held back because again again that's not the proper role of a teacher to just stir up arguments and just do I think it's something important yes but it just has to be kept in perspective and when it doesn't happen look at the fruit of these disputes and arguments verse four mentions Envy strife reviling evil suspicions listen I got to say that sometimes praise the Lord it has been rarely my experience and I thank the Lord genuinely for that but sometimes that speaks of how the pastor is treated these argumentative people they Envy the pastor and his office they never admit to it but they do they they want to try to create strife among Christians just again look at the words of verse four that they would promote the revealing of Timothy and other leaders in the church and that they'd be the source of evil suspicions sowing about evil suspicions about Tim he and other leaders listen Timothy needed this warning both to strengthen and say okay this is normal this this is a struggle that those who are faithful Proclaimers of the word go through and I just say I want to thank the Lord that I've had very very little of this kind of attack in my own ministry maybe the Lord knows that that I've got a weakness for this stuff and he's just spared me but Paul needed to encourage Timothy in this context and then he comes into this thing in verse 5 where again he's gonna begin to talk about the idea of money and contentment in verse 5 he says who suppose that godliness is a means of gain this is another characteristic of those who misuse God's truth their interest in the things of God is not entirely for God's glory but it's at least in part motivated by their own desire for wealth and comfort they suppose godliness is a great gain I find it interesting pulsing listen to this people who are in the ministry people who attack ministers basically to stir up notoriety to stir up money to stir up web traffic there supposing that godliness is a means of gain now I think it's fascinating there because it seems like as soon as Paul wrote that although it it's possible that maybe he wrote this with his own hand maybe he dictated it to a scribe but as soon as he either said it or rode it a thought came into his mind look at verse six here's the thought now godliness with contentment is great gain I love that because Paul made the statement without apology in verse 9 it's wrong for us to think that godliness is a means of gain that the reason why I should follow Jesus is that it's all going to be sunshine and easy things and everything's gonna be great and it's gonna be this wonderful primrose path and everything's gonna be wonderful and I'll have you know bla but whatever you get the idea it's wrong to think that way godliness is a means a material gain but then again Paul says now wait a minute though I don't want to be misunderstood it's not like we're not gainers for godliness we are gainers our godliness I love how he qualifies it in verse 6 now godliness with contentment is great gain it is true that godliness is great gain I almost think Paul's taking it back a little bit from verse 5 I said they're wrong because I think godliness is a great game and goes well but women it is great gain if you combine it with what contentment oh that's a beautiful for it isn't it contentment truly something that money cannot buy the heart that is basically discontent will never ever have enough they live by the itch for more and that's what they want because the idea isn't a number in their bank account that makes them content no they just have this fundamental itch for more they live their life to shop and acquire and gain and store brothers/sisters whenever we think that getting something material or getting more of it will truly answer our lives needs we lack this contentment one way to kind of is how much are we grieved at material loss now look if you lose your car your home whatever I don't expect you to be walking around happy about it though maybe gonna get a sweet insurance payout I really don't know but listen that's just generally I'm not saying that we feel no pain at these things but really what's the depth of the pain how deep does the wound go how deep does it go to be able to just say now wait a minute I really see that life does not consist in the things that a man or woman possesses and whenever we get an inordinate pleasure from buying or having some material thing we lack this contentment which is how happy does it make you to get the latest thing and again this is such a hard thing isn't it I I can't say well yeah I got the latest smartphone but I hate it you know come on that's yeah you could be excited about it it's fine but in your heart you should be able to have the Holy Spirit speak to and say you know what David you're a little too happy about this you're a little too excited yeah I don't know I'm the happy scale you know a 4 or 5 would be fine for this thing but you're up at 9 or 10 cool your jets a little bit David you're putting too much trust in a material thing to give you contentment no but godliness with contentment is great gain I love what Paul said in Philippians chapter 4 verses 11 through 13 let me read that to you not that I speak in regard to need for I have learned in whatever state I am first of all it knows it I have learned it wasn't in Paul automatically he had to learn this and I think we all have to learn it don't we where I have learned in whatever state I am to be content I know how to be abased and I know how to abound everywhere and in all things I've learned both to be full and to be hungry both to abound and suffer need I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and you like that last verse verse 16 of Philippians 2 verse 13 of Philippians chapter 4 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me whew what a great verse but you realize what's written in the context of it's written in the context of contentment I've learned to be content by the way I like what he says I've been content when I've had a lot and I've been content when I've had a little some people are so tortured by guilt when God blesses their resources and give them a lot that they're just oh they're just always worried about it listen if you take a look at the Bible you'll see that God has honored and blessed many many wealthy men in the scriptures I mean I could make the list but you just know so know Paul said I can be content having a lot but I've also been content having little the state of his heart did not but depend on his material resources and this is the heart of contentment look at verses seven and eight he says where we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out and having food and clothing with these we shall be content I mean you just Paul could just put the pen down and walk away right how much did you bring into this world nothing not only did you not have even a penny you didn't have in a pocket to put the penny into you came into this world with nothing and you know what you're gonna take into the world to come nothing you know what they use gold for in heaven to pave the streets they use it for asphalt they use great pearls for gates it's a different economy all together and just having this mentality that says listen listen it's certain we can carry nothing out it's been said and it's kind of a preacher's cliche but it's a pretty good Pete preachers glish cliche that you never see a hearse pulling a u-haul trailer of course somebody will go online and find me a picture of a hearse pulling you don't do that I'm sure you can find it online but you get the idea it just doesn't happen when you pass from this life to the next it's what you've done with what God has given you that's really gonna matter and so he says having food and clothing we shall be content listen we get jaded over the years we have an over stimulated culture and and the whole marketing and advertising industries they're pretty good at deliberately creating discontent in me yeah I'm driving my car no my car is just fine it gets along pretty good and I see that commercial oh my stars did you see that car in that commercial that's awesome look at that thing and all of a sudden I'm looking at my car that piece of junk I have you know and again it's easy to happen but but no we just need to have a godly perspective on these things and the idea is just we have contentment from the Lord he goes on and hits it even harder in verses 9 and 10 but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare in into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil from which looks to me for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows significantly here Paul didn't point out having riches but the desire to be rich when somebody is obsessed with the desire for riches it warps them look I need to be very plain on this because especially in our day and age people UNMISS understand this all the time poor does not mean godly and rich ungodly nor is it true the other way around there were many remarkably godly men in the Bible who were almost unbelievably rich Abraham David Solomon are examples I mean these guys were almost unbelievably rich richer in their day than any of the great billionaire's of our own day these men were humble but they were godly men so we shouldn't go around with the idea that you know well poor means automatically godly and rich know and but nor is it the other way I like what the psalmist said in Psalm 62 10 remember this verse Psalm 62 10 if riches increase do not set your heart on them now instead he says verse 9 those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare now to me this is especially especially a rebuke of something that traditionally has been called in Christian circles the health and wealth gospel or the prosperity gospel it's kind of the guy who goes out there and whips up the congregation's as once you rich God wants all his children driving you know the Cadillac or the big fancy car and God wants it and of course the whole key for them what is it the key for God making you rich it for you to give money to that preacher isn't funny how that works and this distorted idea of the way God wants to bless us because let me tell I say without apology without apology I say this God wants to bless the finances of the believer and especially when believers are biblically generous when they give as God would have them give you see the blessing of God on their finances and I believe that that is the blessing of God and God wants to do that and loves to do that but that is a far cry from this desire to be rich and if that desire to be rich is coming from the pulpit if it's coming from the preacher what an abomination what a true abomination again we see it's a twisting of something instead look at the danger the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil think about it there is not a single evil in this with not a single form of immorality not a single form of murder not a single form of injustice not a single form of violence there is not a single form of evil on this earth that will not be practiced for the sake of money that's how powerful it is so he says no the love of money is a root of all kinds of your and those those who pursue riches with this wrong wrong way look at first time there's a tragedy to it they have pierced themselves through with many sorrows I suppose that you and I we know about people sometimes we know him personally sometimes we just know their their stories and by the measures of this world they've got a lot but their life is pierced through with many many sorrows there's no contentment in Jesus Christ there's no peace of God in their life and what do you have then what do you have you have nothing no I'll tell you starting at verse 11 well now let me read you one thing I can't leave this section going to verse 11 without reading of this quote from John trap-jaw entrap our Puritan commentator that we just love the way he writes the occasional phrase here's John Trapp quote so do these strangle drown poised and their precious souls with profits pleasures and performance and many times meet with perdition and destruction that is with a double destruction temporal and eternal has some expounded that man could write a sentence could he not now that piercing through with many sorrows on this world and the next what a tragedy you have so much and have it be a pain to you instead of a blessing to yourself and others now starting at verse 11 here here is where it gets good let's admit it's been pretty negative talking about that here starting in verse 11 we get into Paul describing true riches you want to get into true riches here's true riches but you O man of God flee these things and pursue righteousness godliness faith love patience gentleness fight the good fight of faith lay hold on eternal life to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate that you keep this commandment without spots blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ appearing which he will manifest in his own time he who is the blessed and only potentate the king of kings and the Lord of lords who alone has immortality dwelling an unapproachable light whom no man has seen or can see to whom be honour and everlasting power Amen now you read that that's six verses strung together say David usually you're just taking a verse or two at a time why did you do six because can't you see Paul was on a roll right there can't you see this outpouring of heart you guys listen Timothy you got these people with their issues in the Ephesian Church great now you know how to speak to them now you know how to instruct them but you you're supposed to be different look at that in verse 11 but you oh man of God this is a contrast Timothy you especially as a minister of the gospel you're not to live for riches and material wealth flee those proud arguments of the people who misuse God's word as we studied earlier in the chapter no you're to be different instead verse 11 pursue righteousness godliness faith love patience gentleness you see Paul piling word upon word because he's trying to set Timmy Timothy's I said Timmy again Timothy's vision upon a higher level a higher aspiration Timothy you got something greater to live for and you verse 12 fight the good fight of faith go in God's Way against the flow of the world it's not gonna be easy you better have the same determination that a soldier has now I find it interesting because if you think of Timothy as a soldier fighting the good fight how did Timothy get into the army so to speak God's army well first he was drafted look at verse 12 to which you were also called all right that's what happen when somebody's drafted they get a letter from the get your drafted you're called Uncle Sam wants you Timothy you were drafted into the Lord's army but at the same time you also chose it look at verse 12 and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses you yes I've been drafted in this word but I'm also a volunteer who has freely confessed my willingness to serve the Lord in this way and I've made this confession I love this fray in the sight of God who gives life to all things the God who gives life to all things Paul comes back to something that he touches on occasionally in first Timothy but several times others letters the idea that God is our Creator Britain says that just want to give to you again and again keep it in your mind God is the Creator we have obligations to God simply because he is our Creator and then he says verse 14 until our Lord Jesus Christ appearance Jesus witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate and he's going to come again and then starting at verse 15 he just starts describing Jesus he it says he who is I want you to put don't you see in these verses he's trying to stir Timothy's courage fight the good fight don't be like them rally yourself Timothy I know it's a difficult job you must get discouraged from time to time you feel like you've got a lot of enemies out there you feel like you've got these people opposing you but get in there and fight the fight and when he does that he concludes with this exhortation think about how great Jesus is that's what it comes down to if you and I are gonna be properly motivated to live the Christian life as we can as we must the motivation is gonna come from a focus on Jesus Christ it's not gonna come from a focus on self but when we look at who Jesus is and understand how great he is and look at this description of how great Jesus is first of all verse 15 he is the blessed and only potentate he is the one who alone has all power and strength he rules over the universe I'm an occupied throne in heaven now when you keep this idea of the greatness of Jesus Christ and who is it will inspire you to do great things throughout the history of the world how many battles have been won because the soldiers look to their general the soldiers look to their officer and the the strength the courage the resolve the wisdom of their officer and that thing it inspired them to do things that that were beyond themselves it's as if he says you're in this fight Timothy look look at your commanding officer Jesus Christ he will inspire he'll inspire you knowing that he is the blessed and only potentate verse 15 he is the king of kings and the Lord of lords again the majesty of man fades in comparison to the glory of Jesus the richest smartest most influential people on this earth they are midgets next to Jesus Christ doesn't even compare and I didn't mean that in any offensive way they're small they're insignificant they match nothing compared to Jesus he is the king of kings and the Lord of lords and verse 16 who alone has immortality dwelling and unapproachable light whom no man has seen or can see Jesus is holy do you know what it means that Jesus is holy he is not merely a super man Jesus is more than a man he alone has immortality nobody has immortality the way Jesus does among all humanity who alone dwells in unapproachable life who no man has seen or can see and then verse 16 to whom be honor an ever lasting power we should honor and worship such a great God no wonder at the end of verse 16 what is Paul right a men Amen right on amen to that no doesn't it seem like the letter should end there no if you're like me you know you have a conversation to me right I'll anything oh I I want to add this was this clear enough did I emphasize this enough so now Paul's gonna come back to something that he discussed early in the chapter verses 17 and 18 command those who are rich in the present age not to be haughty nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the Living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy let them do good that they may be rich in good works ready to give willing to share storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life what a fast nating phrase Paul uses there's many fascinating fries but look at that phrase in verse 17 those who are rich in this present age it's like there's an expiration date on all those riches you have them yeah you're rich in the present age and I suppose any one of us we'd rather be rich in the present age then pour in the president but you know how much that's good for the present age that's it so what do you do well first of all you're not proud verse seventeen tell them not to be haughty I suppose pride is a constant danger with riches it's very easy to believe that we are more because we have more and we just shouldn't think that way but again verse seventeen nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the Living God you know God knows our tendency this is a tendency for each and every one of us each and every one of us has the tendency to trust more in material things than we do in spiritual things it's how we're wired as human beings and our culture around us tells us that's how we should think but Paul says no riches of this world they're uncertain the living God has a much greater certainty he is completely certain and so what should we do we should do good that they would be rich in good works ready to give be a giver do good with your resources that's what guards your heart from materialism and trusting and uncertain riches you and I need to be givers to God's work in God's kingdom not primarily because the church needs the money or the ministry needs the money or whatever it is though it's true I mean of course there's practicalities Muser but that's not the primary reason the primary reason that I need to be a giver and you need to be a giver is to keep our heart free from materialism I think it's almost like a vaccination an inoculation against materialism to have a very giving heart and that's what God wants us to be and to do and what do we do at the end of that verse 19 we will lay hold of eternal life that's what we're looking for what a better contrast that is to what he wrote about previously when he talked about just being rich in this present age see that contrast rich in this present age verse 17 - laying hold of eternal life now to conclude the letter and you know we're gonna get into the second letter Paul wrote to Timothy and these last two verses of first Timothy are a beautiful lead-in to 2nd Timothy because 2nd Timothy just displays a little more of the passion and longing of Paul's heart in first Timothy we've seen a lot of Paul the wise teacher but look more at the depth of his heart here in verses 20 and 21 with which we conclude the letter o Timothy guard what was committed to your trust avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith grace be with you amen this is a theme that Paul repeats often in this letter don't get distracted from what the main things are guard what's committed to your trust in verse 20 and stay away verse 20 from those vain babblings Paul had confidence in Timothy I believe that he did trust him yet Paul knew that he needed this encouragement he needed this and I know I'm it's popular for Bible teachers to kind of to look at Timothy as something like a weakling oh look at how many times Paul has to exhort Timothy to be strong and to sort of you know so to speak suck it up and be strong and all that and we think well Timothy must have been a real weakling I got to say the more I read the letters of 1st and 2nd Timothy I'll tell you my read on I don't think it was so much that Timothy was a weakling I think the job was so enormous and it's like you need special courage unique courage for such a great job and then he says guard what was committed to your trust because not everybody does verse 21 some have strayed concerning the faith therefore we must do all that we can to keep this trust and then he ends with those great words grace be with you amen look Timothy had a big big job to do he wasn't just the pastor of a congregation or even a large congregation he had oversight over a broad work of God in a whole region one that I think numbered in the thousands of believers it was a big job but he could trust in God to strengthen for it seems true for you and me I don't know what God's put on your plate you know he hasn't put me in the same place of Timothy where I have to look over the whole work of God in a area like Asia Minor and that but whatever responsibility God has given me I don't need to be intimidated by it I can be bold instead for the same is true for each and every one of us Jesus Christ is there to strengthen us and fill us right along the way let's ask for him to do that by His Holy Spirit right now in prayer father this is our prayer we see the the stirring encouragement of faith that Paul gave to Timothy we see Lord the wisdom from Paul in guiding this pastoral colleague of his Lord we need the wisdom but we need the strength Lord you know how far we can be stretched you know how much weight we can bear lord I pray that you give us the unique ability to look at things with an eternal perspective with an emphasis on spiritual truth and to walk after you in all your ways Lord doing that we will walk in the path that you have for us I pray for every believer here this evening that you give us your wisdom and your strength to bear up under whatever responsibility whatever calling you've given to us Lord give that to us right here right now strengthen us to fight the good fight and whatever place you give us to fight we pray at Lord and believe that you will in Jesus name this is a message from the Ministry of Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara for more information about our church please visit calvary us be calm [Music]

Channel: David Guzik

Views: 10,152

Rating: 4.7647057 out of 5

Keywords: wealth greed

Id: XUhuIX03pac

Length: 49min 39sec (2979 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 04 2018