1 Timothy 6:1-10 "Godliness With Contentment"

[Music] what we're gonna do is we're going to take verses 1 & 2 together then we're going to move in two verses 3 through 10 and look at them basically though they are composites they work together we'll look at them individually and so verses 1 & 2 I'll be honest with you even before we begin our study here it's difficult this is one of those subjects that is a difficult subject to give honor to to actually give a good amount of information for us to understand so I'll do my best to to clarify some of the aspects of this as we look at it so beginning at verse 1 reading 2 verse 2 first Timothy chapter 6 the Apostle Paul writes 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 and those who have believing masters let them not despise them because they are brethren but rather serve them because those who are benefited our believers and beloved teach and exhort these things we'll be looking at that in not deep in particular detail but we'll we'll look at that in a way that I think could help us to see some practical aspects of the teaching that Paul is bringing related to slavery now as we open up chapter 6 Paul's continue in a series of admonitions that he'd already begun in chapter 5 in chapter 5 he'd given instructions concerning how to treat people in church when we get to chapter 6 he opens with instructions about relationships but the relationships he's speaking about are between slaves and their owners that's what he means when he writes let as many servants as are under the yoke that's another way of speaking of slavery so this is teaching related to how Christian slaves are to behave in order to understand its context we need to know something about the Roman Empire we need to remember that the Roman Empire was built on the back of its slaves it's been estimated that around up one-third of the inhabitants of the Roman Empire were slaves that would mean that there were in Rome under the Empire's rule something like sixty million slaves question has to be asked how did so many people become slaves during that day well some had become slaves because they were prisoners of war some were criminals who had been sentenced to slavery some became slaves through being sold into slavery because of debt some became slaves when they were kidnapped and sold into slavery some were sold into slavery by their own parents to provide income for themselves and finally some were born slaves by parents who themselves were slaves when you look at the culture of slaves during the time of the Roman Empire some of the slaves could attain a degree of status and many of them were treated very kindly by their masters some were barbers and cooks others who were Butler's or teachers even the family doctor might be a slave as well as a friend there were those who eventually could buy their freedom from their owner and others were set free but in many cases the life of a slave was one of extreme cruelty a slave could be condemned to hard labor beaten chained they'd be branded on the forehead if they ran away even crucified a slave could be killed for any reason whatsoever without any punishment to the owner because the slave was owned by that person one Roman writer said old slaves should be thrown into a dump and when a slave is ill do not feed him anything it's not worth your money take six slaves and throw them away because they are nothing but inefficient tools so in spite of all of this Christianity actually altered slavery in the Roman Empire and Christianity brought three basic changes that did so one Christianity affected the slave owner you see up until that time slave owners could do anything they wanted but under Christ they were commanded to treat the slave fairly and even compensate them to pay a slave was unheard of and yet in Colossians chapter 4 verse 1 Paul said masters give to your servants that which is just and equal knowing that you also have a master in heaven that was revolutionary to command a slave owner to treat the slave fairly and to compensate them was unheard-of that's one of the things that happened the second thing is it it affected the slaves because when a slave came to faith in Christ and this is so important for us to understand in a practical way by way of application to all of us when a slave came to faith in Christ had a relationship with God it gave that slave dignity something that the world didn't give to them but they received it because they were a child of God and because they were God's children they had equal value to other people in Galatians 3:28 Paul speaks of it this way says there's neither Jew nor Greek there is neither slave nor free there is neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus so 1 the slave owner was taught treat him with compensation treat him fairly to the slave himself or herself would have a sense of personal dignity because they were equal in the sight of God but 3 Christianity destroyed slavery because servants and owners became brothers in Jesus Christ you actually see this in the book of Philemon a book that is dealing with a runaway slave how are you to treat a slave that has run away but is about to return is the question and in the book of Philemon in verses 15 and 16 Paul writes perhaps Onesimus who was the runaway slave perhaps an isthmus departed for a while for this purpose that you might receive him forever no longer as a slave but more than a slave a beloved brother especially to me but how much more to you both in the flesh and in the Lord the runaway slave is the brother of the owner and Paul says treat him with dignity because he's not simply slave he's your brother and so Christianity destroyed slavery from the inside when Paul is speaking concerning Christian slaves he's saying you need to live out your faith in two basic ways one in an external way you're to treat your master with respect as a matter of fact you should be the best worker in Ephesians he speaks like that in chapter 6 verses 5 through 8 where he said slaves obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and with sincerity of heart just as you would obey Christ obey them not only to win their favor when their eyes on you but like slaves of Christ doing the will of God from your heart serve wholeheartedly as if you were serving the Lord not men because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does whether he is slave or free so he says serve with a wholeheartedness by way of application obviously when we're doing whatever it is that we do for our occupation when we work our job we ought to be doing things honorably and right because working on that job and people knowing that we're Christians can either give honor to the Lord or it can make his his doctrine even as he said says in verse 1 here it can blaspheme God and his doctor and it could make them look ineffective because Christians acting badly bringing the name of Jesus into disrepute that's why in the book of Titus chapter 2 verse 7 Paul would say in all things show yourself to be a pattern of good works but notice again in verse 2 how he says those who have believing masters let them not despise them let them not despise them because their brethren don't hate your master that's another interesting thing so he speaks up not only the external in the way that they're acting but the internal in the way that they're feeling he says your brothers serve him all the more diligently and do so for his good don't take advantage of him because he's a believer do faithful service in colossians 3:22 through 24 and paul said bond servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh not with eyeservice as men pleasers but in sincerity apart fearing god whatever you do do it heartily as to the Lord not to men knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ that's a general thing for all of us Ecclesiastes 9:10 says whatever your hand finds to do do it with all your might and so when they were working they were working as unto the Lord but also as a benefit to that master now let me rush to say this Paul did not ignore the reality of the institution of slavery he saw it though in this way he saw it as a temporary institution and you adapted to it for the sake of the gospel when he was writing to the Corinthians in first Corinthians 7 verses 21 and 22 he said were you called while a slave do not be concerned about it but if you can be made free rather use it for he was called the Lord called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freed man likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave so even your owner has a masters what he's saying if you can be set free then use it because you can be useful to the hand of the Lord but even while you're under the yoke serve the Lord as you do so it's interesting and somebody noted this and I'll repeat that because I agree and pointed out that Paul didn't preach against it interestingly enough even though it was evil someone said the evil institution of slavery entered into all grades and ranks it was common to all peoples and nations the very fat of society's seemed knit and bound together by this miserable institution war and commerce were equally responsible for slavery to attempt to uproot it to preach against it to represent it in public teaching is hateful to God and shameful to man would have been to preach and teach rebellion and revolution in its darkest and most violent form it was indeed the curse of the world but the master and his chosen servants took their own course and their own time to clear it away Jesus and His disciples such as Paul and John left society as they found it uprooting no ancient landmarks alarming no ancient prejudices content to live in the world as it was and to do its work as they found it trusting by a new and beautiful example slowly and surely to raise men to a higher level knowing well that at last by force of unselfishness loving self-denial and brave patience the old curses such as slavery would be driven from the world so they worked within its confines and actually undermined it by reminding the slave owner he had a master reminding the slave that he's free in Christ and creating a family brothers together who were able together to realize the evil of slavery in Rome that was built on the back of slaves while the slaves and the establishment of that kind of experience for people slowly was degraded by the love and the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ moving into verse three 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 destitute of the truth who suppose that godliness is a means of gain from such withdraw yourself so notice how Paul moves on in verse 3 to say if anyone teaches otherwise he is proud knowing nothing so false teachers who have entered the church are going to argue over his instructions the fact that they reject these sound words reveals their true character and so what he's doing at this point is he's beginning to outline the traits of the false teachers and these traits are really exposed by the rejection of of good doctrine he says that they substitute their short-sighted views of life they reject the teachings of Jesus they throw doubt and discredit upon the upon the teaching of his apostles and servants they stir up discord and they inflame what is called a party spirit so he's beginning to speak concerning their fruit now jesus said that false teachers produced certain kind of fruit that would identify them in Matthew 7 15 and 16 he said beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are ravenous wolves you will know them by the fruits do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles in matthew 7:20 he said by their fruits you will know them so by the fruit you know them in my backyard I have some trees fruit trees and each one of those trees that I have is going to produce a fruit a particular one now when it's not bearing fruit I can't tell the difference between a lemon tree and in an orange tree I really can't now there are those with trained eyes who can but but I I can't I'll walk out and it just it's just a tree and so I have to wait until the fruit is produced and so I'll walk up to the orange tree and I'll say oh this is an orange tree look there's argues or I'll see the lemon tree oh this lemons here but that's what it is the tree is there and then it produces fruit you'll know it by its fruit so the fruit that's produced will identify the kind of tree that it is and by the way someone lives it's always easy to see what they actually believe because there are people who will say well I I believe in this or I believe in that I know what you believe not by simply your I know what you believe by the way you act because your beliefs will always be translated into behavior your doctrine will always be identified by your deeds the way you live will tell me what you honestly believe so it's one thing to say I believe in Christ it's another thing to live as if he really exists and there's a whole lot of people today as we know who claim to have relationship with God a relationship with Jesus Christ but by their fruit you shall know them if they say that they love the Lord there's going to be the evidence of that through the love of God in their life and the way that they live in all of that so in Matthew 12:33 it says either make the tree good and it's fruit good or else make the tree bad and it's fruit bad for a tree is known by its fruit so paul is simply saying false teachers are identifying identifiable by their fruit so what is the fruit of a false teacher verse 4 well he said 1 he's proud he knows nothing so what kind of fruit is produced while he's filled with self-conceit when it says he knows nothing he has morally and spiritually dense so one of the things that the identifiable trait of a false teacher is arrogance it's an arrogant pride they are unwilling to submit to Christ's gospel they're unwilling to submit to proper teaching they are filled with pride and you can see that now I realize today that it's anybody who says look out for this or look out for that can be branded today by today's standards of everything's ok can be branded as a hater I understand that I realize that you have to be very careful how you present things so that people actually understand the point and and frankly and we'll look at this in some detail as a pastor you know I don't want to be one who's always causing problems and arguing with people so just know that because I'm going to give you an illustration several years ago now somebody approached me after a church service and they asked me a question pertaining to something that was on the news that was on the news and it was a newspaper it's about a particular person who was doing certain things and I'm just kind of keeping it vague for a reason doing certain things that that caused people to say is this Christianity is this what Christina Christianity is all about look how hateful this first it is and they were doing some hateful things so somebody walks up to me after church service and says pastor David I want to ask you a question this person's been doing this are you aware of that and I said yeah I noticed I saw in the news and I read in the newspaper well pastor is that right what do you think about that now this is a person after church service speaking to me about whether this person's behavior reflects well on the gospel of Christ so I said well to be honest with you what he's doing isn't right because it's giving the world opportunity to to blaspheme the name of Jesus by his behavior because Jesus doesn't teach us to do the things that this person is doing so what he's doing if you ask me is that right I'd have to say according to Scripture as I understand it it isn't right oh thank you pastor well I didn't know it but he was a friend of the guy that was doing all of this so I get a letter from this guy who was on in the newspaper and was on the news and this guy writes me and he tells me off from hello pastor David to goodbye it's an angry letter through the whole letter telling me what an idiot I am and this and then I at first I thought it was from Marie but it wasn't it was it was from this pastor he was mad how dare you this how dare you that and then he he closed his letter by giving his name and then the letters behind it Bachelor of Arts Master of Arts doctor of theology Doctor of Philosophy you know ba ma PhD PhD that's how he signs it and then he says I'm sending copies of this and he names all these well own pastors to let him know what kind of jerk you are so I write them back and I went point by point I said well seeing that you're willing to embrace what somebody else is saying I said let's approach what you're saying to me and point by point I responded and I concluded by saying and this is evidence that you're wrong and what you did was wrong because this is what Jesus said is right and I closed it by saying David Rosales HSG high school graduate I mean come on PhD PhD am a bachelor you're feel wrong I don't care how many letters you have behind your name you're still wrong you can't twist the scriptures to suit your behavior you see and that's not because of my pride and arrogance by the way it's simply because that's what we're taught in Scripture you do not go out and intentionally dispute and cause problems and that's what Paul is talking about he's saying there's an arrogant pride that marks them in Proverbs 1310 by pride comes nothing but strife but with the well-advised is wisdom so he's saying that this these false teachers are unwilling to yield to true and healthy Bible teaching because true and but and healthy Bible teaching produces godliness instead he gives teachings that produce strife and carnality he is according to verse 4 one who knows nothing when he says he knows nothing he has no understanding of truth he doesn't understand the work of Christ he doesn't know the elements of the Christian faith and according to Galatians 6 verse 3 if anyone thinks himself to be something when he's nothing he deceives himself so he doesn't understand the nature of genuine faith in the Lord Paul is saying he has no depth he has no understanding of how God works in this world he has ideas that don't take into consideration all aspects of how faith actually works but in contrast a genuine teacher is going to cling tightly to the Bible for its instruction a genuine teacher receives instruction and Willie he submits to the Word of God like it says in psalm 119 verse 10 with my whole heart I have sought you well let me not wander from your commandments a genuine teacher knows that God is in control and the best thing that you can do is trust him like it says in proverbs 1 verse 5 a wise man will hear an increase learning a man of understanding will attain wise counsel and that's why Paul later would encourage Timothy and second Timothy 1:13 by saying hold fast the form of sound words which you have heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus a second thing about him is he's argumentative he's obsessed with disputes and arguments notice over words in other words he loves to nitpick he loves to find something debatable that he can argue over and sometimes there are those who who have a spirit like that who have an attitude like that they they look for a word so that they can begin to debate and argue with you over that word you know I've been ministering for quite a while now and every once in a while there'll be somebody who wants to debate over a single word or a single concept and that that's something that's to be avoided in 2nd Timothy 2 verse 23 Paul said don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments because you know they produce quarrels in contrast the genuine teacher has a gentle spirit rejecting unnecessary debates in 2nd Timothy 2:24 the servant of the Lord must not strive be gentle to all men apt to teach and patient you see the wisdom according to James 3:17 that is from above is first pure then peaceable gentle willing to yield full of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy so he says the fruit of the teaching well in verse 4 he says is envy strife revealing evil suspicions that's the fruit of their teaching Envy is intense dissatisfaction and longing for what someone else has strife is quarrels but those who refuse to agree with their opinion do you ever have somebody that's talking to you and you don't agree with them and before you know what they're getting in your face over that I've had that more than once I've had that with pastors I was seated across from a certain well-known pastor on one occasion he was he was sharing his wisdom with all at the table and I looked at him and I said you know I don't agree with that boys did he ever get angry you know he did because he's not used to people saying oh thou fount of wisdom thou art wrong and he didn't appreciate that at all and so that happens well that's called contention or strife revealing the word rebinding speaks of injurious speech towards those who oppose them or debate their position to call you names in other words evil suspicions are wicked beliefs that they are right and others are out to get them in verse 5 calls of Meuse wranglings useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth they're argumentative because there's no truth in them they are unenlightened they don't hold fast to the Word of God and so on 119 130 it says the entrance of your words gives light it gives understanding to the simple this kind of attitude destroys the unity of spirit and it certainly undermines the work of the church and that's why Paul would be telling Timothy watch out for these false teachers that's why Paul would say if anyone teaches otherwise and doesn't consent to wholesome words even the words of our lord jesus christ and to the doctrine which accords with godliness he is proud knowing nothing that's why he would say that their so-called wisdom isn't from the lord now notice verse 5 who suppose that godliness is a means or a source of gain what is their motive greed they used the gospel to make money for themselves and they fleeced the Sheep and Paul had a righteous anger and outrage over what they were teaching about the Lord they had taken the son of God and made him a source of personal income a few years ago several years ago now I was watching what was called Christian TV and there was this particular individual on who was well he was fleecing the flock I'll just be honest with you and say it that way he was performing as if he had received he was receiving words from God and calling people's names out in the audience and telling him stand up is there so-and-so here I think they're off to my left and and he'd call their name as if the Lord was given the name you know Cheryl Cheryl what Joan you know Joan's or whatever and then this woman would stand up and and I saw him do that and I said this is a charlatan well I happened to have his home address so I wrote him a letter in a nice way David Rosales HSG no I wrote him it and I said to him listen saw you on TV saw you fleecing the flock want to warn you what you're doing God is going to deal with you cannot get away with ripping off God's people God is going to deal with you as a brother I'm warning you step away from this and get right with the Lord well he didn't but he was exposed it was on national TV it was exposed in the newspaper it was fully exposed and I warned him I said you cannot do this you cannot take advantage of God's people that's what Paul's talking about right here that's what he's speaking about right here he is saying that these people believe that godliness is a means of gain they believe that selling Jesus is something that should make them rich he's already stated that that teachers who ruled well were to be compensated but these were the ones these were the ones he spoke of who labored in the word and in doctrine but these false teachers well these false teachers were were charging fees for their bad teaching the fruit of the teaching was this was destroying the body of Christ it was destroying lives you know there is there are people who have I have had in the past they send things to you this one this one radio preacher was was selling for any offering of any sort autographed pictures of Jesus think about that for a minute you know be if it wasn't so tragic I should not laugh it was terrible but if you if you send any amount to my church he said I will send you an autographed picture of Jesus now see I had an uncle named his sous I could have sent his picture love chewy you know but I mean these are the things that they do this I had in my in my office for a long time a prayer mat it had four angels with horns and I the instructions that came with the prayer mat was for me to to put it on the ground to take my wallet pull out the largest bill or my credit card put it in the center to kneel to pray and then send him the largest offering I could so that he could pray to God to financially prosper me and I told her all that's wrong you shouldn't do that it's just not right but I'm telling you there have been so many charlatans and to this day and you know the interesting thing is is they're preaching false doctrine for the sake of financial gain in Titus one 10 and 11 Paul said there are many rebellious people mere talkers and deceivers especially those of the circumcision group they must be silenced because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach and that for the sake of dishonest gain there are those who defend their error there are those who support them with their finances and when I've mentioned them by name I get the letters and I don't about the letters that doesn't matter to me that somebody wants to contend it's just saddens my heart to know that people will contend over something like that it's so patently wrong it it's unscriptural do you continue sending them money no you withdraw from them you avoid them you realize that they are spiritual arsenic in Romans 16 17 and 18 Paul said it like this I urge you brethren note those who cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you learned and avoid them for those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly and by smooth words and flattering speech deceived the hearts of the simple you see in verse 6 he says godliness with contentment is great gain we brought nothing into this world it's certain we can carry nothing out having food and clothing with these we shall be content but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and 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 for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows a truly godly person is not interested in getting rich off of innocent people why their soul is rich in God and that brings contentment Psalm 37 16 and 17 says better the little that the righteous have then the wealth of many wicked for the power of the wicked will be broken but the Lord upholds the righteous notice how he says we brought nothing into this world it's certain we can carry nothing out isn't that true of course it is I recently heard of a man who had his custom Harley he had done a lot of work on it loved his motorcycle and so he was buried seated on it I don't know where he thinks he's going another guy had a Ferrari he was buried in but the scripture says that we brought nothing into the world and it's obviously that there's nothing that we will carry out I learned this in a very personal way and if you don't mind I'll I'll share something some of you already have heard before but I learned this in a deeper way though I've known this of course for many years I've read my scriptures I've taught this passage many times but I learned it in a very deeply personal way when my father went home to be with Christ back in 2001 my dad had something he called his the box of treasures his treasure box when my dad was dying he was on his deathbed and my father began to give me final instructions my brother and I were there and he gave us final instructions and and this is what I remember him saying he said I have a green tin box in my bedroom in the closet on the shelf he said David in in that box are my most important papers he called him his special treasures well when my father died a couple of days later my brother was there at the house and he thought it's important to to go into my dad's room to go into that closet to take down that important box that tin box that he had in order that he might open it up to see the important papers because he expected to find insurance papers he he thought that he would find the deed for the house we didn't know my dad's financial situation my father was very private if when it came to things related to finances never spoke to us about finances in our entire life my father name never gave me a lecture concerning how to save or what it means to invest my father never spoke to me concerning purchasing insurance nothing I knew nothing about my father in terms of you finances I did not know how much my dad made a week I didn't know anything about him in terms of his finances he kept those things to himself and so we felt that he must have within that little tin that green tin box a fireproof box that he had that he must have his insurance in there he must have the deed to the house in there that's what we thought he would have so my brother waited a couple of days and then he went into the room and he thought I'd better look into this to see what Dad had and he began to look and so when I arrived at the home my brother was waiting for me in the driveway and I came walking up to him and he said Dave he said I opened up daddy's treasure chest and I said okay okay he says you know what I found in it he found cards cards that were made for him when we were in elementary school you know those cards that you make happy Father's Day or happy birthday when you were little and you would outline it and she'd have the little hand there and it had our hand and it said happy Father's Day daddy as a matter of fact it's kind of funny because my brother Frank never could spell and he wrote happy Father's Day my dad used I not used to think that was so funny but it's a happy Father's Day or happy birthday little card see he found my baptism certificate from December of 1950 he found pictures of us when we were in elementary school a clipping from a newspaper noticing my induction into the army he found my dad's wedding license but the insurance policy and the deed to the home were in a cardboard box that were next to this metal box he didn't care if the insurance papers were burned he didn't care if the deed was burned what he cared about was my pictures my cards forgive the emotion he would think after all these years I'd be over it I'm not my heart travels back and that taught me something I knew it before I know it more now I carried nothing into this world and I will carry nothing out the only thing that matters is what you do for the Lord now Paul is saying that these people are thinking that godliness is profitable for themselves and he says in this they're wrong because godliness with contentment is great gain we brought nothing into this world it is certain we can carry nothing out in job 1:21 job said naked came I out of my mother's womb naked shall I return thither the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away blessed be the name of the Lord Jesus in Luke 12:15 said it like this take heed and beware of covetousness for one's life does not consist in the abundance of things that he possesses we all know this what we have to remember this we have to be reminded again you're young you pursue things because things youth you think that things will satisfy it and to a degree there will always be a sense of accomplishment you had a goal and I think we need to have them please don't misunderstand what I'm saying at this moment we need to have goals I want to provide for my family I want to do the best that I can with my life I would like to be able to leave something behind for my grandchildren you know that's the mark of a godly man is to do those things but to pursue them with the right attitude it's the love of money that is the root of all of evil not luck not money in and of itself it's that love it's that that greedy desire to obtain thinking that you're going to receive some satisfaction by by having that material item and all of us know all of us know what you live for a little while that you'll get a certain phone and you get this certain system and you think this is the best and then the next year they bring the new one out we know that or you finally saved enough until you've got the car that you really want it it's nothing wrong with having a nice car enjoy it it's great but you finally get the model and then the next year they bring the better one and you go if I don't waited three months and that's what happens and we know that if you don't know that yet your dad's buying you stuff wait until you're older you'll discover it yourself and it's true you see he says it real clearly in verse nine those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows the love of money he's not saying riches are wrong in and of themselves some of the greatest believers who ever lived were also the richest rockefeller the United States richest man he owned 90% of the oral production in the United States this is a man who had a personal worth of something like 360 billion dollars he made the richest people that were aware of today Steve Gates and others look like paupers in comparison this man had three hundred and sixty billion dollars he had the majority of the national income the gross national net worth he had more of it himself this guy was an incredibly rich man but he used to like to go to his church and and and be the janitor because he had a sense of what mattered he had that sense he knew that money wasn't going to give him satisfaction the richest man the United States had there's a man by the name of Solomon all of us know absolvent he was the wisest man he was also very rich when you at Salomon he received well through commerce through trade gifts taxes tribute Israel it says in first Kings chapter 10 verse 21 concerning Solomon during his day silver was accounted as nothing of value then you read the book of Ecclesiastes and Solomon tells you what he had he says that I had greatness I enjoyed partying he said I had my fill of wine I built great houses I had vineyards water pools servants armies I had any woman I wanted anything I desire he said was mine but in the end he gave a final observation it's round in chapter 12 verses 13 and 14 of Ecclesiastes he said this let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter fear God keep his Commandments for this is man's all for God will bring every work into judgment including every secret thing whether good or evil I've had it all I'm summing up 12 chapters of my writing by saying fear God and serve Him because you're gonna stand before him one day the love of money according to verse 10 is a root of all kinds of evil through greed they promote themselves and they look for opportunity to make more money and in doing so they reject their faith and they go for the gold interestingly he began with slaves he ends with the rich slaves are free in Christ but the rich can be slaves to greed the result they pierced themselves through with many sorrows they got what they wanted but they have a burdened conscience that weighs on them and our prayer ought to be proverbs 30 verses 8 and 9 keep also it in lies far from me give me neither poverty nor riches give me my daily bread otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say who is the Lord or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God give me moderation Lord and anything you can trust me with give me that godliness with contentment is great gain for both slave and the rich man

Channel: Calvary Chapel Chino Valley

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Keywords: Calvary Chapel, Calvary Chapel Chino Valley, CCCV, Pastor David Rosales, A Sure Foundation, Bible, cccv, Church, Teaching, Worship, God, Christians, Bible Study, Jesus, A Jesus People Community, Truth, Gods Word, David Rosales, Pastor David, Ministries, Bible Studies, Gospel, Holy Spirit, End Times

Id: lLPdjZ5RFGA

Length: 44min 43sec (2683 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 19 2017