Families, churches, businesses, clubs, schools, cultures…are shaped by what the leaders in those spaces…
-Communicate
-Demonstrate
-Celebrate
What you teach.
What you do.
What you make much of.
This determines the beliefs, values and behaviors all around you.
Children, grandchildren, employees, really all those you have influence with who listen to you and watch you.
Paul writing to his protegee, Pastor Timothy, urges him to communicate, demonstrate, and celebrate the truth and beauty of the gospel.
This last chapter is closing down this letter and summing up his charge to Timothy.
READ: 1 Tim. 6:2b-10
Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
Timothy’s primary calling was to teach, in accordance with sound doctrine.
Every movement…good and evil, starts with teaching.
Jesus came teaching, he sent us to “teach others to obey his teaching”
Stalin, Hitler, Buddha…came teaching.
Ideas that stay in our minds and shape our thoughts…shape our lives
For great good and joy or for terrible and lasting misery…teaching matters.
*Most of you are not called to be pastors of churches…but what you teach…and you do teach…is shaping lives or will someday shape lives.
*It’s why we will be held accountable for our words…they are the most powerful things in the world…because they shape minds and they mobilize people to actions.
James wrote this about the tongue (words)
Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. James 3
But Timothy is to not just to teach, he is “urge”…it is not passive information transfer, but passionate zeal for the truth.
Years ago, I was sitting in a required AF training one sleepy afternoon…the presenter who was very young, he was teaching the information that he was tasked to teach (it was about surviving a chemical, biological, or radiological attack).
The content was not that urgent on that particular afternoon…but pretty urgent stuff if we went war
He was certainly not urgent in his presentation…he was bored…he leaned on the podium, he smacked his gum, and he clicked through the slides.
Back then, chaplains taught the suicide prevention training in the AF…I taught the training many times.
That young man had never been involved in a chemical, or biological attack…there was no urgency in his teaching.
I had been involved with the terrible aftermath of suicide…families, children…I had done the funerals.
I didn’t lean on the podium…I didn’t smack gum…I paced the room, I taught and I urged…every time I taught it…I urged…because the content was urgent.
The gospel is not something we “lean on the podium” and teach.
We teach and we urge…because literally, everything is at stake here.
Next, he goes after those who teach what is not true…maybe they do so with urgency…
The truth without urgency is not compelling in its effects.
A lie, taught with urgency is deadly in its effects.
If:
Teaches False doctrine
and
Does not teach sound doctrine of the Lord (instruction about and by Jesus)
and
Godly teaching (application of that teaching to a god-honoring life)
Then:
He is conceited: pride is the hallmark of these people…they make it about themselves.
He understands nothing: 1 Tim 1:5, “The goal of our instruction is love…”
-We don’t teach truth in order to look smart or win arguments…but to show love.
-These false teachers, they don’t care about that…they know nothing about that.
He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words:
-Professional Contrarians
-Love to be Devil’s advocates
-They are Disrupters (now a career field, a resume bullet point)
It’s good to have questions, to disrupt when it to necessary for the good of others.
But it smacks of arrogance…to do this for the sake of doing this.
It takes no genius to poke holes; a monkey can throw a rock through a boat and sink it…a monkey can’t build a boat.
Martin Luther, in the reformation was a disrupter…but it was the last thing that he wanted to be.
What he wanted to do…was return the church to the truth.
But these guys are unhealthy…their hearts are bad and their motives are wrong.
-Doctrine matters, truth matters…arguments about irrelevant minutia are a waste of time, or worse.
Five kinds of relational sicknesses that follow these people:
1. Envy: They foster and they are fueled by envy, not love.
*They want to impress not bless (they hope others will think…”Man, they are smart, and insightful…I wish I had their insight.”)
It is just so stupid…Paul wanted his hearers to follow Jesus, not to envy him.
So, they foster envy…
And they are also fueled by envy…they want a larger following.
Paul said, “Who cares if they follow Apollos or me…as long as they follow us to Jesus.”
2. Strife: They sow division in their teaching and in their demeanor.
-Angry, combative, critical, sarcastic.
They don’t teach to foster unity; they teach to create “good guys” and “bad guys”…us and them.
You can get more followers if you go negative than if you go positive.
Nobody is interested in reading about the game where they opponents shook hands afterwards…but the big fight that broke out after a baseball game last week was national news…always is.
3. Malicious talk: These guys trade in ad hominin attacks.
*This is a kind of thinking fallacy that means literally: “Against the person.”
These folks have weak arguments, no truth…so they compensate by attacking people.
I can critique your idea with attacking you personally…but that is uncommon…now and then.
4. Evil suspicions:
They foster suspicion where the gospel fosters trust.
When trust becomes low because of personal attacks and false teaching…sides are taken, everyone is a potential traitor or enemy.
People begin to think the worse rather the best of others and civil war breaks out in the church, or families, or among friends.
Civil Wars are never civil.
5. Constant friction: This is a summary of the first four.
-Friction: slows things down, makes heat, impedes progress, brings stress, creates wear and tear and eventually stops, or destroys all movement.
They create this friction because of:
1. Corrupt minds
Clear thought has given way to competition, suspicion, envy, personal attacks
The gospel is about transformed minds leading to transformed lives (Romans 12:2)
These false teachers have malformed minds leading to malformed lives
Stinking thinking leads to messed up lives and relationships…constant friction, impedes all forward movement.
2. Robbed of truth:
Paul has told Timothy that:
God wants all to be saved to come to a knowledge of the truth (2:4)
The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth (3:15)
The enemy has deceived these guys; they have been robbed of the truth…now they teach his lies.
3. They believe that godliness is a means to financial gain.
-This not about the obscene prosperity gospel, it is more subtle.
They have replaced a theology of the cross with the human doctrine of personal advancement.
The theology of the cross is, “I must lay down my life for Jesus and others.”
“If anyone comes after me he must take up his cross and follow me…whoever tried to save his life will lose it.”
This is replaced with, “I don’t exist for God’s glory, he exists for my comfort and preferences.”
This makes people spiritually non-resilient…when life gets hard, when God doesn’t answer prayers like we want him too, when we experience the bang…we have a crisis of faith.
“Wait a minute…I didn’t sign up for this.”
Well did you sign up for?
“Jesus is supposed to make my life better…this isn’t better.”
We are told to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Son of God who said: “Father, if possible take this cup from me, but not my will but yours be done.”
Then he went to the cross.
Godliness is Christlikeness and God’s primary tool in forming Christ in us…is trouble and trials and stress…taking us to the end of ourselves.
Vacations, hobbies, times of pleasant, stress-free living…are great…but they are not the times we tend to grow in reliance on God…or to grow period.
Physical muscles grow when they are put under stress…the same is true for spiritual growth.
What we signed up is growth in becoming like Christ…not a life free of stress and trouble.
In 2001 when the AF took the B1 bombers out of our wing and gave us tankers to fly, a pilot told me, “Chaplain, I didn’t sign up for this.”
I said, “No you didn’t, you signed up for the same thing I did…to support and defend the constitution of the United States.”
I said with a smile…
“Whether they give you a bomber to fly or a potato to peel, that’s what you signed up for.”
He was a friend…he took it as it was intended…to help reshape his perspective.
I have seen many believers fall away from God because something happens or doesn’t happen to them and God failed them…in essence, “I didn’t sign up for this.”
You signed up to follow Jesus…who literally went to the cross.
1 Tim. 6:6-8, are good verses to commit to memory.
But godliness with contentment is great gain.For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
He defines godliness (a God honoring life, faithfulness) in a way that sets it apart from the false idea.
Godliness with contentment IS, in and of itself…great gain.
Godliness is living in line with the truth of the gospel.
Stinking thinking leads to a stinky life and stinky relationships.
Being transformed by a truth-renewed mind leads to a God-honoring, Christlike lifestyle…godliness.
Contentment with Christ, with godliness…is, all by itself, great gain.
Phil 4:11-13 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength
I have seen that last verse on t-shirt’s in the gym…but it’s not about a personal best on the bench press…it is about the power of Christ…to be content and faithful with the will of God for my life.
We will leave this world with everything that we brought into it…nothing.
*I have been there when babies have been born and when adults have died.
*Sadly, I have been there when babies have been born and died in the same day.
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart” Job 1:21
Paul is not saying that earthly goods don’t matter…he is attacking the notion that godliness means the gospel is about earthly gain rather than eternal life.
He is relativizing not trivializing wealth.
Compared to eternal good…these temporary goods are so much less.
Just like he did with physical health…”Physical training has some value, godliness much more.”
It is about the relative value of godliness over health or wealth.
You can have stuff; stuff must never have you.
You can do all you can to have health, health must not become your Lord.
It is crazy to tie your hope in life to material acquisitions (or to health), let alone to tie Christian theology to such fleeting things.
So, he is not advocating for poverty he is advocating for sanity.
Generational poverty is not a good thing, it is something that the gospel will free people from by changing their perspective, their relationships and their choices.
The gospel gives people a long-time horizon, the ability to embrace delayed gratification…the willingness to sacrifice for the future and the good of others.
It won’t automatically make you wealthy…but it will, lead to a life of increased good…more flourishing.
In the end of this letter, we will see next week, Paul will tell his readers, “If God grants you wealth…don’t put your hope in it, instead be generous with it as a stewardship.”
Verse 9, is not about the evils of wealth but the trap of making it into a god, idol.
Again, having money is not the problem, money having your heart is a huge problem.
People who want to get rich have not grasped the riches of the sufficiency of our life in Christ.
1. They fall into temptation:
How much is enough “just a little bit more.”
-The antidote for this is to nurture contentment now: with my job, my home, my wife, my husband, my children, my life, my income.
Want more income?…work harder, work differently…but as you do…nurture contentment all along the way.
2. They fall into a trap:
Money and stuff trap people in a vicious cycle.
-I will be happy if only I have more.
-When I have more…I am afraid to lose what I have
When will you become content with what you have?…well…never, if you don’t start right now.
During the great depression, and after the Bernie Madoff massive rip off…many people took their own lives.
Their lives were tied to their possessions.
Of course, it is a terrible thing to lose your live savings…but our lives must NOT consist of what we have or don’t have financially.
Will we?, Jesus asked, be like the birds of the field…will we trust God or not?
3. Foolish and harmful desires:
God gives good desires.
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Ps 63
Desire for God is a good thing.
The desires he gives us are for our good and his glory. (Let your wife satisfy, desire the good of your city, your family)….good desires.
But these foolish desires for more and more…and for other than God…they lead to our harm.
Plunge people into ruin.
Plunge is a word that was used of the sudden sinking of a boat…ruin and destruction…two words, same idea…these terrible effects in this life that can extend into the next.
Look at verse 10:
The phrase, “Love of money” is a single word in the “Greek”…”philargyria” (fil-ar-goo-REE-ah)
It is an idea with its own title.
There was an ancient proverb that called philargyria, “The capital city of all evils.”
Love of money erects a wall between us and God.
It ruins families and relationships…because it is making something other than God, our master.
Money is great servant, but it is a cruel master.
Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money.” (Luke 16:13)
These people…They have wandered from the faith.
“Wandered off”
It can happen slowly, like the frog in the kettle.
For a while, I’m not sure how long…I had a sensation my chest when I worked out at a certain level.
I chalked it up to age…but I finally had it looked at about a month ago.
It turned out to be an 95% blockage that required a heart stent.
After the stent was installed, THEN I realized…something had been amiss…I felt the relief of full blood flow when I exercised.
Have you been slowly, incrementally wandering away?
Will you let God use his word today to turn you back towards full spiritual health?
Jesus is Lord, he is never co-Lord…you can only have one master.
Those who make money their master, Paul writes, they impale themselves on their own desires.
It is translated here, “Pierced” the word means to be impaled…it is terrible image.
You will impale yourself on the very thing that you pursue.
What you are convinced will give you life…well, it will take life from you.
I am going to conclude with a true story and then a single application.
My Dad’s story
My dad up poor, dropped out of HS, never finished…eventually went to college, without a HS diploma or GED.
His dad was an alcoholic who eventually ruined his health and lost his life…he was not a mean man, he was a man whose addictions controlled him.
My dad determined to set a different course.
Fast forward, we moved to Wichita the summer of 1969, I turned 11 that year, it was the year man landed on the moon.
My dad went to work for KOCH, it was much smaller then…and he did very well there, grew in responsibilities and income.
He left KOCH years later, in his last year there, he spent 260 nights in hotels.
He was told by the then president, when he said that he was leaving… “You won’t leave, you love money as much as the rest of us.”
He left.
He built a pipeline company and hired key three men he had known and trusted for many years…to help lead this large endeavor.
Without my dad’s knowledge, these men fixed some bids and came under criminal investigation.
Eventually, those men got together and formed a plea deal where they implicated my dad to avoid prosecution.
My dad went to trial in Houston after a terrible, 5-year investigation…It was their word against his, he did not get jail time…but he got probation, he lost or gave away most all of his money in the process.
During that 5 years God took hold of my dad like he had not before…maybe its better said, that my dad took hold of God like never before.
God whispers in pleasure, but shouts in pain.
God would wake him up at night to reveal unconfessed sins from his past…and he would do all he could to go make it right.
My dad who was always generous and loving…but could be brash…lost much of that brashness during those terrible years.
My dad forgave the men who had wronged him…at least one came to Christ before he died.
All died difficult deaths…little good their ill-gotten gain did them at the end.
Money had not been my dad’s god, but it had probably meant too much too him at times…it didn’t any longer.
He lived the end of his life for the good of others and the glory of God…he died with very little financial resources; but he died with joy and impact.
My dad, through the threat of prison late in his life, for a crime he did not commit…experienced a transformational reordering of his life and heart priorities.
He spent his last years falling deeper in love with God…and showing love to people.
He could have avoided some of this pain had he listened more carefully to my mom, slowed down and not trusted himself so much…this is from his own mouth to me.
None of that matters now, and God used it all…good and bad for his own purposes.
All these men are gone…my dad, the men who illegally prospered…gone.
All the money is gone; all the stuff is gone.
I was there the morning my dad passed away.
No pipelines to build, no airplanes to fly, no employees spread out across the country, no money…just a man in a hospital gown, essentially naked.
He left like he entered the world…his last breath like his first.
He took out what he brought in…nothing.
But he did, leave here, for the presence of God…he took a life that finished in faithfulness.
So, here is my principle: It will not surprise you.
I lead a graveside service on Friday for a 55 year old husband, father, son…I said then, what I do every single time.
“What matters the most at the end, matters the most now.”
What will matter at the end will be relationship with God and with others…that is what matters the most now.
Paul said it like this, But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it
Godliness is: “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength…love others.”
Faithfulness in this direction is great gain…to give your life for anything other than this will prove meaningless in the end.
If Jesus gives you money…great.
If he gives health…great.
If he gives influence…great.
If he gives intellect…great.
It’s all temporary.
Jesus is what you signed up for…only Jesus.
You are to use what he gives for his glory and good of others…nothing else will matter then, nothing else matters now.
Memorize these verses:
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1 Tim. 6:6-8
Let them shape your mind and your life.
Live with the joy of gospel wisdom shaping your beliefs, your values, and your behavior.
Train yourself to remember exactly what you signed up for.