1 Timothy 6:6-11 * October 7, 2007 * Pentecost 19 * Pastor Leyrer
Dear
Friends in Christ,
Have
you ever wondered why some people can remain calm, assured and at peace even in
the midst of troubling situations or a hard life, while others who presumably
have everything going for them don’t seem to be happy?
Looking
to the Bible for examples, why is it that a man like the Apostle Paul – a man
who regularly suffered for the cause of Christ – could, while he was in prison, write a letter like he did to the
Philippians; a letter which is unexpectedly upbeat and liberally sprinkled with
the words “rejoice” and “joy,” while on the other hand a man like King Herod –
a man who “had it all” according to the world’s standards (wealth, power, fame,
influence) – after hearing about the Christ Child from the Wise men, flew into
such a rage and put himself through such anguish at the very thought of someone
else possibly having what he had?
Why? The answer is this: Some people, like the Apostle Paul, have
learned
And that’s the message we have before us today in our text, where we learn these two important lessons:
1.
True contentment has nothing to do with outside circumstances
2.
True contentment has everything to do with knowing Jesus Christ
Our text begins with a statement familiar to anyone who grew up memorizing Bible passages: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” By way of context, we should note that in the verses just before this Paul has some harsh words to say about those who use “godliness” (today we would say “religion”) for financial gain. Although they may appear respectable and pious, Paul describes such men as being in reality ungodly and “corrupt” and “robbed of the truth.”
Nevertheless,
Paul recognizes and wishes to address the fact that even among those who truly
are “godly” (that is, Christians), there are those who are not content with their physical lot in life. Consequently he says “Godliness (meaning: true godliness, living for God out of love for
what He has done for us in Jesus Christ) with
contentment (meaning: being satisfied with our earthly situation, whatever
it might be) is great gain.” In other words, this is a good combination.
This
is also a very interesting observation.
Because Paul clearly implies that these two things (godliness and contentment)
don’t always coexist.
So
what Paul is saying is that the attainment of contentment may be a struggle even
for the believer. And if we are
honest, this is something we would all agree to and admit to struggling
with. Contentment, meaning “the state of being content or satisfied or at
peace with what we’ve got,” is often a hard state to be in.
Why
is this? Let me suggest one singular
reason. It is because we live in the world.
And the world we live in preaches just the opposite. Moreover, the world equates contentment almost
entirely with materialism. That is, having
stuff.
The
message we hear from the world is that we are not be content with what
we have and to never be satisfied, but to always be striving for
bigger and better things. The world
works tirelessly at creating a spirit of discontent within us.
And
we’re not immune to this. Although we
are new creatures in Christ who understand the Gospel and desire to live for
our Lord, we still have within us a sinful nature. And as far as our sinful nature is concerned,
pandering to selfishness or pride or the desire for elevating our status by
what we have is not a hard sell.
On
top of that, creating and fostering the idea that we are somehow entitled to a
“better way of life” than we currently have and that somehow we are being
denied if we can’t have everything we want is the fuel that powers a lot of
high octane industries among us. Much of
the advertising industry and all of the gambling industry exist to make us
discontent. And they do their jobs well.
But
what Paul wants us to know is that true contentment has nothing to do with how
much we have or don’t have. What Paul
wants us to know is that those who look for happiness or satisfaction solely in
outside things will be disappointed,
because while such things can provide external ease of life and even temporary
pleasure (there is no denying that, nor is there anything necessarily wrong
with that), they cannot provide us with real inner peace.
Besides
that, stuff doesn’t last. Paul speaks to
the transitory nature of worldly goods and their inability to bring true contentment
in proper perspective: “For we brought
nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing
(actually a better translation is “coverings” which includes shelter as well as
clothes), we will be content with that…”
The point: Everything we have we will eventually leave behind. The only exception is our soul. Therefore, not having brought anything into this world and not being able to take anything out of it, the Christian is to view the stuff we have in such a light – and be happy with what the Lord has given us for this sojourn on earth.
Paul
also wants us to recognize where discontent with what God has or has not given
us can lead: “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.”
Paul
issues a number of strong warnings for us.
We are told, for example, that the desire to get rich can lead to a
chain of events that can and often does have a domino effect. First there is the obsession and temptation
to always have more; next, temptation can lead to action; and finally, action
can bring ruin and destruction upon oneself.
As a summary statement, we are told that the love of money (note well – not money itself, which can be and
is a blessing from God which He bestows upon His children in various degrees –
but the love of money) is a root, or
cause, of all kinds of evil.
And
nobody has to look too far to see the truth of that statement. Behind innumerable acts of fraud and
robberies and broken friendships and strained family ties and perjuries and
wars is the love of money. In addition,
every single one of us can think of examples from our own experiences of how
money owed or money lent or money promised or money spent has caused problems
within our own lives or the lives of others we know.
However,
the worst consequence of equating contentment with “things” is this: “Some
people eager for money have wandered from
the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” In other
words, people have lost their faith either temporarily or permanently because
of the love of money. What happens is
that slowly and subtly “things” become more important than God until God is out
of the picture completely. And there is
no more piercing grief than life without God.
Jay
Gould, the 19th century American financier who died with a fortune
that exceeded $100 million, is said to have exclaimed with his dying breath,
“I’m the most miserable devil in the world.”
He learned too late that stuff promises, but never delivers.
That’s
why the next thing Paul tells Timothy and us is this: “But you, man of God, flee
from all this.” “This” is the
idea that things or riches can bring happiness and contentment. Simply not true.
Paul
tells us to run away from that idea
and run after something else: “Pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” Why?
Because these are the things which will bring satisfaction, happiness
and contentment to one’s life. And
that’s because all these things are tied up with Jesus Christ. The advice to pursue them simply means to work on one’s spiritual life…
Let’s
look at the terms. First, we are to
pursue righteousness. Behind this word is the understanding that we
have been declared righteous, or forgiven, in the court of God’s law because of
the perfect life and innocent death of Jesus Christ as our substitute. Out of love and gratitude we now want to live
righteously, meaning in conformity to His Word and will. Anything else would seem awfully ungrateful,
wouldn’t it?
Next
is godliness. This is much the same as righteousness. In the late
Middle Ages a believer named Thomas a’ Kempis wrote a book still available in
bookstores today. It is a call to
committed Christian living and is entitled “On
the Imitation of Christ.” Is it not
the desire of every Christian to be an “imitation of Christ” before a watching
world?
Next, we are to pursue faith. In his letter to the Romans Paul tells us that “faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ,” that is, the Bible. To pursue faith means to use the opportunities for worship and Bible study and personal devotions and attendance at Lord’s Supper in order to grow and become stronger in our faith.
Next, we are to pursue love. Let us never forget that according to the Christian definition of the word, love is primarily something we do, rather than something we feel. To pursue love means to contemplate the love that we have been shown by Christ, and then to act toward others in a loving way – regardless of how they act toward us.
Next, we are to pursue endurance. Endurance is the ability to bear up under any circumstances – especially difficult ones – and is the byproduct of faith. It is an ability we develop as we pursue all the other ones mentioned.
Finally, we are to pursue gentleness, meaning a kind and compassionate spirit, which develops naturally within those whose lives have been sensitized by the kindness and compassion of a loving Heavenly Father.
Paul says these are the
things to go after. These are the things
to spend energy on. Flee all those ideas
that equate contentment with outward things and work on our inner, spiritual
life… for in doing so we will draw closer to God. And closeness to God is the ultimate and only
source of true contentment. It is the close connection between the soul
and his or her God that results in the contentment so many want, but so few find.
“My soul finds rest in God alone” writes King David in the opening
verse of Psalm 62. And that’s what this text is all
about. Rest for our souls. Understanding the source of real and lasting
wealth. True contentment.
What’s the secret of being content? It is found in knowing these two things: True contentment has nothing to do with outside circumstances. But it has everything to do with Jesus Christ. So…
Where are you on the contentment scale? Is there room for improvement?
Then draw closer to Christ through His Word. Work on your spiritual life. Meditate on the eternal life that is yours through Jesus. Enjoy the blessings of the temporal – it comes from the hand of God – but view it all in light of the eternal.
This is the way – and the only way – we will experience the true contentment that the Apostle Paul describes elsewhere as “the peace of God that passes all understanding.” Amen.