Lift Week Six: The Lift of Consistent Contentment | 1 Timothy 6:3-16

Mary Ellen Ermis August 6, 2023 sermons, 1 Timothy, cityrise, houston, Lift, Roger Patterson, West U Baptist,

The following is a manuscript of the sermon presented by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, August 6, 2023 at our West U Baptist campus. To view the sermon in full, check out the link below.

Does anyone remember the top selling video game from the holiday season of 1982?

If you guessed Pitfall! for Atari, you nailed it. Although it didn’t beat the year-long sales numbers from other games like Pac-Man, Pitfall! was the most popular video game in the world for a few month span following its release in September of 1982.

The premise of the game was pretty simple. The playable character is Pitfall Harry, a fortune hunter and explorer who is seeking to go throughout the game and collect treasure. However, there are many things along the way that are a threat to Harry, such as rolling logs, dangerous creatures such as scorpions, snakes, and crocodiles, and—you guessed it—literal pits that Harry can fall into if he doesn’t successfully swing over them. If Harry succumbs to too many of these threats, he missed out on some of the treasure and might even lose the game.

If Paul could see this game today, he might excitedly shout, “Yes, Timothy! That’s exactly what I’m talking about!” There is a treasure awaiting those trust in Christ and persevere until the end, but there are many pitfalls and threats along our path.

Today, I am going to show you how to live a life of contentment, focusing our lives on what really matters.

Leaders lift others. As we saw a few weeks ago, we admire and even follow leaders who practice what they preach. Remember, that’s key…living a life before others and then inviting them to pursue this way of life as well.

So, let’s look at 1 Timothy 6:3-16 today.

1 Timothy 6:3-16

“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. “But godliness with contentment is great gain,” for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”

As we get into these final parts of Paul’s letter to Timothy, Paul is going to warn Timothy of the Pitfalls of the life of the discontented. And Paul is going to invite and challenge Timothy to pursue contentment.

Notice these words in verses 6-8.

1 Timothy 6:6-8

“But godliness with contentment is great gain,” for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

Now, we have already examined this word godliness. Godliness, as we saw two weeks ago, is a lift of devotion accompanied by good deeds. We are invited to a life devoted to Christ, accompanied by deeds that exhibit Christ.

Remember, 1 Timothy 4:7-8?

1 Timothy 4:7-8

“Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

The Apostle Paul picks up this theme again in chapter 6. He says in verse 6, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

In chapter 4, godliness has value in all things…holding promise…making life better in this life, and also for the life to come.

Now, in chapter 6, he is saying, “Add to that godliness, contentment.”

Contentment…plus godliness…is GREAT GAIN!

Now, let’s take a moment to ask the question: What is contentment?

To be content is to be satisfied. To be contented is to feeling or showing satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation.

Now, before we pick on a celebrity, whether an athlete or an actress or actor, let’s stop and ask the simple question of ourselves:

As I sit here today, am I content?
Am I satisfied?
Are you feeling and showing satisfaction with your possessions, status, or situation?

If not, I want to draw your attention to an attitude of the heart.

Notice this first principle I want to share with you today:

A Life of Contentment is:

Disrupted and Destroyed by Worldly Pursuits

I. A Life of Contentment is Disrupted and Destroyed by Worldly Pursuits

And what is this worldly pursuit that Paul mentions?

It’s the love of money.

Now, before we get to the love of money, notice the warning about false teachers again.

1 Timothy 6:3-5

Paul has warned Timothy a good bit about false teachers all throughout his letter. 1:3&7, 4:1-3, 2 Tim 2:16…These teachers are no doubt in the mix in Ephesus where Timothy is leading out.

Paul says a few things about these false teachers:

– They’re prideful – verse 4 – they are puffed up with conceit… and understand nothing…full of themselves, think really high…chest out, loud, you can picture it…

– They’re problematic – verse 4-5 – they crave controversy/quarrels…picking fights with people…their hope is dissention/friction

– They’re goal is profit – verse 5 – “imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” On their minds is money. They want gain…I’ll teach, I’ll speak, bogus & invalid doctrine/theology in order for my INSTA to blow up, for me to go viral on Tik Tok, to get monetized on YouTube and accomplish influencer status all with the goal to get paid. Their theme song – All about the Benjamins, Puff Daddy, 1997, Or old school, For the Love of the Money by the O’Jays. (money, money, money, money….Money). You know it.

– Underneath all of this – chasing contentment…

Now, notice, these false teachers are motivated by the love of money. In the previous chapter, Paul instructs the church to pay their pastor well.

1 Timothy 5:17

“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.”

So, in the previous chapter, Paul is speaking about the way the church takes care of their leaders.

Here, in this chapter, Paul is warning Timothy to not use his position to fall into ruin and destruction. In other words…

“Timothy, they are paying you as you serve them and lead them. Don’t be like these false teachers who have strayed away from the gospel to get a bunch of popularity so that they can get a lot of money. That would be a travesty.

The PITFALL you have to avoid is the Love of Money.”

Now, notice how the love of money disrupts and destroys a life of contentment.

1 Timothy 6:9-10

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

What does he say about the desire to be rich?

It’s a trap. It’s a snare. It’s a pit that MANY fall into… And notice…it’s a SENSELESS fall. This fall is harmful.

It leads to ruin and destruction.

In Pitfall!, you see the obstacle and have to overcome it. But in life, loving money is really “tempting.” In other words, the rich life is appealing. You don’t see the logs rolling at you, the tar pit before you, and the scorpion in the cave below.

Look at verse 10.

1 Timothy 6:10

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

The word craving here is the same word as the word covet.

Covet literally means to stretch out or to reach for.

When you covet what others have, you fail to appreciate what you have. You say, “Look at that green grass over there. I want to graze in that field and leave this one.”

A recent study showed that 79% of Americans believed they would be happier if they had more money. Not surprisingly, 69% of Americans said that their desire for money influences their daily decisions.^[1]

[1] https://www.becomingminimalist.com/things-that-matter-survey/

These numbers are probably not shocking to most of us; they confirm what we see in the world around us every day. And yet, while everyone is chasing after money, most studies show that money doesn’t actually make a difference.

A Harvard Business Review study revealed that people who prioritize time over money have a better quality of life.^[2] It’s also not hard to see countless examples of celebrities who have more money than they know what to do with, and yet many of them are no more happy than the average American (and some of them are much worse off!).

[2] https://hbr.org/2019/01/time-for-happiness

Money won’t truly satisfy us, and yet so many people are chasing it like it will.

As Zig Ziglar said, “Money won’t make you happy… but everybody wants to find out for themselves.”

Now, you may say, “Pastor, do you see the audience you are speaking to? We are a pretty successful people. Are you saying we aren’t to have money?”

No, that’s not my message. As a matter of fact, Paul will instruct Timothy on what to teach to those who are rich in this present life. So, the message isn’t, “You can’t have money.”

As some have noted, the issue here is not possessing wealth, but desiring it and lusting after it. The very desire itself is the trap, because it is prone to become an all-consuming desire. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:24, we cannot serve two masters; we will be split between them; we cannot serve God and money.

So, what do we do? What’s the path forward for us who follow Jesus?

Let’s look at our second principle about contentment today.

A Life of Contentment is:

Disrupted and Destroyed by Worldly Pursuits
Directed by Identity

II. A Life of Contentment is Directed by Identity

1 Timothy 6:11

“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”

He speaks life into him by proclaiming his identity. — Do you see it here?

In verse 11, he calls him, “O man of God.” He is reminding him of who he is. But he has reminded him of who he is all along. Notice this throughout the letter.

1 Timothy 1:2

“To Timothy, my true child in the faith:

1 Timothy 1:18

“This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,”

1Timothy 4:6

“If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.”

1 Timothy 4:12-16

“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.”

Repeatedly, Paul is talking to Timothy about who he is.

You are my son in the faith…my child.

You are gifted. Yes, you are young, but you can influence and be the example.

You have a gift and you are to immerse yourself in it…because people need to see your progress.

Timothy, you are a MAN OF GOD.

Parents, how often are you proclaiming identity into your children?

You see, there is a great identity crisis in America in the lives of teenagers. First, large percentages of children don’t have a father in the home any longer. So, they wonder why they don’t know or have a relationship with their dads. Therefore, the wander through life not knowing who they are. In their wandering, there is a trap set for them by Satan.

You see, Satan is using the systems of our world to confuse and lie to our children.

To boys… “Oh, you think you are a girl? That’s okay…be a girl!”
And to girls… “Oh, you think you are a boy, …okay…be a boy!”

They are being discipled by Tik Tok, YouTube, Snap Chat and Instagram…and they are being confused.

And when we stand up against it, we get canceled and persecuted.

Second, many parents don’t know that one of the greatest gifts that they can give their kids is an established identity — Moms do it better than we do, dad.

Dads are more transactional — they are like, “When I see them doing something good, I’ll commend them.”

What if you commended them into doing something good?

“You know, Champ, I’ve been watching you. I think you are:

A Great communicator
A Wonderful friend
A Compassionate Person
A Servant
A Leader
You are so good at…
You are so gifted at…
You are going to be great at…
You are going to be a great wife…mother.
You are going to be a great husband and father…”

Why can’t we speak life into others?

So many verses in the Pastoral Letters of the New Testament are to get us to understand our identity:

Chosen, and not forsaken
Saved
Sealed
Justified
Being Sanctified
Seated in the heavenly Places
With a God who is For us, so who could be against us?

Could it be that the words that reinforce identity actually point people in the direction that they will go?

Let me say that again…

“Could it be that the words that reinforce identity, actually point people in the direction that they will go?”

Proverbs 18:21

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

What is coming out of your tongue when it comes to your child’s identity?

Notice the how direction is given here.

1 Timothy 6:11

“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.”

The direction given here is found in the words, “FLEE,” and, “PURSUE.”

Flee…turn around and run from…

Pursue…chase these down!

If we are going to get the gain of godliness with contentment, we have to:

RUN from RUIN and RUN to RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Now, here is what is so cool about this. The desire for you to grasp, get, and get after it, that motivates you for success, is not bad.

In other words, you may be thinking, “Hang on…we need money. We need to be successful. We need to be motivated.”

Yes, we do. We were made to rule, reign, and exert dominion.

God told Adam and Eve to work the land, subdue the earth, fill it and multiply.

So, making things happen and move isn’t bad. That’s what leaders do.

But, the question is what kingdom is it directed and motivated by?

Which leads me to principle number three in this passage today about contentment.

A Life of Contentment is:

Disrupted and Destroyed by Worldly Pursuits
Directed by Identity
Derived by Living for the Glory of God

III. A Life of Contentment is Derived by Living for the Glory of God.

Do you want to feel satisfied? Do you want to live the contented life?

If so, live for the glory of God.

Notice verses 13-16 and it’s kingdom focus.

1 Timothy 6:13-16

“I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”

Notice how the focus in this passage in on the Kingdom of God.

In one place, verse 14, we have the charge tenets of the charge that began in verse 13 with the words, “I charge you…”

1 Timothy 6:14

to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time…

The charge is to keep the gospel the gospel at all times…don’t deviate from it for anything…don’t get off message…keep it pure and keep the gospel from reproach by living your life faithfully.

But now, step back from the command, and see how contentment is derived from or cultivated by living for the kingdom of God. We see this in particular in a phrase in verse 13.

1 Timothy 6:13b

…and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,

What is this “good confession?” And why is Pontius Pilate brought up here?

Well, let’s turn in our Bibles to John 18.

John 18:35-37

“Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?”

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”

What is the confession or testimony of Jesus?

It’s about a kingdom that is:

not of this world.
Where he is Sovereign
Where the Father lives in Unapproachable Light
It’s a kingdom of the King of all Kings
And Lord of All Lords
It’s a Kingdom of immortality and a God who is not dead!
It’s a kingdom where dominion, power, authority, and glory is His.

That’s what verses 15and 16 say.

1 Timothy 6:15b-16

…he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of Lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.”

Let me ask this again: Do you want to feel satisfied? Do you want to live the contented life…where it’s good…and you are happy…and you are deeply satisfied?