Title: Great Gain or Great Pain

Text: I Timothy 6:6-10

FCF: We often struggle in desiring wealth.

Prop: Because loving God is better than loving money, we must be content with our earthly needs met.

Scripture Intro:

[Slide 1] Turn in your bible to I Timothy chapter 6. Last week we discussed the nature of these false teachers in Ephesus. Paul revisits the themes he introduced in chapter 1 by digging deeper into their motivation. They bring new teachings that no one has seen before, they deny teachings that have been given, and they deny the gospel’s power to change people, and they do this because they are arrogant. They crave controversy. And sure enough, everywhere they go- strife follows. At the very end of our time last week, Paul revealed the reason, the motivation for why they do all this. Ultimately, it comes down to a desire for gain.

Now as we applied that last week, it could be gain of any kind. Power, influence, fame, and yes… wealth. But it seems that in the context of the Ephesian church, it comes down to money.

So, Paul expands on that thought. Actually, taking their pursuit of godliness as a means of making money and turning that whole thought on its head in an interesting way. What it produces then, for us, is a call to be content with earthly things but always pursuing the things of God.

I am in I Timothy 6, I’ll start reading in verse 6. I am reading from the CSB but you can follow along in the pew bible on page 1340 or in whatever version you have.

Transition:

Not an overly complicated text for us this morning – but what it lacks in difficulty to understand, it makes up for in difficulty to live.

I.) Loving God and serving Him contentedly with our needs met is great gain, so we must be content with our earthly needs met. (6-8)

a. [Slide 2] 6 – But godliness with contentment is great gain.

i. Paul’s last point was that these false teachers think that they can gain some kind of earthly possession – be it honor, respect, fame, power, or wealth – by being godly people.

ii. He says this somewhat tongue-in-cheek, because this kind of godliness isn’t really godly at all.

iii. Nevertheless, this verse continues the pun.

iv. Real godliness, actual Christ-Likeness, IS a path to great gain. How?

v. When it is combined with contentment.

vi. But now we have to define a few terms.

vii. Godliness we understand – but in this context, what does Paul mean by contentment and what does he mean by gain?

viii. Lets keep reading.

b. [Slide 3] 7 – For we brought nothing into the world,

i. So, contentment and gain are sharpened by this concept.

ii. What does this phrase add to our understanding?

iii. Quite literally, we have absolutely nothing to lose in this life. We came into it with nothing. Nothing except life itself.

iv. We had no clothes, no food, no water, no home, no tv, no money – I mean we really didn’t even have any knowledge, understanding, or skills. We didn’t even know a single language.

v. Of all the living organisms on this earth, human beings are some of the most helpless when they are born. They are literally, completely dependent on others for the first 9 months of their lives. And mostly dependent on others until… well in 21st Century America it is around 45 at this point I think.