Avoiding a Recession

1 Timothy 6:6-10
But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 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. 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.

Proverbs 22:7. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

Philippians 4:12-13
12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Money and material possessions do not lead to contentment.

Misconceptions about money:
It will solve all my problems.
If I had just a little bit more I would be content.
I must have what others have to be happy
I would have more time to do the things I really want to do

2. Circumstances are not in control of my level of contentment.

Proverbs 11:25, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”

Proverbs 21:5, The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

3. A strong relationship with God will bring contentment

Luke 12:22-34
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, lO you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, or be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

4. Cultivating a thankful heart will produce contentment

Who’s Your Stranger?
1 Timothy 3:1-7

A Qualification of an Overseer/Pastor/Elder:
Titus 1:7-8: “For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.”

“The entire Bible is a true historical account of God’s hospitality.” - Dustin Willis & Brandon Clements from “The Simplest Way to Change the World”

Hospitality has been both an attribute and expectation for all believers.
Attribute:
Acts 2:46 - “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,”
Acts 16:15 - “And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.’ And she prevailed upon us.”
Acts 16:33-34 - “And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.”
Expectation:
Romans 12:13 - “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.”
1 Peter 4:9 - “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

Biblical hospitality is “making strangers into neighbors and neighbors into the family of God.” - Rosaria Butterfield from “The Gospel Comes With a House Key”

Hebrews 13:2 - “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Hospitality is more about blessing others, while entertaining is more about impressing others.

Hospitality is more about being interested rather than interesting.

Adopt the Always Rule: If you see a neighbor and you don’t know them, always drop everything you’re doing and meet them.

Take one next step:
Have one short conversation/greeting a day with a stranger.
Once a week, invite a neighbor or Church member to tag along with you.
Once a month, invite people from your Church and the community into your home (e.g. cookout, game night, watching movies/sports, play date)
Learn how to fix one easy meal for people. (Brownies will do.)
Once a month, plan to stay for 30 minutes after the Sunday morning worship service.
Once a year, invite a stranger or a neighbor to a holiday event (Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas).

Qualifications for Church Leaders

“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3:1-13‬ ‭ESV

God’s Plan is Good
1 Timothy 2:8-15 ESV

1 Timothy 3:15 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;


9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

11 Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness.

12 I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.

13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.

15 Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.

First of All
1 Timothy 2:1-7

1. Prayer is our priority.

“And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Mark 11:17

“Prayer is our most formidable weapon, but the one in which we are the least skilled, the most averse to its use.” E. M. Bounds

“When prayer fails, the world prevails.” E. M. Bounds

“He who is too busy to pray will be too busy to live a holy life.” E. M. Bounds

2. Pray for those in authority over you.

Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

3. Prayer pleases God.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

4. Prayer opens the door for evangelism.

“Prayer is crucial in evangelism: Only God can change the heart. … No matter how logical our arguments or how fervent our appeals, our words will accomplish nothing unless God’s Spirit prepares the way.” – Billy Graham

“At the end of the day, the biggest obstacle to evangelism is Christians who don’t share the gospel. - Al Mohler

Truth in Love
1 Timothy 2:18-20

Remember what God says about you.

1 Timothy 4:14 “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.”

2 Timothy 1:6 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

Keep the faith and do what is right.

2 Timothy 2:17-18
17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
18 who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.

2 Timothy 4:14-15 “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.”

Hebrews 12:8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.
9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live!
10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness.


Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17

Steps in Church Discipline:
Have a private conversation.
Take 1 or 2 devoted believers with you.
Bring a formal accusation.
Bring them before the church.
Remove them from the church roll.

WHY?
For the good of the individual.
Protect the name of Jesus.
Protect the power of the church’s witness in the community.
To spur others on to faith and good works.
For the health of the church.

Psalm 85:10 Graciousness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

House Rules
1 Timothy 1:12-17

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,
13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

God cares less about where you have been, and more about where you are going.

Acts 8:3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Acts 9:1-2 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

Mercy is judgment waived, grace is blessing received.

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11


If God saved me, God can save you.

But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

The closer you get to Jesus, the more you realize your need for Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:9 - For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.


Ephesians 3:8 - To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.

1 Timothy 1:15, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”

Don’t judge people for where they are without Jesus, but see them for where they could be with Jesus

THE GOSPEL THAT MUST BE GUARDED FROM COUNTERFEITS
1 Timothy 1:1-11

Believers must guard the Gospel from counterfeits with confidence (v.1-2)

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
2 unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.


Believers must guard the Gospel from counterfeits with courage (v.3-7)

3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
4 neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
6 from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
7 desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.


Believers must guard the Gospel from counterfeits through correct instruction (v.8-11)

8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;
9 knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
10 for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.


Application:
Know the authentic Gospel
Protect the authentic Gospel
Preach the authentic Gospel

Who is Jesus?

Who would you say Jesus is? _____________________

People are known by what they say, what they do, and what others say about them.

What people say…

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” — Luke 23:34 Forgiveness

“Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
— Luke 23:43 Assurance

““Woman, behold, your son!”  Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” — John 19:26 Compassion

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?” — Mark 15:34 Loneliness

“I thirst.” — John 19:28 Humanity

“It is finished.” — John 19:30 Victory

“It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the entire land until the ninth hour, because the sun stopped shining; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit.” And having said this, He died.
Luke 23:44-46

“That was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God” John 5:18

Psalm 31:4-5 (NASB), “You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. Into Your hand I entrust my spirit; You have redeemed me, Lord, God of truth.”

What people do…

Matthew 27:50-53, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split.  Also the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 

Veil Torn
Earth Shook
Rocks Split
Tombs Opened

Hebrews 9:2-3, 6-7, “There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.”

Jesus is the final High Priest.
The cross is the New Testament Mercy Seat.

Hebrews 9:22, “For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.”

What is said about them…

“Now as for the centurion and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the other things that were happening, they became extremely frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Matthew 27:54

Who do you say Jesus is?

It is Finished
John 19:28-37

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. 35 He who saw it has borne witness—his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—that you also may believe. 36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.”

Tetelestai = it is finished

1. The task assigned by the Father is finished.

John 17:4 “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.”

Psalm 22:31 They will come and will declare His righteousness
To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.

2. Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, was offered for sins.
Hebrews 9:12 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining[a] eternal redemption.

3. Your debt was paid.

4. You are new in Christ.
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:23–24)

Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion (from epi and teleo) at the day of Jesus Christ.”


1 Corinthians 15, 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55“Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.…