The Danger of Discontentment
1 Timothy 6:6-10
June 27, 2010
Last time we met,
Paul warned Timothy about those who disagree with sound doctrine.
– The doctrine that Jesus preached
– Namely, “the doctrine conforming to godliness”
Paul knew that there were some in Ephesus who would not like
The emphasis that Paul put on godliness above every other goal.
And so he wrote to warn Timothy of them ahead of time.
Paul revealed their true colors,
And that is that above all else they are CORRUPT.
(5b) “who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”
They don’t value true godliness.
They don’t value personal holiness.
Their goal is not to be pleasing to God in all things.
They only use their “apparent” godliness
As a means of achieving worldly gain.
They are in it for a temporal payoff.
2 Peter 2:14-15 “having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”
Some do it for the money.
Some do it for the power.
Some do it for the sensual lusts of the flesh.
They masquerade as angels of light in order to manipulate people
Into giving them the things of the world they desire.
And Paul exposed them for what they really are in verses 3-5.
Conceited
Ignorant
Irrelevant
Divisive
Corrupt
And so after exposing them, Paul now turns to encourage Timothy.
And the encouragement he gives him is that
THERE IS TRUE BENEFIT FOUND IN BEING GODLY.
And that should not be a foreign concept.
Paul already introduced it to Timothy.
1 Timothy 4:7-8 “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
Now if I were to ask you when does godliness pay off?
Most would answer: IN ETERNITY.
And you would be correct.
Matthew 6:19-20 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;”
But you are NOT TOTALLY CORRECT
According to Paul’s statement there,
Godliness also “holds promise for the present life.”
Let me give you a statement by Jesus.
Mark 10:28-31 “Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. “But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”
This is on the heels of the Rich Young Ruler’s departure,
And Peter just wants to know if he made the right decision.
And so Jesus answers.
That Peter would “receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Now Jesus did temper it by reminding that persecutions are still part of following Him, but did you notice that Jesus also promised a temporal payoff?
He was telling Peter that I take care of My own, even in this life.
DOES IT SURPRISE YOU TO HEAR OF TREASURE IN THIS LIFE?
Many confuse Jesus’ call to forsake everything
As a command to be poor.
BUT JESUS DIDN’T COMMAND POVERTY.
HE COMMANDED YOU TO FORSAKE THIS WORLD FOR THE NEXT
Remember this statement in the Sermon on the Mount?
Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
And the point is that great blessing is involved in serving Christ,
Even blessing in this life.
1 Timothy 6:17 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”
Psalms 84:11-12 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, How blessed is the man who trusts in You!”
Now, don’t pervert what I am saying.
Many have, and the result is “The Prosperity Gospel”
The perversion of the prosperity gospel is that
Their goal is still the world, they are just trying to use God to get it.
They treat Christianity like an investment
And God like a Jeanie in a bottle.
I am saying that if your heart is truly on the things of God,
So much so that you forsake this world to follow Christ,
Then God will see to it that you are rewarded for it.
SO WE SEEK GODLINESS, NOT GAIN
And that then brings about this question.
• “How do I know for sure if I am seeking godliness or worldly gain?”
• How can I tell if I am a recipient of God’s blessing or if I have just been seeking the world?
That is precisely the question Paul answers for Timothy.
The answer is CONTENTMENT
(6) “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”
The person who is only seeking the world is never content.
The person who is being blessed by God is always content.
Contentment is the key.
It’s not about how much you have.
It’s about how content you are with what you have.
• Discontentment reveals a greedy heart.
• Contentment reveals a godly heart.
And tonight in the remainder of our text
Paul reveals for us the dangers of discontentment.
Paul reveals for us the dangers of greed.
By now you know that Greed is forbidden in Scripture.
Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
But tonight I want to show you why it so dangerous.
#1 GREED ACQUIRES TREASURE YOU CAN’T KEEP
1 Timothy 6:7-8
How many times have we heard, “You can’t take it with you?”
That is why hearse’s don’t have trailer hitches.
[JOKE: “I put a check for the full amount”]
But the point is you cannot take your wealth with you.
“For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.”
Remember this man?
Luke 12:13-21 “Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘ You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
The problem with this guy was not that he had a barn,
It was that his security was his wealth.
All of his treasure was here.
By seeking Grain and not God,
He had amassed a fortune he could not keep.
And this is true of all greed.
Psalms 39:6 “Surely every man walks about as a phantom; Surely they make an uproar for nothing; He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.”
Psalms 49:10-12 “For he sees that even wise men die; The stupid and the senseless alike perish And leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses are forever And their dwelling places to all generations; They have called their lands after their own names. But man in his pomp will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.”
Psalms 49:16-20 “Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; For when he dies he will carry nothing away; His glory will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself — And though men praise you when you do well for yourself — He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They will never see the light. Man in his pomp, yet without understanding, Is like the beasts that perish.”
THE POINT IS: Don’t seek gold, seek godliness.
(8) “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”
The maximum we should seek in this world is food and covering,
If you have that, then be content with it.
To want more than that can reveal a lack of contentment.
You seek the eternal treasure
And let God take care of the temporal one.
If all you do is seek this world,
You will end up with a fortune that you cannot keep.
Greed acquires treasure you can’t keep
#2 GREED BRINGS RUIN YOU CAN’T ESCAPE
1 Timothy 6:9
Notice who Paul is referring to here.
“But those who want to get rich”
He’s not talking about those who are rich,
But rather those who WANT to be.
This could actually be the poorest man alive.
(Greed is not limited to the rich)
The Greedy Rich – Hoard their wealth and seek more.
The Greedy Poor – Do they same, (only they also worry about their lack of it.)
THE ISSUES IS STILL GREED (Matthew 6)
And here Paul is addressing greed.
“those who WANT to get rich”
And here is their problem.
They “fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
When Peter spoke of false prophets,
He compared them to a wild animal.
2 Peter 2:12 “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,”
Think about it.
How do you trap a wild animal?
How do you catch a fish?
BAIT
You take something that the animal desperately wants
And use it to lure it into a place where it can be snared.
Then you kill it, and eat it, or skin it, or something.
NOW LISTEN
Animals can be trapped because they have no concept of eternity
An animal has no ability to reason
An animal is driving purely by a sensual lust to fulfill it’s desire
When a human being reverts to animal desire he is in great danger
When you desire wealth or the things of this world,
Then you have supplied Satan with the bait he has been looking for.
He will bring you into “temptation” and eventually “a snare”
And ultimately “into ruin and destruction”
James 1:14-15 “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
Remember why Eve took Satan’s bait?
Genesis 3:6 “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”
That is why God tells you not to covet (be greedy).
It is not because God doesn’t want you to have things
(In fact He’ll give them to you)
It’s because greed opens you up to temptation.
TEMPTATION is the FIRST STEP down a road that leads to destruction
Greed brings ruin you can’t escape.
Let me tell you why Greed brings ruin you can’t escape.
1) Riches Fail
Luke 16:9 “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”
Psalms 52:5-7 “But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah. The righteous will see and fear, And will laugh at him, saying, “Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge, But trusted in the abundance of his riches And was strong in his evil desire.”
Psalms 73:18-20 “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when aroused, You will despise their form.”
Proverbs 11:4 “Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death.”
If riches are your security, then destruction is unavoidable.
But even more than that.
2) Riches Corrupt
Let me give you one name: BALAAM
Numbers 31:16 “Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD.”
You remember Balaam was the one who took the monetary offer of Balak
In order to deceive God’s people.
Balaam ended up being killed by God’s people for hi sin.
Have we not all been sickened by the corruption on capital hill
With all the politicians taking bribes from lobbyists?
Riches corrupt a person.
If you want them, then Satan will offer them to you.
And know that when you accept his offer you are now in his snare,
And we all know what he wants for you.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…”
This is the danger of greed.
Greed acquires treasure you can’t keep
Greed brings ruin you can’t escape
#3 GREED REPRODUCES A DESIRE YOU CAN’T CONTROL
1 Timothy 6:10
And this is seen clearest in the terminology Paul uses.
“For the love of money is a root”
Stop for a moment and think about “a root”.
It can’t be seen by the naked eye.
But just below the surface is a living growing organism
That is just waiting to pop through the soil and produce fruit.
And some roots are near impossible to fight.
Ever have a Johnson grass root in your soil?
Ever have nut grass below the soil?
It is a root that springs up that you cannot control.
Well greed is also a root.
And while it may seem harmless, it only seems that way
Until the fruit-bearing plant pops up.
And the plant is yet to be determined.
“For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil”
We don’t even know how greed will manifest itself in our lives,
But rest assured it will manifest itself and it will be evil.
Without giving any specifics
Paul lists some of the paths that greed has led people down.
“some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Think about those who “have wandered away from the faith”
Some have done it before they ever even accepted it.
Matthew 19:21-22 “Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.”
Others wander away after having followed for a time
2 Timothy 4:9-10 “Make every effort to come to me soon; for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.”
Matthew 13:22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
Greed can literally keep people away from the faith.
And it can even remove those who claim to be a part of it.
There are many who have “pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Read the book of Ecclesiastes and
Ask Solomon how his desire for wealth paid off for him.
Ecclesiastes 5:13-16 “There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt. When those riches were lost through a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing to support him. As he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. This also is a grievous evil — exactly as a man is born, thus will he die. So what is the advantage to him who toils for the wind?”
Or go ask Judas how those 30 pieces of silver paid off for him.
TURN TO: 2 KINGS 5:15-27
I hope you get the point.
It is not that things or money are bad,
But seeking them leads to all sorts of peril.
The way to make sure we manage our wealth in the right way
Is to not seek wealth, but rather to seek God.
HOW DO I KNOW WHICH I AM DOING?
CONTENTMENT
Am I content with what I have?
Now, it is my guess that in some ways
All of us struggle with greed, but see our need to leave it behind.
Let me show you how to make contentment a little easier for you.
Philippians 4:10-14 “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.”
This was Paul thanking the Philippians for their support of his ministry.
And in that passage you probably noticed that famous 13th verse,
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
(Typically read by athletes after an accomplishment)
But when Paul wanted to give
The greatest example of God’s power in his life,
He referenced God’s ability to make him content.
Paul said if I can be content with what I have then I can do anything.
In other words, contentment is hard.
But it is the power of God in our lives that allows us to be content.
In short God fills the voids.
Psalms 22:5 “To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed.”
Here is the practical application
Instead of focusing on the things of the world
And opening yourself up to greed and ultimately temptation and destruction…
Focus yourself on God and on godliness.
And when you do that,
God will supply not only what you need, but abundantly more,
And also contentment with what you have.
That is why Paul continues on in this chapter to Timothy by saying:
1 Timothy 6:11-12 “But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
It’s all about a mindset, it’s all about what you seek.
So tonight, take the first step.
SEEK HOLINESS.
SEEK GODLINESS.
“Seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness,
And all these things will be added unto you.”
Be godly, don’t be greedy.
Greed is for those who are corrupt
And who don’t know anything about God.
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
