Welcome you to our evening worship for this Sunday. I begin with a great old hymn, immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light, inaccessible, hid from our eyes, most blessed, most glorious, the ancient of days, Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light, nor wanting nor wasting, thou rulest in might. Thy justice, like mountains high, soaring above thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love. To all life thou givest, to both great and small, in all life thou livest the true life of all. Thy wisdom so boundless, thy mercy so free, eternal thy goodness, for naught changeth thee. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight. All laud we would render, O help us to see, Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee. A number of the themes in that hymn come from 1 Timothy chapter 6, and I'll read that chapter to you now. Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed, and that they of believing masters let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness, from such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. Having food and raiment, let us therewith be content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, while some covet it after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hath professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge, in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen nor can see, to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy, that they do good, that they be ready, or rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. Let's pray together. Our Father, thank you again for your word and the way that it directs us constantly to the Lord Jesus Christ in all his glory, and the way that it calls us to live for eternity, to set our priorities right by the gospel, and to walk obediently and worthy of our calling. So help us, Lord, as we look into this text, that we would, first of all, be comforted and encouraged, and then, secondly, stirred up to walk obediently before you and to love you more than anything. So direct our thoughts, we pray, for Jesus' name's sake. Amen. At an ordination service that was called to recognize a man's call to ministry, there are often two short addresses in addition to an ordination sermon. The short addresses usually include a charge to the candidate and a charge to the church. reminding each of their responsibilities. But even the charge to the candidate, the message that's addressed to the one who is being ordained, is intended for the ears of the church, that they would know what their pastor is doing and why. 1st Timothy is something like that. It's addressed to Timothy. Paul is speaking to his young son in the faith. The church at Ephesus, however, is to be listening, so that they will not despise his youth, but be willing to submit to that ministry. And this matters because, as this chapter that I read, 1 Timothy 6, underlines, with our materialistic bent, some of these things are difficult to hear, that we need to learn to be content. Jeremiah Burroughs wrote a book with a great title, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. This is appropriately included in our survey of comfort chapters developed by the Apostle Paul. And it's clear that godliness with contentment, which Paul says here is great gain, is dependent on knowing God. As always, even Paul's practical discussions center on the cross and the glory of God. Paul explicitly wrote accordingly to the Philippians in chapter 4, verse 19, when he said that our God will supply all our need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. In Matthew 6, Jesus urges us to acknowledge that the Heavenly Father knows what we need. The Old Testament Psalms repeatedly call us to be satisfied with God. In other words, our contentment is directly related to our trust in God. Can He handle things? Is He making wise decisions about our lives, especially in the face of trial? Should I not lay hold of all I can for a rainy day? How can I be content unless I have done so? The chapter begins, 1 Timothy 6, in the first five verses outlining what would undermine contentment, what goes wrong that causes a Christian not to be content. In verses 1, 2, and 3, Paul does what he does in many of his letters, and that's underline the importance of solid or sound healthy teaching for godly practice. This is a consistent point in the Bible that truth and conduct are intimately connected. And so if there's anything that distorts the truth, then that will undermine our contentment. In this particular example, in verse 1, Paul expresses the burden that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. Make sure that we have the truth straight. In verse 2, he calls on Timothy to teach and exhort these things. And verse 3 speaks about the doctrine which is according to godliness. And so, we need to recognize that that's why doctrinal preaching and teaching is so important. Of course, it should not be cold and it must be applied, but nonetheless, our faith must be grounded on a solid foundation. That's why understanding the gospel produces godliness. So, it will undermine our contentment if we distort the truth because, secondly, that leads to disrupting our trust. What is the fruit of the error that was being propagated at Ephesus that Timothy had to correct? It was leading to a disruption in their trust, and it was seen, Paul says, in at least three ways. First of all, it was seen in their distractions. He talks in verse four about doting about questions and strifes of words. In other words, we get sidetracked onto things that really don't matter and actually lead us to avoid the things that do matter. We end up being drawn away from the truth. And then the second thing that he mentions, also in verse 4 and into verse 5, is that when we are distracted by these questions, they become all-important, and so then we begin to argue and dispute with those who disagree with us. And so divisions in the church begin to grow. These distractions that he mentions are not harmless. They produce proud and divisive spirits. Envy, malice, strife, these are the kinds of things that abound. And then the third aspect of the fruit of these errors in Ephesus we might call delusions. When Paul says in verse 5 that they are supposing that gain is godliness. He doesn't define this any more fully, but it seems to underline that somehow there were those in Ephesus who were saying that if you had made great gains, if your investments had poured in, if you were prosperous and wealthy, then that means that God is pleased with you. If you are rich, you are by definition godly. Gain is godliness. Perhaps it's not unlike today's health and wealth gospel that assumes that if God is being favorable to us, nothing will go wrong. We'll have all that we want. That which works is that which makes me rich. According to this line of thinking, it is the measure of God's pleasure. But down in verse 17, he warns the rich about trusting in uncertain riches. Some things have the appearance of satisfaction for a while, but it's not sustainable. So our contentment is undermined when we distort the truth that disrupts our trust in the Lord. And so obviously, understanding the conditions of contentment there require us to know God. Between verse 6 and verse 16, I want you to notice four conditions of contentment that Paul spells out for us. The first one, in verses six through eight, is that Paul calls us to face the reality of human life. Understand what human life really is, at least life on this world he means. He says, Godliness with contentment is great gain and here's the reason. We brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. Having food and raiment, let us be there with content. And so Paul begins his crash course on contentment in Ephesus, trying to counter the false teacher's influence by first of all reminding them that human life ends with absolutely nothing. Maybe like me, you've seen some bumper stickers around that say, he who has the most toys wins. But Paul here reminds us that the final score is 0-0. You came in with nothing, you go out with nothing. Whatever you think you are storing up is an illusion. This is the reason why he urges us then to be content with enough. Having food and raiment, therewith be content. What you need is enough to get you through this life. Now, of course, he's not saying that you don't have an inheritance for your children or something like that. That's really beside the point here. What he's focusing on is what I insist on having in order to be content. You might think of it this way. Imagine that you've had a week of camping and you come to day six and you realize that you're going to have to make one more trip to the corner store. You're just about out of milk and you'll need a little bit more for the morning. And so you make a trip to the grocery store, but you just buy the barest necessities because you've got no room to pack up any extras on the way home. Besides that, you know that at home you have everything you need. The pantry is full. And so you just buy the absolute minimum to get you through the rest of the trip. That's how Paul wants them to think here. There's plenty in heaven for us. We're going to be absolutely satisfied when we see him with his likeness. And so for now, if you have food and clothing, well, be content. So we need to start our contentment by learning to face the reality of human life. But the second thing he underlines is a little bit more serious than that. And that is that we need to fear the roots of evil. In verses 9 and 10, he warns us that many are drowning in destruction and perdition because they intend to be rich. They have fallen into a temptation and a snare. The love of money, is the root of all evil. Many have erred from the faith, wandered from the faith because of it." Our first point on contentment underlined that pursuing wealth and storing up treasures is rather pointless because you're not taking it with you. The second point is showing that it's positively dangerous. It might seem harmless enough, but what happens is when we want to be rich, when we love money, and those qualifiers are important, it isn't the money itself. What he's underlining is when that drives my desires, it starts to shape my character. When it becomes all important to me to store up wealth, I begin to take moral shortcuts. We've often heard it said that honesty is the best policy, but whether or not you agree with that will depend on your definition of best. Paul says this kind of attitude, that wants to be rich, is devastating not only in the present life, but potentially for eternity. Some that he knows in Ephesus have even broken the fetters of the Christian faith because it's getting in the way of their worship of their real God, that is money. The true God we know will brook no rival. Some are willing to drown in destruction and perdition, Paul says, in order to win a quick buck. To understand the conditions of repentance, or of contentment, therefore, we need to come, thirdly, to what we are to follow. If there's no benefit to our treasures, and if it can actually be dangerous to be idolizing them, what should we pursue? Understand that Paul never counsels laziness. He's not saying have no desires. He's not even saying have no ambition. He's saying, be ambitious for the right thing. There are proper times not to be content, such as when I measure my progress in likeness to Christ. The right pursuit, Paul says, is that of life. If you're thinking about laying hold of something, in verse 12 he tells you to lay hold on eternal life. And he repeats the line in verse 19, making it something that we're supposed to sit up and take notice. And so he urges us, first of all, to recognize what we should flee, the disastrous love of money that we were just talking about. And what should we replace it with? What should we follow? I'm afraid with modern social media, the word follow has become a rather weak word. It means to click on a button and follow what somebody says on their social media site. But the word follow, as Paul means it, is intense. Maybe our word pursue captures that. Intently, doggedly pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Not just accidentally growing in these graces, but focusing on them. Now, it's easy to see why if I'm in love with money, this will hold little appeal for me. Not one of those things that Paul lists will buy me anything more at the supermarket, and it will gain you status with only a very small slice of the public. Someone showing too much patience or godliness rarely makes the evening news, but Paul insists it draws the attention of heaven. We flee this disastrous love of money. We follow, we pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, et cetera. What do we fight for? We fight the fight of faith, which, as Paul goes on to interpret it in this passage, means taking up the cross of Christ. Look at the Lord Jesus, who witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate, and identify with the despised and crucified one. Look at how he stood there and did the will of God, even at the penalty of death, and stand with him Do not betray him like Judas did, do not deny him like Peter did, but follow him and fight this fight to the end until Jesus comes. And so keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so these four principles of Christian contentment, the conditions for it, start by recognizing the reality of life and that there's no benefit to our treasures. Secondly, recognize that they're actually dangerous and can trip us up. And instead, thirdly, think about what we should pursue. And the fourth thing is that we do all of this in the context of fearing the resplendent God. Paul here refers, as I just read in verse 14, to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that leads him to expand on this theme of the glory of the Lord, the blessed and only potentate, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, who only hath immortality, dwells in the light that no one can approach unto, whom no man hath seen nor can see, to whom be honour and power everlasting. As the hymn put it, immortal, invisible, the only wise God. And so the reason we find contentment in pursuing things that lead to eternal life is because this is something that matters right now. It is of paramount concern. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the Old Testament taught us. Paul is applying this principle. First of all, to remind us that there is only one God, and He is the blessed and only Potentate, the one in charge, the King, the Lord. Do you remember in Acts chapter 2, verse 36, at the end of Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, he declared that all the house of Israel should know that this Jesus whom they crucified is Lord and Christ. The one we despise is exalted Lord of glory. There is no doubt who is in charge of this universe, and our contentment had better reflect that. The second thing he underlines is that this one true and living God is the only life-giving God, the only one who has immortality. It is God, after all, who raises the dead. The third aspect of the resplendent glory of God that we are to fear is that he dwells in unapproachable light, a stunning and deadly glory. The picture here is very much like that of the Old Testament, where God appears in fire on the top of the mountain, and the people are terrified, and they plead with Moses to go and get the Word of God and bring it back to them. Don't let them hear the voice of God again. Paul reminds them in Deuteronomy that having God that close that they could hear him speak was an unspeakable privilege, but terrifying indeed. And then the fourth thing, out of all of this, it is God alone who deserves praise and glory. Seeing our God as he is, seeing the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, urges us to be content. The nature of life reveals the folly of being content in anything less than God. The deadly peril of the love of money is not only foolish, but fatal. On the other hand, the truth of the gospel shows us the legitimate and worthy goal to pursue, that of eternal life. and the glory of Christ assures us that we'll reach the goal, its provision and reality are grounded in the finished work of Jesus. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Now after soaring to the heights of the praise of God, in verses 17, 18, and 19, Paul comes back down to earth. What does this mean in practice when Timothy goes about this business of charging those who are rich in this world not to be high-minded, not to trust in those uncertain riches? He urges an unequivocal commitment to contentment. First of all, in verse 17, he says, Again, Paul is not counseling poverty. He is counseling worship, to recognize that God is God and his ways shape our character, the doctrine that accords to godliness. So Paul does not suggest that being rich in this world is wrong if it turns into worship, if it is about God and His provisions. Although simpler to state than to do, the principle is not to rejoice in the riches themselves, but in the God who gave them. Then in verse 18, he explains what to do with those riches. If God gives them to you, use them to do good, employ good works. And so see the gifts of God as what the Bible sometimes refers to as a stewardship, something God gives us to use as opposed to a security blanket to hoard. When you tally up your accounts, don't forget to include a column called Good Works. Assets we tend to dismiss, but are really far more significant than the columns listing our bank accounts and investments. Remember again, Paul is not counseling pride. Good Works do not save us. They come from the grace of God. They are consistently seen in the New Testament as the purpose of God in redemption, not the cause of it. The cause of it is Christ and his work of redemption, but they are the proper fruit and evidence of it. Jesus says this in Matthew 5, "'Let your good works shine before men, that they will glorify your Father in heaven.' Created in Christ Jesus unto good works,' Paul says in Ephesians 2. And then the third thing. glory is to be embraced. Verse 19 again, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold of eternal life. That's why the column for good works is more significant than the other columns in our assets. We are waiting the return of Christ. We already stand in the sight of God, he pointed out in verse 13, but one day there is the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. And therefore, above everything else, lay hold on eternal life. If there's a right thing at which we should be grasping, make it this. Lay a good foundation now so that the eternal life and the glory of Christ shapes our conduct and destiny. Let's pray together. Our Father, we thank you that you have given us all that we need in Jesus Christ. We thank you for this astonishing glory and power, the honor and glory that is due unto his name. And we thank you, Holy Father, for promise upon promise that our Heavenly Father knows what we need. We think of the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4, but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.