1 Timothy 6:6
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Before we start taking a look at this verse let’s see what the surrounding verses have to say;
1 Timothy 6:1-10
“Let all who are under a yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.
“Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.
“Teach and urge these things. 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.”
So, looking at our target verse
1 Timothy 6:6
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Paul is addressing slaves ... they should be content???
Paul is teaching Timothy.
Paul is warning about those who imagine that “godliness is a means of gain.”
Paul is warning against having a desire for riches.
Godliness … what is godliness?
OK. Let’s think about this. Let’s try an analogy, OK?
A Medical doctor is a healer, right?
Who is this? (Photos of famous TV doctors)
Doc Adams - Gun Smoke
Doc Baker - Little House on the Prairie
Marcus Welby MD - show had same name
Dr. Zachary Smith - Lost in Space
Dr. Leonard McCoy - Star Trek
Unnamed fake doctor - this man was arrested in Tucson AZ this past October when, dressed as a doctor in scrubs, he asked a police officer to direct him to the hospital in a city that has no hospital. He was driving an old beat up SUV which is consistent with most doctors.
He had also posed as a stock broker and sold fake shares to his family and “friends”.
How many of these would you like to have treat your illnesses or injuries?
They may have been doctor actors or impersonators but they definitely were not healers.
Now, suppose someone gets a medical degree and even licensed but after that they never treat a patient. They are fully qualified but they do not put that knowledge into action. They are indeed a doctor but they would not be a healer.
A healer is someone who not only is qualified but who also puts what they have been qualified to do into action. A person who is trained to be a doctor and who treats the illnesses and injuries of patients would indeed be a healer.
With that in mind; who is a godly person?
Like the TV doctors there are many people who live what would look like from the outside to be godly people. They may read the Bible, they may pray, they may go to church every time the doors are open, they may give tithes and offerings, they may visit the sick and those in prison, they may even cast out demons, and at the same time they may not be a godly person at all.
How is that possible??? How can that be???
Matthew 7:22-23 says
“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?’ Then I [Jesus] will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’”
WOW! That’s quite a list! Prophecy, drive out demons, perform miracles? Certainly such a person would be the pillar of a church, an outstanding member and an exalted person in the community, wouldn’t they be?
But, what does Jesus say? “I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!”
So, acting like a Christian does not make you a Christian does it?
What does it take to be a genuine Christian?
Realize that you are lost without Christ
Confess your sins and turn away from your sinful life
Trust in Christ for salvation
Then, once that is done, your home free. You’ve got your get out of hell free card and you’re on the gravy train to heaven, right?
If you just sit back and relax once you come to Christ wouldn’t you kind of be like the Doctor with the degree who never treated any patients? After all,
James 2:14-17 says,
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.
“If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
So, for a doctor to be a healer they must be trained and they must put the training into practice by actually treating patients.
In the same way for a person to be godly they must place their faith in Christ and then be obedient to His commands out of grateful and loving hearts.
Just a few minutes ago we took a look at these verses
Matthew 7:22-23 says
“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and in Your name drive out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?’ Then I [Jesus] will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’”
Now look at the two verses that bracket this passage
Matthew 7:21, 24a
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven … Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man ….”
The godly person knows and loves God AND is faithful to do His will.
OK. So we know who the godly person is in 1 Timothy 6:6
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Godliness WITH contentment! What is contentment?
Mr. Rockefeller, how much money is enough money?
“A little bit more.”
You’ve all seen those gigantic new homes that are springing up all over, thousands of square feet with multiple car garages and acres of lawn.
Did you ever ask yourself … now remember we’re talking about contentment.
WHEN DOES THE SIZE OF A HOUSE BECOME SINFUL?
Several years ago, Millard Fuller of Habitat for Humanity addressed the National Press Club on public radio, on which he recalled a workshop he conducted at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with 200 pastors in attendance. The assembled pastors quickly pointed toward greed and selfishness as the reason the church never had enough money to accomplish its mission in the world.
Millard then asked this seemingly innocent question: "Is it possible for a person to build a house so large that it's sinful in the eyes of God? Raise your hand if you think so."
All 200 pastors raised their hands.
"Okay," said Millard, "then can you tell me at exactly what size, the precise square footage, a certain house becomes sinful to occupy?"
Silence from the pastors. You could have heard a pin drop.
Finally, a small, quiet voice spoke up from the back of the room: "When it’s bigger than mine."
Contentment - what is contentment?
Philippians 4:11b-12
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Hebrews 13:5
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’”
Here is a principle that I see in Scripture. I do not know anywhere that it is written out as such but I believe that it is a principle woven into Scripture.
True godliness and discontent are polar opposites and will not coexist.
Worldliness and contentment are polar opposites and will not coexist.
When you truly, truly seek after God the things of this world grow more and more meaningless.
When you truly, truly seek after the things of this world God grows more and more meaningless in your life.
Well, there is this little verse:
Luke 16:13
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Luke 16:13b (HCSB) says it this way
“You can’t be slaves to both God and money.”
Money, wealth, riches, possessions, prestige, power, status, beauty, sex, drugs, popularity, all have been used to draw people away from God.
There is one thing, however, with which you should never be content and that is your relationship with God.
The Pharisee Saul had many of the things that would draw people away from God including his religion. He was religious zealousness led him to persecute the Church of Jesus Christ without mercy.
Then … Jesus got a hold of his life and turned everything upside down and he went from being Saul the Pharisee to Paul the Apostle.
He went from a life of ungodly discontent to godliness with contentment and he found it to be great gain!
There is a song based on one of Paul’s great confessions in Scripture
All I once held dear - built my life upon
All this world reveres - and wars to own
All I once thought gain - I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now - compared to this
Chorus
Knowing You Jesus - knowing You - There is no greater thing
You're my all - You're the best - You're my joy - my righteousness -
And I love You LORD
Verse 2
Now my heart's desire - is to know You more
To be found in You - and known as Yours
To possess by faith - what I could not earn
All surpassing gift - of righteousness
Verse 3
Oh to know the pow'r - of Your risen life
And to know You in - Your sufferings
To become like You - in Your death my LORD
So with You to live - and never die
And this 2nd chorus from Oh, I Want to Know You More
Every time it says “Oh” it is a groan of longing from the heart
Oh I want to know You more
Deep within my soul I want to know You
Oh I want to know You
And I would give my final breath
To know You in Your death and resurrection
Oh I want to know You more!
Oh I want to know You more!
Oh I want to know You more!
This longing is the secret of the verse “Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
And we think that Paul was the exception from long ago.
Is being totally sold out to God a thing of the past?
Is abandoning yourself to God just a fiction created by previous generations?
Look at this video from VOM called Liena’s prayer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceJ9Emobfow
