Great gain. What IS great gain?
The world attempts to define the meaning of great gain for us every day.
What are some things that the world uses to influence people?
(Use a whiteboard to write them down - divide the white board into two columns and write these in the left hand column)
TV and other media - Advertisements - Peer pressure - Teachers - Parents - Billboards
Let me give you an example of how I’ve been influenced in the past. Now, this influence was not one that would lead to sin but it did influence my actions at a time of decision.
Back in the last millennium when I was 16 years old I was riding my little Honda CB100 motorcycle down the road for the first time (legally). I had just placed the gas valve on reserve so I knew I needed to get some gas soon. As I approached the center of the metropolis of Newark Valley I knew that I would have a choice of all two gas stations and what popped into my head?
“You can trust your car to the man who wears the star; the big, bright Texaco star!”
Yes, I had been influenced by the multiple repetitions of that jingle on the TV and in my head.
What are some of the things that the world outside of the church would say we need in order to have a successful life?
(Write them in the right hand column of the whiteboard. i.e. money, pretty wife, youthful body and face, status, power, education, etc.)
Those are some pretty great goals but what do they have to do with
1 Timothy 6:6
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Is there any connection at all?
All of these desires will bring gain but in the light of eternity will it be true gain or false gain?
In Matthew 16:26 Jesus asks the question:
“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?”
The St. Lawrence river is a huge river which flows to the sea. One night I saw a huge freighter which was heading toward the sea stop and anchor for the night. The next morning the ship was facing upriver instead of down river. This gigantic freighter weighing thousands of tons had slowly been turned completely around by the gentle pressure of the flow, the influence, of the SLS.
When the ship was first anchored it was pretty much aligned with the flow of the SLS so the affect of the current on the vessel was almost unnoticeable but at some point it almost imperceptibly started drifting to one side but with no correction the ship was soon broadside to the current and being driven around to the opposing orientation.
Beware of the influence of the world. The devil will try to turn you around and destroy you little by little.
Jesus said it this way in Matthew 16:6, 11-13
“Be careful … be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees … How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread?”
“’But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’ Then they understood that He was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Might we not say it this way today?
“Be careful … be on your guard against the influence of the world. Be on your guard against the teaching of the world.”
The world will lead you to believe that false gain is genuine great gain. It is not!
So, what is great gain?
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True gain
Let’s look at our verse again …
1 Timothy 6:6
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
The problem with recognizing true gain is that it is not material at all but relational.
Our God is a God of relationship not ownership!
Just look at segments of some of our memory Scriptures!
John 3:16a
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son …”
Proverbs 3:5a
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart …”
Matthew 22:37-40
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
“And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
John 15:5a
“I am the vine; you are the branches …”
1 Peter 3:8
“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love one another as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.”
Great gain in the kingdom of God is relational NOT material!
Just look at the instructions in our most recent memory Scripture from last year.
Galatians 5:22-23
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
OK if great gain in the kingdom of God is relational let’s look at these fruit and their counterparts!
(Find a way to display these lists to the congregation, PPT, bulletin insert, white board, etc.)
Builds Relationships - Destroys Relationships
Love Hate
Joy Depression
Peace Agitation
Patience Short Tempered
Kindness Roughness
Goodness Wickedness
Faithfulness Disloyalty
Gentleness Hardness
Self Control Unhinged
Now, if you could choose to live a life with one of those lists of characteristics or the other which do you think would bring great gain to your life relationally?
Really! If you were hateful, depressed, constantly agitated, short tempered, wicked, unfaithful, hard hearted and out of control what would your life be like?
Miserable! Horrible!
Not only would you not have great gain you would not have any gain at all relationally! You might have all of the material treasures of the world but you would be a lonely, miserable person!
But if you lived a life of loving God and others, if you were filled with the joy of the Lord, if you had the peace of God which passes all understanding, if you were patient and good, if you were a faithful and gentle person with self control; what would that be like? Would that be great gain?
God’s blessing would surely be upon your life and the blessing of God is great gain!
OK. Let’s be clear about one thing! God NEVER asks us to do something without enabling us to accomplish that task, to reach that goal!
But, here’s the thing … Just like that giant freighter ship in the St. Lawrence Seaway you will need to constantly make corrections in order to maintain your heading and not be swept around to the thinking of the world. Even better yet, we should NEVER drop anchor spiritually but be in constant pursuit of God!
But if the time comes when we have been turned around by the influence of the world how do we correct?
Those corrections come by knowing God, knowing God’s Holy Word, by communion with the Holy Spirit through prayer and a yielded heart and by faithfully gathering together with other believers for encouragement and accountability.
That is GREAT GAIN!
So far we’ve seen - False Gain - True Gain
OK. One more application! God’s gain.
God’s gain! What’s that all about?
Why are we here on earth? Are we here just to be born, come to Jesus for salvation and then die and spend eternity with God in heaven?
We’re here on earth as believers to DO something! Not just sit around and wait for glory!
If that’s all there was to it we could be like the so-called “desert fathers” of the church. We could just hide away from civilization and groom our piety. By the way, you’ll never see one word in the Bible instructing a person to live the life of a saved hermit!
Acts 1:8 (AMP)
“But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth.”
1 Peter 3:15a
“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”
1 Peter 2:12
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”
Finally, let’s take one last look at the list from Galatians 5:22-23
Builds Relationships - Destroys Relationships
Love Hate
Joy Depression
Peace Agitation
Patience Short Tempered
Kindness Roughness
Goodness Wickedness
Faithfulness Disloyalty
Gentleness Hardness
Self Control Unhinged
Let’s say you were trying to lead someone to Jesus for salvation; if you could live according to one of these lists or the other, which would be more beneficial to your witness?
The Hate list destroys relationships and makes witnessing impossible.
For the kingdom of God that is not great gain that is actually great loss!
It will be impossible for you to witness for God because you will have destroyed relationships and will not have the presence of the Holy Spirit working in and through you.
The Love list builds bridges and heals broken relationships and makes witnessing possible not only because of the healed relationships but because of the power of the Holy Spirit which will be working within you.
The great gain that brings love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control into your life will also bring great gain to the kingdom of God!
Great gain in the things of the world is false gain
Great gain in the things of God is true gain in our lives here and in eternity
Great gain in the things of God brings true gain in the kingdom of God
Pleasing God is great gain!
Just like most things there is a continuum with extreme opposites on each end.
Living your life only to acquire the things of this world would be at one end
That doesn’t mean that you wouldn’t have a form of godliness
There are still those who see “godliness” as a way of financial gain
Living you life to pursue God would be at the other end
You would still need to provide for you and your family
But all would be done under the context of godliness with contentment
And to the glory of God
In the year 2014 where would you have fallen along that continuum?
Have you been turned around by the influence of this world to seek false gain?
The desire for power caused the angels to fall; the desire for knowledge in excess caused man to fall, but in charity (love) there is no excess, neither can angel nor man come in danger by it.
— Francis Bacon
