← ArchiveFaith Over FearThe Content LifeDateOctober 18, 2020SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamText1 Timothy 6Passages in this sermon1 Timothy 64:03Leviticus 19:927:58TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00*music*0:30Okay, welcome back guys. If you haven't noticed yet, today is a special day in the life of this local church, in my opinion any church, is what we call our celebration services. So we've dedicated this Sunday to celebrate what we believe heaven celebrates, those who have given their life to Jesus Christ.0:57And then we're going to conclude with the Lord's Supper, celebrating the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. But before we get there, let's look at the Word of God. So we've been journeying through 1 Timothy, and then we'll be in 2 Timothy next month, looking at how we live a life of faith over fear. So faith over fear.1:25If you don't know who I am, my name is Josh Burnham, lead pastor here at Bethel. For those who are watching online, we don't see you, but we know you're there. So thank you guys for joining us today, and if you're in our overflow room, we know you're there. So thank you for joining us. This year, in August, a lady named Lori Loughlin, you might know her as Rebecca or Uncle Jesse's significant other on Full House, was sentenced because of her role in a college admission scandal.1:43She pled guilty, but something that did not make the news circuit would have been what the judge said in the sentencing hearing. So listen to what the judge says to Lori and her family. He says this.2:12This is U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton. He said, "In the courtroom, here you are, admired, successful, a professional actor with a long-lasting marriage, two apparently healthy children, more money than you could need, a beautiful home in Southern California, a fairytale life. Yet, you stand before me, a convicted felon."2:40This is what he concluded. He said, "And for what? For the inexplicable desire to grasp even more." And I'm convinced that we all have that same desire. I'm convinced that within each and every one of us, there's a desire for more.3:04And the more you feed that desire, the more you desire more. What is the answer? The answer for those desires is Jesus Christ because he is enough. So here's my hope. If you are a Christ follower today, that you would leave here encouraged and satisfied because Jesus is all that you need. And our hope is that if you are not a Christ follower, as we prayed backstage earlier, Alex's hope that was baptized, Cody's hope that was baptized is that you will see what they saw.3:33That Jesus is everything that you're looking for. And that you would follow him, that you would be saved because that is God's hope in your life. So with that, let's read 1 Timothy. We're going to look at chapter 6 today. And it's a message simply called "The Content Life." The Content Life.4:011 Timothy 6, I'll begin reading in verse 3 through 10. 1 Timothy says this: "Anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. And with a teaching that promotes godliness, he is conceited. He understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words.4:24From these come envy and quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine godliness is a way to material gain."4:49Verse 6: "But godliness with contentment is great gain." Verse 7: "For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out. If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these." But church, listen. "Those who want to be rich, fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires,5:14which plunge people into ruin and destruction." You've probably heard this before. "For the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil. And by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and have pierced themselves with many, many griefs."5:35Let us pray. Father, we want to love you and not money. Lord, we want to want what you desire in our lives. Lord, we confess to you in brokenness right now that we desire so much that you don't want in our lives.6:03Father, stop the insatiable craving in our hearts for more. Because we believe that you are enough. We believe Jesus is the answer. So, Lord, may we live and seek you. Because we believe that godliness plus contentment is great gain.6:27So, Lord, help us live the content life. Because that's your will for us. Lord, we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Well, let's zero in on verse 5 here. Now, it sounds like 2020. This is pre-social media. But it sounds like Paul is scrolling through his feed, right?6:53Slander and quarreling and envy and evil suspicions and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth. Who imagine godliness as something of material gain. Now, this is what I believe to be true. In everyone's heart here today, there is this desire and this rhythm that you're never satisfied.7:17You want more. It's not enough. And you're constantly bombarded by media and social media that tells you that message. That tells you you might not be hungry right now, but you should be hungry. And when you are hungry, you want this to satisfy that craving. We all have rhythms in our hearts that beat for more and more and more and more.7:45And just like the judge recognized. He said, "So what? You did all this? You're going to jail. You're a convicted felon because you just wanted more?" We all have that desire, don't we? And Paul zeroes in into that heart of ours. He zeroes in and says, "This is not the way that it should be." Listen, gain for the sake of gain is greed.8:11If you're praying today, "Lord, just give me stuff because I like stuff." And with stuff, I become happy. God is saying, "Okay, Josh, hold on. You are greedy and that will only lead to your destruction." That's the wrong type of gain to seek. Because there are some in the early church that are seeking this same desire. It's quite possible that in Ephesus, in this moment, people are selling the gospel.8:37They're saying, "Hey, I have the recipe for success. Just pay me and I will give you the recipe. Just pay me and I will make you righteous. Just pay me and I will give you the secret sauce to life." Now, you say that might not happen, but it still happens today. And Paul calls these people, listen to what he says about these false teachers, beginning in verse 3. Some of your versions, it calls them conceited in verse 4.9:04But a really good translation in Greek is swollen-headed. Swole-head is what he says. You big-headed people. Not only that, he says if your desire is just for more and more in your life, not only do you have the swole-head, you understand nothing. You're unhealthy. You're envious. You're quarreling. You slander. You know what Paul's been doing? The Holy Spirit has been reading some of your social media posts.9:33That's what I felt like when I was reading this, saying, "Lord, what have I done?" "Gain for gain's sake will only lead you to destruction." But here's the answer for swollen-headedness. If you walked in here with a big head, Jesus Christ can take that away. Jesus Christ can give you a big heart, not a big head. "Gain for gain's sake is not godliness."10:01And like the early church, there are some today that still buy into this prosperity gospel. We still are trying to purchase our meal ticket. We're trying to purchase our redemption. And you might not say, "Well, I don't do that." Of course, pastor, that's not me. But here's how we encapsulate our spirituality in the Western church. We say this, "Well, just come to church and you'll make friends." Good friends. Not the bad friends.10:30The good friends. Or come to church and you'll find a social network that will promote your products. Or if you're a politician, come to church and you might be elected to the office that you want to be elected into. Or come to church and you might get the promotion because you're going to meet the people that you want to meet to in the fellowship of Christ. And then you'll get a leg up in your life. Or come to the gathered assembly and your kids will make cool crafts and they'll be everything that you want them to be.10:55Because a craft one day when they're three is going to determine their future. And we do that. And we realize that's the point. If we are here simply for selfish gain, that's greed. And would the Lord take our heart of greed away today? I don't want to be big headed.11:23I don't want to be unhealthy. Is it wrong to have godly friends, church? No. Is it wrong to be blessed in your job? No. Is it wrong that we have people who are God-fearers that get involved in politics? They've lost their mind but God blessed them? No. It's not wrong. We need Christ-centered people who want to make our country better. We need those men.11:52We need those women. But if that's our chief aim, we have the wrong goal. Gain for gain's sake is greed. But there is a better way. Jesus, the bread of life, did not come just to give you the best life you think you could have. Church, Jesus is better than your mansion over the hilltop. Jesus is better than your street of gold. Jesus is better than any gate of pearl you think you're going to walk through one day.12:21I submit to you that Jesus is better than anything that you could ever imagine. Jesus is better. So let's look at the better way. Right here in this word. Verse 6. But godliness plus what? Plus contentment is great gain. So Paul says some of you are after the wrong gain.12:49You're selfish. You're self-centered. You're big-headed. All you care about is you. And before you point fingers, he's talking to us. Godliness. But there is a gain that will satisfy. Godliness with contentment. So what is that better way? It's called godliness. What is godliness? Godliness is not, well, you deserve a new vacation, so you go get yours.13:14You deserve that new ride. You go get that. You deserve, your kid deserves that trophy in baseball, so you go get that. You go get your participation trophy. Yes. You deserve. You deserve. That's not the gospel, is it? The world will teach you, you deserve, so you get and you accumulate. But the gospel is church. You don't deserve.13:43If you get what you deserve, this is what we get. The Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Let me put this in perspective. Raise your hand if you're all. Raise your hand if you're not paying attention. We're all. That's us. And the Bible says the wages, what you earn, what I earn for my sin is death. And that is death one day physically, that is death one day eternally, but that is death immediately in my relationship with God.14:09Because of my sin, because of your sin, you cannot have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. So if you get what you deserve, as the world teaches you, you get yours. You and I deserve hell. Does that make sense? So if we get what we deserve, we do not deserve the grace of God. We deserve the punishment and the wrath of God.14:37That is what we earn. So if God was a fair God, he would give you what you earn. So if you want to talk about fairness, you go to heaven, you take it up with him. But the gospel is this. The gospel is, Josh, you earned hell and death. And Jesus lived a sinless life. And he willingly died. And he said, Father, I will take Josh's place.15:04I will die for him. That way he doesn't have to die eternally. And Father, if Josh believes in me of my life and my death and my resurrection, I will trade my life for his. The gospel is Jesus in my place. That should not have happened. What kind of God would do that? That when I was living in rebellion and hatred and vitriol against God, he said, okay, that's the moment I'm going to let my son die for Josh.15:34And for all who believe in Jesus, you can have life and everlasting life and abundant life. The gospel is this. The gospel is you get what you don't deserve. And Jesus died. He didn't deserve to die, but he took your place. That is gain.16:04That is gain. And I'm so thankful for a God who does not give us what we deserve. It is called grace. It's called mercy. So what is gain right here? What is the answer for contentment is godliness. What is godliness? It is Jesus trading places for me. Jesus taking your sin and giving you righteousness. So if you have ever given your life to Jesus Christ, you are righteous right now.16:28Right now. God is not waiting and saying, okay, hurry up. I'm waiting for you to become righteous. God looks at you through the blood of his son, Jesus Christ. And when he sees you, he sees Jesus. You are in right standing with God because he has made you right. He has justified you.16:56That is gain. Because no one can take that away. So when we get what we don't deserve, something changes in us. Look at this next verse. Godliness, Jesus in your place, plus contentment is great gain. Here's an eternal spiritual equation, right? Godliness plus contentment equals gain.17:23So for our accountants, I know you've been waiting for an equation. Here it is. Godliness plus contentment. Here is your gain. This is what the content life looks like. Now what I believe Paul is addressing are two groups of people, especially in the church. One is the Stoics. The Stoics had the serious face. The Stoic philosophers taught this, that you should be one and harmonized with your circumstances.17:49So just be one with your surroundings, but keep the Stoic personality. I believe the Stoics would have been Baptist. Just, I mean, it just makes sense. Right? The serious face. But there's another group of cynics in the ancient world, especially during this time in Ephesus.18:16The cynics said this, "Well, we want to live the autonomous life. You leave me alone, I'll leave you alone, and life will be good." I believe that I would have been a cynic, right? You do you, I do me, and we'll call it a day. That's cynicism. And what Paul teaches is neither of those are the answer that you're looking for in life. Maybe you're trying to work so hard that one day, no matter what circumstance you have, your nest egg will take care of you.18:45You'll never be content. Maybe you're trying to make your own life and to keep your nose clean. That you just, you leave me alone, I'm going to be my self-made man or woman, and then life will be exactly what I want it to be. You're the cynic. And God says, "That's not the answer you're looking for." Jesus Christ is what you long for. The Christ-satisfied life is the answer.19:15The Christ-satisfied life is independence from the world because you have dependence on Jesus. Independence from the world, no matter what happens, you will never take my joy. No matter what happens, you will never take my righteousness. No matter what happens, my life is rooted on the hope of Jesus Christ because I am content in what Jesus is for me. That is the root of faith.19:45So, church, are you content today? Are you content? I want to give you seven quick principles to the content life, in my opinion, through the Word of God today. Seven quick principles. Some of you take notes. I will promise to give you seven. Seven, sorry. Seven. And we'll walk through these. How do we have what God wants us to have? How can we become what God wants us to be? The content life is being satisfied in Jesus, plus the satisfaction that you'll never need anything else because of Jesus Christ.20:14Step number one for the content life, realize that God meets your every need and in every way. You will never be content until you realize that God meets your need and in every way. Look at what Paul says here in the Word. In verse seven, he says, you brought nothing into the world.20:41All of you were born naked. I have never seen a baby that was born with a piece of luggage. I said, hey, I've arrived. Welcome to the world. All of us are completely born in utter dependence, aren't we? What's the reminder that God is giving us? Listen, you didn't anything here.21:10When you were born, you didn't deliver yourself. You didn't say, I got it from here, guys. Doctor, you watch. I'm going to show you. I am self-reliant. I'm going to birth myself. None of us did that. And yet we just think the same things happen spiritually, doesn't it? We just think, well, I've created new birth or I am my own person. We must realize that contentment is built on complete trust on Jesus Christ.21:36Complete trust. I want to speak to those. Some of you here today are struggling because you do not have what you need right now in your life. Would you have enough faith to pray to the Lord of harvest and say, God, give me what I need today. Lord, you promise you will give me my daily bread, don't you? So, Father, would you fulfill that promise? So, if that's you right now, would you just pause and pray to the Lord and say, God, you know I don't really have what I need.22:05Yes, I have Christ, but God, I'm struggling. God, would you meet my needs today? Because contentment is founded upon the truth that God meets our need. Lord, would you meet our needs today? Pray to the Lord of harvest. Step two to biblical contentment. Again, verse seven. We brought nothing into this world and you will not bring anything out.22:32You do not bring anything in and you will not bring anything out. So what does that mean? All the stuff that you're collecting one day will be thrown in the fire. It'll be thrown in the fire. Listen, you don't own anything. You're not taking anything to heaven. And for those who are not going to follow Jesus Christ, you're not going to take anything to hell except our souls. You don't own anything.23:00So we must recognize ownership. Live a life that say, God, it's your stuff. And when you do, it frees you up completely. When you recognize that, God, what I have is yours and I'm just borrowing. There is a freedom to the content life in that moment. You don't own anything. I'm reminded, this is a, this is a maxim, an ancient maxim that was said often.23:26I'm reminded of a man named Job. And in one day, his servants come to him and say, Job, stop what you're doing. Every barn you have has been destroyed. Another servant comes and said, Job, all the cattle, all of your wealth has been destroyed. Another one would come in modern terms. The stock market crashed. Everything that you've been saving for 30 years is gone.23:53And then another servant came and said, Job, I know it's been a bad day, but all of your children have died. And in that moment, Job says this. He says, naked I came from my mother's womb. And naked I will leave this life. He said, the Lord gives. And the Lord takes away.24:22Blessed be the name of the Lord. If I'm honest, I don't know if I'm there. If I lose everything that I love in my life, my first instinct is not going to be, blessed be the name of the Lord. But Job understood what it looked like to say, God, everything I have is yours. And I'm just borrowing. Blessed be the name of the Lord.24:53You see, generosity is not giving God some of what you have. Generosity is saying, God, you've given me. So I'm just going to give back to you what is already yours. May the Lord make us content with what we have. Because we don't own anything. You're just borrowing. Step two to biblical contentment. We don't recognize that God owns. Step number three.25:22We see this. In verse 10. How many of you know this verse? Paul reminds us that the love of money is the root of all sorts of evils. He doesn't say money is the root of evil. He doesn't say wealth is the root of evil. But the love of money is the root of all evil. So step number three to biblical contentment.25:50Love and want God things, not good things. Can money be a good thing? Yes. For those of you who say no, listen, you can Venmo me at the end of church. I will gladly take it. And we'll do a lot of kingdom work around the world. Can money be a good thing in the tool of the servant of Christ? But we don't want, we shouldn't love good things. We should love God things.26:19The love of money is the root of all evil. And Paul says this about the love of money, about the unquenching desire for more. He says those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap. It's the same word here that's used for someone who's drowning. It's almost the image of what we have in our society. We say that someone is drowning in debt. For some of you, guys, listen to me.26:46For some of you, you will never be content because you're not able to be generous because you're drowning in debt. You have offered your financial lives on the offering of credit. And you don't have an income problem, you have a love problem. You love good things and not God things. I think my heart for you today is that the suffocating nature of debt would be broken in your life today. It would be broken.27:16Because I've found in my life when I am in debt, I can't give and meet needs like God wants me to. I believe there are times in my life that someone has been in need and I have missed out on a blessing of serving them because I have too much debt. May it not be in us. May it not be, Lord. May we want God things first. So if you're someone who loves money more than God, it's time to repent. It's time to turn to the one who can save your soul.27:46Step number four. In biblical contentment is from this, live with margin. This is a philosophy in Leviticus 19:9. When God's people were told to harvest their fields, God told them, "Do not harvest the peripheral of your field. Leave that." Leave it for the sojourner, the man who's just walking by or the woman who's passing by, and leave that for those who are poor.28:10What is God telling his community? "Live in such a way that you will have margin to help those who are truly in need." So what does that do for our life? One, it's a reminder that your life is not about you, it's about God. And Americans, we need to hear that. Your life is not about you, it should be about Jesus Christ. We all need to live with margin. That's why we've dedicated our budgeting process as a church.28:39For the last three years, we have always budgeted under what we took in in the previous year. For 2021, and you don't have the budget yet, but this is what it's going to look like. We're budgeting on 95% of what you gave in 2020. Because we want to live with margin, that way we can meet needs in the community. And you know what happens when you do that? You always have more than you need. You always have more than you need.29:09And so at the end of every year, we have to say, "God, we have too much. What do we do with this?" And God says, "I'm glad you asked that question. Because now we're going to meet needs and we're going to share Christ." Are you living with margin in your life? Do you have margin to help others? I believe that God gives you access to meet needs of others. Are you living with margin? Father, make us content.29:37Fifth principle. Very simple. Enjoy the harvest. Enjoy the harvest. Right? Money is not bad. Wealth is not bad. So when we want God first, the Heavenly Father gives good gifts. And when I love God more and He gives me good gifts, then you are supposed to enjoy the good gifts of a Father who loves you.30:03So if you are giving like you should, if you're a generous person, if you're living with margin, and you're content in God, you should not feel guilty for the good things that God has given you to enjoy. Does that make sense? Because some of us live with shame because we say, God, I can't believe I have this. I have too much and I feel guilty of that. If you're honoring Christ with your life and with your wealth, don't feel guilty. Enjoy the harvest.30:33Enjoy what God has given you. Magnify His name in that. The reminder in this text is that wealth is not evil and poverty is not righteousness. And the reverse is true. Wealth is not righteous. Poverty is not sinful. So we shouldn't look at someone who's wealthy and say, you sinner. Or we shouldn't look at someone who's poor and say, you sinner. Or reverse, say, wow, you have a lot. God has made you righteous.31:03Because we know that with much comes much responsibility. Enjoy what God has given you. Enjoy what God has given you. This is the heart of the content life. Sixth, live generously. Give sacrificially. Live generously and give sacrificially. The love of money is the root of all evil, so we don't want to love money. We want to love our Messiah. And I believe you can't legislate giving.31:31The Old Testament concept of the tithe. It was to give 10% of everything you have away. Why would God want you to do that? Listen, God doesn't need your money. I'm not going to get to heaven one day and God's going to look at my giving receipt and say, wow, enter into the gates of everlasting life. Well done. That's not what happens. I'm giving God what it already is.32:00I believe for the New Testament church that the tithe is not a place to stop. It is a place to start. And I never in my life, and this is how we live our life, my wife and myself, I don't want my generosity to be a ceiling of God's generosity for me. Think about that. I believe in all of our lives God wants to give us good gifts. And I believe sometimes my lack of generosity prevents God from giving me anything.32:25Because he knows I'm going to be stingy and selfish. God is giving me to give away, so I don't want my giving to be a ceiling of God's generosity to me. Live generously. Live generously. Give sacrificially. And when we do, the world will see that we have a content life. And that you'll be free from the bonds of loving what the world loves. Last, number seven.32:55Live simply and trust God. Live a simple life and trust God. We've already talked last week or two weeks ago about women wearing fancy hairdos in the church. That's not what I'm talking about when I say the simple life. We need to live lives that don't say, "Look at me." We need to live lives that say, "Look at Jesus Christ." So filter everything that you do. Filter everything that you purchase through the lens of the gospel.33:24So if you're going to go out and purchase a new ride today. If you're buying that new vehicle so other people will look at you and think you've made it and think you're someone. That's not what God wants in your life. If you are honoring Christ and you're living with margin and you're content and God has given you this. There's nothing wrong with going out and buying that new ride. But do so with the gospel and say, "Lord, look at you not look at me."33:50If you're going to go buy that fancy new watch or those fancy new clothes or those fancy new teeth. Just say, "Look at me." That's the wrong life. May we be people who live simple lives. That we can say we have an extravagant father. Don't look at me. Look at Jesus Christ. There's a Greek myth about a king named Tantalus.34:20And he was a pretty unsavory character. And so his eternal punishment was folklore in the Greek life. He was made to stand in ankle deep water beneath a lush fruit tree. But what was wrong with Tantalus is that the tree was simply out of grasp. Every time that he would reach for fruit, he could never reach it.34:48And he was bound for this forever. And every time he would stoop down to get some water because he was thirsty. The water would recede and he could never take a drink. And the Greeks referred to it as the Tantalian curse. For anyone who had things and could enjoy them. I believe that some of us are like this. I believe you're living life and you are not content.35:15And you're not happy. You're always thirsty and you're never finding refreshments. And I simply ask you, would you enjoy Jesus Christ above all? Would you commit your life today and say, God, I want Jesus among everything. Listen to the words of the Justice Gorton. He says, and for what? What is all this good?35:43For the simple grasping for more? I believe some of us came in here like this and just grasping. You're fighting. You're working up the corporate ladder. You're trying to get this education. You're trying to do so you can get more and more and more and more. And you know what's going to happen? You'll never be content. Because God has not created anything in this life that will bring satisfaction to your soul. Only Jesus can do that.36:13Only Jesus can do that. So, if you are a Christ follower, would you commit your life today again to say, God, you are all I need. God, I will be content with what you give me today because I believe you gave me what I need today for my needs, not my wants. The content life is the life in Jesus Christ. The content life is the life of freedom.36:41Would you commit your life and say, God, make me content again. Godliness plus contentment is what? It is great gain. But maybe you're here today and you're not content because you don't know Jesus Christ. Is it possible that you have this deep longing in your soul because you have never found what only Jesus can satisfy?37:01Maybe there's a hunger in your life and you need to say, God, I realize that you are the bread of life. And this hunger is for you. Maybe you realize you've always been thirsty and you can never get that water. It's always receding. Did you know that Jesus calls himself the living water?37:28And he says that everyone who drinks from Christ will never thirst. If you have never given your life to Jesus Christ, we want you to know today that he is offering what you don't deserve. If you would repent of your sins, if you would turn from your sins, you would put your faith in him. Believe in your heart and confess that he is Lord. What is the gospel?37:58It is Jesus in my place. And the Bible says that the love of money, when you do pierce yourself of many griefs. And I want you to know today that there is one who is pierced in the side for you. His body was pierced, his blood was shed, that you might have everlasting life. Would you say yes to Christ?38:28Because he will satisfy. Because he is all that you need. Church, if Jesus is your savior, rejoice. Because he is enough. If he is not your savior, come to Christ. Come to Christ. Because he is ready and willing to save. 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