Lay Hold On Eternal Life

1 Timothy 6:11-16

This week, we celebrate our country’s independence. It is probably the greatest form of government ever created on earth. Our freedom is established in a declaration of independence, which seems to understand that God is supreme and we are not. One preacher said that this document should of been titled “Declaration of Dependence”.......dependence of God that is! In our pledge of allegiance, it makes the pledge that we are a nation under God!

Anyway, in the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, he writes in the 2nd paragraph......... “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Life: Our lives are given the opportunity to live, without opposition and without fear from a tyrannical government dictating every moment of it, within the boundaries of the law!

Law being a deterrent of evil....Romans 13:3 “For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:”

Some of the founding fathers of our country, saw that a free country could only exist if it’s citizens were moral, without morality no country could stand. It would itself alive!

That was certainly the original intention, now it is way off the rails!

Liberty: Freedom from tyranny, freedom to live out your life how you see fit, again within the bounds of the law.....which is necessary for good to continue!

Lastly, The pursuit of happiness: Pursuing what makes you happy.......

Happiness in 1776 looks a lot different than happiness in 2023!

The definition of happiness seems to have taken a sharp turn to immorality, which will destroy a free nation!

People seem to define things differently, having their own version of morality and immorality!

It is very odd, that those desiring true morality are considered haters and immoral, now a days!

Things have turned upside down!

That leads me to the message.......I have been pondering on the phrase “Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit Of Happiness.”., for several weeks now and ........I am going to attempt to do a little word play on this phrase today.

This is what I come up with........Pursue righteousness, which brings liberty and life! These are paramount to be a Christian!

Let’s look at our text from 1 Timothy 6:11-16..........

Paul is writing to Timothy a young preacher and he is guiding Timothy in being a leader amongst the followers of Christ!

Paul’s appeal to Timothy as a “man of God” reminded Timothy that he had received a divine message just as had the Old Testament prophets (see Josh 14:6; 1 Kgs 12:22). It pictured Timothy as one with a special calling for God’s service.

Moses, Elijah and other prophets was referred to as the “Man of God”

So, with that special calling, Timothy was warned to flee the heresy, divisiveness, and greed that Paul had denounced in vv. 3–10. He was challenged to “pursue” (“constantly strive for,” Williams) six virtues mentioned in three pairs.

Paul’s warnings are very prominent in today’s time

Heresy: a different doctrine that does not match the Words of Jesus Christ, His teaching is according to living unto God not man!

Divisiveness: I read after one gentleman that stated that most false teachers, were arrogant and conceited, which Paul tells Timothy that they are proud but know nothing!

In their arrogance they stir up controversies and arguments!

One writer calls their behavior “diseased”

Lastly, the teaching that Godliness will bring great gain.....

The goal of the false teachers was materialism and they taught that....... “supposing that gain is godliness”............

This is very common today........that teaching is heretical and destructive!

Their teaching was that a good measure whether you were in the faith was how things were going in your life!

If you have things and everything is going well, then you must be a Christian!

Paul tells Timothy to withdraw yourself from those teachers!

Now, in verse 11, Paul tells Timothy to flee those things and “Follow after” or “Pursue” six virtues!

These are the traits of those that believe in Jesus Christ and the traits of the leaders that are teaching the way of Christ!

Let’s look at each one of them briefly......

The one that caught my heart and mind was righteousness......

That is not your own version of righteousness....it is our legal standing before God!

God’s way is pure and holy and since the fall no human has known pure and holy!

Before we can find liberty and life, we must find righteousness and that is a desperate hunt if we are searching for it through our efforts!

1 Corinthians 1:30 “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Our righteousness is in Jesus Christ!

Jeremiah 33:16 “In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness.”

Anything I muster up on my own is self-righteousness and it is empty and without merit!

Godliness: a reverence to God.....my life desires to live God’s way!

Romans 7:22 “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:”

That is the heart of the believer!

If righteousness and godliness are not what we are pursuing then why would you need Jesus?

This is what true life is all about!

Faith and love: reflect trust in God and benevolence and goodwill toward others

Timothy would need patience or endurance to complete his task!

Meekness comes after Paul spoke of those proud, arrogant false teachers.......meekness, humility will be much needed!

I heard a preacher say that the one most profound characteristic of a follower of Christ is humility! 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

None of these virtues are possible, except it be for Christ! He fulfilled this without spot and blemish! It is only through Christ that we find these virtues! The pursuit of them brings us to Christ which brings us to LIBERTY........

John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:36 “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

Romans 8:1-2 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”

This all takes me back to the pursuit of these things, yes I know Paul is talking to someone that is already a Christian and is a preacher, but the truth is that there is no way we will find the true Christ if we are seeking Him for things other than righteousness and godliness!

A hard striving for those, will bring us to the realization that I have no power to achieve them only through Christ!

When my desires are turned to please God, I find myself condemned! In finding myself condemned I find Christ.........Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I am set free from the law of sin and death, now through Christ I have found life!

In verse 12 Paul tells Timothy to fight that good fight of faith and lay hold onto eternal life!

This is only found in Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is only found in the desire for righteousness and godliness!