A Christ-Sufficient Life

Intro: A final warning comes in this chapter in the book of Timothy, and it reminds us and asks us one crucial question. Is Jesus enough? And this should be a question that drills deep down into our souls, into our lives. We should ask ourselves in this moment and in every moment. When the going gets tough, when the temptation to view life through a lens of want instead of contentment, the question will linger and that God himself wants us to consider. Am I enough? With the pressure of worldly success, power, position, comes knocking on our hearts, what will that answer bw? When everything in our lives begins to break, our health begins to diminish, when our dreams begin to falter and fade, is Jesus enough?

In a world that tries to put these things on the pedestal of our hearts, when the flesh and Satan himself tries to entangle us into sole focus and worship of these things, we need the antidote of the gospel. We need to remember whose we are and what worth He holds in our lives.

CTS: Jesus is the source of true contentment.

I. The Corruption of False Gospels (2b-5)

False gospels leads to…

Corrupt belief (2-3a)

- The focus of true doctrine is centered on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the particular phrasing. Christ. He is the fulfillment of the Scriptures. Jesus in Luke 24:24-27 reminds the disciples on the road to Emmaus that and showed them in all of the Old Testament how everything points to him.

- This false belief, as we have mentioned in other sermons in 1 Timothy is one that Paul takes seriously, and we should too. That reminder in Galatians 1:6-10 is to make it anathema. Curse it. Anything preaching and teaching that moves the focus onto man or anything else other than the saving gospel work of Christ and our call to make Him known is to be accursed.

Galatians 1:6–9 ESV

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

- False teaching also then leads to wrong behavior. If we don’t get the gospel right, it will inevitably lead to ungodly behavior. Healthy biblical Christian doctrine will lead to godly character and living that honors Jesus and not ourselves. The gospel doesn’t just save our souls from hell, it transforms our lives. (Rom 12:1-2)

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Corrupt character (3b-4a)

- And here is the proof. Paul now begins to describe the character of the false teachers who have put aside Jesus and put forth external godliness (remember that asceticism of not marrying and not eating certain foods earlier in the book?) in order to gaining worldly things. When we endeavor to seek the approval of men, to feed the flesh instead of our living for Jesus, here is the results.

Conceited: puffed up with a false knowledge, believing they have the upper hand and are smarter than everyone else with this secret knowledge that is contrary to the general and tested doctrine of the words of Jesus.

Understands nothing: Ironically, its this belief that actually shows they don’t and have never understood grace in Jesus. When it is shown that their words and consequent living don’t match, it is shown that they really don’t understand the gospel and what following Jesus looks like.

Unhealthy craving for division: In turn, they will argue and quarrel about certain words, doctrines, and things they don’t understand. The false teacher will show themselves when they are people that constantly quarrel and thrive off the drama of it. This is contrary to the qualifications we found in both pastors and deacons, and also, for the Christian in general. (John 17:21).

John 17:21 ESV

21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

Corrupt churches (4b-5)

The unfortunate results are evident when false teacher gain a foothold in the church. This is why Timothy was commanded to remove them.

Envy - resentment of others, particularly frustration when their own teaching is shut down or seeing gifts that God gives his gospel teachers.

Dissension - spirit of competition, trying to overthrow leaders whom challenge their false teachings and gather more followers.

Slander - abuse and blaspheming of other Christians, rushing to think the worst of others.

Evil suspicions - evil suspicions of those gospel Christians, and convincing others to be suspicious of them.

Constant friction - in the end, it leads to a constant friction within the body of Christ. If nothing is done about these false teachers, the result is damning. One commentator (R. Kent Hughes) says it like this: “perpetual detonations, mini-A-bombs and now and then H-bombs! The symbol of the church becomes not the cross but a glowing mushroom cloud.”

They imagined that which is contrary to the gospel. They thought by being religious, they would gain the world. But as Jesus reminds us in Mark 8:36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” They unfortunately imagined that this corrupted gospel was going to gain them the notoriety they craved, the positions they wanted, and the material wealth they desired.

II. The Contentment of the True Gospel (6-10)

The Sufficiency of Christ (6-8)

Gaining what matters -

The end for godliness for the false teachers was to gain worldly things. The end wasn’t proper. The Gospel flips this on its head. We are made righteous and made godly by the work of Christ, and we have everything. We live godly as to continue to be sanctified, to do the work of God and to glorify Him. This is what truly matters. Paul refers to this things that will last when final judgment comes. (1 Cor 3:10-14 )

1 Corinthians 3:10–14 ESV

10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

This is what true gain is. Eternal life when we rest in the finished work of Christ. A sanctified life that is content in Jesus, for He is everything we need. We brought nothing into this world, and we will bring nothing back. Job stated the same thing in Job 1:21 “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed by the name of the Lord.” The gospel frees us from trying to live up to the world’s standards, and we can rest in Jesus, for He is enough for us.

Resting in what we need

And without fail, God will give us exactly what we need. (Read Luke 12:27-30)

Luke 12:27–30 ESV

27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. 30 For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

God will take care of his own, giving the exact needs for us to glorify Him. Is riches inherently evil? That is the question that is raised in the next part of this passage.

The idea that Paul is pushing for is so aptly put in another one of his letters, containing one of the most abused out of context verses in Christian culture today. (Philippians 4:11-13, TURN IN BIBLE) Whatever situation, Paul knew and trusted in Jesus, that he was enough. He learned to be content in every situation of life, when he was abundantly blessed, and when he had nothing to his name. Why? Because he knew that Jesus + nothing = everything. He knew that “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Php 1:21).

The Insufficiency of Greed (9-10)

Desire for anything else than Jesus, to give our lives to greed or anything outside, is a life that is full of ruin and destruction. The ploy of the deceiver himself, who did the same to Adam and Eve in the garden. The ploy to believe that God is withholding, that there is something better than God.

If we remember the rich young ruler who asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus told him if he kept the neighbor commands of the 10 commandments. He states he has kept them from his youth. Jesus, loving him, said to him these words. “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. You cannot serve God and money.

The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Notice it does not say that money is the root of all evil, like many like to try to quote. The love of money is a root towards all kinds of evil. So when possessions, money, and even anything that comes before worship and honor of God, it leads to all kinds of evil.

“Avarice leads to selfishness, cheating, fraud, perjury and robbery, to envy, quarrelling and hatred, to violence and even murder. Greed lies behind marriages of convenience, perversions of justice, drug-pushing, pornography sales, blackmail, the exploitation of the weak, the neglect of good causes, and the betrayal of friends” - John Stott

This isn’t an indictment on the rich. This is an indictment on those that love money more than the things of God. That includes rich and poor alike. But the two biggest consequences, evils, is the departing of the faith and its consequent pains. Love of anything else is sin, and departing from Jesus leads to pain and destruction. Some will have externally claimed their love of Jesus, but in the end, the love of the things of the world. One of the evidences that John the apostle gives in 1 John 2:15-17 is this: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Conclusion: So this the warning. Are we content? Is Jesus enough for us? If everything is lost, and you have nothing else other than Jesus, the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your back, and simple food to eat, are you content because you have Jesus? Are you content in knowing Christ, being loved by Him, saved by Him, sustained by Him, given purpose by Him? Is the Great Commission and the Gospel enough to spur you to purpose and life? Jesus will never fail you, and even when we fail him, when we fall into the temptation to put anything over Jesus, as long as we turn from those things, repent, and back to the all sufficient Jesus, grace is there. God wants to show you a better way, a more fulfilling way. An eternally fulfilling Jesus. A Christ-sufficient life. Don’t buy into the world’s mentality. Don’t buy into those that want to corrupt the gospel with false teaching, with no character, and division in the church, making a church a place of war instead of a place of love and devotion to God and His gospel. Jesus is enough for you. Jesus is enough for us. Jesus plus nothing equals EVERYTHING.