A Healthy Church Watches It’s Heart.
Foundations of a Healthy Church • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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A Healthy Church Watches It’s Heart.
Opening: corrupt pastors seeking riches and immortality
Need: You can see why Paul would say,
“learn to be content.”
“Godliness with contentment is great gain.”
“Those who want to be rich fall into a temptation and a trap.”
I am convinced of two things this week from God’s Word
When we give extravagantly of our lives and possessions, we will not only lead others to spiritual and physical life, but we will discover true, lasting joy.
If we do not give in extravagant ways then not only will people die spiritually and physically we may find ourselves on a road of ruin and destruction.
A Healthy Church Watches It’s Heart.
1 Timothy 6:2–10 (HCSB)
Teach and encourage these things.
If anyone teaches other doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness,
he is conceited, understanding nothing, but has a sick interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions,
and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.
But godliness with contentment is a great gain.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out.
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
Outline:
Don’t Crave Spiritual Divisions 2b-5
Crave Contentment 6-8
Don’t Crave Material Possessions 9-10
Don’t Crave Spiritual Divisions 2b-5.
Explanation
How do you measure sound teaching’s affect on people?
It results in godliness. meaning a change from self seeking to seeking God’s ways over their own.
Not so of those seeking division.
They are conceited,(Vain arrogance)
Understanding nothing,(They know it all but know nothing)
Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.
If I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.
Sick motives for their disputes and arguments over words.
“They are not defending the faith, they’re posturing up for some prosperity” -Begg
This way of thinking leads to
Envy, quarreling, slandering, evil suspicion and disagreement.
Illustration: People like this
Change friends often,
Are Know it alls on everything,
Discredits your victories, boasts of their own.
They want adoration and recognition for what they do.
They want to teach or be elders for reasons of gain and power.
like Adam and Eve’s temptation of being like God, in Genesis
these people begin to think they are superior to others because of knowledge or skills. They feel entitled to all God has created as if it is reward for their accomplishment. Which sets the trap
Argumentation
Paul does not say what their teaching was but he does attach it to a prosperity that he counters their materialism in v 5 with contentment.
Crave Contentment 6-8
But godliness with contentment is a great gain.
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out.
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.
Contentment in this passage connects itself to verses 1-2 of last week dealing with slaves and master.
Paul was telling Timothy:
1. See to it that they are rich in their understanding of the Word that leads Godliness.
2. Elevate relationships rooted in Christ above social cast systems.
3. Understand where you are is where God wants you.
Illustration
The Devil has a field day when people are searching for their purpose. What is my calling? What is God’s will for my life?
The most common line of questions that come in discipling is associated with “What is God’s will for my life?” what am I to seek so that I can gain.
The best way to keep you from God’s will is convince you that you aren't already in it.
When He does that to you, you will spend your whole life assuming God wants more for us than where we are right now.
God desires that we would
1. Be completely satisfied in our Savior.
2. Be overwhelmed with joy by the work He has done for us.
3. That we would understand his word and His word would begin to shape our faith and obedience.
4. We would see that there is nothing God created worth having more than the creator Himself.
Transition: However, when we view materialism as reward for being good, we will begin to seek it over God.
Don’t Crave Material Possessions 9-10
But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
The word plunge is used in Luke to describe the boats that began to sink because of all the fish being hauled on the boat which would lead to its ruin.
In the same way when we crave material possessions it is first a temptation, that traps us and then it sinks us.
I think the greatest reason so few believers in American churches only give an average of 2.5% of their income is because they are plunged in debt.
They need that purchase, that car, those golf clubs, that weekend away.
Once they charge it, the trap is set. And they have less and less of their own resources to help where God said is important.
Because their desires ruled their discussions. They felt they needed it
Maybe you can relate.
1. How many of you have bought things off Amazon when you were blue?
2. How many of you have dreamed how life would be if you were rich?
When you look for comfort and joy from what is created over the Creator you will never find what you are longing for.
The reason Paul says Christ is all you need, is because it is true.
Our greatest worth, and meaning, joy, hope, purpose and sense of belonging is made possible when we know God and how he sees us.
All those lies and temptations of the world are just there to attack your self-worth and to convince you that you need material things to make you important.
Longing or loving the things of the world form a root system.
That root system ties you up so tightly that you cannot exercise faith because the world has you tied down. We are pierced with many pains
€£€. parable of the seeds
The love of money and things of this world has a multiplying effect.
It leads to lying, jealousy, greed, theft, extortion, abuse, trafficking, even murder.
Paul told timothy in v 1
1 Timothy 6:1 [The reason we are to live for godliness is] so that God’s name and His teaching will not be blasphemed.”
Closing: The reason I rejected the Gospel. A man named Don
Don,
Hated the homeless
He bragged about how important he was at his job
He had all the newest things and the best model…
He never let you have your own opinion his was the only way.
Don Craved division. He craved materialism, even at 12, I knew I did not want to be like him, and I drew my own conclusion I dont want to be like Jesus.
Application
Crave Christ
learn and delight in God’s sound teaching. Read its truths and fall in love with the Jesus in the Bible. When you study Him you will begin to Crave. his truth.
When you know the Word you know your worth
You discover in His Word, your value and how he sees you. You begin to discover you are where you are for reasons he has for you and you learn to be content where you are serving him and meeting other’s spiritual and physical needs along the way.