A Mature Church Understands Contentment (Giving by Faith)

What is the most often misquoted verse in the Bible?

I mean we quote it without understanding the context in which it was written.

Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

What? I can do ALL things?

Like, I could climb onto the roof of this church building and jump off and start to fly?

That should work, right?

After all, that fits under the category of ALL THINGS, right?

Wrong!

We must allow the context to define the meaning of the word ALL.

What is the context? Let’s take a look.

Philippians 4:11–13 (ESV)

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

These verses are about contentment!

Paul’s secret to contentment, according to this text, is Jesus. A person can be the richest person on the planet, like Elon Musk (By the way, as of October 2024, the richest person in the world is Elon Musk, with an estimated net worth of $269 billion.) and still be dirt poor.

Or they can be dirt poor with Jesus and have riches in Christ beyond our imagination. After all, we who are in Christ are co-rulers and “reigners” with Him for all eternity. Everything He owns, we own!

So, are you content? Can you enjoy your life as is? Do you rest wholly and fully in God?

Main Idea: A Christian is Content with God

Paul continues to mentor his son-in-the-faith, Timothy.

His desire for Timothy is to help him mature the local church of Ephesus.

As we have walked through this letter together Paul has covered topics from what the gospel is to what are the qualifications of an Elder and Deacon, to how to handle widows in the church, to even the subject of slavery.

Paul wants the church in Ephesus to be mature and lacking in nothing.

Guess what, friends, God wants the same for this church. God desires for this church to be mature!

And in order for us to be so, there is more we must learn and apply.

The first thing we must learn from this passage in regard to contentment is interesting because it has to do with false teachers.

1. False Teachers are Never Content (vs. 3-5)

Apparently, from Paul’s perspective, truth and contentment go hand in hand. Take a look at the text with me…

1 Timothy 6:3–4 (ESV)

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

What do you suppose a false teacher would crave above all else?

Power, control, a high view of oneself that is imposed on others.

In fact, in these verses, the false teacher elevates themselves regarding the truth of the word of God!

This is exactly what Paul says in verse 3…

Jesus’ words are sound and true. The one who teaches things that differ from Jesus and the Word of God is “puffed up” or arrogant.

He is a fool! He may think he is brilliant, but in actuality, he knows nothing.

He is the kind of person that is not interested in the truth, but loves to argue and fight about insignificant things just to prove he is right.

There is not an ounce of humility in this person.

Do you see in verse three what the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ produces?

Godliness! Not self-righteousness!

The teachings of Jesus, when understood and applied will NEVER produce self-righteousness, but instead Godliness.

Godliness - The Greek word εὐσέβεια (eusebeia) is typically translated as "godliness" or "piety." It refers to a reverence or devotion to God that is reflected in one's attitude, actions, and way of life. It encompasses the idea of living in a manner that is respectful of divine matters and aligns with God's will. The word suggests both an internal sense of reverence toward God and the external behaviors that demonstrate that reverence in daily living.

The False Teacher is not godly. Eventually this lack of godliness will show itself through their sheeplike appearance.

Again, look at verse 4…

1 Timothy 6:4 (ESV)

he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

This guy thinks way more highly of himself than he should.

Jesus didn’t - He is about considering others as more significant than himself - gospel!

This guy is all about controversy and confusion.

Jesus isn’t - He is about the truth

This guy is about cultivating envy and divisions in the church.

He wants people to be suspicious of one another.

He loves it when churches break up into factions that are against one another.

This guy is used of the devil to destroy churches.

Jesus is about truth, love, unity, and humility.

The false teacher is never content with these attributes.

The false teacher is the exact opposite from godliness.

Look again at verse 5 and see what Paul says…

1 Timothy 6:5 (ESV)

and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

They feed on those that are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth. What does this mean?

The NLT clears this verse up a bit…

1 Timothy 6:5 (NLT)

These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.

These people are troublemakers. They love nothing more than to see a church full of controversy and chaos.

They are not content with peace.

Have you ever met someone who seems to thrive on drama?

If there isn’t any drama they will manufacture it? That’s what these false teachers are like.

In addition to this, do you see what they want to use “godliness” to obtain?

Money!! Cold, hard, cash!

They want to use some semblance of Godliness to get wealthy!

If they were truly Godly, they would realize that it is ONLY the GODLY who are TRULY wealthy.

I hope you can see from the text the profound nature of the warning Paul gives Timothy.

False teachers are not content and they will produce followers that are not content.

It’s easy to start listening to people who purport to follow Jesus say things like…

"If you have enough faith, God will make you rich and healthy." "God loves you no matter what you do, so live however you want." "God wants to fulfill your dreams and make you the best version of yourself." "As long as you know the right doctrine, it doesn’t matter how you treat people." "Come to Jesus, and all your problems will go away."

These teachings are wicked, unbiblical, and will only produce discontentment. Why? Because they do not represent the teachings of Christ. And because they do not represent the teachings of Christ, they will not bring the contentment that only Christ and His teachings can bring.

Contentment will only come from God and His truth.

Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

We can trust God! He is enough!

Think about someone who’s desperately thirsty, but instead of drinking fresh water, they’re drinking salt water, thinking it’ll quench their thirst. The more they drink, the thirstier they get. That’s what false teachers are like—they chase after power, money, and influence, thinking it’ll satisfy them, but it just leaves them more empty and restless. Instead of drinking deeply from the living water that Jesus offers, they keep going back to what can never fill them.

We need to be careful about who we’re listening to.

Not everyone who claims to teach the Bible is leading you toward godliness.

Ask yourself: "Is this teaching pushing me to trust Christ more, to be content in Him, or is it making me crave the things of this world?"

The truth is, only Jesus can bring true contentment—following false teachers will only leave you chasing after more and never being satisfied.

Review - A Christian is Content with God

False Teachers are Never Content

2. True Teachers Desire Godliness Above All Else (vs. 6-8)

Now Paul turns his attention away from the false teachers and talks about what it means to be a godly contented person of God. Take a look…

1 Timothy 6:6–8 (ESV)

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

Do you want to know the secret to great wealth? Do you want true riches beyond your wildest imagination?

Paul tells you right here in this verse how to obtain these riches…

1 Timothy 6:6 (NLT)

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

Now Paul is not referring to wealth like you and I think about wealth.

How many of us here this morning would love to have the wealth of Bill Gates, or Warren Buffet, or even Elon Musk?

I mean if they were to just hand it over to you, you would be like, “Yes please!”

But if you are in Christ, you are far more wealthy than these men! You are LOADED in Jesus!

Ephesians 1:3 (ESV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

2 Corinthians 8:9 (ESV)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

Ephesians 2:4–7 (ESV)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Do you see this?

Can you imagine this?

You are absolutely, unquestionably, set up for all eternity! It’s yours! It is waiting for you!

1 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

So, you can’t use that inheritance now.

You can’t go to the bank and withdraw money based on your heavenly inheritance. That’s ridiculous!

But do you know what you can do?

You can live confidently that You are not only cared for in this life, you are more than cared for in the next.

You may be dirt poor here, but you are crazy rich there.

Not in money. You are crazy rich in JESUS who owns everything!

He will never leave you. He will NEVER forsake you. It is a guarantee!

Ephesians 4:30 (ESV)

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Colossians 1:5 (ESV)

because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

So, we are not to live this life lavishing material goods on ourselves.

We are not to live by the mantra, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” That is Hedonism

No, we are to live with the mindset that God has entrusted to us a certain amount of wealth and resources over the course of our lives and our jobs, our privilege is to manage that wealth.

And we are to manage it in a way that pleases Him.

He tells us what kind of mindset is pleasing to Him. Look at verses 7-8…

1 Timothy 6:7–8 (ESV)

for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

Wow! That is a far cry from the American Dream! Food and clothing??

We brought nothing in and we take nothing out.

This was Job’s cry when he was crushed from the circumstances of life…

Job 1:21 (ESV)

And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job had the right perspective. It’s all the Lord’s anyway and I can trust Him alone for it!

We must be thankful for what we have and recognize our NEEDS are far, far less than our wants.

Could you be content with just food and clothing?

If you can’t, you need to readjust your thinking. You need to remember what you truly deserve.

What do you truly deserve? Not happiness. Not the American Dream.

You and I deserve eternal Hell.

John 3:18 (ESV)

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

2 Thessalonians 1:8–9 (ESV)

in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

Revelation 20:15 (ESV)

And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

But because of the glorious grace of God, if we are in Christ, we are no longer destined for the lake of fire, but instead the New Heavens and the New Earth!

And with this in mind we can cheerfully and happily say, everything above food and clothing is a demonstration of the grace of God (I mean, even food and clothing are as well) and in these we can be satisfied.

Are you satisfied with what you have?

"Earthly goods deceive the human heart into believing that they give it security and freedom from worry. But in truth, they are what cause anxiety." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Many ordinary treasures may be denied him, or if he is allowed to have them, the enjoyment of them will be so tempered that they will never be necessary to his happiness." - A.W. Tozer

Activities to help you grow in contentment…

Gratitude Journal / Prayer

Memorize Scripture on Contentment

Simplify Your Lifestyle / Set Financial Boundaries

Focus on Relationships Over Possessions

Limit Social Media & Comparison

Serve Others

Enjoy Simple Blessings

Review - A Christian is Content with God

False Teachers Are Never Content

True Teachers Desire Godliness Above All Else

3. False Teachers Will Be Unsatisfied Forever (vs. 9-10)

1 Timothy 6:9–10 (ESV)

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

The false teachers and their disciples are playing with a dangerous trap.

These are people who are not content with the things of God.

Godliness, to them is a way to earthly wealth.

We see this mentality today with the “Name it and claim it prosperity gospel.”

Kenneth Copeland - "God’s greatest desire is to make you wealthy."

Source: Kenneth Copeland, Laws of Prosperity, Harrison House Inc, 1974.

Creflo Dollar - "When we pray, believing that we have already received what we are praying, God has no choice but to make our prayers come to pass… It is a key to getting results as a Christian."

Source: Creflo Dollar, Claim Your Victory Today, FaithWords, 2006.

Joel Osteen - "God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us."

Source: Joel Osteen, interview with Oprah Winfrey, Oprah’s Lifeclass, 2012.

Benny Hinn - "Poverty is from the devil and that God wants all Christians prosperous."

Source: Benny Hinn, Praise-a-Thon (TBN), November 1990.

Gloria Copeland - "Give $1,000 and vote to break the backbone of poverty in your life forever!"

Source: Gloria Copeland, broadcast on Believer’s Voice of Victory, 1999.

Paula White - "Anyone who tells you to deny yourself is from Satan." (Luke 9:23)

Source: Paula White, sermon on The Power to Prosper, 2007.

Mike Murdock - "The Bible says that money answereth all things. It didn’t say love answers all things, or wisdom. It says money."

Source: Mike Murdock, sermon broadcast on The Word Network, 2012.

Costi Hinn, the nephew of Benny Hinn is a born again Christian and campaigning against the prosperity gospel. He said this…

"The prosperity gospel is a dangerous lie. It exploits the poor and leads people to worship wealth, health, and personal happiness rather than Christ." - Costi Hinn

Source: Costi Hinn, God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies, Zondervan, 2019.

These people, these false teachers are leading millions of people astray and Jesus has some choice words for them…

Luke 17:2 (ESV)

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

Unfortunately, for these “little ones,” there is responsibility on them as well.

They must know and understand the gospel. They are culpable. And if they do not repent, there is a price to pay.

Look again at verse 10…

1 Timothy 6:10 (ESV)

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Notice what this verse does not say. It does not say “For money is a root of all kinds of evils.”

It is not about money. It is about the love of your heart.

If money, possessions, material stuff, has your heart, then you are an idolator and you are setting yourself up for some terrible results.

Do you see what those results are?

The love of money - the worship of money, leads to two devastating realities. Through the craving of money some have…

“Wandered away from the faith” - They have ultimately proved that while they believe in God, He is not their god. Money is their god. And that puny God will never deliver them from their greatest problem (separation from God). Nor give them their greatest prize (eternity with Christ).

Matthew 13:1–23 (ESV)

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away… “Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

“Pierced themselves with many pangs” - Another way of saying this is through their love of money, they have brought upon themselves a great deal of sorrow.

Lottery winners don’t really win…

Gambling is a sure way to going broke

Workaholics lose their family and friends but they have the cold, hard, cash (e.g. Ebenezer Scrooge).

If you live for money you will die for wanting more.

"You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled." - C.H. Spurgeon

Some of you are here this morning and you are dulled and bored with the things of God because He isn’t your God, money is.

You bow down at the altar of stuff and you find your joy in the money you have.

Do you want a barometer to see where your heart is?

What if you left here today and went home and found that your house and all of your possessions were burnt to the ground, and all of your assets were gone.

Would you be able to say…

“Naked I came into this world and naked I shall leave, blessed be the name of the Lord.”

I’m not saying it would be easy, but could you find your joy and contentment in the Lord instead of your stuff?

May God give us the wisdom and grace to see where our true hope and contentment lies.

Review - A Christian is Content with God

False Teachers Are Never Content

True Teachers Desire Godliness Above All Else

False Teachers Will Be Unsatisfied Forever

Conclusion

At the end of the day, contentment is not about what you have or don’t have—it's about who has your heart.

If Christ is your treasure, you are rich beyond measure, no matter your circumstances.

But if your life is consumed with chasing after the next thing—money, success, or status—you will always come up empty.

Let’s live like people who truly believe that all we need is found in Jesus.

Because the reality is this: everything we have beyond food and clothing is God’s grace.

So let’s be a people who rest in that grace, knowing we are already rich in Christ, and trust Him to provide all we need.

Giving by Faith pitch