1 Timothy: The Root of All Kinds of Evil

INTRODUCTION

· We are picking up our study in chapter 6, our final chapter of 1 Timothy. Paul in this chapter gives some final warnings and instructions regarding Timothy’s response to false teachers in Ephesus, as well as telling Timothy how his life needs to be lived in contrast to these men, especially in the idea of dealing with covetousness and wealth.

· We will split this final chapter into 2 lessons, first talking about the final instructions regarding the false teachers Timothy was dealing with, and Lord willing, next week, we will look at the type of character that Paul calls Timothy to that reflects the truth that he is teaching.

- MOTIVATIONS OF THE FALSE TEACHERS

· “3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”

· We spent a few moments in this section when we studied Paul’s teachings regarding the false teachers in chapter 1. We asked what was motivating the false teachers to teach what they were teaching… and those two things were a desire to be in authority and their desire for money… the latter of which is the focus of this section. These men supposed that portraying themselves as men in authority with these different teachings from the law would lead churches to give them financial support. But Paul shows in this section that this kind of mindset – a mindset that selfishly desires to profit from God’s people and to be looked at as an authority is contrary to the doctrine of Christ. This is not the mindset that Christ and his apostles had. Preachers of the Gospel obviously received support, but this is not what they were in it for. There desire was to please God and to serve His people, and they left the area of financial support to God. They trusted in God to provide what they needed to do the work they wanted to do for Him.

· Paul says in v3 that these false teachers in Ephesus that Timothy is dealing with are proud and ignorant. There are a few reasons for this assessment.

o First, their doctrine does not agree with the doctrine of Jesus Christ. It contradicts it. This is such an important point to make… to teach something that is not in agreement with the doctrine of Jesus Christ is arrogant… We see this a lot in our society… Many people make claims of something being God’s will today that Christ or His apostles either never said anything about or that contradicts what Jesus and His apostles said… Doing this is arrogant and proud because it portrays an attitude that we either know better than God when what we believe contradicts the doctrine of Christ. And when we teach something, saying it is God’s will, when it is not mentioned by Jesus and His Apostles, we are being presumptuous, acting like we are the authority; like we are the ones who have the special knowledge of an area that God did not speak about… We see this a lot in pro-LGBT movements in our country – where you even have those who claim to be Christians teaching that because Jesus in the Gospels does not say anything about homosexuality or same-sex marriage this means He approves of it. A lot of their arguments either put words into God’s mouth or just flat out contradict what God says. Even though many of their arguments may sound loving and compassionate, their arguments are proud, arrogant, and are ignorant of the truth.

o Second, their doctrine does not lead to godly behavior. It is always important to see the fruits of a specific teaching. Does it lead to godliness or to ungodliness – faithfulness to Christ or to unfaithfulness. Does their doctrine bring people closer to Christ or drive them away from Him? Paul already showed the fruits of the false teaching in chapter 1, but he again repeats it here. Their teachings result in arguing over words, division, strife, reviling, evil suspicions. This is not the fruit of the Spirit’s teachings. Whenever there is false teaching, whether it be something that is not taught by the Apostles or if it is a misuse of what the Apostles said, it will almost always lead to a life that is ungodly and causes strife among the people of God – a life that shows ignorance regarding what the Apostles really said.

TEACHINGS ABOUT DESIRING WEALTH ()

· The motivations of the false teachers then leads Paul in verses 6-10 to give some general teachings about desiring wealth and why it is so dangerous for us spiritually…

· 6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

· Paul shows us here a radical mindset regarding the idea of desiring more and more wealth and possessions. There is a different kind of “gain” that God’s people are striving for… godliness and contentment. It is a mindset that looks to the ultimate goal… leaving this life and being with Christ. One of the greatest problems with a mindset that desires wealth is that it is focused on the here and now. It is focusing on the things of this life. The mindset of the Christian looks at all of the things of this life based on the important truth that no physical thing that we have in this life will we be able to take with us to Heaven… We will take with us the same amount of stuff that we brought into this world… which is nothing… Paul says that learning contentment is a great gain for us because we cannot carry anything with us out of this life… So Paul encourages here that as long as we have what is necessary for life and to live godly (food & clothing), that we should be satisfied in regards to what this world offers. This is not saying that we should not want anything else or buy anything else. He is encouraging a mindset that says,” I do not NEED anything else;” a mindset that says, “this life is not what I am living for.” If we are seeking to live godly in this life, we already have everything that we truly need.

· Most commentators are quick to point out that the topic is not wealth but the love of wealth, the pursuit of wealth at all costs. While this is correct, it must be noted that the scriptures are clear that the mere possession of wealth has its own set of temptations. In verses 9-11, Paul shows us the dangers of desiring more and more wealth. The desire for more money brings many temptations that can put our souls in danger if we give into them. The desire for wealth can be a snare because it puts the emphasis on the wrong thing… it shows a love for this world…

· The love of money is idolatry… Paul really sums up this whole chapter with what he says in verse 10. The desire for wealth can lead us to do all kinds of evil. It can lead us to drift away from the faith and ultimately lose our souls… The false teachers are the prime example of this in this letter. A love of money led them to oppose Christ, his apostles’ teachings, and Timothy… It led them to sin against Christ and to leave the faith. They are an example to us of the dangers of desiring money.

- TEACHINGS FOR THE WEALTHY

· Now let’s jump down to verse 17. Paul, in verses 17-19, gives commands regarding those in the church who have been blessed by the Lord with physical wealth…

· 17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

· Here in v17, Paul deals with three common lies about wealth…

o Your wealth does not make you better than anyone else or show that God loves you more than those who are not wealthy… It was common for especially the Jews in the first century to think that health and wealth was a sign that you were right with the Lord. If you did not have these things or lost them, they would think that you were in sin or being punished by the Lord. But this is not true. Yes, it is the case that God is the One blessing people with wealth, but it is not to show His approval or disapproval of someone. Just whether or not someone possesses physical things is not the mark of God’s approval… it is how one views such physical things and one’s character that shows whether God is pleased with someone or not.

o It does not make you more secure. It is not worth putting your trust in… We see this in the example of the rich man in the parable of the rich fool in . He had such a great harvest that he decided to tear down his barns and to build much bigger ones so that he could store all that he had gained. He trusted in his new-found wealth. He though to Himself, “my future is secure. I can now live in comfort and have all I need for the future.” But he didn’t know that he would stand before his Creator in judgment that very night… His wealth did not make his future any more secure… Trusting in it would not ultimately help him, but instead, be a detriment to him… He would lose everything and stand before God in judgment… and others would receive the wealth that he was unwilling to share with others…

o It is a sin to enjoy wealth in any way… here is a big one that is easy for us to believe. We should not love wealth or trust in it, but this does not mean that we cannot enjoy the blessings that God gives. Paul says in v17 that God does give us richly all things to enjoy. There is a proper place to enjoy our blessings, but to do so remembering that they are from the gracious hand of God.

· Then in verses 18-19, Paul encourages Christians how to use their wealth

· 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

· to use their wealth to show love to others. One of the greatest ways to show that you are not tied to your wealth and that you do not love it is to share it with others… Use it to bring glory to God… Use it to serve… Be willing to part with it for the benefit of others. This shows that our emphasis is in the right place – that we are looking to eternity and not focusing on and loving the things of this world. If we are going to store up treasures somewhere, wouldn’t we much rather it be, not here, but in Heaven?

CONCLUSION

· So as we bring this lesson to a close, let’s ask an important question, “Which life are you living for?” Are you storing up treasures for this life or for the life to come?

· If you are struggling with loving this world or the things in it, do not hesitate to reach out for help. This sin is just as dangerous as any other. There is a reason why this topic has already come up 3 or 4 times since I have been here… Because loving this earth’s things is a big danger for us that we don’t think about enough… No matter where we stand regarding this world’s wealth… rich or poor… we must learn to look at the things of this life from a godly perspective if we want to be pleasing to God.