Satisfaction in Jesus.

Introduction:

When we look at a text that we are today, there is many sermons that could be preached from this same text and all would be beneficial for the body of Christ. However, I have settled with following the theme of treasuring Jesus as our Master. When I was newly married, I was still working on the dairy farm. My brother had bought into the dairy alongside my dad as he was starting to wind down while my brother was more aggressive in expanding the business. Over the course of time, I was often left with a conflicting decision that needed to be made. My brother would tell me to do something that he felt was important. Then my dad would tell me to do something different that he felt was important. So, I honoured what my dad said and so that became my priority. Not too long after, when my brother’s chore was not completed, I would get an ear full, then he would get an ear full. I would try to explain the situation, and then he would go to dad and say things that I found not right. I was caught between a rock and a hard place in trying to serve two masters. This was an impossibility so I quit working for a period of time until my brother took over full time.

In like fashion, from the passage that we are looking at today, there is on display two masters. One is obviously money and the other is Jesus. Jesus warns his listeners in

I was caught between a rock and a hard place in trying to serve two masters. This was an impossibility so I quit working for a period of time until my brother took over full time. In like fashion, from the passage that we are looking at today, there is on display two masters. One is obviously money and the other is Jesus. Jesus warns his listeners in

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

It is an impossibility to serve both God and money. You will hate one and love the other…

So to support my main theme of satisfaction in Jesus, I will have three points. First is by revealing the master of the false teacher, then the Master of the true teacher and lastly the warnings of what happens to those whose master is money.

Point #1 - The False Teachers Master.

As we have seen throughout this letter from Paul to Timothy, he has a responsibility to remove the wolves in sheep clothing and restore truth to the church. Today’s text is Paul’s return to his chief responsibility.

This will carry into the passage that Ralph will be preaching next Sunday. So the introduction and the conclusion in this letter serve as book ends which lay out the point of the letter, while the middle of the book is explaining how to work it all out which is what we have been doing over the last few months.

Timothy is encouraged by Paul (2b) to be faithful and teach the things that he has been instructed. If you have been with us through the preaching of this letter, you know that this pastor has hard things to do. I know in preparing these sermons how difficult it is, so having his father in the faith continually encouraging him to teach these things is so important to hear. This is why it is important for us to encourage each other to do these things because they are hard to do. So be faithful SS teachers, persist in truth of the gospel and godliness for it pleases our Father in heaven.

Paul warns Timothy that if anyone teaches a different doctrine than what does not agree with the sound words of Jesus and His teaching, he is arrogant and also ignorant. He is puffed up with conceit, pride and boasts in following the teachings of demons as influenced by their master Satan.

As a result, these teachers that lack understanding of God’s gospel have an unhealthy craving for controversy. It is a sickness, a cancer that consumes their minds in craving division in the church. They love to stir up quarrelling in the church as a result of a depraved mind that is deprived of the truth of the gospel. Their sickness has completely clouded their thinking in that they know the truth and Timothy and Paul are the ones filled with error. Their teaching is creating division in the church, and thus breaks relationships between one another. This is accomplished by the main culprit envy. A sick craving for what others have, never satisfied with what they themselves posses. They hate the one who has more than them. Dissension is basically strife and backbiting. Leading to slander which is malicious talk and gossip. It is defamatory speech, trying to murder the character of another. Evil suspicions is sick competitiveness causing stress in relationships because there can be no trust amongst each other. This constant friction between the lovers of money is a fruit that is produced out of envy and greed.

When you hear these evil attitudes towards one another and their possessions, who is the author of this evil? Is it God or is it Satan? Obviously, it is Satan who never changes his ways. He is thoroughly evil to the core. He sought division between God and man in the garden and it was no different in the church in Ephesus nor today in our churches. As a result of sick cravings for power and money, this would lead to dividing the bride of Christ by asking the question “Did God really say that you shouldn’t be rich?”

The natural man desires the things of this world because of our sinful nature. So these false teachers who were arrogant and ignorant of truth believed in their corrupted mind that religion and perception of godliness is a means of gain.

Transition:

Therefore, these charlatans are sick in the head and serve only one master...money. An idol they fabricated in their minds as they are deceived by Satan who is behind it all. Now, Paul explains that godliness is not a means for financial gain but great spiritual gain.

Point #2 - The True Teachers Master.

In contrast to what these false teachers were doing in service to their master, Paul now gives instruction of what godliness means for the saint. We can define godliness as authentic Christian existence. As a result of one believing in Jesus as their Saviour and Lord, we are given the freedom from condemnation of our sin. We are justified in being made righteous before God Almighty who declares us as innocent of judgement. His Son permanently and perfectly atoned for our sin at the cross. So we are now unified to Jesus as a joint heir and receive every eternal blessing as seen in .

Therefore, God gives us His word, the holy Scriptures as instructions to His people so that we would know how to live a life on earth in a way that is pleasing to Him as His children. These teachings that the Lord Jesus Christ has given Paul and every other inspired author in the bible are given so that in a sin cursed world, we would know how to conduct ourselves under the authority of King Jesus. So godliness which is authentic Christian existence is a result of being led by the Spirit in truth of God’s teachings.

So in (6) this genuine life we live or godliness with contentment is great gain. By using the word great, he is meaning for it to be taken as much better than. This gain that we receive as born again believers exceeds material wealth. This great gain is spiritual blessings of eternal life, the forgiveness of sins, the fruit of the Spirit. True faith in Christ is a gospel driven life that is content with whatever we have at any given moment.

Paul figured this out as he states in -13.

11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 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. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 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. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul at conversion was not instantly sanctified perfectly. Contentment was learned through trials and tribulation. Whether he had abundance or lack he was satisfied because he had what was far more valuable than gold or silver. He had Jesus, he knew the value of eternity, he knew the joy of building treasure in heaven. He knew how low of value money was for as he states in (7) that we brought nothing into this world at birth, and we cannot take anything out. This is a great reminder to us. All the toil and labour to build a massive kingdom on earth will not benefit us one bit as we breathe our last breath.

Now let’s not think that Paul is calling for Christians to be poverty stricken. Not at all, but what he is saying is that (8) if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. To be content is to have a simple lifestyle. God knows that you need food and shelter. He is not expecting you to live in a cardboard box and naked. But in getting our priorities right, if we have our treasure in heaven, why would we strive so hard to have so many toys and large bank accounts. Jesus prays in his example to his disciples that we ask God for daily bread, not bulging bank accounts.

Our bank statement reveals a lot about where our treasure is. If we see lots of fancy clothing, toys, and trivial stuff being purchased but little to none on giving to the poor, missions and the church, there is a red flag that we should be aware of. On the other hand, we can also be very tight with our money and be misers that never spend on anything. This can be a sign that we trust in the size of our bank accounts more than trusting God. Now we do need to be wise and have a rainy day fund, but we don’t need it to be a rainy year fund...

Transition:

Therefore, godliness with contentment is great gain because we are satisfied in Jesus as our Master. He is our everything and is our treasure because we have been redeemed by His blood, have been greatly loved by Him first and so now we love and adore Him. We love one another and are generous instead of stingy. This is what true teachers are to be modelling to the body. Now we come to some great warnings that Paul gives for those who have money as their master.

Point #3 - Love of Money Destroys.

Have you considered the cheese that is put on a trap, the mouse does not realize its doom until it is too late. Looks and smells fine and tasty, pleasing to the eyes, but the result is catastrophic… at least for the mouse. In like fashion, in (9) Paul says that those who desire to be rich fall into temptation. The craving to be wealthy will lead you to bite the cheese that Satan is offering. It is pleasing to the eyes like that fruit in the garden of Eden. We see a violent descent into darkness in these two verses. The craving to be rich will cause you to not only be tempted but you will fall into or come under the influence of the evil temptress. Opportunities for financial gain will present themselves and since this is what the flesh naturally wants or desires, they will be everywhere. So from falling into temptation the unsuspecting individual will go deeper into the cesspool and be caught in traps or snares. Tangled in a spider web of deceit and lies so that the inner craving for more money and stuff blinds even further. This leads to many senseless or foolish and harmful desires. The greedy man or woman’s mind is dragged so deep into the muck that they make foolish decisions to keep the charade up. There will become no restraint in their covetousness. They are finally led to be plunged into ruin and destruction.

Notice the distinction of Paul here. Those who “desire to be rich”. You can be dirt poor and still desire to be rich, falling into temptation, suffering with envy, strife, and in constant friction with others. We need to be very careful brothers and sisters of where our treasure is.

Drowning in their own greed and lust for more will see them damned to destruction. This is graphic and violent language so as to make the point of how disastrous the desire to be rich is. This is no place to mess around. The intoxicating allure of money is a powerful passion, it has been that way since the fall. Consider two examples, first from the man Achan who as part of the 3,000 that were called upon to destroy the city of Ai because they were small in number. The Israelites were crushed by this seemingly little army. How come? Because Achan had taken some of the forbidden gold and silver from Jericho that they had defeated earlier. He coveted the spoil and hid them beneath his tent. As a result, the desire to be rich cost him, his sons and daughters, oxen, donkeys and sheep to be brought out of the camp and they were stoned and then burnt along with the spoil he had stolen.

Or more recent in the NT was the man Judas Iscariot who always had his hand in the money bag stealing for himself. This was not enough as his foolish desires caused him to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. In his guilt for betraying innocent blood, he hung himself.

Thus Paul warns the church that the love of money is the root of kinds of evil. This sick craving for wealth is the reason that many have fallen away from the faith or you could say they revealed themselves to never have been true believers in the first place. Wolves in sheep clothing, agents of Satan to try and destroy the church. They have been exposed for who they really are as unregenerate slaves of the devil who have pierced themselves with many griefs. This piercing is to say they have impaled themselves like a soldier falling on his own sword with many sorrows. Their life is ruined and utterly corrupted because of their desire to be rich. Those who crave wealth end up making a shipwreck of their faith (1:19).

This group is the ones that crave wealth and end up making a shipwreck of their faith (1:19).

In our day you do not have to look far to see the consequences of preachers that felt godliness was meant to be for financial gain. Remember back a couple decades ago of Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker or Jimmy Swaggart and see where greed got them. Now we have Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, Todd White, Kenneth Copeland, Joel Osteen and the list goes on and on. Preying on the poor by selling them a bag of mouldy goods in deceiving them to believe that by giving them a seed of $100 or $1,000 will bring you wealth beyond your wildest dreams. Beware of the charlatans brothers and sisters that preach another gospel that tries to convince you that money is our right and privilege as Christians. This teaching is in direct opposition to Jesus’ gospel of grace and faith. Godliness with contentment is of great gain as it has everlasting value that never wears out or is stolen. It is satisfaction in Jesus as our treasure.

Application:

Have you ever found yourself needing or craving something say maybe a new video game or some designer jeans, and telling yourself that if only you got this, then you would be happy. This is what I call the itch that needs to be scratched. But once you won it, then shortly after, the itch is there for something more. A girl/boy friend, a new car, a spouse, new house, more land, 6 figure bank account…always more itching and the only way to satisfy the craving is to itch it. That was me, and I still need to fight these sinful desires. Why is it sinful? Because I was not content. If you see yourself doing similar things, repent and ask Jesus to fill you with desires for Him. Talk to those who are content, seek wisdom, and heed their advice. Don’t kid yourself, it is work but it is so worth it.

If we find ourselves spending hours a week on Kijiji, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, and TV while spending only minutes in prayer or studying the bible, Houston we have a problem. Our treasure is out of balance and our satisfaction is not in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Now there is nothing wrong with entertainment in and of itself, but if our passion for sports or toys or clothing is all we think about, this should serve as warnings of where our heart’s desires are. Plead with God to help you have joy in Him. Let us yearn for truth, for who He is, search the Scriptures and worship God with a content heart.

In this body we have wonderful examples of godliness with contentment. I encourage you to seek them out to find help to be satisfied with Jesus. Like Paul, they have learned to be content in whatever they have. It does not happen overnight so be encouraged when you make 3 steps forward and fall 2 steps back. Empowered by the grace of God, there is nothing that can prevent godliness. Submit to the Lord, pray for help, confess your sins and over time you also will learn to be content. I know you can do it!

If any of us have a heart that is discontented, let us today make changes. By the power of the Spirit in you, conquer this evil monster that creates division in relationships. Instead, be thankful of all the things that our Father has given. With a grateful heart you will find that your desires change. Instead of wishing you had what others have, you will be content and be thankful for family, food that you are able to taste, fresh water that is not filled with contaminants, a warm house, and a loving church family.

Conclusion:

As we prepare for communion, let us think about Jesus. For what He has done on our behalf. For the false teachers, they thought being religious meant you were to be rich. They may have in fact received their best life now. Consider the parable of the rich man and the poor man Lazarus. The rich man’s master was money who had no regard for the poor. The poor man Lazarus lived a life where nothing was easy. The dogs that licked his sores were his closest friends but his Master was Jesus. After they died the rich man’s eternity was constant never ending pain and sorrow in the pit of hell. But Lazarus received eternal life, safely in bosom of Abraham because even though life was hard, he was satisfied in Jesus as his Saviour. He would forever enjoy the life of sonship to God as a co-heir with Jesus.

.you have received forgiveness of sins and eternal life with Jesus who loved you so much that he died and took your righteous judgement for sin and paid it on your behalf.

If you have trusted in Jesus as your Saviour, you have received forgiveness of sins through His blood that was shed, securing a new covenant on our behalf. Let us remember that Jesus’ body was broken on our behalf so that we would not be judged guilty for our sin, but pardoned because the Son of God atoned for your sin on the cross. In Jesus we have every spiritual blessing and will inherit eternal life. So let us be satisfied in our loving Master. Let us worship God for giving us freedom.

Let us pause to praise God for His faithfulness, to confess our sins, to seek forgiveness for how we have sought money to satisfy us instead of our precious Saviour. Let us worship the Lamb of God.

English Standard Version Chapter 7

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the LORD. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger.

Fence off table.

Think of he peril of Achan from :

() 26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

Apostle’s Creed

English Standard Version Chapter 7

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the LORD. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his burning anger.

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did: 21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and behold, it was hidden in his tent with the silver underneath. 23 And they took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and to all the people of Israel. And they laid them down before the Lord. 24 And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.” And all Israel stoned him with stones. They burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger.