Pursuing the Satisfied Life - 1 timothy 6:11-16

Pursuing the Satisfied Life - 1 Timothy 6:11-16

©Copyright March 29, 2020 by Rev. Bruce Goettsche

It has been a strange week. Our lives have been disrupted by the coronavirus. We wonder how greatly life will change as a result of all of this. Will we appreciate life more or will we eventually drift back into the mad rush to nowhere?

Last week in 1 Timothy 6:2-10 we examined the issue of contentment and how it contrasts with the love of (or obsession with) money. This week, we continue the study and we finish our study of 1 Timothy. As you read these words, I hope you will see that they give us a strategy for pursuing the satisfied or contented life. Think of it as a battle plan. Let's jump right in to Four steps to the satisfied life. The first is in verse 11;

But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things.

Run

The first thing Paul tells Timothy to do is run from the love of money and the materialism that tends to dominate life.

We all have things in our life that seem more powerful than we can fight. It may be a sale in a store, it could be a new video game, the donut display (or the donuts sitting on the counter in the church basement taunting me on a Sunday morning).

We are bombarded every day and everywhere we turn with messages urging us to embrace the material. Now with the algorithms on the Internet everywhere you turn you are going to see ads for something that you sought information on at some time. If you search for "sock" on Google you will be bombarded with ads for socks everywhere you go on the Internet. There will always be another device you could use in the kitchen, another pill that reverses the effects of aging or clothing that will make you look 10 years younger.

A good example of what Paul is advising is Joseph in the book of Genesis. He had enough sense to run away when he was tempted by Potiphar's wife. Satan will always attack at our point of weakness OR at a point of what we think is our strength but where we have let our guard down. Sometimes you need to know when you are overmatched.

I am no expert on how to run away from these things, but it seems there are some simple things we can do.

1. Browse Less on the Internet

2. Watch Less Television

3. Stop hanging out with people who have a negative influence on us

4. Concentrate on appreciating what you have

5. Take your credit card out of your wallet.

6. Get into the habit of asking "Why do I want this?" or "Where did this idea come from?"

It is not enough to just run away. We must run TO something. In the movie Forrest Gump, Forrest was upset that the woman he loved left, he started to run and just kept running. Everyone assumed he was running somewhere and followed him. He was not running anywhere; he was just running. One day he just stopped and then went home. There are many people living their lives this way. It's like getting into a cab and saying, "Please step on it." When the Cab driver asks where you are going, you respond, "It doesn't matter I just have to get there as quickly as possible”.

Running fast, even when we are running away from bad stuff is not the goal . . . it is important to know where we are running. And that leads to the second command.

Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.

Pursue

The word for "pursue" is the word used of an animal stalking its' prey. In other words, we are to hunt for, to be relentless in our seeking of the qualities that lead to a satisfied life. What is it we should pursue?

Righteousness. This is not the righteousness that makes us right with God. That is a gift from Christ. This is "right-living;" it is a life of integrity where we are consistent in our pursuit of what is right and good. We speak truth, we act with compassion, and we set out to do our best in all things. We need to be reading God's Word and trying to put it into practice what He tells us to do . . . not because we are trying to impress Him or anyone else but simply because God knows the best way to live and derive the deepest benefit from life.

We are also to pursue a godly life. This is living in a God-honoring way. It is playing to the "audience of One." I always think this is best illustrated by the movie "Sister Act." Sister Mary Clarence whips the church choir into shape and they make such an impact, they get to sing before the Pope. The Pope sat in the front row of the balcony. When they were done singing and the audience stood to their feet and applauded but the eyes of the choir members then turned toward the Pope. They were playing to an audience of one. That one opinion mattered more than all others.

We do not live our lives for the praise of any man. We should increasingly strive to live our lives with one intention: to hear the "Well Done!" of the Father. That is what pursuing a godly life looks like.

Third, we are to pursue faith. Faith is somewhat of a slippery term isn't it? We use the word so often, that its definition has been somewhat washed out. A good synonym for "faith" is "trust in God." When we pursue faith, we are pursuing a steady reliance on the Lord. Keeping faith right now is not about having a positive mental attitude . . . it is about remembering who is in control and focusing our life and our hope on Him. It is refusing to be frightened by those who seem to enjoy a crisis. We hang on to the Words of Jesus who said, "In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage because I have overcome the world."

When we add love to this formula, we not only experience and return love to God we also begin to see others with the heart of God. We look past failures to see potential; We see the person God created rather than the person who has been dirtied and beaten up by the world. We see treasure rather than damaged goods. We stop focusing on ourselves and we start giving of ourselves to those around us. The best way to get out of the dumps because of hard things in your life, is to give of yourself to others.

Next, we are to pursue perseverance or "patience" or "long-suffering". The person who perseveres keeps going. They don't give up after a few tries. Think about the person trying to dunk a basketball. They don't give up after the first try . . . they keep working at it until they get the right height and the right angle (or until you realize you have enough trouble tying your shoes so you should spend your time a little more wisely). The person learning to play an instrument becomes proficient through perseverance. They must train their fingers to move as they should. This takes repetition and a stick-to-it-iv-ness.

We tend to pursue our Christianity sporadically. If we want to grow deep in the Lord we must be disciplined and determined. If you only pursue the Lord when you are in trouble, you will never develop the sweetness of a deep relationship with God.

Gentleness - the last thing in the list of traits is gentleness. We are to be diligent and focused, but we are to do all of this with the spirit of Christ. In other words, we are to be focused without the edge or the condescension that characterizes so many believers. I like to think of gentleness as "approachability." The gentle person possesses a humility that keeps them from getting in the way of God and His dealing with others.

It's quite a shopping list isn't it? Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Remember, Paul said we are to PURSUE these things. This requires a focused intensity. If we really want to find contentment and the resultant joy in living, then we have to work at building these character traits into our lives. This can't be a hobby, it has to be something we are working at all the time in everything we do.

But this isn't the end of the prescription for contentment.

12Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.

Engage - fight

It seems strange to move from gentleness to the command to fight. However, this is a reminder that this is not a solitary battle . . . we are fighting a formidable foe. Not only are we fighting the Devil, Paul has reminded us that we must also fight false teaching. Again, the picture is that of an athletic contest against a strong opponent.

Some people think following Christ is a passive thing. In other words, they turn to Christ for salvation, by saying a prayer or through baptism or church membership and they check the "right with God" box off their list. They believe they don't have to worry about the whole "eternity thing" ever again. Then they go on their merry way and are quite upset if they face obstacles or painful times.

We not only must stand against the Devil; we must stand against a world philosophy that is opposed to God and exalts the individual. People are fine with us "following Jesus" as long as we keep it to ourselves. But that is the exact opposite of what we are supposed to do. As a result, we will face push back from the world when we talk about truth, repentance, judgment.

Timothy's job was to stand up for the same faith he either confessed at his baptism or his ordination to ministry or on some other occasion. It is almost as if Paul was saying . . . "Continue to be THAT man." Don't merely talk about how much Christ means to you . . . defend the faith.

Let me quickly add once again that we are to defend the faith but to do so with conversation that is seasoned with salt. I think it helps to recognize that most people have no idea they are in error about the gospel. They do not need to be rebuked as much as they need to be instructed. People with a chip on their shoulder feel they are serving the Lord greatly by pointing out all the wrong things others are doing, but they are really hindering the lord by their obnoxious behavior.

So, the balance is to care about the truth and purity of the gospel while not misrepresenting the gospel by our behavior. It is our job to stand for the deity of Christ, the substitution of Jesus as the payment for our sin, the infallibility and authority of the Word of God, the physical resurrection of Jesus, eternal judgment, the return of Christ, the reality of the Holy Spirit.

There is one final piece of the formula.

And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, 14that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. 15

Focus: Keep Your Eye on the Prize

Obey Without Wavering- Paul urges Timothy to approach the commands to moral purity and Christlikeness the same way Christ approached His death. He moved forward in obedience, doing what was right rather than what was easy.

Whenever we find ourselves wondering how much God is going to ask us to endure all we have to do is look at Christ and know that it doesn't matter . . . no sacrifice is too great for Him. Our job is to do what He says. We are soldiers in the Lord's army. Our job is to follow the orders of our commanding officer.

I like the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases these words,

I’m charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took his stand before Pontius Pilate and didn’t give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don’t slack off. Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on his way. He’ll show up right on time, his arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He’s the only one death can’t touch, his light so bright no one can get close. He’s never been seen by human eyes—human eyes can’t take him in! Honor to him, and eternal rule! Oh, yes.

He urges us to Fight to the Finish. The heroes in any conflict are those who do not give up. This is true whether it was the Battle of the Bulge , the bravery of the men at the Alamo, or your bravery in sharing Christ with a co-worker,. Paul's counsel to Timothy is the same . . . no wavering. No slacking off. The Lord is coming again at an hour we do not expect. Soldiers train constantly so they are ready for conflict. Likewise, we must stay in a state of readiness.

I think Paul is encouraging us to Remember who you are fighting for. I wonder how many over the years have given their lives on the battlefield to preserve the freedom of their family back home. We are fighting for more than ourselves. We are engaged in a mission assigned by our Savior. We labor tirelessly because of Him and for Him.

Think of the parents who have worked long hours, sacrificed their own comforts so they could provide some help for their kids when they went to college, or to save up to take the family on a memory-making vacation. When we get tired in this world, we must remember who we are fighting for. We are fighting for the honor of His name.

Paul says,

For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. 16He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.

We labor for the ever-living one. We are serving the King of the Universe. In the old movie "the Blue's Brothers" Jake and Elwood kept working because they believed they were on a mission from God. Nothing was going to stop them. This mission was too important. How much more important is the mission we are engaged in?

At the very end of the book, Paul writes,

Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.

I believe Paul would say the same thing to us: "stand guard" over what we have been given through Christ. Stop wasting time on trivial things and focus on the great need in the world and the great love God has for this world.

TAKE HOME

Following Christ Requires Commitment Jesus told his followers

“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

28“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

31“Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own. (Luke 14:26-33)

Salvation is a gift of God. It is given to us when we come to Christ as our Savior and our Lord. Here is the thing we often miss or conveniently forget: If we TRULY come to Christ as Savior and Lord it means we dare willing to return Him to the place of God in our life. We are willing to serve Him and obey Him.

Think of it like enlisting in the military. When you freely enlist you are agreeing to submit to your commanding officers as you serve your country. Following Christ is the same way. We aren’t trusting Him if we don’t do what He says. Paul wanted Timothy to know that doing what the Lord says means you will face opposition.

The bottom line is this: This is not a weekend activity . . . it is war. If we are not serious about following Christ, we are going to have a really hard time because Satan is serious about defeating us and keeping us as far away from true discipleship as possible. If you want to know true contentment . . . you are going to have to fight for it. But it's a battle well worth fighting!