Blind Spot (Materialism)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Last weekend my children had the opportunity to spend a couple days up north with Grandma and Grandpa, and as expected, they got to do many things there that they don’t get to do at home. They stayed up later than usual, got to watch more movies, and they had dessert pretty much for every meal. But the thing that they couldn’t wait to tell us about was that they both got to drive Grandpa’s Side by Side. Not just ride in it, this time they got to drive it.
When we got there to pick them up, they each wanted a turn to show me what they could do and they did a really good job working the sterring wheel, gas and brake peddle and zipping around the yard at…but it’s still going to be a while before they are ready for the road, because there is a lot more to driving then just working the pedals and steering wheel. Even experienced drivers sometimes forget some of the nuances of driving.
Do you remember the last time when you checked the mirrors, signaled and quick looked over your shoulder before you started to merge into the next lane... only to be met by a loud horn and an angry face flying by in the next lane. It can be scary can’t it? Your heart skips a beat doesn’t it? And it takes a moment or two to settle down enough to try the merge again.
How did it happen? You followed all the correct protocols. You did everything that you were supposed to do. How did you not see them? They were in your “Blind Spot”.
You know what I mean by “blind spot” right? That small little zone where a car can hide from your mirrors and quick backward glance. And it can happen to any of us. To be driving along thinking you are doing everything you need to stay on the right track until suddenly you realize you missed something significant that could have devastating impact. A Blind Spot.
Tension
We have come to the very last chapter in our series on the book of 1 Timothy. A book that has not been the easiest book to dive into, especially as it strives to direct and if need be correct our behavior. Paul tells Timothy exactly why he wrote this book, and we have looked to this verse as the them verse for our series. It is found in chapter 3 verses 14-15 where it says:
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
So to the degree that we consider ourselves a part of “the church of the living God” we need to be directed and if need be corrected by the instructions found here in this book. This is how the Word of God says that the Church “ought to behave”…and this week are going to look at some “blind spots” in the Church. Places where we have “missed something” that we should have seen. One of these “blind spots” we look back on now, and shake our heads, wondering how the Christian Church could got something so very wrong. But the fact that it did, leaves us to ask the question “Is there any wrong behavior that may be staring us in the face right now, but we just can’t see it?” A Blind Spot.
So open your Bibles to me with 1 Timothy Chapter 6, page 993 in the Bibles in the chairs, I’ll pray and we will see if there something that we are not seeing.
Truth
First of all we are going to address a “blind spot” in our history that is easy to see, at least from our perspective right now... (slaves)
1 Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. Teach and urge these things.
So these verses contains one of the most heavily footnoted words in all the New Testament. It is the Greek Word “doulos” and it is translated either “servant” “slave” or “bondservant” depending entirely on the context and translators don’t always agree on the best word to use in each context. Even the translation we most often use here, the ESV, has gone back and forth in which word to use because one of my older ESV Bibles says “slaves” with a footnote to “bondservant” but my newer Bible says “bondservant” with a footnote that points me to “slave”. I looked it up, and when they put out a new edition of their translation they felt compelled to update a few of the words or phrases to better get at the original meaning. One of those places is here in 1 Timothy 6 where “doulos” was changed from “slave” in 2001 to “bondservant” in 2013.
And we can see how it must have been a difficult decision, because the word “slave” brings up a whole different set of feelings than the word “bondservant”, right?
When we hear the word slave, our minds instantly go to the horrible practice of slavery in Americas history. When somehow when some men and women felt it was just fine to buy and/or sell other men and women like they were cattle or farm equipment. As Christians today, we look back at that time and are horrified at even the idea. Today, we are easily able to identify it as the pure evil that it was…but many Christians back then could not.
In a commentary on this passage, David Platt says:
“Christians in the South gathered on Sundays, singing and studying God’s Word, all the while mistreating men, women, and children as slaves. That’s scary. It’s scary to think that good intentions, regular worship and even weekly study of the Bible don’t all together prevent this kind of “blindness”. Part of our sinful nature instinctively chooses to see what we want to see, and to ignore what we want to ignore, until it is too late, and damage is done” - David Platt Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in 1 &2 Timothy and Titus
We sit here today and wonder, “How could this have happened?” How could the “The Church of the Living God” that which is designed to the be “a pillar and buttress of the truth” be living in such an obvious and detestable lie? Some of them even used these verses in 1 Timothy 6 to excuse their behavior, saying that in them the Bible affirms their behavior and even condemns Christian slaves who would dare to run away because they are disrespecting their “Masters”.
How could they do that? How could they think that? They had a horrible blind spot.
And don’t think I am treating their sin lightly here, excusing them or saying that they are somehow not responsible for their sin in this regard. A blind spot is not a light weight thing, even when driving it can bring horrible damage and destruction even death! That is exactly what makes blind spots such a scary thing!
So what is behind all the footnotes? The reason that translators choose the word “servant” or “bondservant” for contexts like this one in 1 Timothy is because “doulos” was a societal class of person, and not at all limited to those who where unjustly subjected to forced labor.
It is believed that at this time in the history of the Roman Empire, more than half of the city of Rome served as some form of “doulos”. And they weren’t all domestic servants. Many were highly educated and trusted community leaders who set their own hours, took home salaries and owned homes, property and investments and freely went home to their families each night. In many cases their lives were not much different from most of us who work somewhere other than a business our family owns.
But their social status was still that of a “doulos” which in the broadest sense meant that they had no standing when it came to Roman politics or civic decision making. That is why “servant” or “bondservant” seems more appropriate to describe them.
But 1 Timothy does talk about the kind of slavery that our nation needs to continue to repent over. Not only because of our past, but because right now behind locked doors, the slave trade is thriving in our country and around the world.
So where does 1 Timothy mention slavery as we think about it? In the list of things done by sinners and the ungodly in chapter 1:
9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
The word here for “enslaver” specifically means the kidnapping and selling of people as slaves. This stands in stark contrast to a contractual agreement that a “doulos” as a “servant” or “bondservant” might freely enter into as a good business deal.
So now, after all of that, If we go back to verses 1-2 with this idea of a “doulos” being someone who willing agreed to a contract, then it is not unlike an employee today who enters into a contract with a company. In this sense, we can apply these verses to mean that an employee should not feel like it is ok to slack off in his position just because his or her boss is a Christian and so they might not be as stern with them or fire them too quickly.
Paul is saying that this is the wrong attitude, and so in line with his instructions for other relationships in the household - we read again how they are to treat their boss with all honor, especially because their bosses success in only a blessing to them, but to the larger Kingdom of God.
It is this kind of relationship that Paul is addressing here, not the enslavement that we see him condemning in chapter one…and yet…for a long time the Church got this terribly wrong. They had a horrible blind spot.
And in fairness…eventually...it was largely Christians who spearheaded the movement to awaken the world to this horrible injustice and fought sacrificially to bring an end to the open slave trade both here in America and across the globe, but it still begs the question:
If the Church could have missed something as big as this, isn’t it possible that there are things right now that we are just as blind too? Shouldn’t we be humble enough to admit this possibility and at the very least be willing to pray into it and ask God to show anything that we might not be seeing right now as we should?
I know that I will…and if I may be so bold I would suggest that we all do the same. We may even be able to have our eyes opened in these very next verses…so lets take a look and see if there is something there that we are not seeing. Maybe God will reveal for us a blind spot even yet this morning.
3 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, 4 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, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.
We find ourselves returning to the pretty constant theme of Paul and that is a warning against false teachers in the Church. 1 Timothy began with such a warning, it spent a bit of time in the middle on it and now here we are again ending in the same lane. Clearly this is something that Paul sees as a primary danger to the growth of the Christian Church.
And Paul doesn’t seem to pull any punches on these things, that is how important it is to him. He calls these false teacher arrogant, ignorant and argumentative and those that would follow them are mindlessly caught up in their lies. Specifically this all lands in “imagining that godliness is a means of gain”
The word “gain” here refers to financial or economic gain. In fact, if you are reading from a different translation like the NIV it actually translates this word “por-ees-mos” as “financial gain”.
The big idea is that these disruptive teachers are teaching that if you go after “godliness” in their way, then God will owe you something. So the motivation behind our “toiling” and “striving” after godliness is that when we reach it - God owes us. We did our part God, now you have to do yours…I am entitled to it now.
Can you hear the “arrogance, ignorance and mindless arguments” being presented there? Clearly there is little understanding of the truth of the message of the Gospel.
Those of us who understand the Gospel rightly find our greatest joy in the fact that we now WON’T get what we are entitled to. Because what we actually deserve is what Jesus went through on the cross. That is what we deserve. He took our place up there - that is what we deserve. And not only in the sense of the physical torture involved but also in the sense of, “the Father turning his face away” and to be left in utter lonliness and hopelessness. That is what we really deserve, and anyone who teaches otherwise has forsaken the cross, and forsaken the true Gospel.
There is not financial gain promised to those who follow Christ, but that doesn’t mean that there is nothing to gain. It just that in Christ we have already gained what really matters. That is what Paul brings up next, teaching young Timothy how in Christ we have...
A call for Contentment in any and every condition (1 Timothy 6:6-8)
A call for Contentment in any and every condition (1 Timothy 6:6-8)
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
I love Warren Wiersbe’s comment on these verses, when he says that:
We always know the answer to the question: How much did he leave?” He left Everything. - Warren Wiersbe
Right!? Because we can’t take it with us. And remember how even Job somehow found comfort in this same idea when so much that he valued was taken from him...
21 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.”
We sang those very words earlier didn’t we. Do you believe what you are singing? I hope you are sing these things because you know that they are a true, even if you are struggling to believe it in this moment.
This particular song has been around a while, and I remember what it meant to Rachel and I to sing that song after our oldest son James was born into heaven. The words of Job echo in the bridge, “You give and take away, You give and take away, My heart will choose to say, Lord Blessed be your name.”
That is where the “Lordship” of Jesus over your life gets really real. Do we truly live as though everything is the Lord’s and that He has the right to take anything as He sees fit? Remember Job lost children as well as flocks and herds. Can we find contentment in God alone, even in seasons when all we are left with just food and covering?
And of course Paul’s point is not that we should all ceremoniously give up everything except for “food and clothing”, as he earlier warned Timothy about the false teaching of asceticism, or the rejection of things that God created to be good. God is not honored in decisions that leave us destitute and solely dependent on the generosity of others. He just wants to make sure that in our striving to be “good stewards” of what He has given, we don’t forget the giver and start living for the gift.
So Paul first calls for...
Contentment in any and every condition (1 Timothy 6:6-8)
Contentment in any and every condition (1 Timothy 6:6-8)
and then he warns of
Covetousness in any and every condition (1 Timothy 6:9-10)
Covetousness in any and every condition (1 Timothy 6:9-10)
9 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. 10 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.
It’s easy to read these verses and think that they only apply to the wealthy - but if you look at it more closely you will see that it is not directed at those who are rich, but those who desire to be rich. Paul does talk about those who are rich later in the chapter, but here he is saying that in contrast to those who have contentment even with just food and clothing, there are those who will only be content when they have more money. And notice it doesn’t say that “money” is a root of all kinds of evil, but that the love of money is.
As I think about where my blind spot might be, I can’t help but wonder if it is somewhere in this lane. We live in the most affluent nation in the history of the world and sometimes I think that this makes “covetousness” something that can be right in front of us…and yet is very hard to see.
“Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation” Don’t I desire that? Do you?
Tell me, what do you think is the difference between desiring to be rich and just desiring to “make ends meet” when you live in one of the richest nation in the world? It is not an easy question to answer is it? What “ends” are we talking about and who put them there and can they be moved?
Certainly we are not the first people to grapple with questions like this, Christians have been facing these kinds of question for a very long time, trying to find the right balance between extravagance on one end and asceticism on the other.
In March of 1980, after two years of academic collaboration and research, 85 evangelicals from 27 countries got together to evaluate the relationship between the choice of a Christian to commit to a simpler lifestyle and the effect that it would have on evangelism throughout the world. I want to invite you consider the implications of just this small part of their conclusion.
Just to be clear, this is not a part of our Church Constitution or directly found anywhere in Scripture, but I believe that the words found here are worth our consideration, especially if it might help us to recognize a blind spot in our lives.
Evangelical Commitment to Simple Lifestyle
“While some of us have been called to live among the poor, and others to open our homes to the needy, all of us are determined to develop a simpler life-style. We intend to reexamine our income and expenditure, in order to manage on less and give away more. We lay down no rules or regulations, for either ourselves or others. Yet we resolve to renounce waste and oppose extravagance in personal living, clothing and housing, travel and church buildings.
We also accept the distinction between necessities and luxuries, creative hobbies and empty status symbols, modesty and vanity, occasional celebrations and normal routine, and between the service of God and slavery to fashion. Where to draw the line requires conscientious thought and decision by us, together with members of our family.
Those of us who belong to the West need the help of our Third World brothers and sisters in evaluating our standards of spending. Those of us who live in the Third World acknowledge that we too are exposed to the temptation to covetousness. So we need each other’s understanding, encouragement and prayers.”
Both Contentment and Covetousness can be found in any and every condition, the question is could we be blind to where we are?
Both Contentment and Covetousness can be found in any and every condition, the question is could we be blind to where we are?
If you would like to give more thought to this statement, I have printed it on the back of the notes page. Maybe even pray into whether or not making a commitment like this would expose any blind spots in our lives.
The truth is that as much as we want to just attribute things like “coveting” or “materialism” to those we would call rich, most of the world rightly places that label on you and me. Anyone who makes more than $25,000 a year is in the top 10% of the wealthiest people on the planet. In fact, our nation is so wealthy that even those who are living on welfare are still in the top 20%. So even if “coveting” is something that mostly applies to rich people - that means us.
And as I said, Paul does talk specifically about the “rich” at the tail end of this chapter, and it is a fitting place for us to end this morning, especially as it affirms so many of the things that we have been grappling with this morning.
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
Let’s pray together.
Communion!!!!!
Communion!!!!!
Leaving Verse
5 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.”