1 Timothy 6:9-21

Marc Transparenti
Calvary Chapel Lake City
1 Timothy • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago • Presented 4 years ago • 55:22
1 Timothy 6:9–21
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﻿Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to 1 Tim 6. We have come as far as verse 9. Last week we began to look at Paul's closing remarks to Timothy in this epistle. We left off with Paul advising Timothy that "godliness with contentment is great gain" as opposed to false teachers who "suppose godliness is a means of gain."

Let's pray, and then we will read 1 Tim 6: 9-21 ...we are going to finish this epistle today. 

Tim 6:9-10 "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."

Money is such a huge topic that we could literally spend weeks examining all kinds of topics centered around money and finances. Money can be a tool and a blessing when used for good purposes, and the desire for wealth can be an absolute obsession that never satisfies. 
Being rich does not mean a person is ungodly. Abraham, Job, and David, to name a few, were very wealthy and had their hearts set toward God.
The problem with money is concisely summarized in Ps 62:10, "If riches increase, Do not set your heart on them."
And, for many people, whether they have money or they don't, their heart is set on riches...an idol of the world.
In verse 9, Paul addresses the heart attitude of greed towards money. The false teachers he referenced in verse 5 of this chapter saw godliness as a means of gain. In the next verse, Paul advised Timothy that contentment does not come from financial gain, but from living a god centered life and learning to be content no matter one's financial state. You were born with nothing, and you are not taking anything you acquired in this lifetime with you into eternity. In Phil 4, Paul shared that he learned to be content living humbly or with abundance, because Christ strengthened him to be content in either state.
But, many people are not there...there are stuck in an obsession...they believe money will buy happiness, so they pursue it, they lay up for themselves treasures on earth, and have no mind set towards the eternal, which is foolish. 
The desire for more, is a heart issue, a sin of covetousness. 
In verse 9, notice Paul lays out a pattern and a process where an obsession with money leads to downfall: Look at verse 9: A desire to be rich results in falling into temptation and falling into a snare/trap and falling into many foolish and harmful lusts, which result in destruction and perdition or ruin. 
James sums up this process in James 1:14-15, "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." 
There are stages in pregnancy... a fetus develops, and in 9 months a baby is birthed. There are also stages in sin...Desire is conceived, it develops and eventually sin is birthed, when sin is full-grown, it brings forth spiritual death because if you love anything of this world more than God, you are spiritually dying. 
John spoke of temptation and sin as well, "For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world." 1 Jn 2:16 
The "desire to be rich" that Paul references in verse 9 is very much a "lust of the flesh," and a "lust of the eyes," and it's also because of "pride of life." 
After the heart desires material wealth, notice the person "...falls into temptation and a snare..."
You don't fall up, you fall down. Their lot in life is not improved...it is worsened. Even if they acquire more things, they are still in a worse off situation, because desire has conceived, and they are on the downward spiral to spiritual death.
In the parable of the soils, Jesus said, "Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful." Mk 4:18-19.
Spiritual death is the end result of this situation. They are worldly minded, I love how riches are described...as deceitful...because so often people are tricked by riches...
Back in Timothy, they fall into "temptation"...not just the temptation for greater riches, but the compromised position to obtain riches at any cost...even unjustly.
There is a difference between a temptation and a trial or testing. By definition, temptation is defined as a "trial or testing," but it's not a testing from God. 
James 1:13 "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone."
A testing or a trial from God will refine you, sanctify you, and produce fruit where you will become more Christ-like. A testing or a trial will drive you toward God. 
A temptation is from your flesh or the enemy, and only yields the fruit of spiritual decay and death. Temptation will drive you away from God. The person falling into temptation because of their desire to be rich is on the road to spiritual destruction.
And, still in verse 9, they fall into a "snare" or a trap; they become captive to evil desires and lusts. 
A snare or a trap in the Bible is often used metaphorically to describes an alluring trick of Satan to gain control over you and destroy you spiritually. 
After falling into temptation and being trapped, now this person with an insatiable desire to be rich, falls "into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition." 
Paul does not specifically list the kinds of foolish and harmful lusts, but we can imagine. 
Many set on riches are willing to sacrifice and destroy relationships with family, friends, business partners, etc. The rich person who has achieved wealth in this fashion, sits on a lonely throne...they may have all the money in the world, but very few, if any, authentic relationships. 
They work long hours, neglect their health, neglect their family; they may lie, cheat, and steal to obtain wealth; they argue and fight to win; they defraud or murder other people; they plot and ploy; they keep up a façade; and they obsess about obtaining money and they worry about losing it.  
As this person is ensnared in this lifestyle, the result is they drown...Literally, they sink into destruction- meaning death/ruin and perdition meaning destruction/loss. 
Jesus said, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" Mk 8:36 
Albert Barnes, "The destruction is complete. There is a total ruin of happiness, of virtue, of reputation, and of the soul. The ruling desire to be rich leads on a train of follies which ruins everything here, and hereafter. How many of the human family have thus been destroyed!"
In verse 10, Paul continues examining the heart issue..."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."
This is a very famous verse...and an often misquoted verse...people often say, "Money is the root of all evil... "but, that's not what the verse says...it says "the LOVE of money is a root of all kinds of evil..." and money is not THE root of evil...it's A root...we can be led astray by many evil passions...
Money is not the issue, it's the love of money that is the issue. This verse is not targeting the rich, but those who are discontent and have set their heart on wealth. 
Scholar Marvin Vincent said, " It is not the possession of riches, but the love of them that leads men into temptation."
And, money love...has a temptation to enjoin with many evil acquaintances...intemperance/drunkenness, fornication, hedonism, selfishness/greed...lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life. 
This verse says, "some have strayed from the faith in their greediness..." 
They wandered away from the faith.
In their pursuit of wealth, they forgot to pursue God. 
In Luke 16, the Parable of the Unjust Servant, Jesus finished this parable with the application, ""No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." Luke 16:13
You can only have one master, one Lord in life...if money is your God, you have strayed from the faith...you have lost relationship and Lordship to God. 
Heb 2:1 "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away."
And, these wanderers from the faith have "pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 
This carry's the imagery of self-inflicted harm...like a sword piercing their soul...or an arrow piercing their heart...the insatiable desire for wealth MAY lead to attaining riches, but certainly it will lead to many sorrows...which by definition is a "consuming grief." 
In J.C.Ryle's book "Practical Religion" published in 1879, he said, "Money, in truth, is one of the most unsatisfying of possessions. It takes away some cares, no doubt; but it brings with it quite as many cares as it takes away. There is trouble in the getting of it. There is anxiety in the keeping of it. There are temptations in the use of it. There is guilt in the abuse of it. There is sorrow in the losing of it. There is perplexity in the disposing of it. Two-thirds of all the strifes, quarrels, and lawsuits in the world arise from one simple cause-money!"  

Starting in Verse 11, Paul presents Timothy with his final charges of this epistle. 

Tim 6:11-12 "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."

"But you" Paul states for emphasis and contrast to the "man of sin" (false teachers, and people consumed by the lust for money)...Paul addresses Timothy as "man of God, " a wonderful title found 76x in the OT and only 2x in the NT. This speaks of Timothy's godly character, his calling, perhaps his spiritual gifting. 
"...flee these things..." all the things mentioned since verse 4 of chapter 6...flee pride, a discontented soul, foolish and harmful lusts, and being obsessed with gaining wealth...
Flee is a present imperative...a continuous action...Timothy is to flee and keep fleeing. In this lifetime, as a Christian, you will flee many things, but if you stop fleeing evil, you fall into sin or backslide and return to sin. 
Flee and "pursue"...run away from the evil things and desires of this world, and run after godly character...righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. 
Notice that these character traits or Christian virtues are not something you can possess or buy, but it must be developed and unlike riches which you cannot carry out of this world, these character traits will go with you into heaven. 
We are a three-part whole...Paul exhorted the Thessalonians "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thes 5:23 
We are comprised of Body, Soul, and Spirit. 
Your body is your physiological self (the five senses; your physical frame).
Your soul is your psychological self (mind/intellect, will, personality, and emotion).
Your Spirit is your spiritual self (conscience, intuition) and determines who you are...especially who you are in-Christ. 
Your body is not going with you to heaven...you will receive a new body, a glorified body. This body of flesh that desires sin will go back to the dust from whence it came.
But, your soul and spirit are eternal, and these traits Paul instructs Timothy to pursue will reap an eternal benefit.
Timothy is to pursue... which carries the imagery of an animal stalking it's prey with single-minded focus. Pursue...
Righteousness- Righteousness is a noun in this verse, and typically when righteousness is a noun, this speaks about having right relationships with fellow people. This relates to good morals...having integrity, and being just. When used as a verb, righteousness typically refers being right with God or justified...having a good legal standing before God. 
Godliness- our inward life as directed toward God.
Faith & Love are two of the primary virtues of Christianity. Without faith or belief in Jesus as Lord & Savior, you are not saved. Love here is agapē - self-sacrificial and unconditional love...Wuest "God's love as produced in the heart of the yielded believer by the Holy Spirit."
Patience- "patient enduring; perseverance" I love this definition of Patience by Lange...Patience "concerns all which could disturb the soul."
James starts his book James 1: 2 "...count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." 
Wuest says patience "describes the man who remains under trials in a God-honoring manner."
Gentleness- meekness, gentleness of spirit.
The person who has developed these Christian virtues...this moral character...will be able to stand and not fall by the temptations of the world. 
In verse 12, Paul, perhaps recognizing Timothy will be facing avaricious heretical teachers, Paul commands Timothy, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
Paul likes to use competitive sports as a metaphor for the Christian life. 
Notice, the Fight of Faith...is a good fight...In 1 Tim 1:18, Paul said, "Wage the good warfare" and both times Paul makes these statements... the context is there are false teachers in Ephesus that Timothy will face, and it will be a fight, but it is a good fight because Timothy is standing up for the truth. 
The verb tensing of "fight," commands a continuous action...fighting the good fight of faith is not a "one and done" fight. As a Christian, Paul is telling you for the rest of your life you are in this fight against evil. Jude said, "...contend earnestly for the faith..."
Timothy is also to "lay hold of eternal life" ...not suggesting he wasn't saved, but that he was to experience more eternal life in this lifetime. 
Last week we spent a couple days at the lake doing many fun things, but we also carved out time to baptize my son Timothy, that's laying hold of eternal life. 
I donated clothes this week, and made sure my donation went to a ministry that would further the kingdom...that's laying hold of eternal life. 
My kids do fun things throughout the day, but they start their day reading the word...that's laying hold of eternal life. 
It's the simple and very natural things we do in this lifetime to incorporate God into our lives...prayer...reading your Bible...gathering with the saints...serving...
You have eternal life as a believer...so lay hold of it and live it out in your daily practice, in your walk, your witness, your conversations, your decisions, your finances...practicing eternal life into your life now...that's laying hold of eternal life.
And, Paul reminds Timothy, he has been called into ministry...He should not flee from Ephesus and the fight that is there, but he should press forward because God called him.
Last in verse 12, Timothy "confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 
Many people witnessed Timothy's good confession....we don't know exactly what this 'good confession' was, but it may have been a confession that "Christ is King" at his baptism, or his ordination. Whatever the confession, it was good and seen by many and Paul's reminder here should give Timothy a fresh stirring to his duty and commitment to Ephesus. 
Being called into ministry is like being drafted into the military at a time of war; but with Timothy's confession it is as if he also enlisted voluntarily. His heart to serve was in harmony with God's calling for him to serve. 

In verse 13, Paul gives his final direct charge Timothy...

Tim 6:13-15 "I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time..."

In you Bible, you may see "I urge you," in some translations this is "I charge you..." 
This is a stern charge to Timothy...Timothy may not be in the sight of Paul, but Paul reminds him that he is in the sight of God, so it's important to be faithful. 
In 1 Tim 5:18, Paul presented a similar charge before "God and the Lord Jesus Christ" ...there is a Granville Sharp rule there...God and the Lord Jesus speaks about the same person. It appears Sharp's rule may be present in 6:13 as well...affirming the deity of Christ. 
The specific charge is seen in verse 14 that Timothy "keep this commandment without spot..." which we will discuss in a moment. 
Before Paul get's into the specifics of the charge, in verse 13, he describes Jesus as "giving life to all things"...this description may be a reminder of the sovereignty of God who Timothy was called to serve and who Timothy made a "good confession in the presence of many witnesses." 
The good confession Jesus made before Pontius Pilate is likely the scene where Pilate asked, "Are you the King of the Jews?" The synoptic gospels all record a simple answer to Pilates question...Jesus said, "It is as you say." He is the King of the Jews, and in John 18 we have Jesus' words that His kingdom is not of this world...and in John 18:37, Pilate again asks Jesus "Are you a king then? Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:37 
In this conversation, Jesus' confession was that he was the King. That was His good confession before Pilate. So, Timothy's 'good confession' in verse 12 may also have centered around the idea of Christ being the King. 
In verse 14, Paul instructs Timothy to "keep this commandment..."
It's difficult to say specifically what commandment Timothy is to keep (keep means "to guard")...Timothy is to guard over this commandment...
In context of false teachers, Paul may be commanding Timothy to charge the heretical teachers to "teach no other doctrine" similar to 1 Tim 1:3
This could be a call to "fight the good fight of the Christian life;" and it could be a broader charge... referring to all the charges in this entire epistle. 
But, notice, Timothy is to keep this commandment "...without spot and blameless..." 
Without spot means "irreproachable, free from vice, unsullied..."
And, blameless means "unrebukable...don't give anyone anything to lay hold of about your character or actions.
Timothy is to live upright as he is living out the Christian faith and overseeing the work in Ephesus. 
And, he says to do this "until our Lord Jesus Christs appearing, which He will manifest in His own time..."
This looks forward to Jesus' return. He IS coming back. And, Timothy was and we ARE to live our lives mindful that He could return at anytime. Jesus said, "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming." Mth 25:13 
Kenneth Wuest said, "As a Christian, Timothy would be looking, not for the Advent, but for the Rapture of the Church, and doubtless the latter was blended with the former in the mind of Paul when he wrote this."
This verse in Timothy says "He will manifest in His own time"...when Jesus returns, it will be just the right time, and it will be a royal return of the KING of Kings, the LORD of Lords...
The word "manifest" in Greek was used for royalty appearing for a coronation or returning home from war. 

Paul continues in verse 15 with praise and a beautiful description of Jesus...

Tim 6:15-16 "He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen."

In this doxology, Paul writes...
Jesus is the blessed and only Potentate- 
blessed...He is to be praised and in Him is the fullness of all blessing; 
and Potentate means "sovereign, of great authority and power." He is the ONLY Potentate...God alone is sovereign. He is Omnipotent...all powerful. 
He is the King of kings and Lord of lords- no earthly king or lord of anytime or any title compares to the true King and Lord over all. 
In Rev 5, John wept because no one was worthy to open the scroll or to even look at it...the scroll being the title deed to the earth. But one of the elders said to John, "Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals." 
Jesus is the only true King who can lay claim to rule the earth. 
When He returns, Rev 19:16 says, "And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS"...this is the title of our conquering King!
Who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see- 
God alone is immortal...angels were given immortality, and believers were given the gift of resurrection and eternal life, but God alone inherently is immortal. Created beings, like angels and us, were given immortality by Him. But, God was already immortal and always has been immortal. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end...no created being can claim that.
He dwells in unapproachable light. This speaks about God's presence and how His glory is immensely brilliant.
1 John 1:5 "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."
Rev 1:16 "...His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength." 
How long can you stare at the sun? Not long. Jesus's glory is brighter than the sun...so bright that mankind cannot approach His dwelling place. 
Rev 22:5 in describing Heaven says,..."There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light."
Because of God's glory, "...no man has seen or can see..."
In Exo 33:18, Moses said to God, "Please, show me Your glory." and in verse 20 God replied, "You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live." 
God did allow Moses to see His back, His afterglow, but no man can see God and live. 
In Exo 34, when Moses came down from meeting with the Lord on Mount Sinai, his face shone from being in God's presence...and the children of Israel were afraid to come near him...for some time, so he wore a veil on his face. 2 Cor 3:7 records, "...the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance..." And, that was just a reflection of God's glory.
And, when you reflect on God's sovereignty, His power, His authority, His immortality, and His glory, what else do you say but, "...to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen."
All reverence is due to God, and Paul closes his charge to Timothy with this beautiful homage. 

continue to verse 17

Tim 6:17 "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."

Earlier, Paul addressed those who coveted riches, but now he addresses those who actually are rich, and what their heart attitude should be towards their wealth. 
We are all rich compared to most of the world. We may not be millionaires, but compared to the vast majority of the world, we are rich materially. 
So, Paul addresses the "...rich in this present age..." if you are rich in this lifetime, you must use your riches to further the kingdom of God, or you will not be rich in the age to come. 
In Luke 16, Jesus told the parable of the Unjust Servant. One of His points of application was verse 11 "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?"
If you cannot be trusted in this lifetime to be faithful in your use of money, how will God trust you in eternity with the spiritual riches of the kingdom?
The rich are "not to be haughty" or prideful. There is a temptation to look down on those who have less... To feel like we have special privileges because of material wealth.
1 Cor 4:7 "...what do you have that you did not receive?" The Corinthians were prideful because they were rich. When you have no sense of need, pride can set in. But, Paul challenged them that the riches they had were not because of themselves, but because they received it from God. 
Even if you are a self-made person...God still designed you in such a way to have the intellect and drive to be successful. "What do you have that you did not receive?"
The rich are "not to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy."
Riches are uncertain. Riches can be a great blessing, but they can also disappear very fast. 
Pro 23:5 "...riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven." 
There are many things that can happen in life that can swallow up riches...the recent riots and protests and Covid-19 have destroyed many small business owners very quickly, as have stock market & real estate crashes, natural disasters, personal health issues, unexpected legal issues...Riches are a blessing in this lifetime, but they should not be the foundation of our hope in life...that's like building your house on sand. 
So, do not trust in uncertain riches...Lit. "do not place your hope in" riches, but do trust in the living God...
...who "...gives us richly all things to enjoy."
The word enjoy speaks to pleasure with material things, not in spiritual things. What this is saying is that God wants us to enjoy this lifetime. 
He cares for our eternal soul, but He also wants to bless us in this lifetime. 

continue to verse 18

Tim 6:18-19 "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."

It is important for the rich person to be open handed. Giving money towards the kingdom of God is not because God needs your money, he owns the cattle on a thousand hills...giving guards you from being consumed in materialism, from loving money, from trusting in uncertain riches. 
Paul instructs the rich to do good works, to be ready to give and willing to share...in doing so they will store up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come.
No doubt this is referencing Jesus' teaching in Matt 6, Luke 12, Luke 18 to "lay up for yourself treasures in heaven." Our material blessings now, when used with the right heart attitude to bring glory to God, and not to ourselves, is like investing in our eternity. 
Using riches for kingdom purposes now, is just one more example of how we may "lay hold on eternal life." 

Paul concludes this epistle in verses 20-21. 

Tim 6:20-21 "O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge-21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen."

"O Timothy"- Paul makes one last personal appeal...an appeal marked by his love and affection for Timothy. 
His closing charge is for Timothy to "guard what was committed to your trust." Guard is a military word for a posting a watchman.
He is to guard "what was commited to your trust" the things that God called Timothy to do in Ephesus, the things that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write in this epistle...Timothy must watch over the Christian truths that were under attack in Ephesus. 
Like Timothy, we are salt and light in this world...we are guard to the truth...we are the people who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before God.
Guard the things of God, and avoid the things of man which are evil... "profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge"...
Heretical teachers are known by their "profane and idle babblings"...or "worldly and empty chatter," and...
"contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge." 
The word contradictions in Greek is antithesis which means opposition, opposing arguments.
The knowledge/ gnōsis in Greek. Heretical teachers claimed they had superior knowledge which was false and opposed of the true teachings of sound Christian doctrine. 
The claim to elevated knowledge was a key feature of the heresy of the Gnostics in the 2nd Century. Timothy, very likely, was seeing hints of the beginning of this false teaching in his time. 
People who profess to have a "higher truth" apart from faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, they "have strayed concerning the faith."
The word strayed literally means "to miss the mark." They have abandoned the truth. 
Paul concludes this letter with the simple benediction "Grace be with you. Amen."
For Timothy, Grace was what he needed because of his tough assignment in Ephesus: false teachers without, people criticizing him within, and some missteps he was making as a young leader...Grace was what he needed to fight the good fight. 

Timothy...an amazing letter of instruction from Paul to Timothy on church conduct. 
* There are so many great applications that we will draw on in life and for how we will operate and function in this church plant. 
* Applications for this week:
* Watch your heart attitude toward desiring wealth and material things in this world. Check yourself when you find yourself discontent with what you have. 
* We cannot take material things with us into eternity, but we can use money now for kingdom purposes and store up treasures in heaven. 
* We can also invest now in eternity by laying hold of eternal life and by pursuing Christian character...since our soul and our spirit are eternal. 
* Meditate on these things this week. 
* Next week, we will start the Gospel of Matthew...an amazing Gospel written to the Jews with great emphasis on Jesus as the Messiah. 

Let's pray! 
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