1 Timothy 6:11-21 (ESV)
The text this morning is meant to pump us up. It is the end of Paul’s letter, and he wants to leave Timothy with a sense of encouragement and purpose.
The series title has been “cultural foundations of Christ’s church”. So hopefully you could answer the question, what is church culture founded on?
Paul tells us the purpose of his letter in chapter 3, which is “so you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God.” How should the church operate?
Our text today, Paul comes back around to the same themes he started it with. In chapter 1, the takeaways were (3): everything comes from God, the church should watch out for destructive teaching, and Christians should be prepared to endure for the faith, to run a hard race.
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
• The context of this verse is directly following the love of money, that is what Paul is commanding Timothy flee from.
• True ministry, not false teaching, will NOT be centered around riches and greed. He says as much by calling Timothy a “man of God”.
13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
• We get a nice big beautiful run on sentence. I didn’t want to break it up, but let’s pull out some of the key points. Paul commands Timothy to keep his word, to keep the commandment until Jesus returns.
• vs 13 Paul calls out Jesus’ confession as an example for us. Look at John 18:37
o 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
• The confession of Jesus is that his life’s purpose is to bear witness to the truth. That should be our similar confession!
• Ultimately, I think this passage is best seen in the context of what motivates a Christian leader. It is not the riches and material gain that false teachers seek. It is the reality of eternity.
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.
• Do not “set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches”. This point is central. The pitfall of riches is that they delude us into trusting that we are in control. The desire of riches is to think that we’ll have more control over our lives if we could just have more money.
• To stand with confidence on the things in the life is a fool’s errand. It can all disappear very quickly. Look at the number of celebrities who have had their lives ruined, sometimes rightfully so, because of horrific things they’ve done. Or someone like Muhammed Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time but 3 years after he retired was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The riches of the world are uncertain.
20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.
Grace be with you.
• The Lord has entrusted a great treasure in us, and we are to watch out over it. That treasure is the gospel. We have been given new life and the church is built of people who use it!
• Do you know someone who has gone astray? It seldom starts where it ends. It ends with rejection of the true gospel. But it may start with only a small disagreement over doctrine, or a rejection of a certain part of scripture. Eventually that can and does grow until a shipwreck has been made of your faith.
Before we finish this series let’s revisit some of the main takeaways. What does this church need to know?
Takeaways
There are serious standards for leaders.
– We read in chapter 3 the qualifications for deacons and elders
Everyone has a role to play
– Chapters 3 and 5 talk about the roles of church members and leaders.
The church is entrusted with the gospel.
– Chapters 1, 4 and 6 all mention the hope that we uniquely have in Jesus.
The church prays for her leaders.
– We saw in chapter 2 that the church needs be praying for our leaders.
The church should be known for riches of good works, not material riches.
– We saw this in chapter 2 and throughout chapter 6.
– Do not adorn yourself with wealth but with good works.
Thankfully this is not a moving target. Our culture is built on scripture, not the prevailing sentiments of the day.
Application
Everything comes from the Lord. How can we be reminded of God’s providence?
– What are things you take for granted?
– What things do you think you can do on your own? That you’re in charge of?
– What ways can we demonstrate our dependance on God?
How are you engaging in spiritual training?
– Do you spend time preparing for the hard spiritual work ahead?
– Am I spending time and energy to get ready to fight the good fight?
How am I growing?
– Are you in a different place spiritually than you were 6 months ago?
– it would be weird to see a Christian sitting in the same pew, not developing.
How do my desires for how church is to run align with the bible?
– Are your desires based on personal preference? Something you think should be allowed? Or based on what the Bible says.
Sneak preview ahead in to 2 Timothy 2:2 “entrust [what you have heard from me] to faithful men who will be able to teach others also”.