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The Bible Breakdown
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The Bible Breakdown
1 Timothy 06: Contentment Is the Key
What if true wealth isn't about money at all? In this episode of the Bible Breakdown podcast, Pastor Brandon takes us through an enlightening exploration of 1 Timothy, chapter 6, revealing the powerful theme, "Contentment is the Key." By examining Paul's advice on maintaining a long-term relationship with God, we uncover how contentment plays a crucial role in living a godly life. The episode ventures into the historical context of the slave-master relationship in the Roman world, drawing insightful parallels to modern-day employee-employer dynamics. We learn the importance of respect and diligence in our work, especially when serving fellow believers, and the perils of prioritizing wealth over godliness. Through Paul's teachings, Pastor Brandon emphasizes that true wealth comes from a combination of godliness and contentment, urging us to embrace values like righteousness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
Moving beyond material pursuits, the latter part of our discussion invites listeners to reflect on their true motivations and actions. We challenge ourselves with the "why" question, asked five times, to uncover the deeper reasons behind our desires for more in life. Pastor Brandon reminds us that only the Lord can truly fulfill our deepest needs for significance, acceptance, and security. Together, we pray for guidance in aligning our actions with God's will, acknowledging that our journey toward spiritual perfection is continuous and requires divine help. Wrapping up, we reflect on 1 Timothy 4:12, underscoring the importance of exemplary behavior in our words, actions, love, faith, and purity. Don't miss our next study on Nehemiah chapter one, promising further inspirational insights. Tune in for an episode that promises to stir your heart and uplift your spirit.
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The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Hello everybody, welcome back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. 1 Timothy, chapter 6, and today's title is Contentment is the Key. Contentment is the key. We're going to jump into that in just a moment. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Leave us a five-star review on the podcast. Make sure you are commenting on the podcast and on the YouTube channel. I love connecting with you and just going back and forth, answering questions and all this kind of stuff. It's just fun for me and I hope it is for you as well. And make sure we're all gathering together at the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook Because, man, the more we dig, the more we find. And as we finish up, open your Bibles with me to 1 Timothy, chapter 6.
Speaker 1:And one of the things that I love about this particular book is it's that mentor-mentee environment and Paul is kind of giving some of that insider baseball, some of that insider stuff that, hey, this is how to maintain your relationship with God over the long haul. Remember, the overall theme is how to live up to the vision that God has for you and that is for all of us. God's got a big idea for us. However, it's not easy. It'll take a lifetime of faithfulness to reap a lifetime of God's plan for our life. It takes a long time and I love what he says today on what we're calling the key to whatever it is that we're after in our life. And so we're gonna jump in and we're going to read God's word and we're going to see how God's word is so counterintuitive to our culture. But it just feels right when we really think about it. You ready, here we go.
Speaker 1:First Timothy, chapter six, verse one, says this all slaves should show full respect to their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching. If the masters are believers, that is no excuse to be disrespectful. Those slaves should work all the harder because their efforts are helping other believers who are well loved. Now pause again real quick. Remember the slave master environment was different in the Roman world than it is now we think about now. We think about the antebellum south, where you had these horrible atrocities that would occur and that was horrible and it was terrible. Back then that phrase was more of a situation where it was a worker-employee environment. That's not to say that there probably were horrible excesses and all of that, but for a lot of it it was the same thing as if you go work for a company Back then they would say you're a slave to that company. No, I'm an employee. Well, same thing for them in most cases.
Speaker 1:So he's saying when you work for someone, make sure you're working, you know, as unto the Lord. Well, what if they're a believer? I could just cut corners? Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, you should work even harder because you're working for a fellow believer. Can I tell you that's important. I've heard business owners say some of the worst people to hire are fellow Christians because, since I'm a Christian, they'll come in late on Monday morning. Come in late, you know, and say well, I had life group and I know you understand. Or I had this, I understand he's like.
Speaker 1:I've had people who've said that it's horrible because it's like there's supposed to be a double standard and as Christ followers we realize we should do the exact opposite. All the more we should serve our leaders. You ready? Here's the next verse. Teach these things, timothy, and encourage everyone to obey them.
Speaker 1:Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander and evil suspicions.
Speaker 1:These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy Wow. Yet true godliness with contentment is great wealth. After all, we brought nothing into this world when we came in and we'll take nothing with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content, and we're going to finish with that in just a moment. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and some people craving money have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Speaker 1:But you, timothy, are a man of God, so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good. Fight for the true faith, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life which God has called you and which you have declared so well before many believers. And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Let no one find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again, for at just the right time, christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and the only mighty God, the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. He 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.
Speaker 1:So Paul got to preach in there a little bit and that was awesome. Right, let's finish this up and we'll go back and talk about contentment. Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others, and by doing this they will be storing up their treasures as a good foundation for the future that they may experience true life.
Speaker 1:Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness. May God's grace be with you all. Wow, two things when we end our time together. First of all, I love how he ends that by saying be sure to guard and teach God's word. Avoid foolishness and all this kind of stuff, because if you're not careful by doing all that, thinking you're being edgy, thinking you're being scandalous and you're getting attention. Actually you're causing people to wander away from the word. Let God's word stand alone all by itself. I believe it was Charles Spurgeon who once said that God's word doesn't need defending, no more than a lion needs defending. All he needs you to do is unlock the door and he'll take care of himself, and I think that's what God's word does so much. But I want to finish with this idea that he said in verse six yet godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. I think that's so important and I almost wish that we had time where we could just sit and just soak and meditate on that verse for a little while. Godliness, true godliness with contentment, is itself great wealth.
Speaker 1:I heard someone say one time the way to believe you truly have everything, or the way to truly have everything is to believe you already do. Let me try that again the way to truly have everything is to believe you already do, in other words, to be content with what you have. That doesn't mean that it's wrong to want more for your family and all these kinds of things, but the real thing there is why? Why do you need more? Now?
Speaker 1:For some of us, it's obvious. The reason why I need more is because I can't pay my bills, pastor, and we can get into the conversation of which bills are necessary and which bills are things that you shouldn't have done. We can get into that. But there are some people that the needs are genuine, like if their most basic needs are a certain amount and you're not making that certain amount. That's why I need more. But there's some people that you would say okay, well, guess what, what if we had this very hard conversation that we're not going to get into completely, but you should really think about this, and that is this let's say you're in a situation where you make enough money that you're able to pay all of your necessity bills Not your eating out bills, not your Netflix accounts, all that kind of stuff but you make enough money to pay whatever it takes for you to keep a roof over your head, clothes on your back and food in your stomach. You get the most basic needs right After that. Why? Why do you need more? And there's no judgment attached to it why?
Speaker 1:Really think and ask the question. I heard someone say this one time. To truly get to the root of a question ask why five times? So let's play it just for a moment. Ask why five times? So let's play it just for a moment.
Speaker 1:Let's say that I work a 40-hour job, a 40-hour week, make enough money, but I don't make enough so we can live comfortably. I make enough so we can live. Okay, I have a chance to work 20 extra hours a week to make more money and I'm thinking about should I do it? Well, the question would be why? Okay? Why do I want to work 20 more extra hours a week? I want to work 20 more hours. Here's the first. Why 20 more hours? So I can make more money to support my family. Why Because I want us to have luxuries in life. Why Because I would like for us to be able to do things as a family and be able to not struggle. Why, well, you know now I think about it because I want to fit in with everybody else. Why Because that's where my worth comes from. Whoa, so it goes from. I want to make some extra money to help my family to realize. Well, the reason why I want to make the extra money is not just simply because I want my family to have good things, but because I don't think I'm enough yet. And if I can make enough money, then I can earn somehow the approval of my family or the approval of my friends and neighbors. That's. That's a very different conversation.
Speaker 1:I've known people who have worked themselves into divorce, work themselves into heart attacks, work themselves into all these things, and then they continue to do it because they feel insignificant, they feel rejected and they feel afraid and they try to get from whatever it is. They're trying to achieve what only God can supply. Only in God do you find your true significance. Only in God do we find our true acceptance and only in God do we find our true security. And that's why what Paul is saying is if you can ever understand that true godliness, in other words, surrounding your life with the goodness of God, true godliness with contentment. Right, there is a wealth that we can't understand any other way.
Speaker 1:And once again, you notice, as he's saying, he's not saying that we shouldn't have things and we shouldn't pursue things, but it's to realize why are we pursuing them? So here's your homework Is it possible that you are already blessed beyond measure but you don't see it because you are chasing an invisible trophy. You're chasing an idea that if I just get X, whatever that is, if I just get that, then I'll have significance, then I'll have safety, then I'll have acceptance. Can I tell you it's possible that it doesn't matter how many X's you get in life, you're always going to come up needing one more, as the great philosopher Jim Carrey once said. He said I wish for one day everybody could be rich and famous, so that they would realize it doesn't solve anything, but rather what does solve anything is what Paul says true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.
Speaker 1:So I'll ask you a question for your homework. What if you tried this? When we get through with this, I want you to think for a moment why do I do what I do? Why do I try to gather more? And ask yourself why five times? And if the bottom line answer is the reason why is because I need it, because my family can't survive without it, then praise the Lord, go for it. But if the answer is because I need to find significance, because I need to find acceptance, because I need to find security, then realize that all those things will never satisfy. Only the Lord will satisfy, and he wants to be that for you.
Speaker 1:Let's pray together. God, thank you so much that you've got a big idea for all of us. But it's not easy. It takes every bit of effort we've got and we're never going to get there completely. That's part of the process. But one day, when we get to heaven, then we'll be perfected. But along the journey we need you. We need you to help us to course correct, sometimes to realize when it's okay to move forward and sometimes when it's okay to pause for a moment and really think about our motives. Lord, as we finish 1 Timothy, I pray that you'll help us to remember that you've got a big idea and a big plan for us and that you're with us every step of the way. In Jesus' name, we pray amen, amen. Well, god's word says in 1 Timothy 4, verse 12, don't let anyone think less of you because you are young, but be an example to all believers in what you say and the way you live, in your love, your faith and your purity. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Nehemiah, chapter one.
