Cross Road
Baptist Church
© 2017
Sermon Text
How Much is Enough?
But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain, we can carry nothing out.
1Timothy 6:6-7
The Things that Truly Matter
Our nation, and indeed many of the commercialized nations of the world, has a problem with discerning the things that matter most in life. People are in the “get mode” and they are not satisfied with what they currently own. Many are either seeking the newest, the biggest, the most expensive, or the most impressive things in life. Few, if any, stop to ask the important question: does this really matter? If I weighed all that I possess on the scales of eternity, would it make a difference at all. Better yet, if my life could function without some of these things, why did I obtain them in the first place? It is clear that we need to get out of the “get mode” and get into a satisfied state of mind. It would do both our soul and our wallet a lot of good.
We must admit that much of our anxiety comes from this “get mode” or as the Bible would call it, covetousness. We quickly assume that since we do not have what others have, we are poor. What if we sought to be holy as much as we sought wealth? What could we gain from that?
The Apostle Paul’s message was a healthy and holy one to Timothy. As a spiritual father to the young man, the Apostle saw the devastating effects of the ‘greed equals need’ culture in his day. The pagans that did not know God were given over to the covetousness and did not realize that it was controlling their lives. He was giving Timothy, as well as Christians today, some sound instructions on the things that really mattered. The Holy Spirit directs us to spend our lives on the most important life issue: serving God. What better way to gain that perspective than to accept these powerful words, but godliness with contentment is great gain?
Every Christian should be informed as well as motivated by this verse and receive it as our passion, our profession, and our promise. If I pursue the godliness and contentment with a passion, I choose enthusiasm over the routine. Serving the Lord becomes a joy rather than a job. Serving God becomes a choice rather than a chore. No one has to make me, motivate, or pay me to do this. I love Jesus and I am so satisfied that I willingly give myself away. That is the passion.
Passion: the Freedom of Godliness and Contentment
Have you ever stopped to think about the opposite of godliness and contentment and what it says about character? The antithesis of godliness and contentment is wickedness and discontent. When our lives have been set free through the Gospel of Jesus, we no longer worry about “getting stuff.” Our concern is to please the Lord and serve Him with a sincere heart. Lest you misinterpret this as the call to a monastery that is not what Paul is saying. He is saying that godly people can depend on the Faithful God to supply their need. Godly people trust God rather than take matters into their own hands. Here is the first freedom we discover as we apply the truth godliness with contentment is great gain.
We discover that seeking God is more important than seeking things. Jesus spoke this to His Disciples, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled. Many of us have learned from experience, if you seek after things you will be disappointed and your life will be constantly in the “get mode.” Things do not satisfy; at best, they only provide us with a temporary resource. God alone satisfies.
The second freedom we discover is serving others is more significant to God than serving ourselves. How can we really say that we are serving God if we are constantly in the “get mode?” Serving others is all about giving. Godly and content people not only give – they love giving. They are hilarious when it comes to sharing with others. That is so unlike this insane world we live in where people love to rob, steal, and pillage in order to have just a little bit more stuff. The one who follows the teaching godliness with contentment is great gain, realizes the abundance of Christ’s love is more important than the riches of this world. They in turn use their riches to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have always said, any time you have to beg Christians to give, something is wrong in their heart.
The third freedom applies to our time. We discover that we spend more time and money on the things of God. From an eternal perspective, it makes no sense to invest in real estate that will be destroyed. Those who build their empires on this Earth are in for a huge surprise. First, they will learn that they cannot take it with them. Second, they will learn that the treasures of this Earth are worthless in the Economy of Heaven. Third, they will learn that if you don’t send something to Heaven, you cannot claim anything from Heaven. The child of God can be content without a lot of things because they know that they have the true benefits awaiting them in Glory.
Profession: Making Godliness and Contentment Your Life
Some people cannot relate to godliness and contentment, much less the truth that godliness with contentment is great gain. Even some Church folk have one or the other, but fail to possess both. You have the noisy group that think that their “godliness” is factored into their loudness in worship. I have nothing against being noisy, but noise is not the way to godliness. The word ‘godliness’ is rendered pious or holy. It is not what I look like to man, but how I act toward God. I can put on a show for you, but God knows the real deal. So in order for me to practice this godliness with contentment, it must also be my profession. This will take work and it is not part-time. Yes, it does come with benefits because Paul has said that it ‘is great gain.’ However, I do not seek ‘godliness with contentment’ to see what I can get out of it, but what I can become as a result of it. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11 that this is a profession we learn from God. Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Think about it, a lot of people in the world are in the “get mode” because their desire is to impress people or boast of their wealth. The Christian is in pursuit of godliness and contentment in order to please the Lord. When we stand before Christ, we will offer Him the outcome of the work of the Holy Spirit’s power – a changed life. The godliness and contentment will shine brighter than the fairest gold and sparkle with the brilliance of the finest diamonds.
Won’t it be grand, when Jesus recognizes us as His faithful followers? While those who sought after the silver and gold will have only that – we will have the Lord of Glory and the Glory of the Lord. The masses of people of the world will have spent their lives in the “get mode” while the Children of God will have spent their lives being fashioned into the likeness of Jesus. That is our life goal. That is our joy.
In our profession, we believe in reflecting the goodness of Jesus Christ. In our profession, we believe in being an encouragement to others. In our profession we understand that the things of this world are losing their value. In our profession we know that heartaches here are just stepping stones. In our profession, to live is Christ and to die is gain. In our profession, godliness with contentment is great gain. In our profession we have been taught the truth that this is not all there is to life. There is more, much more. In our profession we realize we brought nothing into this world and it is certain, we can carry nothing out. Christianity is not simply a movement, it is a holy calling. We need to take the time to work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling. With that being said, godliness and contentment are not only virtues; they are measure of the way we live.
We have a Savior who was content. Our Savior could have been born in a mansion, but instead He was born in a manger. Our Savior could have demanded the allegiance as King, instead, He was content to be a Servant. Suffice it to say that our Savior was filled with contentment in knowing that His Life was all planned and provided for by His Father. Even when He said not my will, He recognized that the Father’s will was to be done.
Promise: Committing to Godliness and Contentment
Our generation is good for making promises but failing to keep them. This verse challenges us to keep our promise to God. The only way you can focus on keeping your promise is to stop looking at the “greener grass” some place else. So what if there is more or shinier some place else. You are who you are and you are where you are – that is where God has placed you. So be content and be godly about it. Know also that obeying God carries tremendous benefit. There are two spiritual jewels to our Christian walk.
When is the last time you asked yourself, how much is enough? To say that you have enough is to place yourself in the shoes of Jacob. As he limped to meet his brother Esau, He knew that God had not only saved his life but had also changed his life. For once in Jacob’s life he was content. Instead of taking something else from his brother, Jacob the taker became Israel the giver.
When we make a commitment to God as Lord, His Spirit changes the way we walk in this world. We act differently toward others. Rather than living life in the “get mode” we accept godliness as the quality of our walk. We learn quickly that it really doesn’t take all that to be happy. We learn that walking with God, even though He has wrestled us into a limp, we are yet content to be with Him.
When I was ten I tried to walk like my Dad, but I became taller than my Dad do I had to pick another example. At the age of fourteen, I tried to walk like my uncle Mack. He was the coolest guy in the world. When he died at the age of twenty seven, I was eighteen and really did not know who I could find as an example to show me the way. At the age of twenty-one, some of my fellow soldiers recommended a man named Jesus. They told me He would give me a new walk. They told me He would satisfy that longing in my soul. I started walking with Jesus and now I have learned that He changed my way of walking. I am not perfect, but I walk with the peace of knowing that I belong to god. People say I look godly, but it is just the Shadow of Jesus over my life that makes me look that way.
Not only has my walk changed, my attitude has changed as I have made this commitment to the Savior. Contentment is the quality of the state of mind. We can be content if we know Christ. We can be content if we know that our life is in His Hands. You may as well be content, because the latter part of our text states, for we brought nothing into this world and it is certain, we can carry nothing out. Contentment is not only a good way to live, it is the only way to keep your sanity in a crazy world.
Young people often respond to greetings by saying “I’m good.” I wonder if they know what “I’m good” really means? It means my life is good because God is good. It means I am in a satisfied state of mind. I will not complain even when things don’t go my way. Why should I speak bad, act bad, and look bad – when in Christ I am good. Please understand that good is not what I make of myself; that is impossible. “Good” is what God has made of me. I’m good because God has said He will supply all my need. I’m good because God has said “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Good is just another way of saying godliness with contentment is great gain. This is what God has done with my life.
May God bless you to be godly and content.