The Great Treasure of Godliness

In this week’s message from 1 Timothy 6, we see that false teaching leaves people spiritually sick and treats godliness as a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. Everything we have is a gift of God’s grace, and Christ, who became poor for our sakes, frees us from the love of money to treasure what is eternal.

Please turn with me once again to the book of 1 Timothy. We’re in the last chapter now. Last week we looked at his instruction to slaves and made application from those first two verses. This morning we’re going to begin actually with the last part of verse 2.

You notice in verse 2 there’s a sentence at the very end of the verse. There’s two sentences in verse 2. We’re going to begin with that sentence that begins with “Teach and preach these principles.” That really should go with the next section. It’s one of those places where the verse divisions aren’t inspired.

When Paul wrote this letter, he wrote it as a single letter. And later on, it was divided up into chapters and verses to make it easy for us to find references, so that I can say, turn to 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 1, or in this case, verse 2b, and you can find that very quickly.

That was done by a man by the name of Robert Estienne during the King James period. He was the official translator of the Bible. He was the official translator into Greek and Hebrew. And so he was the one that actually, they say, as he was making trips back and forth from Paris to Geneva, he did this while he was riding on a horse.

And so the old joke is this must be one of those places where the horse kind of hit a bump, because “teach and preach these principles” isn’t talking about just this idea of how slaves are to show respect to their masters. This has to do with all the fundamental principles that he’s been teaching throughout this book. That’s the crucial thing, and you’ll see that in just a moment. Teach and preach these things. Teach and exhort these things. Encourage these things.

Let me read the passage and ask God to bless His Word.

The Text1 Timothy 6:2–10

Teach and preach these things. If anyone advocates a different doctrine, does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he’s conceited, understands nothing. But he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, constant friction between men of depraved minds and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Let’s ask God to bless His Word.

Father, this is a rich passage and there is so much here. Father, give us grace and help us to be able to teach this clearly. And Father, as we listen to Your words, we hear it, guide our hearts to the love of Christ our Savior and away from the things of this world. Take this passage, Father, and use it to awaken our awareness of wrong thinking and, Father, to correct that and to shape our hearts so that we are far more like our Savior, the Lord Jesus. We ask this, Lord, in Christ’s name. Amen.

Back when we first began this study some months ago, we talked about the bookends of the book when we were beginning it. He talks about the reason that he leaves Timothy in Ephesus right in chapter 1, and that is so that he can deal with the heretics that have risen up in the church. And then the next thing is the great doxology. And so we have that in chapter 6 as well. We didn’t get to the doxology, but there’s that reintroduction of the heretics.

And by beginning that way and ending that way, he’s doing that. Technically that’s called an inclusio. And so it’s for a purpose and it’s for a reason that he does that. You can think of that as heavy bookends, and the beginning and end, and then you have all the books in the middle. Or you can think of it like a sandwich. You have the bread on the outside and you have all this meat in the middle.

So we’ve been talking about all kinds of things. We’ve been talking about how the church is to exercise public worship, talked about the qualification of elders and deacons, how the household of God should care for widows, honor elders, and serve as believing servants of God. And then we come to chapter 6, verse 2b, and Paul puts the second bookend in place, and he comes and he talks once again, he comes back to these false teachers.

Why is that? Well, he’s told us through the letter a number of important things about these heretics. He’s told us some of what they’ve taught. They’ve emphasized all sorts of myths and genealogies and had legalistic rules about food and marriage.

And now, in this passage, he’s going to tell us why they’re teaching these things, what it is that causes them to dispute the very Word of God. He’s going to tell us what their motives are. And so that’s what we’re going to be looking at as we study the passage today.

Teach and preach these principles. Teach and preach. Teach and preach what? Well, when you look at verse 3,

If anyone advocates a different doctrine…

1 Timothy 6:3

A different teaching, a teaching that is different than what he is to be preaching, that gives us the content of what. Teach and preach what? Teach and preach these things, these principles.

What is the things and principles? Well, in verse 2, what is it that these heretics are objecting to? What is it that they do not agree with? It’s the sound words, the very words of our Lord Jesus.

Sound Words

Several times in the study, that’s come up, sound teaching, sound words, and we pointed out that the word that’s translated sound is the word where we get our English word hygiene. And it is a medical term. It means healthy or wholesome. The true gospel of Jesus Christ leads to health. It leads to the spiritual health of the soul.

And so that’s the first thing that we have to see. If you’re going to ask the question, is what we’re getting in teaching, is it healthy teaching? Is it sound teaching? Well, it’s healthy teaching if it’s moving us toward the truth of the gospel and it’s conforming us to godliness. It’s causing us to be more like our Savior, the Lord Jesus. If that’s the case, then it’s producing a holy life.

See, this is the two things. They’re disputing the words of the Lord Jesus and doctrine that teaches us to be godly. They’re disputing those things. And so that’s what causes their spiritual sickness. And that’s why when we pay attention to genuine truth, it guides our hearts and helps us to be godly. Godliness.

The second thing to notice here is the symptoms of the spiritual sickness in verse 4a. The person who disputes the words of Jesus and the apostolic teaching that leads to godliness, a person is a prideful person. He’s a conceited person. And he’s stupid. That’s what he’s saying. He’s not very bright.

He Is Conceited and Understands Nothing

He’s conceited, he thinks. These people were setting themselves up in the church as the teachers in the church. They thought that they were the most informed people in the world. In the room, at least. Maybe not in the world. But certainly they thought they were the most important people there in that church.

And so that’s why he’s pointing out their conceit. It’s their own pride and their prideful thinking that’s keeping them from obeying and receiving the truth of Jesus Christ. It’s their own prideful thinking. That happens today.

If you’re reading heretics, if you’re reading the people who twist the Word of God and deny it, either in various religions or the atheists that have become popular or the woke culture that we’re in, any of those who take the Word of God and twist it or reject it or teach something different, it’s pride. It’s the saying that I really know what is best. I know what is best. And this is just old stuff. It’s out of date. I know what’s true.

And you always have that kind of prideful element with people who reject the truth of the Word of God. You always have that conceit and that ignorance. And the ignorance is a willful ignorance. They’ve been exposed to the truth. They’ve heard it, and they have rejected it.

The word conceited literally means wrapped up in fog or smoke. They’re blowing a lot of smoke. And it’s just all that pride manifesting itself in the church at Ephesus.

A Morbid Interest in Controversial Questions

And they like to argue. They take little technical disputes about the words that are used, the very words of Christ. And so they twist them or dispute them or argue for them, argue for something different.

And so verse 3, true doctrine is healthy. Verse 4, it’s another medical type word. It’s morbid interest, literally sick. Instead of feeding on the healthy meat of the gospel, he’s got a sickly addiction, an idle speculation. And he’s fighting over words so that he can come across as being clever. So that’s the toxic nature of these heretics.

Envy, Strife and Constant Friction

If you remember, well before, I’m going to remind you what Paul says in chapter 1. But let’s look and see where this kind of thinking leads us.

He’s conceited, he understands nothing, but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words.

1 Timothy 6:4

What comes from that? What’s the result of that?

Out of which arises envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved men and deprived of the truth.

1 Timothy 6:4–5

I don’t think I have to define all those words.

• Envy is resenting someone else for something that they have, maybe their giftedness or abilities.
• Strife is choosing up sides in the quarrels that they are bringing up.
• Abusive language is slandering the people of God. That’s what he’s talking about.
• Evil suspicions is assuming the worst about someone.
• And constant friction, it’s the perpetual grating that comes across as they continually stir up these things, the irritation that results in that.

When you look at these things, as you’re looking at this list, this is not the fruit of the Spirit of God. When you see this kind of result in a church because of teaching that’s being introduced to the church or from any part in the church, if it’s causing something like this, then somebody is rejecting the Word of God, and it’s leading to a lot of unhealthy fruit. It’s not the fruit of the Spirit.

Back in chapter 1, the Apostle Paul pointed out that the result of their teaching, the apostolic teaching, is love from a pure heart. Love from a pure heart.

You know, if you love people, you’re not suspicious of them. You trust them. Love trusts. That’s what it says in 1 Corinthians 13, in the list and description of charity, of love. It is that love trusts. That’s one of the descriptors.

And if you don’t trust, there’s an indication that you don’t love. You’re suspicious and always raising some problem. So there’s all this friction and hatred and discussion that’s coming about because of the pride of these teachers.

And then he tells us in 5b exactly what their motivation is. These men were spinning all these novel theories and talking about ancient myths and stirring up a following. They were doing that because they believed that godliness was a means of gain, material gain. They’re going to use their religion to profit materially. That’s what’s down in their heart somewhere. They’re probably not advertising that directly, but that’s their idea and their heart.

You know, when we gave history of Ephesus, religion in Ephesus had been big, big business before the Apostle Paul got there with the gospel. It was big business. The Temple of Artemis, we pointed out, in the ancient world it was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. It was an incredible structure.

And it wasn’t just a structure. It was the focus of all the worship of the city, and it was the major banking and commercial hub of all of Asia Minor. All the money, it was like the Swiss bank, and that’s where everybody kept their money, was right there in the Temple of Artemis. And people who participated in that made money through that religion.

If you remember back in Acts, the union of silversmiths, how much money they were making and how they felt threatened when the Apostle Paul came and started teaching that there’s nothing to the goddess of Artemis, and started teaching the truth of the gospel. They were threatened by that.

So what has happened in the Ephesian church is people coming out of that background and looking always, all their life, as religion being a means of wealth have coming into the church, and they see this new religion as a new revenue stream. Here’s a place that we can exploit that nobody else in our city is doing. This is a new avenue for us to make money. That’s the way they’re thinking.

A Trap for Every One of Us

You don’t have to look very far to find that kind of thinking today. I mean, what comes to mind immediately is the televangelist who promised you that you’re going to be financially healthy if you just send in your seed money. There’s an awful lot of that that goes on, but you don’t have to go there. There’s this tendency and trap that we can all fall into in our thinking. And that’s what I especially want us to think about this morning.

Yeah, those guys are out there. They’re everywhere. These kinds of heretics are all around. You can find them on television so easy and on the Internet. And they’re always out there trying to build up their audience.

But you don’t have to look that far. Sometimes it just takes so many forms. I will never be able to apply this to all of our hearts in every way where we might be tempted.

But some of the things that I’ve seen, I remember more than once I’ve seen people in business, especially salespeople, like insurance salesmen, move from church to church in their habit. They go to this church, and usually pick pretty good-sized churches, because it’s a great place for them to network. And so they network the church and make acquaintances and connections.

Why are they going to church? Well, it’s not because of the love of Christ and their desire to be godly. It’s because here’s a place where they can make some money. They can network and prosper as a result of it.

I’ve seen people pass through churches, and that’s exactly what they were doing. And it became, by the time they left the church to go on to other pastors that they thought might be more prosperous, it was very clear what they were about. It happens a lot.

It didn’t have to be that. I mean, in our heart, we can think that because we are doing what God tells us to do, we’re going to receive material blessing just for that, as if we are earning, God is indebted to us in some way. And that happens. You have to deal with that from time to time as a pastor when you’re talking to people who, as you go through life, you experience the sorrows of life in a sinful world.

And so people come to you and, why is this happening to me? I faithfully attended Sunday school. I got all the Sunday school perfect attendance pens. And now I’ve got cancer.

What’s going on in their mind? Their mind is that I’m doing these things and I’m earning merit with God. I should be materially blessed because of the way I’m living for the Lord. I haven’t really embraced the full gospel if we’re thinking that way.

There’s a temptation like that for all of us. I wanted to generalize that enough to see that we can all fall into this. There’s a trap here for every one of us. So this heart motive of the false teachers is that religion is for gain.

Now what we need to do next is to look at how verse 5 connects to verse 6. So let’s do that. They suppose that godliness is a means of gain, and Paul says, the truth is, godliness isn’t just, it’s not a means of gain. Godliness is the gain, if it’s received with contentment, if you have that with contentment.

Godliness is the treasure. It’s the grace of God, the Spirit of God at work in your heart. It is absolutely perfectly sufficient if we receive it, if we recognize what we truly have in Jesus Christ. True godliness with contentment is infinite profit. It’s incredibly blessed. I’m not talking about material wealth in this world or material things. I’m talking about what we have now spiritually and what we have eternally.

So the false teachers thought that godliness was a way to get rich, but Paul is saying, you think that pays well? Well, you don’t know anything, really.

It’s godliness itself that yields the incredible, the mega dividends. The Greek word is megas, which is translated great. It’s the great dividends. Not coins that are passing and ultimately worthless. It was Calvin that said,

Godliness is itself a sufficiently great gain to us because through it we enjoy Christ and all His riches.

John Calvin

Godliness With Contentment

And then there’s that word that Paul connects with godliness, which is contentment. Now you see something of a stoic view in what has been taught in 1 Timothy from the heretics. I don’t know how they were exploiting that exactly, but they were teaching people that they needed to avoid marriage and be ascetic and various practices. Some of the heretics were teaching that in the church. And Paul is not embracing that kind of thinking at all here. He’s teaching us something more important.

The word that he uses is one of the favorite watchwords of the Stoic philosophers. You know, detach your emotions from the world so that you don’t need anybody at all because you are completely self-sufficient. And what Paul is saying here is that’s not right.

What is right is that you attach yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ in such a way that you recognize that you are completely sufficient in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is a sufficiency, not us, not ourself, not something we’re working up and self-sufficiency. It’s Christ’s sufficiency. Remember in Philippians chapter 4 when Paul writes,

I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. … I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:11, 13

That’s what he writes there. Do you remember where he was when he wrote that? He was in a Roman prison.

Back in the 17th century, there was a Puritan, his name was Jeremiah Burroughs, and he wrote a beautiful book. I recommend it. If you find the book, you should read it. It’s called The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. And in the book, he calls contentment a work of the Spirit indoors. He means it’s an internal work of the Spirit in our hearts.

And he points out in the book, why is it that people are discontented? Why is it that you’re discontented, apart from all the advertisements it tells you to be? Why is it that you’re discontented? It’s because, he says, of pride, and that we think God owes us more than He’s given us. We become discontented because we think that we are owed something that God has deprived us of.

But when we actually come to the cross of Jesus Christ, and we realize that we deserve nothing from God, nothing from Him, we are sinners who have rebelled against Him and we deserve nothing but judgment of God. And yet, God has given us everything, His own Son. He’s given us Jesus Christ who has sacrificed for us. And why should we desire more?

We Have Brought Nothing Into the World

So Paul gives us a couple of very practical realities that anchor our commitment. Verse 7, he writes,

For we have brought nothing into the world, so we can’t take anything out of it.

1 Timothy 6:7

That’s echoing the words of Job, you remember, when Job says,

Naked I came into the world, naked I’ll return.

Job 1:21

What’s Job saying? He’s saying, everything that I’ve had in this life is a gift of grace from God Himself. And if God takes something away, well, that’s God’s prerogative.

Every baby enters this world with a naked body and empty hands. And every casket, as they say, there’s no pockets in the shroud. There’s nothing that you can carry away from here.

The pagans have tried to do that for years. The Egyptians with all the treasures they buried with people. The Indians who took their bows and arrows and sent their people off to the happy hunting ground. Can’t carry anything with you. It’s all empty. Everything stays here.

Pilgrim carries all the things with him that’s necessary for his journey. But when he comes to the end of his journey to cross the river, he leaves all those things behind. He has to leave everything behind. What he goes to is infinite riches.

Food and Covering

So, if you get daily provision,

If we have food and covering, with these things we’ll be content.

1 Timothy 6:8

He’s not saying that you shouldn’t enjoy a house. Covering includes the idea that there’s shelter. He’s not saying anything like that at all. He’s not saying that you shouldn’t enjoy the good things that God has given us. Now, we should receive that with great thanksgiving.

Back in chapter 4, when he was dealing with that asceticism, and I mentioned earlier, he told us that everything that is created by God is good and there’s nothing to be rejected if it’s received with gratitude. We’re to enjoy the life and the blessings that God gives us, but we’re not to live for those things. And we’re to be content with what He gives us. That’s what he’s saying.

Verse 17, if you look down to that for just a second,

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

1 Timothy 6:17

That’s the balance here. So we’re not to live foolishly. Our Heavenly Father provides today’s bread and today’s shelter, and He’s given us Jesus Christ. We’re to be content with what He’s given us.

But what happens to us if we fail to do that? What happens if the person says in their heart it isn’t enough? Well, we see the tragedy of this covetous ambition. The text says it pierces us, pierces the soul with ruin and grief. So look at Paul’s words in verse 9.

But those who want to get rich…

1 Timothy 6:9

Those who want. I want to get this before I quit, because this impacted me when I was thinking about the word that’s translated those who want, those who desire. And it’s like someone reaching up as far as they can to get something. They have set their will on something. And they’re desiring it, and they’re striving for it with all that they have.

And if it is riches, then he’s saying it is incredibly foolish, because it’s not anything that you’re going to hold on to for very long. You’re going to be sinking with that.

Desires Which Plunge Men Into Ruin

The next picture that he gives is drowning, actually a ship sinking. The desires that plunge you. It’s a maritime word. It means what drags the ship down to the ground.

They want these things. They want the gold, and so they’re filling up their little boat with all these gold coins, and they keep filling the boat with those gold coins, and what’s going to happen? Well, if you get enough of those gold coins in there, well, that boat’s going to sink.

That’s the kind of picture, the word picture, that that word suggests. It’s the same word Luke uses in Luke 5 when they’re filling their little boat with fish and it begins to sink. They’re dragged down to ruin and destruction. Their life is wrecked, wasted.

The Love of Money Is a Root of All Sorts of Evil

The root sin, you know, is that the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil. He doesn’t say that money is the root of all evil. You know that I have to point that out because of it so often misquoted. But the love of money, the love of the silver, the love of this desire that leads people away to ruin, that’s what he’s saying.

James Boice, in his commentary on Matthew, the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus is saying,

You can’t serve mammon and God.

Matthew 6:24

You’re going to have to make a choice between mammon and God. He talks about the meaning of that word mammon. And mammon originally meant something that a steward was entrusted with that he is supposed to care for and minister properly. But its meaning changed in its usage so that it ended up what a person is trusting for their security.

And so something has shifted. They’re no longer looking at the money that they’ve received as something that they are stewards for, for the Lord. They are actually trusting the money as their security. They want to build up a little more money in order to be secure, gain a little more security, a little more confidence. And in what? In the money, not in the Lord.

You see, that’s why wanting this little bit more, desiring this thing just so that you can be just a little more secure, well, that shift is exactly what idolatry is. It is covetousness. And covetousness is idolatry. Wanting that little more so that you can trust that instead of trusting the Lord. You see how your trust isn’t in the Lord if you’re trusting mammon?

It’s a root of all kinds of evil. Not that it causes every evil thing, but it has caused pretty much every evil thing. You look at this Bible.

• Why did Achan disobey God at Jericho? Because he wanted those Babylonian garments and the silver and the wedge of gold.
• Why did Balaam try to curse the people of God? Because he had been bribed with the Moabite silver.
• Why did Delilah betray Samson? Because of 1,100 pieces of silver.
• Why did Gehazi lie to Elisha? Because he wanted Naaman’s gold and garments.
• Why did Judas Iscariot betray our Lord Jesus? It was because of the 30 pieces of silver that was offered him.
• Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit to keep back part of what they said they were pretending to give.

And why did Demas desert the Apostle Paul? Because Paul says,

Having loved this present world, he’s left me.

2 Timothy 4:10

It’s because of all this temptation.

Wandered Away From the Faith

Paul says,

And some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith.

1 Timothy 6:10

That idea of longing for it, wanting it. And what’s the result of that? It’s nothing there.

Pierced Themselves With Many Griefs

They fall on their own sword. They pierce their own soul. They pierce their heart. That’s the image that Paul gives here. They pierce themselves with many griefs, broken families and lost children and tormented conscience and an eternity apart from God.

How do you avoid this temptation and not fall into this trap? Well, you set your loving heart on Jesus Christ, and the love that you have for Christ pushes these secondary loves away. See, we examine our own heart and we look to the Lord Jesus.

We are going to celebrate the Lord’s Table today. And I know I’ve gone long. I’m sorry. It’s a lengthy passage. Probably took too much. But as we think about the Lord’s Table, let’s conclude these ideas.

How do we break the power of the love of money? Well, you can’t do it just by trying to want it less. The only way to do it is to set your love and heart on something that is far better.

And what we have in Jesus Christ is so, so much better. You look away from all the tinsel of this world that’s passing, and you look to Jesus Christ and all that we have in Him, everything in Him, and we think about what Jesus has done for us. 2 Corinthians 8:9,

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 8:9

Jesus Christ gave up the glory of heaven with its golden streets and all the things that’s way under our comprehension and imagination. Jesus Christ who owned the cattle on a thousand hills. Jesus Christ laid it all down and entered this world naked as a baby in a manger. And as He grew up, He had no place, He says, to lay His head. And He goes to Calvary where He was pierced through.

He was pierced through for our transgressions.

Isaiah 53:5

If the product of our greed is like us falling on our own sword and being pierced through, Jesus took that on Himself. That very judgment and all other judgments.

You know, we have the crucified and resurrected Jesus Christ. You don’t have to strive for the things that are so short of that. You have the pearl of great price and the treasure hidden in the field. You have godliness with contentment. You have the beautiful work of the grace of God in your heart that’s teaching you to be godly, which is what heaven is.

Godliness is the beauty of God’s design at work, worked His way. It’s something beautiful and glorious. It’s a little bit of heaven that we can have right now and that we will enjoy forever. You can have that. And that with contentment, there’s no gain greater than that.

It’s the power of Christ in us. It’s the glory of Christ. That’s for this life. That’s for the life to come.

As we share the Lord’s Table this morning, that’s what Christ came to give us. That’s what it all means. That’s what the cross is. That’s what His body broken means. His blood poured out. The sacrifice He has made for us.

Let me pray for us and ask God to bless.

Father, it’s so easy for us to be distracted with all kinds of things in this world, be caught up with the stuff of this world. It’s popularity or foolishness or money or a thousand different things. We are taught every day to be discontent. The culture around us teaches us that. We should want something more.

And yet, Father, how can we want more if You’ve given us everything? If You’ve given us everything?

Lord, help us to see the beauty of godliness, to stretch for it longingly, to reach for what is sure and eternal, that won’t collapse, that won’t fail. Give us such a heart, we pray.

And Father, as we share the table this morning, bless these elements, the bread and the cup. And as we take the bread and the cup today, which is a symbol of what Christ has done for us, Father, let our hearts overflow with gratitude that He was willing to take the penalty of our sins and to give us a way. We who deserve nothing but judgment and hell, He gives such riches and blessing and an eternal inheritance that will never be taken away from us if we are in Christ Jesus. We will be in the very presence of God who gives every good and perfect gift forever.

We thank You, Lord, for that. We thank You, God, for such precious treasure. Bless us this morning. Give us a right heart before You. Teach us to be godly. Change our heart, we pray. In Christ’s name, Amen.