Go for Godliness

Well, good morning. It is lovely to be back at Brunsfield. I got the same butterflies

as I walked down Leamington Terrace. It's great to see many faces I know.

It's not even greater, but it is also good to see many faces I don't know. I've always

suspected there's something in the water at Brunsfield where the older people are looking

younger and the young people are looking so old. Some of them were little boys when I

left and know the hulking bruises of human flesh. I am super nervous, so let me pray

and then we'll get to work.

Father God, of all the 336 half-hour slots in our week, what lies before us now is the most

important by far. Please, Lord, speak to us. Our greatest need is to be nourished by your

word, changed by your truth, and be captivated again by your Son. We not only need your truth

penetrating our ears, but also inscribed by your Spirit on our hearts. Please, Lord, give

us open ears, soft hearts, attentive minds, malleable wills, and transform lives. And we

have the audacity to pray this before you, our Father, simply because of Jesus who died, that

we might live. Amen. I wonder, what are you investing in? What are you investing your

life in today? So much of our culture is obsessed with investment. I was down in London and so

much of London works on this idea of putting something in now to reap a great reward in the

future. What seeds are you sowing that might yield a great harvest down the line? What are you

thinking about buying a house? You want a house that not only fulfills your needs now, but when it

comes to selling it in a few years' time, will propel you along the property ladder. Which degree

are you pursuing in order to offer the best possible chance for a vocation once you graduate? Which

friendships are you pouring yourself into, thinking that they're going to provide support

and companionship for many years to come? Where are your savings? In the bank earning less

than 2% or somewhere else, maybe taking a punt on stocks and shares. What are you investing in?

What are you pouring yourself into? There are lots of good things to pour yourself into. The Apple

computing company in 1980 would have been a good thing to pour your savings into. One share worth $22

at the time would now be worth $28,197. That would do you for a while. Or Jeff Bezos and Amazon in 1997, if you

bought one share for $18 and held on to it, that share once it had been diluted a few times and

multiplied would now be worth $42,120. A really good investment. Or if in 2009 you'd bought one Bitcoin

Bitcoin for $0.000 for $0.000 and had held on to it for the subsequent 12 years, that Bitcoin

would now be worth $59,262.20.

Investment in Bitcoin would have been very lucrative. If you'd have spent all of a dollar

on 1,250 Bitcoins, just imagine how much wealth you would have accrued. We spent so much time

thinking about investment. So much time deciding where we're going to put our stuff in order to get

more stuff. During my time down in London, I got to hang out with a gentleman who is the longest

serving hedge fund manager in the city of London history. He's been there through boom and bust.

His portfolio is incredibly successful. If he'd have invested one pound with him in 1953 when he started,

that pound would now be worth £1,680. He's been there through boom and bust. Very long and distinguished

career. He is a legend of the city of London. And before he left, he shared the one overarching

investment principle that will serve you a lifetime. It is top secret. And I'm going to share it with

you now. It is the fail-safe way of investing in a way that will yield nothing but dividends,

nothing but reward and sizable profits along the way. This is very lucrative information. If you've

got a pen and paper, I would get them out. Priceless information. His advice is that the number one

thing to invest in is this. Godliness with contentment. Godliness with contentment.

Godliness with contentment. To be honest, this advice is not his. It's not new. It's not original to him. In

fact, it is very old indeed and comes from the letter of 1 Timothy that you've been studying

for the last few weeks. It is right in the middle of our passage this morning in 1 Timothy 6, so please

turn there with me. 1 Timothy 6 and halfway through verse 2. Paul writes this,

teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound

words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up

with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels

about words which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people

who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth. Imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

Verse 6. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and we can

take nothing out of the world. But if we have food and clothing with these, we will be content.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires

that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the face and pierced themselves with many pangs.

The time of writing, the church in Ephesus is thoroughly disordered. There was asceticism being promoted.

There was punch-ups at the prayer meeting. I guess that's one of the reasons to do it on Zoom. There's less chance of a punch-up on Zoom.

Sunday mornings had become a fashion show. Wayward elders and deacons were bringing scandal on the church.

There was drunkenness. Other people were dishonestly sponging off the church.

Gossip was rife. Accusations were flying.

And Christians were even slacking off their work because they worked for Christian bosses and thought that it didn't matter.

1 Timothy is therefore a crisis letter written by the Apostle Paul to his troubleshooting protégé, Timothy.

Paul has charged Timothy with bringing health back to the church.

He wants them to, he wants Timothy to close down the distorted leaders who were not teaching the truth.

These people were distorting the truth, disturbing believers and ultimately destroying the church.

Paul envisioned this happening back in Acts chapter 20 when he says to the Ephesian elders,

Acts 20 · chapter mention

from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things,

to draw away disciples after them, not making disciples of the Lord Jesus, but making disciples of themselves.

These false teachers are everywhere in the letter.

So 1 Timothy 1 verse 3, we introduced to them.

1 Timothy 1:3

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine.

Nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies which promote speculation,

rather than the stewardship from God which is by faith.

And verse 6, certain persons by swerving from these have wandered away into vain discussion.

And then down in verse 19 of chapter 1.

By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,

among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan,

that they may learn not to blaspheme.

They crop up again in chapter 4 verse 1.

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith

by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

who forbid marriage and abstinence from foods,

that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

They're everywhere.

But now in chapter 6 he attacks them head on.

He has them in his sights.

These dodgy preachers are leading a distorted church.

Because they're not preaching the gospel, there's no power in it.

And therefore the church has just devolved into an unholy group of sinners

playing pretend at being church.

And no wonder there's divisions.

No wonder it's divisive.

No wonder it's disintegrating.

And amidst the chaos of Ephesus,

Timothy's overarching task is to teach and urge the congregation in sound doctrine

and to set an example for the church in sound living.

That is how our passage starts.

Look with me halfway through verse 2.

Teach and urge these things, Paul writes.

Now these things are definitely all that he's been teaching since chapter 5 verse 1.

All the ways that the interpersonal relationships are to happen in the church.

But the things he's to teach and urge also are what follows in our passage.

The headline for this morning is this.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

Godliness for gain is destructive.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

The letter of 1 Timothy has had two big things already to say about godliness in the letter.

The first is in chapter 3 verse 16.

This is what it says.

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness.

He was manifested in the flesh.

Paul's teaching is that the mystery of godliness is not a list of rules and regulations.

It's not a list of do's and don'ts.

It's not about pulling your socks up and trying a little bit harder.

The key to godliness is the person and work of the Lord Jesus.

Great indeed is the mystery of godliness.

He was manifest in the flesh.

He was incarnated, what we learned in Matthew 1.21, with Peter.

He was vindicated by the Spirit.

He not only died, but he rose from the dead.

He ascended.

He was seen by angels.

He was proclaimed among the nations.

He was proclaimed.

The gospel went out.

And there were conversions because people believed.

And not only that, but it's all coming to a glorious end

when the Lord Jesus returns and all his people are glorified.

This is so important when we think about godliness.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

What is godliness?

Well, it flows from the person of the Lord Jesus.

Philip Jensen says our greatest problem when we think about godliness

is that we spell it wrong.

And we add an extra O.

That we think godliness is goodliness and it's about behaving well.

When that's always going to shortchange you,

the key to godliness is being obsessed with the Lord Jesus.

And as we focus on him, he rubs off on us.

You want to be godly?

Don't make New Year's resolutions.

Have better personal devotions.

Godliness flows from the person of the Lord Jesus.

The second thing we've learnt is in 1 Timothy 4 verse 8.

1 Timothy 4:8

This is a great verse if you're a gym buff.

1 Timothy 4 verse 8.

1 Timothy 4:8

For while bodily training is of some value,

godliness is of value in every way.

As it holds promise for the present life.

And also for the life to come.

Yes, hit the gym, says Paul.

Yes, don't be afraid of a protein shake or a bicep curl.

Or a few squats as you watch Joe Wicks.

Do it.

It's of some value.

But don't confuse something of some value with something that's of ultimate value.

And the thing of ultimate value is training yourself in godliness.

Godliness is the most precious commodity in all of the world.

So invest in that, says Paul.

Because it will last you a lifetime and on into eternity.

Which is not quite true of your rippling six-pack.

To invest in godliness is of immeasurable value.

And eternally so.

Paul then gives a wonderful illustration.

Verse 7 of chapter 6.

For we brought nothing into the world.

And we cannot take anything out of the world.

I remember being at St. Thomas' Hospital on the 3rd of September 2020.

And after a very sleepless night, at 11 o'clock in the morning,

the midwife handed me Isaac Judson Gemmel.

Though he wasn't called Isaac Judson Gemmel at the time.

That was a few hours later before we decided on that.

And there he was.

A little squidgy pink mass of flesh with a very serious look on his face.

She handed him to me and that was it.

He didn't come with a suitcase or a rucksack.

He didn't have a wallet or a mobile phone.

He didn't have house keys or car keys.

That was him in his entirety.

Of course he had very strong genes and boyish good looks, as you would expect.

But he came into the world with nothing.

And that's going to be exactly the same as when he goes out.

What he's placed in the cradle with is exactly the same thing he's going to be placed in the coffin with.

Nothing.

And that's really got to orientate our thinking, I think.

That if we can invest our lives now in something that will last forever, then godliness is your only bet.

Go for godliness.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

As godliness is the only thing of ultimate value that will last.

You see, investing life in Jesus, the source of godliness, is the only shrewd decision.

At the end of the game, all the chess pieces go in the same box.

Whether you are a prince or a pauper, a hedge fund manager or a hedge trimmer.

All goes to the same place.

What Isaac Judson Gemmel came out with is the best it's going to get for him at the end.

So it is idiocy to focus all your attention on temporal treasure.

Which will last for this brief moment.

And then you'll leave it behind.

What do we actually need?

Verse 8.

But if we have food and clothing with these, we will be content.

That's all you need.

For these three score years and ten, I'm very thankful that all of you have checked the second box.

I know if you have turned up to be naked worshippers this morning, we've all got clothes.

And I dare say the struggle for most of us is not too few calories, but too many.

And so we have all that we need to be content.

We have food and clothing.

And with those two boxes tick, let's go for godliness with contentment.

Think how much simpler and more straightforward life would be is if our only goal every day was to tick clothing and to tick food.

And then spend the rest of our energy left once those priorities are in place,

forging a stronger and deeper and more intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus.

That would be life transforming.

But yet we all spend so much of our life accumulating trinkets,

polishing things that will only rust and be destroyed.

If you get up every morning and having had a shower and got dressed and your breakfast,

and you say these three things to yourself.

Am I naked? No. Hallelujah.

Am I hungry? No. Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

Jesus, help me today to live for you and love you more than I did yesterday.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

Now, I'm not saying don't be lazy.

I'm not saying lack ambition.

I'm not saying don't enjoy all the good things that God gives us.

But I'm saying let all the stuff in your life

find its position behind your relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Because godliness with contentment is great gain.

And everything else is a bonus to be enjoyed with thankfulness.

And to be shared and held very lightly.

Use your treasure to show that your treasure isn't your treasure,

but that Jesus is your treasure.

That investment principle, says my friend Andrew Green,

it'll last you a lifetime.

Because godliness with contentment is great gain.

But this clear teaching is sandwiched between the two enemies

that will so readily impinge on that simplicity.

So look with me at verses 3 to 5.

Godliness for gain is destructive.

Godliness for gain is destructive.

Verse 3.

If anyone teaches a different doctrine

and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ

and the teaching that accords with godliness,

he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.

He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words

which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

and constant friction among people

who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth,

imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

If the source of godliness is the Lord Jesus,

then anything that is communicated to you

that doesn't tell the truth of the Lord Jesus

is incredibly toxic, incredibly erosive.

It should be avoided like the plague.

That cliche has a lot more traction these days

than it ever used to.

This whole passage uses four different phrases to describe

the true teaching about Jesus.

See?

The sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The teaching that accords with doctrine,

with godliness.

They're both in verse 3.

And then verse 5 we have mention of the truth.

And then in verse 10 the same synonym, the faith.

Departure from the gospel will lead to a distortion of your priorities.

That is definitely the case in Ephesus.

Do you see what he says in verse 4?

If anyone teaches, well they do,

that's why Timothy is there to shut these guys down,

then there is great loss.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

Then anything that erodes godliness is great loss.

And let me show you how terrible these people are.

Do you see they're errant?

Verse 4, these people are errant.

They teach different doctrine.

They teach falsehoods that are in disagreement

with the sound words of the Lord Jesus.

They don't promote godliness.

These teachers are corrupt.

They are errant.

But see also, they are arrogant.

They are puffed up with conceit.

A particular pitfall for the new convert

who becomes an elder in chapter 3 verse 6.

They're like the puffer fish.

Just full of air.

Looks scary and impressive,

but then all too quickly deflate

and show that there's no substance.

They're just windbags.

Not only are they arrogant,

they're also ignorant.

It's so emphatic.

They understand nothing.

Rather than singing,

tell me the old, old story

of Jesus and his love,

they like singing the song,

let me give you the new, new insights.

And it's no insight at all

because they know nothing.

Behind the facade,

there is absolute ignorance.

They're just making it up out of their head.

Not only are they errant,

arrogant and ignorant,

they're also belligerent.

They care more about arguments

than they do about the truth.

Do you see it there?

They have an unhealthy craving for controversy.

Any teaching that doesn't humble you under grace

will always result

in error

and problems

and pride.

without the gospel of grace,

there's always arguments to be won

and factions

to be formed.

And they produce

terrible things

amongst their hearers.

They produce envy

that all of a sudden

these people teaching

false doctrine

gather a few disciples

after themselves

and there's a split

in the church.

That leads to dissension.

There is now a chasm building

between the seeming haves

and the have-nots.

The people who have been inducted

into this new teaching

and those that are still

in the kindergarten

seemingly just clinging to Jesus

and trusting the gospel.

After this dissension

and factionalism,

this then manifests itself

in talking past each other.

Slander,

trash talk,

lies,

all kinds of falsehood.

That manifests into

evil suspicions

that this is now just words

but this is

heartfelt motives

that are espoused

on other people.

And before you know it,

a great chasm

has erupted.

There's now going to be

a church plant.

A split disguised

as a church plant.

So the false teachers

contaminate

and corrupt their hearers.

It's not a nice place to be.

constant friction

among people.

The members meeting,

the hymn books fly

and no wonder

there's punch-ups

at the prayer meeting.

This is,

if you like,

the complete antithesis

of the fruit of the Spirit.

Rather than love,

joy,

peace,

patience,

kindness,

goodness,

faithfulness,

gentleness,

and self-control,

there is instead

from this teaching

the fruit of

conceit,

ignorance,

quarrelling,

envy,

dissension,

slander,

evil suspicions,

and constant friction.

it's not a good option,

is it?

False teaching from the front

leads to terrible things

in the pew,

all germinating from the falsehood

of these conceited teachers.

Rather than pointing people

to be happy and holy

in Jesus,

this teaching only drives people

to greater and greater levels

of depravity

as their worldly mind

is kept focused

on worldly things.

It's a terrifying couplet

that Paul finishes with.

Depraved in mind

and deprived

of the truth.

The truth has been usurped

and their lives

are not godly,

they're depraved.

See how verse 5 finishes?

They imagine

that godliness

is a means of gain.

Scary truth.

Leave revelation

and all you have

is speculation

and imagination.

This is where it ends up,

godliness

as a means of gain.

This is an infection

that is still

in our churches today.

You'll find it in this city

on many corners.

Even, I dare say,

it crouches

in our own hearts.

But we have twisted

the truth

and godliness

has become

a means of getting

rather than

an end in itself.

Where Jesus

is not our fulfillment

but Jesus

is our way

of finding fulfillment

in something else.

It is subtle

and absolutely pernicious.

Godliness

of a means of gain

is the prosperity gospel

in a nutshell.

You're poor,

you want to be rich,

come to Jesus

as the means

and the ends will be

you are rich.

Godliness

as a means of gain.

The therapeutic gospel,

you feel dissatisfied

and incomplete.

You don't like

how your life

has turned out.

Come to Jesus

and you'll find

yourself happier,

healthier,

more fulfilled

and with real purpose

in your life.

Godliness

as a means of gain.

Not Jesus

in and of himself

but Jesus

as a way

of getting something

for yourself.

This is the gospel

of me-ism

in a nutshell.

You feel like

you've been overlooked

for most of your life

and yet coming

to Jesus

gives you power.

People will listen

to you.

People will honor

and value you

and see you

for the tremendous

individual

that you've always been.

Jesus not the ends

but a means

to an ends.

Jesus not a destination

but the delivery boy

who will get you

what you've always wanted.

This is the gospel

we so easily believe

in our own

sinful hearts.

Godliness

of a means of gain.

Jesus I went to church

you now owe me

I would like this.

Or I've served you

so faithfully

for all these years

and I get this diagnosis

are you kidding me?

That is godliness

as a means of gain.

Jesus as a means

of getting

rather than a glorious

ends in himself.

What is pictured here

is the dipolar opposite

of godliness

with contentment.

It's godliness

as a means

to greater levels

of consumption.

So I was thinking

about this this week

I think a key diagnostic

of whether we're

going down this

terrible track

is in our prayer life.

I don't think

it's any wonder

that 1 Timothy 2

starts with the prayer meeting

because I think

it's in the prayer meeting

we diagnose

whether we are errant

and arrogant

and ignorant

and belligerent.

When I think

about my prayers

are they consumed

with God's glory

and his purposes

in the world

or are they consumed

with little old me

and what's going on

in my life?

is Jesus the gravitational

center of my life

or am I the gravitational

center of my life?

Am I praying

for God's glory

in the world

or am I praying

for my own

personal

benefit?

if I had a friend

who was obsessed

with his goldfish

called Dipper

and every time

we spoke

all he did

was tell me

about Dipper

the goldfish

the weight

he'd put on

the number

of laps

he'd done

of his tank

let me tell you

we're not going

to be friends

for very long

because that is

really dull

and boring

if your life

is completely

subsumed

by your goldfish

called Dipper

and then I wonder

how much of my

prayer life

is taken up

with my little

goldfish life

coming to God

with my own

little complaints

and my own

little things

and me at the

center

do my prayers

portray a certainty

that godliness

with contentment

is great gain

or do I think

my godliness

and my prayer life

is only a means

of me getting

for myself

so destructive

stems from a

corrupted view

of the gospel

from the front

falsehood is taught

and in your own

heart grows the

unfruit of the

unspirit

it's destructive

it's the cul-de-sac

of stupidity

I don't have

enough stuff

doesn't satisfy me

so I'll get

some more stuff

thinking that a

little bit more

of something

that doesn't

satisfy will

satisfy

and it's

ridiculous

godliness

as a means

of gain

is destructive

and secondly

imagining

that godliness

greediness

for more

brings ruin

do you see

how it finishes

in verse 9

but those

who desire

to be rich

fall into

temptation

into a snare

into many

senseless

and harmful

desires

that plunge

people into

ruin

and destruction

if the first

enemy

is from the

front

to your

heart

leading to

ruin

then this

is from

your heart

to your

life

and it

leads to

ruin

it's a terrible

thing that

not a conceited

mind is driving

this but a

covetous heart

an insatiable

desire for

more

I must be

rich

at any

cost

the picture

painted

draws so

many images

as it charts

the downward

wandering

spiral away

from the

church

away from

the eternal

worth of

godliness

with contentment

do you see

what it says

but those

who desire

to be rich

fall into

temptation

a sudden

departure

from truth

a sudden

not pursuing

Jesus

but pursuing

stuff

they fall

into

temptation

and once

they've fallen

into temptation

and gone

after stuff

they become

ensnared by

their stuff

the things

they own

end up

owning

them

I now

have a

mortgage

I can't

afford

so I've

got to

be all

in

I've

now

got to

follow

good money

after bad

to keep

the stuff

that I've

accumulated

I now

become one

who takes

riskier and

riskier

decisions

to keep

the stuff

that I

have

and to

afford

the

repayments

that I've

accrued

I need

to be

rich

therefore

a little

bit of

embezzling

funds from

my work

doesn't

matter

I need

to be

rich

therefore

lying

about

people

to get

a promotion

before them

is fine

I need

to be

rich

therefore

I'll

steal

and borrow

this

I need

to be

rich

I'll

invest

in that

shady

enterprise

or this

shady

enterprise

and it

ends

after being

entrapped

with people

having bigger

and bigger

imaginations

bigger and

bigger dreams

and writing

checks that

they can never

afford to

cash

and after the

imagination of

riches

they think

will satisfy

we end up

being plunged

literally

shipwrecked

the exact same

thing of

Hymenaeus and

Alexander in

chapter 1

verse 19

shipwrecked

by their

internal

desires

decoupling

them from

Jesus

and capsizing

their whole

lives

resulting in

eternal

loss

so Paul

comes into

land with

this

it is the

love of

money

that is

the root

of all

evil

notice

it's the

love of

money

not money

itself

money's

quite useful

if you need

to buy

clothes and

food

it turns

out

the bartering

system is

not as

prevalent in

Edinburgh

as perhaps

it once

was

the

destructive

influence is

not money

but it's

the love

of money

where it's

not godliness

with contentment

it is

greediness

for

cash

it's the

mantra of

our world

of upward

mobility

be a bit

richer

get a bit

more

do a bit

better

be a bit

more

respected

the people

who think

their luck

is a living

hell

and therefore

money becomes

their functional

saviour that

lifts them

out of the

hell

they're in

it finishes

with a grotesque

image

it is through

this craving

that some

have wandered

away from

the faith

and have

pierced

themselves

literally

impaled

themselves

with many

pangs

the stuff

the stuff that

they've accrued

has turned

out to be

incredibly

sharp

and they've

actually

impaled

themselves

they thought

it was going

to be a

long life

of leisurely

lunches

enjoying the

stuff that

they'd accrued

but instead

it tripped

them up

and they

actually impaled

themselves

on the things

that they were

storing

so the

message is

very clear

friends be

very careful

making your

life about

stuff and

money is the

way to

present and

eternal loss

it just is

making your

life about

Jesus and the

godliness that

flows from being

coupled with

him

that is a

life of

contentment

and worth

and eternal

gain

godliness

with

contentment

will do

you all

of this

present life

and will

last you

for all

eternity

as well

be clear

this is where

the investment

needs to be

made

think of this

when you go

into work

on Monday

morning

think of this

when it comes

to making

bigger purchases

and seemingly

better purchases

is the

overriding

mantra of your

life godliness

with contentment

and then if it

is make

very shrewd

decisions

but ensure

that your

treasure

isn't your

ultimate

treasure

this in a

culture is to

stick out like

a very healthy

thumb

because our

world is

materialistic

and it's

more more

me more

and it's

me me me

and so to be

somebody who

exhibits godliness

with contentment

is to be someone

who sticks out

like a healthy

thumb

somebody who's

going to be

given lots of

opportunities

to give the

reason for the

hope that

they have

the great

sickness of

our world

is not that

we have

nothing to

be thankful

for

it's that

we have

no one to

be thankful

to

and the

lord jesus

has saved

you from

that

he saved

you to be

somebody who

knows that

every good

and perfect

gift comes

down from

above

from your

father in

heaven who

does not

change like

sinking

sand

so i want

to come into

land with

this experiment

i wonder if

we all clubbed

together and

made a tv

home makeover

show

i'd like to

call it

moderate

designs

each episode

it would take

five minutes

the host would

give a guided

tour of a

family home

and then the

builders and

experts and

architects and

workmen would

say something

like this

as you can see

this home is

brimming with

potential

there were all

kinds of

renovations that

could be done

an extension that

could be erected

by folding doors

that could be

utilized

not to mention

room for a

garage with

self-contained

apartment above

however it does

the job pretty

well as it is

it is warm and

dry and

comfortable

there are no

structural problems

and it is fairly

energy efficient

i'm going to

encourage the

family to be

content and

leave it as it

is take all of

the worry and

all of the

wealth and

pour it over to

the gospel of

Jesus Christ

then we would

run the final

credits

you see this is

the truth this

morning but

godliness with

contentment is

great gain

for we brought

nothing into the

world and we

can take nothing

out of the

world

may that be true

of your life

may that be true

of my life

go for godliness

it is the only

thing of any

value that is

worth you investing

any of your life

in let me pray

father god we

confess that we

know the song

turn your eyes

upon jesus

really well

falls off our

tongue about the

things of earth

growing strangely

dim and yet in

all honesty we are

captivated by

stuff enamored by

things and more

preoccupied with

earthly bank

balances than

with heavenly

treasure father god

please assure us

of your

bounteous goodness

your loving

provision and

our glorious

future and may

these truths

reorientate us to

be those who

strive for godliness

with contentment

father this needs

a work of your

spirit to renovate

us from the inside

out and truly

captivate us with

the promise of

life

father may this

eclipse the

trinkets and

trappings of

our existence

we pray that you

would truly be we

pray that we would

be truly captivated

by jesus and

ever satisfied in

him

we are so thankful

to be given another

chance to be changed

by you

so please come and

reprioritize our

affections and

reform our desires

we pray this in the

wonderful ever

satisfying and

eternally glorious

name of jesus

christ amen