The Secret to Contentment | Guest Speaker Eddie VanDyke

Good evening.

Great to see so many out tonight.

Want to thank everybody for being here.

As the PowerPoint says, go ahead and open your Bibles to First Timothy chapter six.

First Timothy chapter six.

How are you doing in life?

How are you doing in your life?

Is it going like you planned?

Do you have everything that you wanted in this stage of life?

Those questions are open openly vague.

I wanted you to answer them in your mind as you wanted to.

Were you thinking of your spiritual life, your romantic life, your financial status?

I don't know where you are or where your mind goes.

But along those lines, the Lord has given me the ability to serve as I had hoped.

I do have the wife and the children I had planned on.

The Lord granted those requests rather quickly in my life.

Alice and I are about to hit 15 years married in November.

And I'm only 36 now.

And uh those plans went exactly accordingly to the way I wanted.

As the Lord will, of course.

Thankfully.

But to tell you the truth, when I graduated high school, I figured I would be a millionaire by now.

I was for sure I would have invented something or instarted a service that really made a difference in this world.

Now, granted, most 18-year-old boys are pretty dumb.

No offense.

But they are.

And by the time you're 25, you really kind of realize that, or at least men.

And but you know, I haven't given up on those ideas of making a difference.

And I think I have a couple of good ideas still, but I've had to make other priorities.

And I believe this text is going to tell us that.

True wealth is found in godliness, contentment, and trust in God rather than the pursuit of money, status, or material security.

Looking at our text here, this letter to Timothy, it was written to Timothy, it was probably later in Paul's life.

Remember, Timothy is a young preacher, and Paul is reminding him what to preach and to teach, and includes warnings of things for Timothy to look out for.

Moving into verses three through ten, I want to read this section first and then go back through it.

If you'll read with me there.

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and we cannot take anything out of this world.

But if we have food and clothing, we've 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 the root of all kinds of evil.

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

Let's go back through this.

This section of one through five of this letter of Paul is warning Timothy against false teachers.

Teachers who really seem to enjoy stirring up trouble.

It says there they have a craving for controversy.

There in the end of verse 5, it shows their true motivation.

They see godliness or acting like they are godly as a tool for financial gain.

They are using people in the name of God to enrich themselves.

Paul said they are conceited and understand nothing.

And then Paul sticks this nugget of wisdom here in verse 6.

Godliness with contentment is great gain.

A basic explanation and understanding of this thought, I've heard, is it's not about getting everything you want, but wanting what you already have.

In some sense, that's true.

I would say it's more along the thought of being godly and being content in that mindset.

Having that as your focus in life is true gain.

In verse 7, it continues for we brought nothing into this world, and we cannot take anything out of this world.

This is one of the key verses I was actually thinking of when I was deciding to do this lesson.

Quick story Allison and I love estate sales.

You know, we're driving along on a Saturday morning, and if there's an estate sale sign, there's a very good chance we're gonna stop and go do it.

The kids love them.

A good friend of mine at work, she knows this about us.

And she was planning a graduation party for last weekend, and she told me she asked if I saw anything of this particular type of base.

She had a picture.

And these type of decorations, while you're there, can you send me a picture and I can see if it works?

I'm like, ooh, a mission.

I love mission.

So estatesales.net.

You can see all the upcoming sales, plenty of pictures of in loving.

So Alison and I, we're probably gonna there once every two weeks or so.

And Allison's been looking for a special type of sitting chair that would actually go in what we call her nook.

It's her corner of the bedroom.

The kids aren't allowed past this invisible line while she's in her bedroom.

And but it's just, you know, kind of her space.

Anyway, we quickly found an estate sale that had that chair, it had these vases, and of course, we start arguing about what time to get to this estate sale, and we settle on the time in the middle of our arrival times, right?

I want to get there super early, she doesn't see a need to get there early.

And well, when they opened the door, we got there, we're probably there about 20 minutes early.

They opened the door, they only let the first 15 people in line go in.

Not everybody gets to go in.

There's only a small house, right?

And at that point, there's only one person out, one person in.

So by the time Allison got in, her dream chair was gone.

And by the time I got in, all the vases and decorations were gone.

Most everything sold in the first 10 minutes.

That was really, really good.

I told her we should have gotten there earlier.

I was right, I was like, right for once.

But anyway, well, a few weeks down the road, a few other missed opportunities of estate sales we really wanted to go to, we just couldn't make it.

I find myself sitting outside of another estate sale by myself, just looking for those vases and decorations, because I really enjoy doing this kind of thing.

And I got there 50 minutes before they were supposed to open.

I was the 21st person in line, 50 minutes before they're supposed to open.

Right?

I took my bucket, I sat down, and um, nobody steals a bucket when you're inside.

So over the next 50 minutes while I'm sitting there, this line just grew and grew and grew.

And there are so many pretty things inside, and so many people wanting their chance to get them.

And when the time came to open, the place was so small they only let five to ten people in at a time.

And then it was one out, one in.

Remember, I'm 21st.

I got inside 20 minutes after opening and got two things.

That was a victory.

Mission complete.

But when I walked out, that line was absolutely huge now.

The people in the back of that line, if it was going to continue at the rate I had seen, were going to be in that line for well over an hour.

There was hundreds of people for all of these pretty things.

And I have some pictures of the crazier ones if you want to see them.

It was like a$900 duck.

This place is cool.

But anyway, now I don't tell you that story to say having nice things is wrong, right?

But estate sales, if you think about what you're doing, are a bit sad, aren't they?

Not all the time, but very often, that sale is happening because someone has passed.

Their lifetime collections of belongings are being broken up by people who are willing to wait for an hour wait an hour for a chance to buy them.

We can take nothing with us.

Everything we have will be left behind, sold off, thrown away, passed down, but it does not go with us.

Anything we want and pursue in this world will not go with us.

And that leads us to verse 8 in our text.

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

Food and clothing.

Not a house, not a large, not a large house, large enough to host most of the congregation or most of the care group in.

Not a car or a truck, not the best job, not the most money, not the highest rank, not having the best beard, not with the perfect spouse, not with the biggest family, but with food and clothing.

If you think about it in the end, that was basically all Jesus physically had before he died.

If we take, if we talk about all our personal belongings, can we be content with only the two most basic things?

We'll come back to this thought.

But let's read verses nine and ten.

First Timothy six, verses nine and ten.

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmless desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

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

They fall into temptations.

Let's think about what those can be.

What might those temptations be?

Those pursuing money, about lying to get ahead, lying to close a sale, changing the numbers, falsifying a report.

These are temptations that people might do to succeed, to get through something, to make sure that they get paid.

The pursuit of money and having the desire to be rich for the sake of being rich is the path that Satan has laid many snares, as the text says, leads to destruction.

Leads us away from the pay, from the faith to a point of self-detriment, as it ends with there, curse themselves with many pains.

Timothy and us as well have instructions starting in verse 11.

What do we pursue?

There in verse 11, it says, But as for you, O man of God, flee these things.

Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness, fight the good fight of 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.

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who is who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession to keep the commandment unstained and free with reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display this display at the proper time.

He who is blessed and the only sovereign, and the only sovereign, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, who alone has mortal immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to him be the honor and the eternal dominion.

Amen.

We are to pursue the things of God, confess him, proclaim his coming.

That's what that's saying there.

Moving into verse 17, uh, Paul gives instructions to the rich here.

He says, As for the rich of the present age, charge them not to be haughty, not to set their hopes on uncertain riches, but on God who provide who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be to be generous and ready to share the storing of treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

He tells the rich here to be generous, to be ready to share.

What is he talking about storing up?

Is he talking about storing up physical things or money?

No, he says sharing, being generous with your means.

Being generous means you're giving your stuff away, right?

He's not talking about storing up physical things, not talking about storing up money.

Those are being you're giving those away here.

I believe here he's using the same terminology that Jesus used in Matthew 19, 21, when he was talking to the rich young man, Jesus said to him, If you would be perfect, go and sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.

Remember that man went away sad because he had great possessions.

Back in 1 Timothy, Paul says, Doing these things, having this mind, doing these things, having this mindset, he uses the words uh there so that they may take hold of which is truly life.

When you have this mindset, you may take hold of which is of what is truly life.

This attitude that Christ taught Paul that Christ taught that Paul is echoing is the true way to live life.

Paul ends the letter here.

Let's finish reading the chapter.

Two more verses.

Uh 20 and 21 says, O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you.

Avoid irrevolent irreverent babble, contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge.

For by this professing, it some have swerved from the faith.

Faith, grace be with you.

Deposit right there in 20.

Guard the deposit entrusted to you.

Is Paul talking about money here?

Is Timothy responsible for some funds here?

No, the deposit, it's the deposit of this wisdom, this information.

Timothy is to teach this and avoid the false teachers and those who would think themselves brilliant and have fallen from the faith.

Now, we've heard this lesson before.

I would like to think that the majority of people in this room are already living like this.

You'll go with me to another letter on this subject.

Another letter that Paul wrote, but this time instead of to a preacher, it was to a church.

He wrote this letter letter while imprisoned to the church of Philippi.

He'll turn with me to Philippians 4.

These two chapters go very well together, 1 Timothy 6 and Philippians 4.

The church in Philippi was in Macedonia.

Paul in this letter is praising the Philippians for their generosity.

Even when he wasn't with him, they were sending people to him and helping with his needs and blessing those he was attending to.

We can see all that in 14 through 20 at the end of chapter 4.

But when we think on contentment, we can be pretty hard on ourselves.

Thinking we should not complain so much.

We should be happy.

We're often left wondering, how?

How do I be content?

When we think of contentment in our minds, well, at least mine, I'm sure yours as well, you remember these words.

They're in Philippians 4, 10 through 13.

They're starting in 10.

I rejoice in the Lord's great.

That now at length you have received your you were in return, but you opportunity.

Now that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

I know how to be brought low, I know how to abound in any circumstance.

I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Paul, who was shipwrecked, Paul who was beaten, Paul who was ostracized, he who endured many hardships in the name of Christ can be content in all situations, he says.

Why can't I?

Have you asked yourself this question?

Why can't I be content?

There's a key word in this text I would like to focus on for a few seconds.

I don't typically like making points off one word in a text, but I think this one's important.

I actually looked at a bunch of different translations.

And though they each changed the wording of the verse a little bit, so many different versions kept using this one particular word.

I actually ended up asking AI to find me translations that didn't use this word.

And it only gave me four kind of out there translations that didn't use this one specific word.

So many translations use this word.

And they are in verse 11.

Paul uses the word learn.

For I have learned.

Paul didn't necessarily start out, you know, after being blind.

Blinded by that light, knowing how to be content.

Paul says he learned this.

How did he learn it?

He was living a life, he was a life before God.

He was teaching in his life.

He was living a life that he taught Timothy to preach.

He was living a life that he had an example of from Jesus.

He was not pursuing the riches and the desires of this world, but he was pursuing the cause of Christ.

How did he do it?

He says there, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

God gives strength to those pursuing him.

Let's read this, let's stay in the same chapter.

We're actually working through it backwards.

But if you jump up here to verse 4, and this is before Paul starts talking about being content and his needs being filled.

I'll read 49.

Rejoice in the Lord, Lord always.

Again I will say, rejoice.

Let your reasonables reasonableness be known to everyone.

The Lord is at hand.

Do not be anxious about everything, but anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God.

And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Practice these things, and God will be with you.

I would argue part of that peace that we have in God is content.

When we get caught in the trap of comparing ourselves to each other, comparing ourselves to the riches or status of the people around us, stuck in the snare, believing that others are living a better life because they have better things or can go on better vacations, or they drive a bigger truck, or they have a nicer house.

We need to learn to be content, to not pursue the things of this world, but store up treasures above.

Paul teaches that Christians must resist the temptation, make life a material gain, and instead pursue a life rooted in godliness.

Contentment, generosity, and an internal, eternal perspective.

We can learn to be content.

If you have any need tonight, desire to put, please come forward now.

We stand insane.