"True Contentment" Part 1

1 Timothy 6:3-6 “True Contentment” Part 1

This passage gives us 2 reasons why people lack contentment. Lack of truth and love of money.
This week we are going to talk about truth and we will talk about love of money next week.

What is contentment? Satisfaction…ease of mind
I preached for 20 weeks “Restless Series” on discontentment

In our quest for contentment. We want to explain things…It bothers us not to be able to have an answer for everything. It causes us to be discontent. So we all desire truth so we can have answers

“Thoroughly worldly people never understand even the world; they rely altogether on a few cynical maxims which are not true” GK Chesterton Orthodoxy

The false teachers in Timothy’s day were making up their own truth, don’t eat this, don’t marry, work your way to heaven, give us money.

So we pick up in Vrs 3 A different doctrine
“sound Words of Jesus” are Truth
What does Jesus say about truth? Jesus & Truth
-Grace and truth come through Jesus John 1:17
-I tell you the truth John 8:45
-The truth shall set you free John 8:32
-Set apart in the truth…Your Word is truth John 17:17
-I am the truth John 14:6 GOSPEL

True contentment will never be achieved if you don’t know Jesus…Truth

Notice I did not say “you cannot be content”
I would agree that many things in our lives can bring contentment for periods of time. But w/o a relationship with Jesus you can never feel True Contentment

Specifically for the Christian…

“Teaching that accords with Godliness”
My quote “Good theology gets you through tough times” We have to fill our hearts and minds with solid Biblical teaching. This will lead to Godliness.

Based on the next passage I want to give you another quote that is related to my first.

“Bad theology creates tough times”

Vrs4-5 We can’t be content without the truth and when we try to make up our own truth we cause discontentment in others.

Here are some false teachings we deal with today…
-If there is a God…why is there suffering.
-We are here by chance (evolution)
-The Christian faith does not use reason and logic
-As long as what you do makes you happy
-You can work your way to heaven
-There is more then one way to God

“Instead of his teaching edifying the hearer, it produces spiritual sickness” Donald Norbie

You will never be content if you do not know truth you will be spiritually sick

Paul then goes on to describe the symptoms of Spiritual sickness that is found in the teachers Vrs 4a list

The teachers of “bad theology”
-Puffed up 3 John 1:9-11 Diotrephes “likes to put himself first”
-Understands nothing (your worldview is messed up)
-Unhealthy craving for controversy and quarrels (why we see Atheists going nuts about people celebrating Christmas)

What this results in for people
believing “bad theology” produces Vrs 4b-5a
-Envy - You can have more or be more. Biblical Christianity teaches us to be content in every situation Phil 4:11
-Dissention- Oppose those who claim truth. Biblical Christianity teaches us to live at peace with others
-Slander - Defame those who claim truth or those we do not like. Biblical Christianity teaches us not to use are words to defame others.
-Evil suspicion- Question authority. Biblical Christianity teaches us to trust Jesus
-Constant friction- With inner peace it is nearly impossible to live at peace with others. Biblical Christianity teaches us to be at peace with the help of the Lord through prayer and relationship. Phil 4:6 1 Peter 5:7 Cast cares

Why? Because they are sinners (depraved mind) in need of truth (deprived of truth) The false teachers are not teaching truth so it keeps the believers of bad theology in a unspiritual and unhealthy cycle.

The point here is this Paul is saying unredeemed sinners are not going to be able to effectively work out their problems and fulfill their need for contentment because they do not believe the truth.

Faith in Jesus Christ (Good Theology) is what gives us power to be content and actually see change in our lives

You will not be content if you don’t know the truth…Jesus

The big “what if” question. Based on 5b “godliness is a means of gain.” What if I am a Christian and I am not content?

You may feel like you have no purpose, things are not going well, you feel empty, and a lack of direction, looking for more answers

I know people who have gone through terrible things in life but they content. What is wrong with them? How can they be content?

2 Cor. 12:8-10 Paul spells it out loud and clear, unlike the puffed up false teachers who think they no it all. “True Contentment” is reliance on the Lord.

Vrs 6 A reminder “ There is Gain in Godliness when it accompanied by contentment”

If you are not content in the situations that God allows to come your way you are missing out on His blessings, what He is teaching you, how you can help others and how He wants to shape you to be more like Him

First step to “True Contentment” is..

Accepting the Truth

The truth is that we live in a world wrought with sin and we are sinners and Jesus came to set us free with His death burial and resurrection. Right now we are only experiencing some of that freedom that Jesus brings and we will have that in fullness when we pass to the next life.

Only through accepting the truth can we start to experience contentment.