Dec 3 2017 How Godliness Makes Life Better

Today is the beginning of Advent. So we will be transitioning into Advent. On December 31 – I will go back to complete Timothy

1 Timothy 6:5 People… who suppose that godliness is a way of making a profit. 6 Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit.

Paul is addressing the fact that charlatans had made their way into the church – trying to gain a profit from their spirituality. They were trying to do ministry to benefit themselves financially and in other ways to satisfy their greed. It was a problem then and it is a huge problem today. Sometimes it can get into the church – and sometimes it gets INTO the church and that results in a mess. Paul spends a lot of time addressing wealth, money, and greed, but his focus is on contentment. This is a good message for the Christmas season. We can get consumed with the wrong things at Christmas time. Contentment is a foundational characteristic of the Christian life and experience. We need to ask, what is my contentment level? Am I generally a content person? Paul says that godliness combined with contentment brings great profit – and there is value to that. This is a different kind of profit compared to what those who were trying to profit from ministry had in mind.

Godliness makes life better in so many ways. For those of us who try to do this – and who remember when we weren’t interested in godliness, we can say that there is great benefit.

Here are some benefits I have found: Emotional and psychological benefit. It is healing – and is crucial to our emotional health. All of us will struggle with emotions and deep needs – and I can’t understand what that is like without Christ – to have to do this on our own. There is benefit in following Jesus Christ.

Relational benefit. Relationships are hard. They are much harder without Jesus.

Some of us can testify to that! With Christ and without Christ – With Christ there is tremendous change. It is not just about going to heaven – although that is critical and important – but God wants us to be like Him now.

Godliness should encourage us to take care of our bodies – these are a temple of the Holy Spirit.

It should encourage us to take care of God’s world. Do you think He no longer cares? No. Each day – He pronounced – it is GOOD! There was deep emotion – how He loves what He created and how much it means to Him – and that doesn’t just include the environment – but God cares about all the spaces we inhabit – homes, gardens, workspaces, community spaces – God is concerned about those spaces and how we live in those spaces.

7 For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either.

I officiated a funeral a couple weeks ago – naked I came into the world, naked I shall return. To really understand godliness, we must learn to live this life with an eternal perspective – living this life as preparation for the next.

At Christmas time – this is harder than anything – we are so market-driven. We bemoan it – but we get caught in it, don’t we?! You have grandkids – and well – it becomes that! But an eternal perspective is key to a healthy soul in a world of stuff and gadgets. I don’t care how well Apple can make an iPhone – you won’t need one after this life – Hallelujah!

To have an eternal perspective, we need to understand that life is short – like a flower that is beautiful for a day or two and then fades – or like our breath on a cold day – just a vapor. Here today and gone tomorrow.

We must first focus on relationships – because those go on for all eternity. Your relationships will not end when you die – but will continue. We focus on doing acts of mercy and justice and service. We focus on the mission that God has called us to – the gospel – what we do in the here and now has eternal significance for us and for others. That really changes our perspective. An eternal consequence will take place today! But don’t feel guilty – it doesn’t work like that – you blowing up at work will not endanger all eternity for your coworkers.

Several have had opportunities to lead others to Christ – here in this room- and that is not the only thing we do – but we live our lives in such a way that sometime down the road…

I became a Christian – and it was obvious that I was NOT a Christian before that. Everyone could see it. I really changed. I became known for carrying a Bible rather than some other stuff I was doing. I just blasted them with the gospel – because that is what you do when you are a young new Christian.

Seven years later – I got a phone call – someone tracked me down – I became a Christian as a result of what you and Mark shared in the dorms. Things like that happen when we live our lives for Christ.

A neighbor kid came over – after he went to college – came back – Mr. Marette – I’ve been in college for a couple years – and I got involved with a church group and I knew that you would like to know. I never spoke to him about it – but he saw my life and knew I would want to know.

8 But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that.

What are our basic needs? Transportation – I don’t know that you can live without it – even in Amish country they have buggies.

Communication – the way our entire economy works on getting people to not be content.

It is important to NOT judge others’ basic needs.

It is okay to have more than your basic needs. We should be content with that. Everyone will have different stuff. He is focused on contentment and not being covetous.

9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

Greed is a longing to get rich – a consuming desire for wealth or stuff. Instead, we should long for godliness – and a way to look at that – we should long to be His image-bearers – His representatives. We are to represent Him to all of creation. He will call you into a career and family – and all these things are not that significant on their own – but – within that – we are to bear His image.

One of our sons decided to become a teacher. When he had decided that – we were talking with someone – he was a good student and talented in many ways – and this person said – what a waste of a good mind. Cindy was very gracious about it.

He is in a school – in a mix of middle-upper class and those in need – but he is an image-bearer. He works with middle schoolers – and my wife says he teaches there because that’s where he stopped developmentally 😊

10 For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.

Love of money – greedy disposition – covetous attitude and character.

It is about allegiance. Like Advent – the wise men – where was the allegiance? To worship the newborn king – but Herod wanted worship too.

Jesus said that even family can’t compare with our allegiance to Him. We should have total love and commitment to our family – but it is our love for God that must be above all that.

Paul gives some practical instruction:

17 Command those who are rich in this world's goods not to be haughty or to set their hope on riches, which are uncertain, but on God who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.

There are rich people in the church – nothing wrong with that – it is the love of money – that disposition – that is the real problem. But those who are rich should not be proud. Your net worth – the value of the portfolio – does not indicate your value as a person. And if you have a large portfolio – it doesn’t mean you are better than those who don’t.

Don’t set your hope on wealth – the psalm says that it makes wings and flies away.

A group of us pastors met with the chief of police – one thing he said – it is just the world we live in – you can do all kinds of things and still not be secure because we live in this world that has gone haywire. We think – if I could hedge every bet – well, we just can’t. This does not mean that we don’t do our best or don’t budget – but we are in God’s hands. We think – oh no! I am in God’s hands! But deep in our hearts we know it is better to be in God’s hands. My hands tend to drop things.

One of Cindy’s nice vases – shattered – human hands.

18 Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous givers, sharing with others. 19 In this way they will save up a treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the future and so lay hold of what is truly life.

He tells them to be generous – to take action with their wealth – to use it in significant ways to help others. It goes beyond tithing and charity – to give ourselves wholly to those whom God has called us to give ourselves to! It means appreciating that God has given this to us for His service.

2 Cor. 8:9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

That is Advent in a verse. The word GRACE – Generous grace – that is the spirit of Christmas. It is right there for us. Jesus was born on Christmas so that we through His poverty might become rich. If we calculate this as riches and worldly wealth – we are miscalculating. These are soul riches – character riches.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

He gave His Son – He will give us all things. That does not mean material things – but spiritual things. What I have discovered – to become a person of generous grace – to celebrate advent – to be an image bearer in this world – we need to understand and believe the latter part of this verse.

Some of the poorest people have some of the greatest gifts from God – way beyond what we think of as wealth.

Psalm 103

2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Forget NONE of His benefits! Every day between now and Christmas -

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

The great benefits He has given us!

Next week we will look at Mary and Elizabeth. One verse from her Magnificat – right after the angel coming to Mary telling her that she shall be with child – you are a favored one!

Luke 1:52 "He has brought down rulers from their thrones, And has exalted those who were humble. 53 "HE HAS FILLED THE HUNGRY WITH GOOD THINGS; And sent away the rich empty-handed.

Mary comes back to this – the rich is in the context of greedy dispositions – and they will be sent away empty-handed.

Mary was the favored one. And now, all of us are favored ones. Just like at the baptism of Jesus – This is my beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased – you have been made His children – and no matter how many times you mess up – He is well-pleased with you.

Henri Nouwen – wrote a book on the prodigal son – he wrote:

“As the beloved of my heavenly Father, “I can walk in the valley of darkness: no evil would I fear.” As the beloved I can “cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils.” Having “received without charge,” I can “give without charge.” As the Beloved, I can confront, console, admonish, and encourage without fear of rejection or need for affirmation. As the Beloved I can suffer persecution without desire for revenge and receive praise without using it as a proof of my goodness. As the Beloved I can be tortured and killed without ever having to doubt that the love that is given to me is stronger than death. As the Beloved I am free to live and give life, free also to die while giving life.”