You've heard this phrase several times, I'm sure, in your life. It comes from 1 Timothy chapter six, speaking of godliness with contentment. And we'll get there, but let's begin up in verse one.

He begins to talk about servants. He begins to talk about masters. And what you need to do, well, let me read it first. Let as many servants as are under the yoke, that is, count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

You know, there's always been an argument based upon the prejudices and the selfishness of men as whether the Bible condones slavery. And if you read the Bible carefully, especially in the book of Deuteronomy, you'll see that the Bible never condoned forced slavery. In fact, in Deuteronomy, it's called kidnapping. That's what it's called. So there was never a biblical basis for that kind of society of men taking other people and putting them in bondage.

But that being the case, there were cases where God brought people into slavery as a judgment for their sins. For example, the nation Judah, the whole nation went into bondage to Babylon because of their sins and you remember Jeremiah the prophet, he was the prophet who was leading Israel or Judah in Jerusalem up to the time of their captivity in Babylon. He told them it's going to be 70 years. And several reasons, they disobeyed God, mainly according to the Sabbaths, they disobeyed God. And so that's why it was 70 years, the number seven being a number of the Sabbath.

Anyway, you know what Jeremiah told him? He said, don't listen, this is what we deserve. We've earned this punishment, accept it and go on. That's what Jeremiah was saying.

And then you remember back during the times of Abraham, when they went into Egypt and Joseph was their savior then, he was a type of Christ. But eventually, an evil pharaoh put them under bondage, became a taskmaster. But in that day and time, the issue of slavery was just a reality because people from generations where they were enslaved early on, and then as the generations went on, you had children that grew up in that kind of atmosphere, and they lived with their masters and all of that, it was a reality.

So whenever you read passages like this, don't think of it as the Bible condoning it, it's just simply recognizing the reality of it. Here it is, it almost became in these days, in the New Testament days, it almost came like this was your job, you know, you're working for this person and that person took care of you. And so the issue of masters and servants came up among Christian communities. And what Paul was saying here, as he said in other passages, is that if you're a person who has these people as your servants, they're working for you, you're the authority, and you know Christ, you treat them right. You treat them almost like your employees or your children and you servants who are in that position, if they left, they'd be destitute. He says, stay there and you treat your masters with the honor and authority that is given to them. And that's what it's doing here.

So, you know, the thing about it is, when we understand salvation, We understand the liberty, the freedom that we have in Christ and no human being can put us in bondage of spirituality, in other words, the legal bondage of the law. That's why Paul in Galatians chapter five, he said, stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and don't be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

So you may be working for a person or you may have people working under you. Today, they're not slaves, but you're to treat them right. That's what he's saying. he says that masters worthy of all honor, that's a master talking about believing masters who treat their people right, their employees you say or servants, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

You know what blasphemy is, that's almost the equivalent of cursing God, that's how serious that is, blasphemy. What he's simply saying here is that one of the main reasons that we as believers are to live that kind of life is because we want to honor God whether we're in a position of authority having people working for us or whether we're in a position working for somebody else and those we're all equal in the eyes of God when it comes to salvation. equally justified, equally forgiven, equally righteous in Christ, His righteousness imputed. There's no division of position as far as our salvation, our blessedness. We are all equally blessed in heavenly places in Christ Jesus with all spiritual blessings.

If we're sinners saved by grace, But we understand that our lives, whatever position that we are put in on this earth, we're not all equal. I mean, you've got a boss and you've got employees who work for the boss. And each one is to act appropriately. The boss, the master, he's to treat them right, pay them the wage that is required and needed, and they're to work for him. or her, in that sense, and that authority. In life, we're all not the same, you know? No matter what, if you work in this world, you work for somebody, all right? Or you're employing some people, so think about that.

But one of the things that I wanted to, you remember over in, when he's talking about this thing, that, The name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

Do you remember King David? I'm not going back to pick on King David again. We all do that because of his great scandalous sin with Bathsheba and all of that. Do you remember later on, about a year later or whatever, the prophet Nathan came to David. And it's recorded in 2 Samuel chapter 12. I've got that cited in your lesson.

And David was a believer now. He was a child of God. And as far as his standing before God in Christ, and I know people don't like to hear this, but this is the reality of grace. And this doesn't excuse what David did. But David was just as saved as righteous as he was when he committed adultery is when he was writing the 23rd Psalm. Our standing with God, if we're one of God's chosen people, redeemed by the blood of Christ, our standing before God never changes. And you know why? Because Christ never changes. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.

But now our state in this world and what's going on in our relationships and what happens to us can often change. David's condition changed because as a result of his sin with Bathsheba, he had trouble in his kingdom and in his house the rest of his life.

But when Nathan the prophet came to him, you remember he told him the story about the man who had one sheep and the other had a lot of sheep, and the man who had a lot of sheep, he stole the lamb from the man who had one sheep. What would you do with him? Remember David rose up and said, we'll put him to death, you know, resting. And Nathan looked at David and said, you're the man, David. That's what you did. You had many wives and concubines. Uriah the Hittite, he had one wife and you stole her.

And he said, but he said this, he said, but God has forgiven your sin. Well, wait a minute, preachers say. You mean David didn't have to repent before God gave him? No, because God's forgiveness is not based upon our repentance, it's based upon the blood of Christ. But David did repent after he heard of God's forgiveness. And that's the way it is in God's reality. It's not our repentance that brings forgiveness, it's his forgiveness that causes us to repent. That's the difference.

And so Nathan told him, he said, but because you've done this now, there's some consequences. God's forgiven you. God will not charge you with this sin. David said, blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputed not iniquity. So God's forgiven you, but because of what you did, the sword will not leave your home, your household, your family. And of course, you remember what happened to David in his later life with his son Absalom. all that stuff that went about.

But one thing that Nathan did tell him, he says, because you have caused or you have brought reason for the enemies of God to blaspheme. That's what David had done. The enemies of God would look at David, oh you mean he's a child of God, he believes in Jehovah, Sid Canu, but look at what he did and they blasphemed God because of that. And that's what Paul is saying here.

You treat each other right in whatever position you have been put here on this earth. Your standing before God will never change. You're blessed above all people. You have a righteousness that totally answers the demands of God's law and justice that can never change. The sins that you commit, God will not charge them to your account under condemnation. He may chastise you for it. He may not.

I heard a preacher say one time, he said, well, God chastises us for every sin we commit. And I thought, are you kidding me? We wouldn't be able to lift up our heads. And God sometimes chastises us, not because of one specific sin, but just because for some reason, maybe unbeknownst to us, we're His children and He sees that we need it. And you can go back and look at what happened to Job and all of that. God wasn't chastising Job for any specific sin. Now Job got into it as he tried to defend himself. But anyway, I want to just make that point because, well, look at verse two.

He says, and they that have believing masters, now this is where he gets to the heart of it, believing masters. Even unbelieving masters deserve honor in their position here on earth. We don't call them brethren because if they don't know Christ, they're not our spiritual family. But still, we ought to honor them for the position that God has put them in and treat them right. We ought to work hard for them.

But now when they're believing masters, let them not despise them. Let not the servants despise them because they are brethren. Here's the key. Believe him, that boss that you have who's a believer, he's your brother in Christ. And believing servants, he's to look at you as a brother or sister in Christ. So he says, let them not despise them because they are brethren. That's my brother in Christ.

I'll never forget my father-in-law. He was a manager of a, of a place that sold doors and windows for new construction. And he had another brother in Christ that went to the church up there who owned a plant that made windows and doors for that. And somebody came into my father-in-law's place and started putting down the other brother who owned the window and door manufacturing. And my father said, hold on now, I want you to know you're talking about my brother. Your brother? I didn't know he was your brother. Well, he wasn't Charlie's brother in the flesh, but he was his brother in Christ. I like that, you know, that's the way we ought to do.

Oh, anyway, he says, believing masters, but rather do them service because they are faithful That means believing there. And he says, am beloved, beloved of God and should be beloved of you, partakers of the benefit, fellowshippers with us in the benefits of God's grace. So if you're my brother or my sister in Christ, you're a fellowshipper with me in all the things that God has freely and fully given us by his grace, none of which we deserved or earned. That's why we should never look at each other and say, well, you haven't earned my love. You haven't deserved my love. You see that? Because that is so opposite of God's grace and mercy. And so he says, partakers of the benefit, these things teach and exhort.

Now, I don't know if there was any specific problem and emphasis on this issue, but that's what Paul addresses. And look at verse three. It says, If any man teach otherwise, otherwise than this, and consent not to wholesome words, that's the word of God, that which honors God, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness. I think Jim told me about an article he saw on Facebook where it's kind of putting down doctrine. You know, preachers who are not, let's say, firm in the truth, they like to put down doctrine. I don't see any verse in the Bible, not one from Genesis to Revelation, that casts the doctrine of Christ, right doctrine, truth, even in a negative light. And there used to be a saying they'd go around talking about, they'd say, well, you don't arrive at Christ through doctrine, you arrive at doctrine through Christ. Well, think about that. The Bible is the preaching of Christ.

But now, I don't get up here and start at 10 o'clock and go to 10.30 just saying, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, do it. I tell you some things about him. that are based on God's word so that you'll know who he is, what he's done, why he did it, and where he is now. And people will say things like, well, I'd rather preach Christ than to preach dead, cold doctrine. Well, wait a minute, you can't preach Christ without preaching doctrine, and the doctrine of Christ is not dead and cold. I had a preacher come here one time and talk about stuff like that, and I got a hold of him afterwards. He's not been back. And here's what I did. He was talking about, you know, dead, cold doctrine. And I asked him, I said, where in the Bible do you see the true doctrine of Christ described as dead and cold? I don't see it anywhere. Now, here's what it does describe about the heart of a sinner unredeemed and unregenerated. His heart is dead and gold. That's the problem. It's not the doctrine. It's the natural man who receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them. So you understand that, you know. The doctrine of Christ is a beautiful thing.

Now, I know that a person can claim to believe it and not believe it. But again, the problem there is not with the doctrine, the problem is with the dead cold heart. Lord change his heart, change her heart. That's what we pray. And so he's talking about doctrine, which is according to godliness. And we're gonna be talking about godliness with contempt. Well, what is godliness? Well, all right, let's go on. Verse four. The person who strays from this, he's proud, knowing nothing, but doting. And that word doting means sick. He's sick. about questions and strifes of words where have cometh envy, strife, railings, even surmisings." You know what surmising is? I heard a preacher on TV the other day, he was talking about, not the other day, it's been about several months ago, real popular guy. He said this, he was talking about the Lamb's book of life, that's in Revelation 13 and that's where John was, it was revealed to John that you're one of God's people your name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life before the world began." That's amazing, isn't it? That means God chose you. There's not a literal book, that's God's mind which never changes and here's what that preacher said, he said, we can surmise And I thought about this verse here, surmises. He said, we can surmise that when you're born, God writes your name in that book. And when you commit the first sin, he erases your name out. And then at some time in your life, if you accept Jesus as your personal savior, he writes your name back in.

Now what's the problem with all that? Number one, it's not in the Bible. Number two, it makes God reactionary. and not the prime mover of all things. It denies the God of the Bible. But that's what surmisings do. And if we don't stick to the word of God on these issues, even things like this, issues like this, godly, that's what comes from it. Strifes of words, envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings.

Look at verse five. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds. Now this is serious business, isn't it? That's why we never want to get away from the gospel of God's grace in Christ. And destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness. Now that's a common misunderstanding among the world. If I have an idea, and it works and I gain a lot of prestige or money then I surmise, well that's God blessing me. It may not be. Remember the rich man in Luke chapter 12? Filled up his barns, what am I going to do? I'm going to get more stuff and I'm going to build more barns. Thou fool! It's very not. Your soul shall be required of you.

So gain in this world is not necessarily godliness. Now it can be if God blesses you with material wealth or whatever and you're one of his children and you use it for his glory and the good of others and not just for your own selfish worldly purposes.

The doctrine which is according to godliness do so out of pride, they do it with pride, ignorance, love of themselves. The gain they seek could be material, could be financial, it could be a following, a preacher who doesn't preach the true gospel which is offensive to the natural man but you know, the itching ears, they tell them what they want to hear. That's the kind of game they're talking about. And so that's why a lot of people measure the truth and the spirituality of a church group by how many are there. It doesn't matter how many are there if the truth is not preached from that pulpit. And that's what we need to understand.

And he says here, he says in verse five, from such withdraw thyself. Don't have fellowship with them. Now verse six, but godliness with contentment is great gain. What is godliness? Godliness begins with faith in Christ, resting in him for all salvation, righteousness, eternal life, and glory. It continues with the obedience of faith, seeking to obey God, to honor him out of grace, love, and gratitude, and not law, not legalism or mercenary motives, what I can serve him to see what I can get out of him, that kind of thing, but to honor him, to worship him. That's what godliness is. And it's great gain when it's accompanied with contentment.

Contentment is being satisfied with what God has given you. Now, we know We have contentment in the area of salvation. We are perfectly content with what God has given us because he's given us his son. He that spared not his own son but freely gave him for us all of his people, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? How could you be a believer and discontent with that? You could. But what he's talking about is the things of the world.

And I'll give you an idea, Matthew 13, part of the Sermon on the Mount, or not the Sermon on the Mount, but it's part of the kingdom parables. And you remember you had the wayside here, the preacher sowing the seed, that's the gospel. You had the wayside hearer, the stony ground hearer, and you had the thorny ground hearer, and it says the one who received the word on the thorny ground left it. It's over in verse 21 or verse 22 of Matthew 13. This is the kind of thing that Paul's talking about, godliness. If you claim godliness without contentment, he also that receives seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becometh unfruitful.

so it's a person who gets sidetracked and especially by seeking riches and all that. Now to be content doesn't mean that you don't have to, that you cannot think about bettering yourself if you want a better job, if you want even more money, whatever you know, but you cannot let the desire for those things take you away from worshiping God and the gospel. That's the key to contentment here. And we do have to thank God for what we have, you know. I've told you about the poem that I always liked when I was in high school. It's called Men of Archievee. That's the name of a guy. It's something like this.

Men of Archievee, child of scorn, cursed the day that he was born. But we people of the payment honored him.

And then there's another one written by the same guy called Richard Corey.

Richard Corey was a rich man who lived upon the hill and all the people down below envied him. They wondered what Richard Corey had. And at the end of the poem it says, and Richard Corey one night went home and put a bullet through his head. So he had all these riches but it didn't satisfy him.

So understand we need not get so caught up in the desire for the things of this world that will perish we neglect the glory of God, the worship of God, honoring Christ and neglect helping each other in that sense.

So look at verse 6, godliness with contentment is great gain. Lord give, make me content, don't make me bitter, Don't make me distraught because I don't have everything I want in this world. Would I like to have things? Sure, I'm human. I'm not a concrete saint up here. I got a heart, I got desire. Some are good, some are bad. But God make me content.

And so verse seven says, for we brought nothing into this world and it's certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. And verse eight, and having food and raiment, let us be there with content. You know, there were a lot of brethren in the past who didn't have food and raiment.

And then he says in verse nine, we'll pick up on this next week too, he said, He said, they that will be rich fall into the temptation and a snare, and into many foolishness and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. The pursuit of riches. And this is where the famous saying, for the love of money is the root of all evil. Notice it is the love of money. Money didn't make Abraham evil, and it didn't make David evil, even though David misused his power. But it's the love of money that draws a person away from the gospel.

And he says, while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith. That's the key. They've been seduced. Remember John, when he's talking about those who apostatize, he said, I'm writing this to those who would seduce you, draw you away from Christ. And that's what he's talking about here. the love of riches and money and possessions that caused a person to be drawn away from Christ, drawn away from the truth.

And it says, erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. And of course, if they apostatized from the faith because of this, the ultimate sorrow is eternal damnation. You see, with Christ, we have everything. Without Christ, we really have nothing. Okay.