Bible Study: 1 Timothy 6:6

Hi Everyone

Here's the notes for our latest Bible Study on 1 Tim 6:6.

You can access the audio here. You can also download all the audio here.

Be blessed!

Chris

1 Timothy 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. (NKJV)

Contentment

Our Identity

Our security should only be in His love. We must identify ourselves ONLY in His love. Outside of this, we will always be less than contented. Insecure, a sitting duck for the devil.

Unfortunately, many of us identify ourselves with many things outside of His love. Many of these things are not right or wrong, it is just that when we FIND OUR IDENTITY in them that we get into trouble. Examples:

Career – I am a [abc title]
Money – I have great wealth
Position – I am socially regarded or have control
Education – I have xyz qualification
Looks – I am beautiful, have physique
Fame – I am known for [blah blah]
Relationships – I am someone’s beloved
Abilities – can do things better than others
Ministry – I can serve God better, God needs me more
Failures – I can never do anything right
Sickness – I am a [name of disease]
What else can you name?

We Need to Be Identified in Him Alone

Paul says:

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (NKJV)

The REAL TEST is to ask yourself what you would be like if things were taken from you – career, positions, relationships, ministries etc.

Like Paul, we must dare to say that we’ve been crucified, that all that matters is the love of Christ in our lives. We truly need realise that we are dead to old selves, alive to Christ.

Romans 6:11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV)

We are dead to sin – we don’t have to go there anymore. We only have to know His love for us, and what He has made us to be in the Spirit. We will deal with the Spirit part under “godliness”.

We need to know His love for us.

Anytime we don’t, we will start to find out satisfaction outside of Him, finding our contentment elsewhere. When we cannot get this, then we become DISCONTENTED.

Not contented = discontented = contentious

Then will arise strife and from strife comes every evil work:

James 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. (KJV)

“Strife” is translated as self-seeking in the NKJV which is true, because it has its roots in discontentment, something I don’t have/don’t like.

James 3:16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. (NKJV)

We need to find our contentment in Him and Him alone.

Godliness

Be discontented only with the things of God

Being godly is seeking to know God. God is infinite and we will never finish getting to know His infinite goodness to us:

Psalm 63:1

O God, You are my God;

Early will I seek You;

My soul thirsts for You;

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water.

2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

4 Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. (NKJV)

This was David’s most precious trait to God – he sought God with all his heart. He never stopped seeking Him, no matter what. He was never satisfied.

Matthew 6:19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (NKJV)

Who lays up? Us! We can do so proactively. It doesn't happen till we start to put a priority to the things of God. Our hearts follow our priorities, not the other way around.

More Verses:

Matthew 6:31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (NKJV)

Seek to know the Truth

Seek God, not do good. One results in the other, not the other way around. Seeking God results in understanding, in wisdom.

Psalm 14:2 The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. (NKJV)

3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (NKJV)

Nothing I desire more! If this doesn't happen, all else is of no meaning. We cannot replace the knowledge of God with anything else. From knowing God comes all other aspects of life. Anything else means God is not the centre and things are out of balance.

What IS the Truth?

Truth is a person. His name is Jesus.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (NKJV)

It is not a creed, a set of doctrines a religion or even a set of values. It is a relationship.

Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (NKJV)

The Spiritual realm is the truth. The earthly realm is fraught with lies (deaf person analogy).

Be increasingly interested in the things of God. This is the real realm. In the spirit realm is where the promises of God are.

The Spiritual Realm, The Kingdom

Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (NKJV)

The spiritual realm, the Kingdom of Heaven, is here and is now. When we don’t realise it, we are like the blind man being fooled by sounds, unable to see the true reality. The devil in a sense makes a lot of noises to scare these “blind” people to imagine things which are not, because in the spiritual realm, it all has already been accomplished by the blood of Jesus.

All bought by the blood of Jesus because of His love for us.

The Word of God is the door, the entry into the Spiritual Realm.

John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (NKJV)

Belief is the key, that’s why we walk by faith, not by sight. When we believe, we start are like that blind person starting to see a little at a time and we start to see the truth, how we are constantly being fooled by what our ears hear and our decisions are now marked by Truth, not deceiving noises.

Believe in the Spiritual, the Kingdom

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (NKJV)

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. (NKJV)

Ephesians 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, (NKJV)

This is why Paul says to know no man after the flesh (2 Cor 5:16) and can call the Corinthian Church “saints”.

Seek the Kingdom

Kingdom of Heaven is here on earth, in us. Find out about His glory in us and be changed.

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (NKJV)

This is us like the blind man, starting to see a little bit at a time and starting to realise the truth in the spirit, how the reality of who we are in Christ is so incredible.

Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (NKJV)

This was all purchased at the Cross and made manifest when we start to realise the love of Christ. Seek to know what happened at the Cross, what Jesus had purchased for us.

Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. 16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. (NKJV)

Press on – lay hold of EVERYTHING that Christ already laid hold of for us in the Spirit realm. Forget the past! You can’t change it. Be mature in your thinking and do this.

Great Gain

Full of God

Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (NKJV)

I want to be full of God. This statement is either true or false. If it is false, I’d rather leave it behind than endure a lifetime of trying to “be a good Christian”. I don’t want to go circles as a Christian, attending church every Sunday and feeling like anyone else for the other days for the rest of my life.

Acts 6:3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; (NKJV)

Acts 7:55 But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, (NKJV)

Stephen was full of God’s love, that he could pray for his enemies as they stoned him.

Acts 13:9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him (NKJV)

[Acts 13:10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord. (NKJV)]

Paul was full of the love of God to preach the word to the proconsul. He stood against spiritual forces in his way of this. His will was God’s will. They were one in the Spirit.

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (NKJV)

Fruit of the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, (NKJV)

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (NKJV)

When you know His love more and more, you become full of God, full of the Spirit and you will see the Fruit of the Spirit manifest.

You will walk more like Him, with great power. The signs follow the believers.

Mark 16:17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (NKJV)

We can pull down scriptures to the level of our experience and warm pews for the rest of our lives or we can sit up and say this is true and allow the Father to rock the world with His glory revealed in Jesus.

The Take Away