The final command
1 Timothy 6:11-21; BCBC/IOUC; 2/27/2022; Rev. Paul Wang
Introduction
Paul pointed out the confusion in the last days. Some people will abandon the truth, love the world, and do not really believe in God. At this time, Paul was in the final stage of his life. His focus was on cultivating Timothy to become the successor of the kingdom of heaven, so he had today’s message: The last command. Let’s look at the first point:
Escape temptation, pursue righteousness
The Bible teaches us that we can cast Satan away, and when tempted, we must flee! The secret of escape is the pursuit of righteousness. First, the will to deal with greed. Since greed is the chief evil, why not adjust our minds? Proverbs says that there are two things to ask God, one is not poor, and the other is not rich. Paul also exhorts us: to be content as long as we have food and clothing. Solomon said that if a man is content, he must avoid falsehood and lies. There are still tens of thousands of US dollars in the account, but everywhere weeping and saying that he has no money. It’s also a form of greed, right? Although being a new immigrant, his domestic business has also made him a lot of money, but he also squeezed in the queue to receive food stamps, receiving milk, canned food, etc., and showing off in the circle of friends. The saddest thing is that people fall into greed and still don’t know it, and they boast about being petty and cheap.
Second, switch the listening channel. Life is short, none but the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. What a man sows, he reaps. If our ears are always flooded with news of gold and silver jewelry, our hearts are bound to be filled with greed. Can you change the channel? Get up early in the morning, don’t check on the stock market, but get close to God first. Open the Bible, have devotional prayer, let God’s word be our first channel every day! Even if we are going to see the stock market, we must first pray, asking God to control our hearts, lest we be bound by money. Turning to God is a turning point in our lives. Wars come, plagues come, all kinds of temptations will follow. Please remember to switch the channels we listen to every day and don’t let the voice of Satan cut in the queue.
Finally, be filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Don’t forget that we have the Holy Spirit with our hearts to testify that we are children of God! It is important not to fight alone on the heavenly road, but to rely on the Holy Spirit. Paul lists six fruits of the Holy Spirit: righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. The fruit of righteousness is to allow oneself to satisfy God’s righteous will, not to act as God to “righteous” others. The mirror of righteousness is a responsibility to oneself and a judgment to others. Godliness is a tool for examining one’s own heart and a motive for praying for others. Faith is the touchstone of a relationship with God and the basis of fellowship that encourages one another. We love because God first loved us. Patience shows that we have the participation of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Gentleness shows that we are beginning to be like the Lord. Let’s look at the second point:
Keep witness, blameless
Paul exhorted Timothy to be a good witness for the Lord, for nothing but because it was God’s calling. First, this is a war. The use of war to describe faith has to do with the regularity of war in Paul’s time. Since the founding of the Roman Empire, there have been wars year after year. Christ came into the world and chose this age. The characteristics of belief in this era must also have expressions in this era. Among them, war is one way. Fighting a good fight for the truth is not about taking up arms and going to the Russian-Ukrainian war that is taking place today. It is to be a good witness for the Lord by prayer and petition and thanksgiving. In any situation, maximize the gospel! A preacher of the gospel must first put to death the old self of his own life. If the old self does not die, and the new life will not grow. Without good testimony, it is difficult to be persuasive. If you go to preach the gospel to others, who would believe in a gospel that you can’t even live out yourself? right? This is a good fight we fight every day!
Second, it’s a calling. No one wants to change his life, why? It is difficult! The best thing is to lie down every day, have nothing to do, return to Sunday worship, no gospel sharing, no interest in prayer, no singing in worship, little serving, etc. It seems very comfortable, right? However, we may have overlooked that this is a calling! The calling has come to us from the moment we are saved. The calling is inescapable. If you respond to the calling, you will be rewarded; if you refuse the calling, the mission has been entrusted to us. Excuse me, what is your choice? Let us encourage each other, boldly face the call and accept the challenge! Just as Lord Jesus gave the beautiful testimony to Pontius Pilate, we should also bear witness to the beauty of God in front of all things created by God!
Finally, this is a command. Jesus said, whoever loves me will obey my commands! So, we obey His commands with only one motive, and that is love! We do not obey God’s commands out of fear of being blamed, but because we love God! To love God is the virtue of believing in Him that He will deliver me out of darkness and into wonderful light. To love God is to believe that He is the end of all things! We obey His commands because of love and His glory! I saw in faith the glory and power of the Lord. Paul said, “which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.”
Not relying on money, in Christ alone
God is never partial to people, no matter rich or poor, they are all treated equally in God’s eyes. However, it is obvious that God’s teaching to the rich is more targeted! First of all, it is difficult to enter the kingdom of heaven in pursuit of wealth. Since greed is the root of all evil, then the pursuit of wealth as the goal of life is sin. Jesus once said that it is difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. How difficult is it? It’s as hard as a camel getting into the eye of a needle! Paul also said: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (1 Timothy 6:9) ” However, all money is given by God, owned by God, and used by God. Without this principle, money is a disaster.
Second, relying on money loses its foundation. Having money is not a sin, it can be a blessing from God! However, those who have money, or those who want to have money, once they regard money as trustworthy, they will fall into the curse of God. Why? Because only He is “God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” When you rely on money, you also give up your trust in the Lord, and you lose your only reliable foundation! Dear brothers and sisters, money grows feet, don’t you know? Russia launched an attack on Ukraine, and trillions of dollars disappeared!
Finally, be alert to being rich in this life. Pursuing the dream of getting rich is a sin, but having money is not a sin. As long as the source of the money is legal and in line with God’s will, it is God’s blessing! However, please remember that once the money is in your hands, how you use it becomes your account to God. In addition to tithing, how to use the other nine-tenths requires asking God’s will and not using it per one’s own will. Every penny has the will and glory of God. Therefore, we should all be on the alert, lest we fall into delusion. The delusion of money will lead us to the temptation of greed. May God help, may God give His mercy, as Paul said, “In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:19)”
Conclusion
Well, my dear brothers and sisters, Paul’s “last command”, that’s all I have to say. May God help us escape temptation, pursue righteousness, hold on to our testimony, blameless, not relying on money, and in Christ alone.
Let us pray……
1 Timothy 6:11-21
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith. Grace be with you all.