Great Gain 1 Tim 6:6 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
When I start out this broadcast by proclaiming that I can show you how to make a great gain, your ears perk up and your mind immediately imagines an investment opportunity. But we’re not taking about investments today; we are talking about godliness and contentment. 1 Tim 6:6 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” It’s worded like a mathematical equation. Godliness + Contentment = Great Gain. Great gain in your relationship with Christ requires both godliness and contentment.
Godliness – most young Christians try to imitate what they presume to be godliness not so much for the sake of the Lord but for the sake of other Christians who “see” them – this is very frustrating because they pretend to be something they aren’t – if this pretended godliness doesn’t stop early, it leads to gross hypocrisy – godliness is a spiritual quality instilled in a saint by the Lord – early on in your Christian life you won’t be godly; you can’t be – after some time godly character starts to appear in your life, slowly and steadily – after many years godliness is very evident to you and to others – particularly you notice that you delight in the things of the Lord and despise the things of the world.
Contentment – likewise, contentment is something that matures with time – contentment is never a matter of the quantity or quality of your possessions, the quality of your health, the quantity and quality of the “things” that make you happy, your approval rating among your friends, you apparent success, your accomplishments in this life, or any of these things – contentment is a spiritual quality whereby you are completely satisfied with Jesus regardless of any other circumstances in your life or methods by which the rest of the world might be inclined to measure your joy and happiness [Phil 4:11-12]. A contentment like Paul had is learned and it takes time for God to build it in your life.
Great gain – a Christian whose righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, character, life, image, joy, love, peace and so forth are absolutely the qualities of Jesus Christ AND who is absolutely content with these qualities in spite of anything else he may possess or desire is a Christians who has great gain – there is no way more or better possessions will increase his joy [they may actually deplete his joy] and there is no way he could be more content, with the sole exception of seeing Jesus Christ face to face [Phil 1:21].
Conclusion: Until the Lord puts godliness in you, you are only godly to the extent that you are a child of God and that you are no longer lost – this is just the beginning – you must grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ through the abatement of worldliness and the filling of the Spirit. Furthermore, you need contentment – as long as you must have more and better things [prosperity preaching] and your happiness is tied to what you have and do rather than who you are in Christ, you are not content – but when Jesus is all you need and all you want contentment settles in your heart – then when godliness and contentment join hands in you, you are going to gain and as these grow your gain will increase to great gain both here and in eternity.