We Are Not The Center | 1 Timothy 6:1-7
Ashley Sheatz's Testimony:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ashley+smith+doreen+virtue
We live in a New Age World. We live in a post-post Christian world. What that means is as the world is becoming more modern, we become more important, throughout history humanity has slowly become the center of importance. Throughout history humanity, has always struggled with itself, with its identity, with its sin, its imperfections. In our culture the answer to that problem is us, humanity.
Definition of Center:
A point, area, person, or thing that is most important or pivotal in relation to an indicated activity, interest, or condition
Find yourself. Follow your heart. Manifest your miracle. Work hard, work harder, and if you have no peace, then you have more work to do. Not getting the miracle or wealth you want? Command your destiny, demand it from God, obviously you aren’t praying right OR you have not faith if you are not getting what you want. We have become the center.
“You are the universe, expressing itself as a human for a little while.” –Eckhart Toll
Eckhart Toll is one of the biggest New Age gurus and has written a popular book called “The Power of Now.” Oprah has platformed him, so has Doctor Phil, Toll does not believe in Jesus rather says Jesus was a morally good person who had a universal, spiritual presence. In Tolle's view, "Christ" is not Jesus's exclusive last name or a separate cosmic entity, but a state of universal, formless consciousness that Jesus embodied. When Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am," Tolle interprets it as speaking from the timeless dimension of pure presence rather than personal historical existence
“You are the center of your universe, and you can make anything happen.” – Ashley Smith
Why is Paul addressing this in 1 Timothy 6:1-7? Because this church had men teaching a false gospel, men who were conceited, men he thought they were either God or better than God—Paul is commanding a final charge, a final correction to this church, to the leaders so they may move forward in godliness.
- If a Person Teaches Another Gospel Which is not in Line with the Teachings of Christ, they are Full of Themselves.
“If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words—those of our Lord Jesus Christ—and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited, understanding nothing but having a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”
--1 Timothy 6:3-5
“Conceited”
τυφόω typhóō, toof-o'-o; from a derivative of G5188; to envelop with smoke, i.e. (figuratively) to inflate with self-conceit:—high-minded, be lifted up with pride, be proud.
“Is a Means of Gain”
πορισμός porismós, por-is-mos'; from a derivative of πόρος póros (a way, i.e. means); furnishing (procuring), i.e. (by implication) money-getting (acquisition):—gain.
If someone is teaching another gospel, if someone is not conforming their life around Jesus’ doctrines they are too proud, they are in it for money, for personal gain, they think living a “godly life” is financially prosperous that is all they care about. If we are making ourselves the center in God’s church they we have lost the plot, we have missed the point, and then we preaching a man-centered gospel, tradition heavy doctrine instead of the doctrines of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”
--Exodus 20:4-6
Those who want to take Christ’s children from Christ are conceited, puffed up, proud. If someone is not willing to obey the teachings of Christ and conform to them to live a godly life, he is proud, full of smoke.
- God’s light must shine through your daily life, your daily relationships, we are brothers and sisters through Christ.
Are we conformed to Christ and His doctrines? Are we in love with our saviour, so in love that we follow His commands—do we want to please Him? No matter what our situation is—we must follow God, obey God, shine His light everywhere we go.
Throughout this letter Paul has address all levels of authority, church and homelife for the church—how to be obedient to God in all areas your life. Paul has addressed false teaching in the church (1 Tim. 1). Paul has addressed proper worship pleasing to God (1 Tim. 2:1-8) and proper church order of authority (1 Tim. 2:9-15). Paul then calls leadership to a higher standard (1Tim. 3+4) and then calls the church to proper charity, proper care of older people, of the elders and spiritual leaders of the church (1 Tim. 5). Now Paul has moved to work, to masters and slaves, and home life of those who follow Christ.
“All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be slandered. But those who have believers as their master’s must not be disrespectful to them because they are brothers, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.”
--1 Timothy 6:1-2
“Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the integrity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”
--Ephesians 6:5-9
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would abide, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.”
--John 15:12-17
“All of Christ for all of life”—Abraham Kuyper.
- We are nothing. Jesus is everything. Through Christ we are a New Thing. Jesus Christ is the Center.
“But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.”
--1 Timothy 6:6-7
We want to make it very clear that God loves humanity. God died for the sins of the world, He loves His family, those who repent, who put their faith in Christ. He pours His lovingkindness on them. Humanity is made in the image of God.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled under foot by men. ‘You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.’”
--Matthew 5:13-16
“John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him. ‘He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. He must increase, but I must decrease. “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”
--John 3:27-31
Paul is saying here that God is EVERYTHING! God is the bringer of life, God is the maker of godliness, Paul is saying that godliness is a means of great gain when we understand contentment. God takes care of the godly, God provides for the godly, He brings provision into our life—we don’t bring that provision. We don’t bring anything into the world rather God does that. Paul is pointing to God’s sovereignty, to God’s amazing plan, and He is reminding this church that we don’t make the ministry plans, God does.
Our job is to FOLLOW God. Our job is to PREACH His gospel. Our job is to SHINE His light. This is what it means to DENY ourselves and to pick up our cross. Christ brings life into this world and Christ takes life from this world and through Christ, we, are a new creation. This is why JESUS must be the center of everything we do.
“And He died for all, so that they who live would no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
--2 Corinthians 5:15-17
“if indeed you heard Him and were taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, to lay aside, in reference to your former conduct, the old man, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the new man, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”
--Ephesians 4:21-27
It is not about US! The modern church thinks its about US (same with the ancient church) and that is why we have wildly different version of Christianity. That is why we have wildly different interpretations of scripture and Jesus. That is why people look for pastors to share personal stories and they want relatable preaching MORE than preaching saturated with God’s truth, God’s doctrines and God’s word because we think it is all about us. We have allowed new age thought to infect the church, we have constantly put ourselves in the center rather than putting Christ which is why we tolerate false teachers and unorthodox Christianity.
“He must increase, but I must decrease. ‘He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.’”
--John 3:27-31
“You are the center of your universe, and you can make anything happen.”
– Ashley Smith
“If someone thinks to themselves ‘she has a great life now after having fun I’ll do it too:’ They probably haven’t had a true encounter with Jesus. A regenerate heart loves Jesus and wants to obey Him and knows a life of sin isn’t fun. It brings death and destruction.”
--Ashley Sheatz (Smith)