1 Timothy Series - Part 13

“Chasing the Wrong Rabbit”

1 Timothy 6:1-10 (Message #13 in 1 Timothy Series)

INTRODUCTION:

Have you ever watched a Greyhound Race? Greyhound racing has been around since 1876 and is immensely popular in the United States, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK. In recent years there have been attempts by animal-rights groups to curtail the sport because they claim that the dogs are all being abused. While it is undoubtedly true that there are rare cases of abuse, overall, the dog owners feel the same way about their dogs as champion horse-breeders feel about their racehorses. First, they pay big money to buy them. Good racing dogs do not come cheap. So, the owners treat their dogs with utmost kindness and give them the best of everything because they need the dogs to be in good shape to race. Of course, in most places around the world the purpose of the whole sport is for pari-mutuel gambling, which I do not believe in, but the dog-racing itself is not evil per se.

That said, do you know how they get the dogs to run? They use a mechanical “hare”, which is an artificial lure that travels ahead of the dogs on a rail until the greyhounds cross the finish line. The “hare” goes all the way around the track just out in front of the dogs’ noses. Their instinct is to chase the rabbit. It must be frustrating for them however, because they are never allowed to catch it. For them, catching and eating the rabbit is the “impossible dream.”

TRANSITION:

In today’s text the Apostle Paul talks about another kind of “impossible dream”, not for dogs, but for people. Almost everyone has something that they think would make them happy and fully contented if they could just get their hands on it. They say, “If I could just have THAT, then my life would be fulfilled, and I could lie back and be totally satisfied.” But that kind of thinking does not lead to contentment, but rather to discontentment. Paul wants us to learn how to be content wherever we are, and in whatever state we find ourselves. You see, real contentment can only be found in Christ, not in a change of our circumstances or in possessing more things. Turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 6.

MAIN BODY:

Verse 1: All who are under the yoke as slaves are to regard their own masters as worthy of all honour so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.

·         Here Paul directly addresses Christians in the Ephesian church who were slaves. Now as odd as this sounds to us, this was a common situation back in that day. Estimates are that between 30-50% of the people in the Roman Empire were slaves, and many of the early Christians were owned by someone. Yet Paul says that these believing slaves were to give their unbelieving masters “all honour” and respect “so that the name of God and our doctrine will not be spoken against.”

·         You see Paul’s greatest concern was NOT with the fact that some of the believers were slaves, but rather with their behaviour amid that social reality. In truth, he never even takes up the subject of whether slavery, as an institution, was moral or immoral. It was just a reality that had to be dealt with. Now I believe that he probably saw slavery as an evil thing but the way the Christians dealt with it was not to attack it, but rather, to kill it with kindness. In fact, we have here an indication of the way in which Christianity eventually abolished slavery—not by denouncing it, but by implanting the idea of Christian brotherhood, which was incompatible with slavery. Paul’s little Letter to Philemon has much to teach us on this subject.

·         If these Christian slaves had begun to rebel and defy their masters, and try to run away, and become disrespectful, their unbelieving masters would have certainly blamed their bad behaviour on this new religion that had recently come on the scene—these followers of Jesus, of Nazareth. Paul is saying that the lifestyle and attitudes of a Christian slave should represent well the Christian faith, and Christ Himself.

·         Can you see a parallel here? This teaching applies equally to us today in our workplace situations, whatever they might be. If you as an employee are a pain in the neck for your boss, if you do slipshod work, show up to the job-site late every day, complain about everything, stir up trouble with your workmates, and bad-mouth the boss every chance you get, while at the same time claiming to be a born-again, Bible-believing, church-going, hymn-singing Christian, do you not think that your boss is going to come to the conclusion that your Christ, your Christianity, and your claims to piety are as worthless as a screen door on a submarine?

Verse 2: Those who have believers as their masters must not be disrespectful to them because they are brethren, but must serve them all the more, because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles.

·         Now Paul changes the scenario and speaks to those believing slaves whose masters are Christians. From our modern perspective we might expect Paul to address the masters and tell them to free all their Christian slaves because they are brothers. But he does not do that.

·         He says that a slave with a Christian master should redouble his efforts to be faithful and helpful and reliable, and he should do it for Christ’s sake, in submission and humility, as an act of Christian piety.

·         “...because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved.” Who is he talking about? The slave owner, of course. He is the one who will benefit from the good conduct and faithful service of the slave. If the slave had a Christian master, he was to be even more zealous in his service, since his master, who derived benefit from that service, was a believer like himself, and therefore an object of love.

·         “Teach and preach these principles.” Here we see one of the basic themes of the Pastoral Epistles, which we already saw back in 4:11 and is repeated here. “Right teaching”, according to 1:3 was the principal reason for Paul leaving Timothy at Ephesus in the first place, that he might instruct them in the truth.

·         Here in this phrase Paul uses two imperatives, both important words. The first word, teach, means the formal presentation of doctrine, line upon line, precept upon precept. The second word, rendered preach in the NASV, “exhort” in the KJV, “urge” in the NIV, and “encourage” in the NLT is obviously a slippery word. One thing I can tell you for sure, although I love the NASV and use it most of the time, in this verse the other translations I just cited come much closer to the idea. The Greek word is parakaléo and is the verb from which we get the word, Paraclete, meaning, “one who is called alongside to help.” There is another good Greek word for “preach.” It is kerusso, but that is not the word Paul used here. I think that his choice of parakaléo is significant because it speaks to the way Timothy was to approach people to teach these things in the church; not like a high-handed

authority shouting it from the housetops, but as a Christian friend coming alongside urging the believers to do the right thing for the sake of their testimony and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Verses 3-5: If anyone advocates a different doctrine [literally, “If anyone teaches differently”] and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, ⁴ he is conceited [lit. puffed-up] and understands nothing; but he has a morbid [lit. diseased] interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language [lit. blasphemies], evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant friction [lit. perpetual wrangling] between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.

·         WOW! Does he ever let them have it? Here we get to the reason why Paul was writing to Timothy about these subjects in the first place, including this last one about the conduct of Christian slaves. Apparently, there were some false teachers around Ephesus who were teaching different things on a variety of subjects. So, Paul wrote this letter to help Timothy sort these things out and come to what should be his position, and what he should teach on these subjects. “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, [even] with the doctrine conforming to godliness...” From some of the things Paul has already said in this letter these false teachers were more interested in theory and theological debates than in knowing and doing the will of God. They loved to wrangle over words, which Paul says is a big waste of time. After all, what is important is not what we think about things, but what God has said and declared to be true. Paul’s motto was: “God says it, I believe it, and that settles it.” Not a bad motto to live by!

·         “...sound words...” The word Paul uses in verse 3 means wholesome, or healthy because they promote spiritual, emotional, and relational health.

·         “...who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.” What does Paul mean by this last statement? He is saying that these false teachers were using religion for their own financial gain. Does that sound like anything you have heard of before, maybe on television? They may have been hoping that their eloquent debates on religion would win them a following of groupies that might result in some financial support, in the same way it worked out for the Greek philosophers.

Verse 6: But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.

·         We have already seen Paul address this subject, up in 4:8 where he said that godliness is profitable in every respect, giving the promise not only for this life but also for the life to come.

·         Paul clarifies this here in verse 6 by saying that godliness indeed is a means of great gain, spiritual gain, when it is accompanied by contentment. However, it is certainly not about financial or material gain. That is an aberration, a twisting of the truth. Paul reproves the false teachers, pointing out that godliness is in fact a means of great gain in that it produces in the Christian a resignation and contentment of mind, which prevent the disquieting effects of covetousness; whereas the desire for “gain” (i.e. money, material possessions, political power, advancement, recognition, etc.) leads to every kind of evil-doing. What will people not do to get rich, for crying out loud? We all could tell stories about people who sold out their integrity, reputation, family, and friends to try and make a few extra bucks. It is an old and tragic story.

Verse 7: For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.

·         “For we have brought nothing into the world.” This is a principle of physics as well as theology. The amount of matter in the world is fixed, unchanging. Matter can be rearranged, or it can be transformed into some other kind of matter, but the quantity of matter does not change. When a baby is born it brings nothing into the world. The baby’s very cells are just a rearranging of existing matter. None of us is born carrying a suitcase!

·         “...so, we cannot take anything out of it either.” This could be an epitaph on a tombstone, for it certainly is true. When a person dies the only things that leaves are his soul and spirit. His body remains. His clothes remain. His wealth remains. He takes nothing with him.

Verse 8: If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

·         “If we have food and covering…” The word covering here implies both clothing and shelter, both of which are necessary for survival.

·         “...with these we shall be content.” This is a statement of commitment as well as contentment.

Verse 9: But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

·         This chapter describes two types of people in relation to wealth. Here in verse 9 and following Paul talks about those who want to become wealthy. Down in verse 17 he will address those who already are wealthy. The principles he deals with certainly overlap.

·         What Paul is saying here is that an inner lack of godliness and contentment always leaves a vacuum that people fill up with greed.

·         Paul uses the metaphor of a drowning man. The discontentment and greed create temptations that lead to snares and sinful desires that act like lead weights tied around the man’s neck, waist, and ankles. They drag him down, and down, deeper, and deeper into the dark icy water where he finds only destruction and ruin, and soon drowns.

Verse 10: For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.  

·         This undoubtedly one of the most misquoted verses from the Bible. Most people mistakenly think that it says, “Money is the root of all evil.” However, that is wrong on several counts. Paul does not say, nor do the Scriptures say anywhere else, that money, per se, is evil. He says that “...the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.” Money is not the problem. Loving money is the problem. And loving money is not “the root of all evil” but it is “a root of many kinds of evil.” Do not let people get away with misquoting Scripture because it gives them wrong ideas. We need to be sticklers for “handling accurately the Word of Truth” as we are admonished in 2 Timothy 2:15.

·         “... the love of money...has caused some to... wander away from the faith.” You see, the love of money is a form of idolatry and the Scriptures warn us about the effects of falling into this trap.

o   Colossians 3:5, “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”

o   Ephesians 5:5, “For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.”

o   1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

CONCLUSION:

I started this message talking about Greyhound Racing. Those poor dogs spend their lives chasing rabbits that they will never be allowed to catch. But does that stop them? No! Poor dumb animals that they are they just keep chasing that fake rabbit. And if they were ever able to catch the thing, can you imagine their disappointment? Just an old stuffed jackrabbit skin with scent on it to trick the dogs and make them run as if their lives depended on it.

A lot of people are just that intent on catching their own “rabbit.” In verses 1-2 of our text for today Paul addresses Christians who could easily have fallen for the idea that the only thing that really mattered was getting their freedom, of no longer being slaves. But Paul tells them to be content where they are and do their service faithfully, as unto the Lord. “Do not run off chasing that fake rabbit that will not make you happy,” he would say to them.

Then he addresses the false teachers who were thinking that real contentment would be to be wealthy, and have people want to follow them and become their disciples, hanging on their every word. But that too is a fake rabbit. Wealth and riches are a mirage, promising contentment, and happiness, but in the end bringing destruction and unhappiness.

What fake rabbit have you been chasing? If you are not pursuing the Lord, and “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” then you are chasing the wrong rabbit and you will not like it even if you catch it!

Look again at verse 10: “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Paul says that “...some have wandered away from the faith” because of their desire to accumulate wealth. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” I have known pastors who left the ministry because they wanted to make more money. I know an ex-missionary who cut his ties with his mission and went to work for a multi­national company because he wanted more money. I know a father who began working every Sunday and quit taking his family to church because he wanted to make more money. These cases all ended in shipwreck. They wandered away from the Lord, from the church, and eventually from the faith because they began chasing the wrong rabbit.

I will ask you one more time...What rabbit are you chasing today? Make sure that you are dedicating your life to pursue something that is worth having.