FAMILY DEVOTION GUIDE WEEK 12 MEMORIZE 1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called READ Monday Tuesday Wednesday 1 Timothy 6:3-5 1 Timothy 6:6-10 1 Timothy 6:11-12 Thursday Friday 1 Timothy 6:13-16 1 Timothy 6:17-21 DEVOTIONS Each of these devotions is designed to enhance and enable family worship. They will almost always reflect the Sunday morning sermon. You may use this guide in any way you choose. I recommend setting aside time every day, whether in the morning or evening, to read the passage for the day and the devotion that accompanies it. Each devotion should take about 5-10 minutes to complete. If I can help you in any additional way, or if you have any general questions for me, feel free to contact me. You can reach me by phone or email, though email is best. Mathew Gilbert Phone: (606) 224-9466 Email: mathewgilbert.fbceb@gmail.com
Monday Devotion (1 Tim. 6:3-5) Can you think of something that really, really upsets your parents? Suppose your parents have given you the responsibility to take out the trash on Mondays. Let s say when Monday rolls around, instead of taking out the trash you decide to stay in your room watching TV or playing video games. How do you think your mom or dad would react? Yeah, there would probably be a loud voice calling you to do your job! However, as upset as your parents would be about you failing to do your chores, think about how much more mad they would be if you intentionally hurt your little sister. If you did something horrible like, threw a rock at her, your parents would be more than just frustrated with your disobedience. They would be furious and very disappointed. The punishment would be much, much worse for hurting your sister than it would be for not taking out the garbage. The more you care about something, the more upset you will be when someone does something to hurt or ruin it. Sure, your parents think it is important for you to take out the trash on Monday because if the trash doesn t get taken out the house could start to smell like rotting bananas. But, the life, health, and well being of your little sister are far more important than the house smelling fresh and clean. They would much rather you treat your sister with the love and care she deserves than keep the house from smelling like a dumpster. The more angry or upset we get over something being messed up shows how much we care about it. Paul is about to sound off on the false teachers in the church at Ephesus one last time. He has warned Timothy that they distort God s Word and lead people away from the gospel by focusing on the wrong things. In chapter six, Paul says that these false teachers teach a different doctrine that does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness (1 Tim. 6:3). In other words, false teachers load people up in their cars and drive them thousands of miles away from Jesus and his gospel. For Paul, this is even worse than throwing a rock at your sister, because the consequences are far worse. Getting hit by a rock may cause pain and a bruise or bleeding. But getting drawn away from Jesus and the gospel will cause eternal pain and separation from God. Paul shows how angry he is with false teaching and false teachers and by doing so shows his great love for God, Timothy, and the church. Notice how Paul describes those who lead people away from Jesus through false teaching. He says the one who teaches a false doctrine, is puffed up with conceit understands nothing has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words is depraved in mind is deprived of the truth imagines godliness is a means of gain Can you feel the anger and frustration in Paul s words? Nothing made Paul more upset than seeing people distort, change, or ignore the gospel. These false teachers you need to address are filled to the brim with pride. They think they know a lot, but really they
understand nothing about the gospel. They crave trouble, arguments, and fighting over words like a steak dinner. Because they focused on these things and not on the gospel, they showed that their minds were corrupt and they robbed themselves of the truth. False teachers can often be sneaky. They sound like they are teaching truth, but their behavior will always show their hearts. The same is true for you and me. Paul is warning Timothy one final time about the false teachers in Ephesus because he knows how deadly they would be to his faith. What you believe matters. What you believe affects the way you live your life. Because these false teachers taught a different doctrine than the gospel of Jesus, their hearts produced envy, dissention, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people (1 Tim. 6:4). What you believe matters because of what it produces in your life. A heart transformed by the gospel of Jesus produces peace. A heart filled with anything else produces conflict. Like a loving parent, Paul warns Timothy of the danger of those who oppose the gospel by showing the kind of life that flows from gospel opposition. The message is clear: the way you live tells the story of how you believe. Tuesday Devotion (1 Tim. 6:6-10) The Disney movie, Aladdin, tells the story of a young poor orphan who lives in the streets of the kingdom of Agrabah and his magical rise from the streets to the throne of the kingdom. Along the way, the main character, Aladdin, discovers a lamp. It seems like an ordinary lamp on the surface, but when it is rubbed, we learn that it is a magical lamp. Whenever this lamp is rubbed, a magical and powerful genie comes out of its spout. This jolly blue genie grants three wishes for whoever rubs the lamp. However, despite his jolly, this genie is a prisoner to the lamp and the wishes of those who find it. In spite of his tremendous power, the chains on his wrist show that he is controlled by anyone and everyone who finds the lamp. There is a really dangerous way of thinking that is common in many churches in America. Many people believe that the more faith you have in God, the more God will bless you with stuff. For example, if you trust God enough and ask God enough, this false teaching says, you can have anything you want. Do you want a lot of money? Then ask God for a lot of money and trust that God will make it happen! The name for this false teaching is the prosperity gospel. Modern- day church leaders like Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Creflo Dollar, and Joyce Meyer teach versions of this false doctrine. It is the exact opposite of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a different doctrine that does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 6:3). It is a genie- in- a- bottle approach to God. It is so tempting to fall into this teaching. It sounds so good. God wants to bless you, they say. God wants you to be happy. Both of these statements are true. But the way this belief says you get blessing and happiness is by believing enough that God will give them to you. This creates a problem. It takes away God s sovereign freedom by putting him inside a lamp to be rubbed whenever we need him. God is not a genie in a lamp that answers our prayers like wishes. And he is most definitely not our prisoner. As prevalent and alluring as this false teaching is, it is not new. Paul saw the same thing in Ephesus. He saw people who were trying to wrongly make money from
the Christian faith. Paul says they were imagining that godliness is a means of gain (1 Tim. 6:5). They desired to obey God so that he would give them the money they wanted. They wanted to use God as a means to an end, or like a genie to grant their wildest wishes. Enter, Paul. Paul gives two major reasons why we must avoid false teachings like the prosperity gospel. One reason we must avoid the prosperity gospel is that the desire for riches is deceiving and leads to destruction. Paul says, those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction (1 Tim. 6:9). Desiring to be rich leads to an unhealthy love for money, which is the root of all kinds of evils (1 Tim. 6:10). Having the best toys, coolest clothes, and newest video games may seem like the best thing for you. But Paul says this is a trap. Wanting to have all kinds of stuff can lead to greed, which actually drains any satisfaction out of your heart. It is ironic. The more you try to fill your life with money and stuff, the more empty you will feel. The second reason Paul gives to avoid the desire for riches is that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim. 6:6). Greed is not only sinful; its just not enough. It is foolish to pursue riches because not only are they a trap, but also they are not enough to satisfy your soul. Money can buy you a lot of things, but it cannot buy you joy and happiness. Only God can fill your heart with the joy you seek. So, while the false teachers try to use God to get filthy rich, Paul says we should seek riches in God. We should be content with what God has blessed us with and find satisfaction and joy in living godly lives. Only in the God of the Bible, not in a genie in a lamp can we find true riches in heaven that are far greater than even our wildest wishes for riches on earth. Wednesday Devotion (1 Tim. 6:11-12) When many people think of Christianity they think about people sitting quietly in churches, following all the rules, and not speaking out of turn. People think of weakness when they think of Christians. Major themes in Christianity include love and peace. So, it may seem surprising that the image Paul uses to describe the Christian life is that of a fight. Paul encourages Timothy to fight the good fight of the faith (1 Tim. 6:12). The language is intense. The Christian life is not a passive experience that involves just sitting silently in a pew. The Christian life is a spiritual fight for godliness and the gospel. It involves actively dying to yourself and bringing the light of Christ into the darkest places of the earth. Paul did this himself. We can learn a lot what the end of the good fight looks like by listening to his experience. Paul would later write to Timothy, For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Tim. 4:6-7). The Christian life is a race, a fight to keep the faith in a world filled with sin and suffering. There are two primary ways to fight this fight. Christians do not fight with fists or weapons. Christians fight by fleeing and following. First, Christians fight the good fight by fleeing sin. In verse 11, Paul writes, But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. The things Timothy is to flee are the teachings and beliefs of the false teachers.
Christians are soldiers who fight for godliness. And one way to fight is to flee. When it comes to sin, we often think we can withstand its lure. We convince ourselves that we won t make fun of that lonely kid in class when we sit with our friends who always make fun of him. Paul shows us that sin is not a plaything. You don t mess around with sin. Playing with sin is like playing with fire. If your house caught fire, you would not stick around to check out the flames. You would run as fast as you possibly could as far as your legs could take you away from the fire. This is the attitude we should take toward sin. While fire can destroy your home and even kill you, sin can separate you from God forever. So, part of fighting the good fight is running as fast as you can and as far as you can from sin. Another way to fight the good fight is to follow Christ. Do you see that the Christian life is not for wimps? The Christian life requires grace- empowered work. Not only are we to flee sin, we are to follow the Savior. Paul gives us six things to pursue. The first two things Christians are to pursue are righteousness and godliness. Righteousness includes righteous conduct and being fair when dealing with others. Godliness involves obedience to God. Christians are called to pursue a godly life, a life that pleases God. The next two things Christians are to pursue are faith and love. We are called to demonstrate faithfulness and love both to God and others. Finally, Christians are to pursue steadfastness and gentleness. Steadfastness is an attitude that says, I won t quit! I won t back down! In the face of hard temptation, it is vital to be steadfast in your commitment to follow Christ. Gentleness is the quality of soft and tender self- control in dealing with people. As we pursue or chase these things, we are not doing so in order to be better people. We pursue these virtues and flee sin so that we may be more in tune with Jesus. So, as we depend on Christ to flee and follow, we grow closer to Christ as we fight the good fight. Little soldier of God, fight the good fight of the faith by fleeing sin with all your might and following Christ with all your heart. Thursday Devotion (1 Tim. 6:13-16) Your heart is pumping. Hands sweating. Mind racing. Your focus could not be more steady. The room is filled with 14 other guys, but no sound is made. I remember playing in the 13 th Region Boys Basketball Championship game like it was yesterday. The winner went on to play in the State Tournament at Rupp Arena. The loser went home and their season was over. After pre- game warmups, I remember waiting with my teammates in the locker room for our coach to come in for one last speech before the game began. We had prepared all season for that moment. We wanted that championship more than anything. We were ready to play, but we were nervous about what was at stake. Our entire season was on the line. With all these thoughts racing through our minds, our coach paced back and forth in front of us as he prepared to pump us up for the game. Even though my teammates and I were ready to play, we needed that last bit of encouragement and motivation to run out on that floor with confidence. The apostle Paul does a very similar thing for Timothy. He is bringing his letter to
a close. The buzzer is about to sound for the game to begin. The ball is about to be thrown up for tip- off. Timothy is going to have to put into practice all that Paul has taught him. He is actually going to have to face these false teachers. Talk is cheap. But the encouragement and motivation Paul is about to offer Timothy and us is eternally valuable. Paul writes, I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 6:12-14). Paul s motivational charge to Timothy is backed up by the two greatest witnesses in the world. He calls on the life- giving power of God the Father and the courageous faithfulness of God the Son to encourage Timothy to keep the commandment. Timothy should not fear his enemies in Ephesus or sin in his life because God is the one who gives life. He preserves and maintains life and Timothy s life is in his hands. He can fearlessly fight the good fight because God is the one who is sovereign, or in control, of life and death. Paul also calls Jesus as a witness. Timothy was to be encouraged by Christ s presence and his example. Jesus had already stood boldly before Pontius Pilate, the man who sentenced him to death, and kept the commandment. He did not abandon the faith. Jesus fought the good fight. So, Timothy is to see in Christ an example of boldness and courage to face enemies of the gospel. The essence of Paul s charge to Timothy conveys the message of the entire letter. Keeping the commandment refers to guarding the gospel from enemies. Remember, Paul is nearing the end of his life and he has been the primary human leader of the church at this point in history. He wants to ensure the gospel continues to flourish in generations to come. So, Timothy is to keep this commandment or guard the gospel for the rest of his life. The good fight does not end when you grow tired or weary. The good fight is a fight for life. Timothy is to guard the gospel until the return of Christ (1 Tim. 6:14). My basketball coach that night of the championship game closed his motivational speech by reminding us of the great players who had played for our school in years past and said that we can join their greatness by winning. Nothing more needed to be said. Paul closes his charge to Timothy with even greater vigor than my coach did. He closes his charge with an awesome expression of praise: he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen (1 Tim. 6:15-16). I can just see Timothy grinning from ear to ear with chills running up his spine as he read this. Read it for yourself and see if you experience something like that. To know that one day you will be in the full, unhindered presence of the only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is the greatest encouragement and motivation for fighting the good fight. Friday Devotion (1 Tim. 6:17-21) Paul concludes his first letter to Timothy with two final exhortations or commands one to those who are rich in the Ephesian church and one to Timothy. At
the beginning of chapter six, Paul warned against desiring to be rich. He said that wanting a lot of money and wanting a lot of the things money can buy is a snare or a trap that can lead to sin and ultimate destruction (1 Tim. 6:9-10). This is because love for money can lead you away from contentment in Christ and his gospel. However, money itself is not bad. It is not bad to earn money. In fact, Paul has already argued that it is good for the church to pay its pastors (1 Tim. 5:17-18). Money and material things when rightly used are not only not sinful, but can even be used to glorify God. The question is, How can we use our money to glorify God and not ourselves? The first thing we can do is to not be prideful with our money. Paul writes, As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty (1 Tim. 6:17). This means if you get a new pair of shoes for your birthday, you can be excited about them without bragging. Bragging about your new shoes shows you have too much love for them. Having a lot of money or a lot of stuff is a gift from God. It is God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17). Do you see that? Everything God gives us is for our joy. When we take this in consideration with his prohibition of desiring to be rich, we can conclude that when God is our ultimate treasure, we can properly enjoy his other gifts. So, when we receive new shoes or a new basketball, we shouldn t brag about our stuff on Facebook, Instagram, or at school the next day. Instead, we should brag on God for showering us with good gifts. Money and material things should be received with humility, knowing they are gifts from God. Another thing we can do to use our money and material things to glorify God and not ourselves is to give generously to others. Paul says those who are rich are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share (1 Tim. 6:18). It is not enough to sit back and enjoy every cent that you ever earn. To glorify God with your money means to give generously to those in need. By doing so, you will be storing up treasure for yourself in heaven (1 Tim. 6:19). The same is true for your material things. For example, a way you can be rich in good works is to share the things you have, like toys and electronic devices, with other kids in your class that do not have things like that. If your earthly treasury is full, your heavenly treasury will be empty. Finally, Paul closes his letter with one final word for his son in the faith. It is one final reminder to guard the deposit (1 Tim. 6:20). For every believer, the gospel is not just something to believe, but something to carry with them. If you have trusted Jesus for salvation, you have been entrusted with the gospel. As Christians, we are to fight the good fight by guarding this deposit, not allowing anyone to break in and steal it or destroy it. Young Christian, you have been entrusted with the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16). Fight the good fight. Guard the gospel. For the sake of God s fame in the world. For the sake of the joy of all peoples in the world.
SING Some families love to worship through song. If this is your family, I wanted to suggest a song that goes perfectly with the passage for study this week. If you would like to use it to sing as a family, I will include a link below and on the First Kids Facebook page. The Glory of the Cross was written by one of my favorite songwriters, Bob Kauflin. It is a praise of the death of Christ in the place of sinners. The basis of the good fight is the substitutionary death of Christ for sinners. So, as you prepare your heart this week to fight for godliness, worship in amazement that God would send his Son to save you from your sin. What righteousness was there revealed That sets the guilty free That justifies ungodly men And calls the filthy clean? A righteousness that proved to all Your justice has been met And holy wrath is satisfied Through one atoning death Follow this link to find the song and lyrics: http://www.sovereigngracemusic.org/songs/the_glory_of_the_cross/39