I Timothy 6: But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

I Timothy 6: But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.

I Timothy 6: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

I Timothy 6: 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. I Timothy 6:6 -12

#2 “You’ve Really Gotta Get This” Marks of a Man of God

How can you recognize God’s man/God’s woman?  What they flee from! I Timothy 6:11 “But flee from these things, you man of God…”  “Flee” is from the Greek word “pheugó”, from which the English word fugitive is derived.

It is imperative in the present tense - “flee now and keep on fleeing!”

The man of God is a lifelong fugitive, fleeing from the things that would destroy him.

I Corinthians 6:18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.

I Corinthians 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

II Timothy 3:2-5 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self- control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

I Timothy 6: 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. 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.

Run for your life man of God. Don’t ever be a slave again!

I Timothy 6:11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

I Timothy 6:11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

A man of God is known not only by what he runs from, but also by what he runs toward.

“Pursue” (diókó) is another present imperative, meaning there is to be a continuous nature to the pursuit. It is used to picture a predator who tracks it’s prey and must attain it’s goal in order to live.

The man of God is in a lifelong pursuit, seeking the virtues that will make his life powerful.

Righteousness here isn’t referring to “imputed” righteousness but to the practical righteousness exhibited in our lives. “impute”- attribute to someone by virtue of a similar quality in another. A declaration.

Righteousness here is not referring to our declared righteous state before God but the process whereby our daily lives purposefully conform to the character and righteousness of our God.

Proverbs 15:9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the L ORD, But He loves one who pursues righteousness.

Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied…” Matthew 5:20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven…”

Psalm 119:172 Let my tongue sing of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness. I John 3:10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

Godliness (eusebeia) is the spirit of holiness and reverence that motivates and directs righteous behavior.

The basic meaning of “eusebeia” is reverence for God.  The person characterized by “eusebeia” has a worshipping heart, and knows what it is to “live in the fear of the Lord always”. ( Prov 23:17 )

Righteousness and godliness are together the two indispensable qualities of a man of God, and yet they are our lifelong pursuit. We possess them andpursue them!

Righteousness and godliness are together the two indispensable qualities of a man of God, and yet they are our lifelong pursuit. We possess them andpursue them!

I Corinthians 9:27 …but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. II Timothy 2:21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

A powerful process… I Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

…because it does!