Financial Contentment - 1 Timothy 6 - 11/23/08
Join me in turning to the book of 1 Timothy, chapter 6. Timothy is towards the end of the New Testament, in the second half of the Bible. We have been going through this book together. Today, we finish up with chapter 6. Remember we looked in verse 6: But godliness with contentment is great gain.
We saw that this is a letter from the Apostle Paul to Timothy, his young protegé. Paul left Timothy at Ephesus to straighten out the problems in the church there. Ephesus was a city filled with idol worship, sexual immorality, and false teachings. Timothy was a young man and Paul gives him this letter to encourage him to keep on going. Paul has given Timothy practical lessons about godliness -- or “god-like-ness” - what it looks like for us to live like God in day to day life; how we live a life that is pleasing to God.
And God tells us here in verse 6 that we need two things in life: godliness -- a life lived according to God’s plan, and also contentment - to be at peace with what God brings into our life. We mentioned that godliness starts in the heart. We don’t just want to DO the right thing, but we want to serve God from a loving heart that desires to please Him. And we want to be content in what God sees fit to bring into our lives. We see here in this chapter three areas we need contentment.
First, We need Contentment in our Work. Paul writes in verse 1 - All who are under the yoke of slavery should consider their masters worthy of full respect. We mentioned last time we looked here that Contentment is found when you view your work as service to God. And we saw that Godliness is shown when we offer respect to our bosses. How do we do that? By being a good worker. We show godliness by working well.
Paul continues on to address a second area of contentment: We need Contentment in our Faith. He writes in verse 3: If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.
The truth is that there WERE those teaching false doctrines in the church. And many of them were seeking to grow rich by teaching new, interesting, feel good teachings. They were not biblical, they were not from God, but somehow these false teachers developed a following and they wanted to grow rich through it. And that mentality is abundant in the church today. Just turn on the radio or tv, and you’ll see self-proclaimed evangelists leading ministries that provide them with an excessive amount of cash.
One well-known woman tv teacher -- you’d recognize her name in an instant -- takes an annual salary of $900,000; in addition to $450,000 paid to her husband and in addition to what her children are paid from the ministry. False teachers say it’s God’s desire to make us wealthy. And they call for you to show your “faith” by giving whatever you have. I saw one article about a man who gave away his house and car to one of these charlatans. I have in my files a little “gold book” from Rev. Ewing -- I use the name “reverend” facetiously - that’s what he calls himself. :His little gold book is really a payment book that you use to send in your seed faith gift: if you want a million dollars, then send him a thousand dollars. It sounds like a deal! In fact he has testimonials - Ernest J. from Dayton says “ I sent my check to Rev. Ewing and the next week I got a new Cadillac.” And many Christians fall for these liars, these deceivers hook, line, and stinker!
Let’s be clear what the scripture says: they “have been robbed of the truth and ... think that godliness is a means to financial gain.” The truth is, following God faithfully will not bring you financial gain. It may, God has blessed some with riches, but it may not. Paul tells of his earthly reward for following godliness: Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. And if that’s what happened to Paul, what makes us think we will get rich.
We need to learn to be content with our faith. We follow the word of God as an authority on our life, and we don’t seek to get rich because we are Christians. We will get rich one day, but it’s like the bumper sticker says, “Christians’ retirement benefits are out of this world!” But it may not be in this life. Part of contentment in our faith is not seeking a preacher who will just tell us what we want to hear. Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 4 - For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to hear an enjoyable teacher; just don’t fall into the trap of listing to a particular radio or tv preacher because he avoids the subjects that convict you of sin. We need to hear the whole counsel of God.
So Paul tells us, we need contentment in our work, contentment in our faith - we follow God because He is right and true, not because we will ever get rich for following Him, and now the main point of this chapter,
We need Contentment in our Finances. Everywhere we look, on tv, in magazines, on billboards, in all forms of advertising, we are told we need the “American Dream” - we need to become wealthy. And most of America is chasing after elusive riches. The writer of Proverbs reminds us, Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. And many people in this country have seen their riches fly away. Many people could testify of the 10’s to 100’s of thousands of dollars they have lost in the last year off their pensions, retirement account, or investments. There are many who chase after riches, but those who do are not wise. Paul reminds Timothy in verse 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. 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. The love of money will destroy you.
It will destroy you financially -- either you will be so driven to be rich that you have no time for the truly valuable things in your life - God, family, relationships, serving others -- , or you will gamble to “hit it big” and get deeply in over your head in debt. Don’t ever think a trip to the Casino is all about winning it big. Casinos are money-making industries that destroy those with a desire for riches.
But the love of money will also destroy you in other ways. It will tear apart your marriage. It takes you away from family. It will cause you to be unethical in your business dealings. You will sacrifice your honesty, integrity, and good name for a few meaningless dollars.
If you want to see the curse of greed, look back in 2 Kings 5 at the story of Gehazi, the servant of Elisha. He ends up with leprosy as a result of his greed. What does greed bring? James 4 reminds us: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? And the answer is YES, they do. You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. Greed brings a lot of quarreling, arguing, and fighting with others.
Look at God’s call to us here in verse 11: But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Paul says we are to flee from chasing after riches. Why? Because the secret to godliness is contentment, not having riches, and not being poor. Prov. 30:7-9 tells us, Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. God reminds us here to seek what He has for us daily. How do we do that? First, through prayer, turning to God every day. Pray about the financial decisions you make. Don’t just buy things on impulse. Seek God’s direction about spending. Second, we seek God by walking in the Spirit. Galatians 5 - If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Far too often we separate our lives into the spiritual -- we put that mode on on Sunday mornings -- and the rest of the week we live in the secular mode -- we pray before meals and at bedtime, but live our lives independent of God. But God desires to be active in our lives every day.
Every day, we need to look to God se we can lead lives of contentment, because the lure and temptation of riches is constantly before us. One of our favorite verses - Philippians 4:13 - is really given in the context of contentment: I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. We often quote this verse to say God can give us the strength to handle any problem, any difficult situation. But Paul really is giving this verse to say that no matter how much we have, God can help us to be content!
What is Paul saying here? Whether he has a lot or a little, he CAN be content, because God will give him strength to BE content regardless his material wealth. The secret of godliness when it comes to our finances is contentment with what we have! There’s nothing wrong with seeking to make money; but we don’t ever want to fall into Satan’s trap of being controlled by a desire for riches. And let’s recognize that it IS a trap - Satan is intentionally out to get us to fall in the area of money. That’s why a lot of the fights you’ll face in your marriage will be over money. Our discontent often comes because of desire for more money and the things that money can buy.
But, Paul’s advice to Timothy is this: flee, pursue, fight, take hold of -- all action words. We need to take action to make sure we don’t fall into the snare of greed. Satan tempts us -- he waves a carrot in front of us; he’s just waiting for us to take the bait so he can strangle us. But we need to fight back; we need to take action. How do we do this? Not by just praying. Prayer is good, and we should pray, but we need to take action to make sure we don’t get snared by greed.
So, what action do we need to take to excape the trap of greed?
1. Think rightly about getting money - To keep from falling into Satan’s trap, we need right thinking. We have seen this principle over and over again: Right thinking brings right action. So what do we need to believe is true about our money. And let’s come back to basics: whatever the Bible says is true, whether we really believe it or not. But to escape the trap of greed, we need to admit that what God tells us is true. The first thing he says is this: we need to . . .
• view riches as temporary - look in verse 7 - For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. Let’s remember that riches are fleeting. Proverbs 23 reminds us, Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. Look at the stock market lately -- many have lost vast fortunes in a matter of months. So we need to hold on to riches loosely. And when we view our riches as temporary, we will be much better able to share with others. The mark of viewing riches as temporary is the ability to give up personal assets to meet the needs of others. Remember the example of the early church: No-one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. Because our riches do not last, we hold loosely to them. Second, as we think about finances, we need to . . .
• value contentment over conquest - in verse 8, Paul says, But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. So many people in this world are driven by success. But remember what Jesus says in Mark 8 - What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Riches are worthless in light of eternity. When you die, it all passes on to someone else. Remember the man in Luke who said, I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God.”
All you money will do you no good when you die. Tony Campolo was telling a story once of a man who was a multi-millionaire, who when he died had just pennies left to his name. Someone overcome with the story called out, “Wow, what great timing!” We don’t need to stockpile wealth. Let’s value contentment over conquest. And they way we do that is to prioritize what is truly valuable in our lives. Take some time to sit down and identify what is truly important in life. When Tony Northcutt was dying, his wife Mikki said that that whole ordeal helped her to identify what was truly valuable in life. And it’s not money.
I remember when I worked doing industrial insulation, often there was overtime work on the weekends. Many people would choose to work on Sunday and make double-time. I chose to take Sunday to worship, and I passed up the overtime. Worship was more of a priority for me than money. Next,
• Confront the pull of riches - verse 12 tells us we need to fight against the pull of finances on us. Verse 9 says it’s a trap. If we are going to win the fight, we need to admit that we have the desire for wealth. Sometimes we try to tell ourselves that we really don’t care. Instead, we need to admit that we are tempted and enticed by riches, and fight against that lure. We do that by taking time to evaluate our attitudes. We need to ask questions like, Why am I buying this? Do I really need it or am I simply buying it to feel good? One of the best things you can do is delay purchases and don’t allow yourself to buy on impulse. We have a generation that says when you want to feel good, go buy something for yourself, whether you need it or not. And that is just giving in to the seduction of wealth. Instead, fight against it and handle money wisely. Next,
• Love People more than money - In verse 18, Paul says Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. Our priority should not be money, but people. Jesus said the whole OT law could be summarized in loving God and loving others as yourself. When it comes to buying something for ourselves, we aren’t stingy. And when we love others as ourselves, we care more about the good of the person than we do the price tag attached. The way we show this is through generosity. Prov. 22:9 says, A generous man will himself be blessed.
When we were first engaged, I had bought a very special engagement ring for Ronda. I picked the stone out separately. I checked out most every jeweler in the southeastern quarter of PA. I designed the ring and had a jeweler custom-make the ring. There’s not another one like it anywhere in the world. It’s one of a kind - just like her. But one day I went over to her house, and she hid her face in the couch and started saying, “you’re going to hate me.” I didn’t know what to expect. She then said how she had been doing finger-painting at school and had washed the ring down the drain when she was cleaning up. I compassionately said that it was OK and that we could get another ring. She then said April Fools and something about me bing no fun because I didn’t get mad at her. That’s why she was hiding her face in the pillows, so she could keep from laughing. But I showed her that SHE was more important than any ring. We need to love people more than money.
So, we need to think rightly about treasure. Very quickly two more points: We need to
2. Think Rightly about investing - look in verse 19 - we are called to lay up a treasure in heaven. It’s what Jesus said in Matthew 6:19 - Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Some people get so worked up about making money here on earth, but they never think about investing their money to get eternal dividends. How do we build treasure in heaven? Paul tell us - vs 18 again - Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. And he says when we do this, we make a deposit in our heavenly savings account. Paul says in verse 19, we are making a foundation for the future. If you want to invest to make sure you have wealth in the future, don’t just look 30 years ahead, look 300 years ahead! Paul says in verse 20, when we invest for eternity, that’s really living! That is the life that is truly life.
We are truly alive when we live in light of eternity! There is a film with Nicolas Cage called the Family Man about a wall street stock broker, who loses everything one day and sees what life could have been like for him. He thought he had a good life with all his wealth, until he saw the relationships he could have had. And then he is willing to give up everything to have relationships that truly matter.
And the last thing this morning, we need to
3. Think Rightly about Accounting - here on earth we meet with our accountant or financial advisor to make sure our accounts are still in good standing. But one day each one of us here will stand before God and give an account of every investment we have made. 2 Cor. 5:10 says, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due to him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Whether good or worthless. Live your life so that when you stand before God He will be able to say “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
When we view finances rightly, we will learn to be content. And when we are content with what we have, we will be thankful. One of the greatest reasons we fail to be thankful is because we are discontent. This week as we celebrate Thanksgiving and all of God’s blessings on our lives, let’s prepare for the holiday by re-examining our lives, and making sure we are content with work, with our faith, and with our finances. Godliness with contentment is great gain. Let’s pray.
