PAUL’S PREACHING ON THE PURSE (PART TWO:) COMMANDMENTS FOR THE WEALTHY
1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19
Audio Link to listen to this sermon: http://chirb.it/aKzkh6
INTRODUCTION:
1.) This morning as we come to the end of 1 Timothy, we will pick up a theme we had started two weeks ago concerning Paul’s preaching on the purse.
A.) In particular we will see some commandments that Paul gives for the wealthy.
B.) As we look at this portion of Scripture I am sure that each one of us are saying to ourselves that none of what Paul has to say is applying to us because we are not that wealthy.
C.) Yet when we look at some of the figures we would be considered by the standards of the entire world to be among the wealthiest people on this earth.
2.) I would like to point out a few statistics on this:
A.) If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world.
B.) 80 percent of the world population lives on less than $10 a day.
C.) Nearly half of the world’s population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.
D.) More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty (less than $1.25 a day).
D.) A quarter of all humans live without electricity — approximately 1.6 billion people.
E.) Hunger is the number one cause of death in the world, killing more than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. (Sources: Global Issues, Statistic Brain, One, WFP
ea.) 22,000 children die each day due to poverty.
eb.) 870 million people worldwide do not have enough food to eat, and in 2011 165 million children under the age of 5 had stunted growth due to malnutrition. http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-global-poverty)
F.) Certainly there are many other figures we could point out, but these are sufficient to show the considerable level of wealth that we have.
I. COMMAND THE RICH NOT TO BE ARROGANT.
1.) When there is wealth, there is often an air of superiority that anyone else could have what we do, and if they do not it is their own fault.
A.) We do not always acknowledge that we are especially blessed, perhaps more so than other people who are not in the same status.
1.) Many times riches is equal to power.
A.) The very fact that Paul is giving the warning on the riches here shows that Ephesus was in a much different situation than many churches.
B.) In most of the Churches, those who were Christians were often the poorest of the poor.
ba.) Last week I mentioned about the Church at Smyrna.
bb.) That was a church which was commended for their faithfulness to God.
bba.) Yet like many of the New Testament churches they were in extreme poverty and this was partially because of having a faith in Jesus Christ.
C.) We know that Ephesus was one of the wealthiest cities of the day.
ca.) Usually those of the Christians were very poor, but it seems as though in Ephesus many of the church, like the city as a whole were very well to do.
cb.) We have seen of this wealth earlier in 1 Timothy when Paul addressed the women and the attire in which they would come together for worship.
D.) Paul is giving a warning to the Christians not to be arrogant, or to think they are better than other Christians because of their wealth.
da.) Among the Jews, the Pharisees, and others would have been fairly wealthy, and looked at that wealth as a reward for their relationship with God.
db.) Often when a person would have physical wealth, they would also exert power over others in the church.
dba.) Sadly, there were, and still can be class distinctions within the church based on the financial portfolio a person has.
dbb.) I have in the past shared with you of my home congregation, and the terrible thing they did when that building was built in 1887.
dbb-1.) As a congregational fund-raiser, they sold the pews to each family of the church. The closer to the front of the building, the higher the price, and the greater the person was considered to be in financial and social circles.
dc.) James also warned Christians on money and having undue status and power within the church because of that.
dca.) The warning was given to not give, have, or seek a special status in the church because of our financial status in the community.
II. COMMAND THE RICH NOT TO PUT THEIR HOPE IN WEALTH.
1.) Wealth is always uncertain. (1 Tim. 6:17a.)
A.) By our standards today, we may feel that wealth is more solid than in the Bible days.
B.) As we see from the writings of Scripture wealth in Bible days consisted largely of stores of food, clothing, etc.
ba.) Many times the wealthy would have stores of food they knew would rot before they could ever begin to eat, or the moths would eat their valuable clothes, etc.
bb.) Yet in the first century, these were considered investments, where you could put your money, and so many of the wealthy would keep far more than they would ever use, knowing full well, that some of it would later have to be thrown away because it has spoiled.
bc.) Even with the more precious metals, many of them would get tarnished, and it was also quite possible that thieves would break in and steal their goods.
bca.) James also warned about this.
bcb.) James 5:1-5
C.) we think that our investments and economy are more stable today than in the first century, but the reality is that any wealth of any person can disappear very suddenly, and almost without warning.
ca.) Investors found that in the 1930’s, as multi-millionaires lost everything they owned in days, hours, or even minutes.
cb.) I have spoken to a man who lived in Toronto at the time when the Great Depression hit.
cba.) He said of hearing a dull thud one day, only to find that it was someone who had been very wealthy had jumped from the roof of a building to his death when his money very quickly disappeared from his life.
cb.) The fragile and insecure nature of wealth was again made known just a few years ago in the Real Estate and banking scandals in the USA, and how so much of the economy, and so many businesses came to their collapse.
cc.) Even this past week there were shock waves as the shares of a once powerful technology company was greatly reduced and facing the possibility of financial ruin.
cd.) The reality is that any wealth including our own is lacking in stability, and can disappear overnight.
ce.) Knowing this, the Apostle Paul challenged Timothy to tell the church to put their hope where it would never be found to fail.
2.) Put their hope in God.
A.) It is God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
B.) Earlier, Paul had already given instructions to Timothy on the issue of money.
ba.) 1 Tim. 6:6, 10
C.) Paul’s teaching is again the idea of having a contentment from our relationship with God, rather than what we possess in this world.
ca.) As so many have found anything, and everything in this world will eventually fail. The only thing that will never fail is God himself.
cb.) The only thing in which we can place our hope, is the presence and the Power of God.
cc.) We need to have a hope firmly anchored in our relationship with God, not in material goods.
D.) Almost 150 years ago, the United States of America was involved in a time of civil war.
da.) As terrible as that time was, one of the blessings that came from it was that the United States came to its greatest time in itshistory as a nation of faith.
db.) During this time of civil war and high faith, many requests came to the government of the United States suggesting that the currency of the country reflect the nation’s faith in God, as a testimony to all who would see that money.
dc.) The first of these requests seems to have been in a letter dated November 13th, 1861 written to Salmon P. Chase the Secretary of the Treasury. by M. R. Watkinson, Minister of the Gospel from Ridleyville, Pennsylvania.
dd.) To change the motto on the coin required an act of congress. This was done, and the new 1864 two-cent coin bore on it the inscription “In God We Trust.”
de.) Over the next few years the same inscription was also added to other coins including the gold and silver coins.
df.)Almost a hundred years later, on July 30, 1956, President Eisenhower approved a Joint Resolution of the 84th Congress, declaring “IN GOD WE TRUST” the national motto of the United States.
dg.) One year later, in 1957, the United States began to print paper currency that also had that inscription on it.
(http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx)
E.) Certainly today, there are many that would like to have this motto removed from everything official of the United States.
F.)But in many ways this motto is a reflection of the same thoughts which the Apostle Paul was expressing to this young man Timothy.
fa.) Paul’s teaching was that contentment and the hope we are to have in life is to come from our relationship with God the creator, and
not as a result of the blessings that have come to us from the hand of God.
G.) This is such an important teaching that Paul told Timothy not just to warn the wealthy in this regard, but to actually command them to place God first in their lives.
III. COMMAND THE RICH TO DO GOOD. (1 Tim. 6:18)
1.) They are to be rich in good deeds.
A.) Paul has given a commandment from God for the rich to do good deeds.
aa.) Part of this is not to just allow let their money speak for them, but actually do good deeds themselves.
ab.) Sometimes if we have the financial means, it is easier to give some money to a person, or to a cause, than to actually have the interest in that person to give of our time, and life to bless that person by our presence, and interaction with them.
aba.) Sometimes we can appease our consciences by writing a cheque, to a person, or even a charity, when we ourselves would be far more blessed by making the decision to actually get involved in their lives, and/or ministries.
ac.) Money can be a great and powerful tool todo good in this world as we will see further down in this verse.
ad.) Yet at the same time, sometimes the greatest blessing to both them and ourselves is from being involved in a person’s life, and to see how God can use us to further His kingdom, and to be a blessing to those around us.
2.) They are to be generous.
A.) I want to be fair in my dealing with this commandment towards the rich.
B.) Certainly there are some who are millionaires, or greater that would be very tight and even greedy with their money.
C.) Yet having said that I would also state that I would know a number of millionaires that would be very generous, to give of their money to various individuals, charities, and worthy causes.
ca.) In as much as this generosity is a commandment of Scripture, it is much more than this.
cb.) To one whose heart has been given to Jesus Christ, the Scripture speaks of giving as something that can be a spiritual gift that God has given for the edification of the church.
cba.) If I was to ask you to name what God has given as spiritual gifts for the church most people would not list financial giving as being a spiritual gift from the hand of God.
cbb.) It might really surprise us to see that the Apostle Paul lists generosity as a spiritual gift for the building up of the church.
cbb-1.) Rom. 12:3-8
cbc.) The Word of God recognizes financial giving as something which can be a spiritual gift from God for the edification of the church.
cbc-1.)If giving itself is a spiritual discipline, than it is also quite possible that when God so gifts a person’s heart with a generous spirit, that God may also at times bless an individual financially, so that he or she can use this gift to bless the Church of Jesus Christ.
3.) They are to be willing to share.
4.) In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves
A.) As a firm foundation.
B.) For the coming age.
ba.) Matt. Matt. 6:19-21
C.) So that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
ca.) Note this final warning. We often think of money as that which gives us happiness, and real life.
cb.) In this entire 6th. chapter, Paul repeats a few times, that our real life, and our real happiness is going to come only from the contentment of have our hearts in alignment with God, and with his priorities.
CONCLUSION:
1.) As I bring this message to a close, I would just like to quickly summarize the teachings that Paul gives us on money in 1 Tim. 6 that we have looked at this morning, and also two weeks ago:
2. Two weeks ago we saw that Paul told us:
A.) Godliness will not necessarily equate itself in financial prosperity.
B.) Whatever our financial position in life, it is God’s will that we have contentment with Godliness.
C.) The third thing we saw was that money needs a caution warning attached to it because the Love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and it can itself become a god.
3.) Today as we have finished this 6th. chapter, Paul further warns us:
A.) we need to be careful lest our money makes us arrogant toward others.
B.) We are to put our hope in God, and not in our money.
C.) and we are not to use our abundance of money to replace our own acts of Godliness towards others.
