Sermon Tone Analysis

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

[1]

It was Thanksgiving, 1972 or 1973, I don’t exactly remember.

I was in the midst of doctoral studies, responsible for the animals used in my studies.

This required daily care; and thus, though it was a holiday, I was compelled to go to the medical school early on Thanksgiving morning to tend to my animals.

The cages needed to be cleaned, the animals fed and watered and perform a visual check of their general condition.

When I entered the laboratories, I met two fellows—one a post-doctoral fellow and the other a pre-doctoral fellow.

These men were students from a foreign land.

Because they spoke the same language, they had become friends despite the disparity in their educational position at that time.

I asked them why they were in the laboratories on a holiday.

Henry, the older of the two, said, “We have nowhere to go and nothing else to do, so we are just working today.”

I hurried back to my laboratory when all my responsibilities had been fulfilled so that I could phone Lynda.

Would she accept me bring home a couple of guests.

She hesitated only a moment before agreeing.

She cautioned that we didn’t have much, but we would share what we had with these foreign students.

The meal was quite simple, because we were surviving on a pre-doctoral fellow’s income.

There were a few potatoes, frozen vegetables and mock-ham salad (from bologna, at that time a staple in our home).

Lynda had splurged to buy a small toupee ham—a rare luxury for us, but it was Thanksgiving, after all.

After returning grace and passing the first dish to our guests, I noticed that Henry’s eyes were moist.

“Is everything alright, Henry?”

I asked.

Looking at what we thought was a rather meagre meal, the young man commented, “I am overwhelmed at how rich you are.

We would never see so much food at one time back home.”

His comment definitely took Lynda and me by surprise.

He continued by stating that in his home, they saved elastic bands, string, plastic in order to reuse these common packaging items.

“We even save the rice sacks,” he stated, “lest we should one day have nothing with which to cover our shame.”

His fellow student was vigorously nodding his head in agreement.

“You are so wealthy,” he said.

I didn’t detect a hint of envy; only a sense of astonishment at what appeared to him to be overwhelming abundance.

“You are so wealthy.”

That shared meal, and the conversation was an eye-opener for me; I was transformed by the discussion that Thanksgiving day.

I had grown up in what many would consider poverty.

My dad was a blacksmith who had been severely injured in the war.

He eked out a meagre income sharpening plowshares, sharpening sickles and shoeing horses and mules.

He did some welding.

We raised chickens and a few pigs.

From about eight years of age onward, I purchased my own clothing for school, and paid for whatever entertainment I might enjoy.

I suppose my family was poor by modern standards, though we didn’t know we were poor.

We had a water line that brought water to a single tap in our kitchen.

It would need to be thawed several times during the winter because it would freeze.

Someone would crawl under the house, wrap paper around the line and set it on fire.

Otherwise, there would be no water until spring.

We had an outdoor toilet; it didn’t freeze up.

Our house had four rooms—two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room.

Nevertheless, we had love and we were content.

I said all this by way of insisting that I am not wealthy, nor have I ever been wealthy!

I suspect that each individual to whom I am speaking this day would make similar assertions.

We are not wealthy!

We don’t think of ourselves as wealthy!

However, when compared to those living in the most of the world, we are fabulously wealthy.

Even our poor have automobiles, microwave ovens, large-screen televisions and computers.

The majority of inhabitants of this fallen world do not enjoy such luxuries.

Let’s admit a disconcerting truth—we are wealthy.

Perhaps we are not wealthy when comparing ourselves to other Canadians; but when we compare ourselves to the majority of people living in this world, we are wealthy.

In light of this truth, the statements Paul makes about wealth are worthy of our serious consideration.

These are not accusations!

They are instructions to be obeyed if we treasure the smile of Heaven.

If we simply allow what Paul has written to slide off our lives, assuming he is speaking to someone else, we will miss a wonderful opportunity to discover what pleases the Master.

Join me, then, in examining the Apostle’s instructions to a rich people.

*HAUGHTY?

WHO, ME?* — “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty.”

I’ve already alluded to the fact that you and I are rich.

However, it will be beneficial if we nail down this fact.

In order to do that, we need to think about what is necessary in order to be rich.

There will always be some argument about the amounts that qualify an individual as rich, but if we can fix in our minds the conditions for richness, we can perhaps see matters from God’s perspective.

The poverty line is a moving target for governments, so the wealth line will likely be a moving target for us.

Rich, in New Testament terms, is a spiritual condition.

A matter of a paragraph before our text for this day, the Apostle had penned a blunt statement of fact and a warning to readers.

It will be beneficial to refresh our memories of what he wrote.

“Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

But 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.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils.

It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” [1 TIMOTHY 6:6-10].

You will remember that we explored this passage in an earlier message.

[2]

The Greek term translated into English as “contentment” (/autárkeia/) conveys the meaning of “sufficiency” or “adequacy,” and thus came to mean “contentment.”

It describes a state of one who supports himself without aid from others.

[3] It speaks of satisfaction in one’s circumstance or position in life.

This is truly wealth!

As Christians, we are to find our sufficiency in Christ, though we are attracted by the baubles of this dying world.

In the Second Corinthian Letter, the Apostle has written, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.”

“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God” [2 CORINTHIANS 9:8-12].

Some professed ministers of the Gospel of Christ misapply this rich promise, twisting it to transform it into a promise of personal enrichment in this life—they are focused on the accumulation of worldly wealth.

In recent times, some presumed preachers of the Word spoke of “seed faith,” as they encouraged followers to send money as though planting for a harvest.

However, it should be evident that the enrichment is to permit generosity—generosity that permits the congregation to reach beyond itself.

Take note of a point that is easily overlooked when reading from an English translation.

Throughout, Paul uses the second person plural pronoun emphasising his focus on the congregation.

Was I speaking in a church located in the southern United States, I would read, “God is able to make all grace abound to you-all.”

Then, in verse ten, I would read, “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply you-all’s seed for sowing and to increase you-all’s harvest of righteousness.”

This is a congregational promise.

Beyond this, the verbs in verses eight and eleven are second person plural, indicating that the promise is that the congregation will abound in every good work and that the congregation will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way; there is no promise of personal enrichment.

Elsewhere, Paul thanks the Philippians for providing moneys for his team, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me.

You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound.