Sermon Tone Analysis

God's Will for Our Wealth

I Timothy 6:17-19

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - May 3, 2015

*Are you rich? -- Most of us would say, "I sure don't feel rich."

But think about it.

In 2009, "Parade Magazine" reported that if all of the money in the world was spread out evenly, it would just be $9,000 per person.

And for half the world's people that would be more that 12 years of income.

For many it would be a lot more than 12 years income.

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*Are we rich?

-- Years ago, Lucy Pearson at Clemson wrote this comparison of the world's population: If the whole world only had 100 people: One half of the entire world's wealth would be held in the hands of only 6 people, 70 would not be able to read, 50 would suffer from malnutrition, 80 would live in sub-standard housing with no plumbing or electricity, and only 1 would have a college education.

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*Are we rich?

-- Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus with a question about eternal life.

And after studying that story, William Boice wrote the following prayer:

"Dear Lord, I have been re-reading the record of the rich young ruler and his obviously wrong choice.

But it has set me thinking.

No matter how much wealth he had, he could not ride in a car, have any surgery, turn on a light, buy penicillin, hear a pipe organ, watch TV, wash dishes in running water, type a letter, mow a lawn, fly in an airplane, sleep on an innerspring mattress, or talk on the phone.

-- If he was rich, then what am I? (3)

*Church: We may not feel rich.

But compared to most of the people who have ever lived, we are incredibly wealthy.

What is God's will for rich people like us?

The Word of God shows us.

1. First: choose humility over being haughty.

*As Paul said in the first part of vs. 17: "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty. .

."

*Don't be haughty, arrogant, highminded or proud.

Paul is talking about people who are conceited, people who think they are better than others, people who are in love with themselves, people who don't understand that every good gift and every perfect gift comes from God.

*He's talking about people with excessive and unrestrained self-esteem.

In this Scripture the focus is on wealth.

But why are we wealthy people tempted to think too highly of ourselves?

*Pastor Coty Pinckney explained: "We are tempted to believe that we deserve whatever we have, and to think that people who have less than us are not as smart, not as hardworking, or not as talented as we are."

*Coty added this: "Of course it's true that a talented, hard working, wise spender, smart saver is generally going to have more than a lazy, reckless spender."

But we must never forget the place of grace in our lives.

*Christians: We know that the greatest place of grace in our lives is our salvation:

8.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9. not of works, lest anyone should boast.

(Eph 2:8&9)

*But God have given so much more grace in our lives:

-Were you born in the USA? -- That's grace.

-Were you raised in a Christian home -- Grace.

-Were you blessed with good health?

-- Grace.

-Did you have some excellent teachers?

-- Grace.

-And did you meet people along the way who helped you get where you are today?

-- That's God's amazing grace!

*Pastor Coty gave an example to help us understand.

He said, "Some of hardest working, financially wise people I know are East African farmers.

And their hard work and good investments have indeed improved their lot.

But because of poor government and their initial poverty, these people are still among the very poor.

They have to raise a large family while earning only $3 or $4 a day."

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*Don't you see?

Every good thing we have really is a gift from God.

And it's only by His grace that we have anything at all.

*In Deuteronomy 8:14-18, God warned His people about getting lifted up with pride, when they were prosperous.

In the New Living Translation, Moses said:

14. "Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt.

15.

Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry.

He gave you water from the rock!

16.

He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors.

He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.

17.

He did all this so you would never say to yourself, 'I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.'

18. Remember the LORD your God.

He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath."

*In 1 Timothy 6, Paul focused on pride coming from our wealth.

But this kind of pride can rise out of beauty, strength, skill, intelligence, success, family, nationality, even religion.

Remember that pride was the original sin.

All of the hurt that has ever come into this world -- came because Satan was lifted up with pride.

And all of us are subject to pride from time to time.

*Don Shula was the legendary coach of the Miami Dolphins for many years.

Ordinarily he is known as a very humble man, but Shula told about the time his pride got the best of him.

*He and his wife went to a small town in Maine to avoid being noticed on their vacation.

They went to see a movie on a rainy, messy night.

And when they walked in, the people began to applaud.

The famous coach whispered to his wife, "I guess there's no place we can go where people won't recognize me."

*Don sat down and shook hands with the man on his row.

Then the famous coach said, "I'm surprised you knew who I am."

The man replied, "I'm supposed to know who you are?

We're just glad you came in because the manager wasn't going to start the movie unless there were ten people here."

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*We all can get lifted up with pride, but God says: Choose humility over being haughty.

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He also wants us to trust in our God more than our gold.

*Again in vs. 17, God's Word says: "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy."

Notice here that it is foolish for us to put our trust in money, because riches are uncertain.

*And if you think about it, money is a heartless master.

Jesus put it this way in Matthew 6:24: "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and mammon."

*Mammon in this verse means "riches" or "treasure."

The NIV calls it "Money" with a capital "M".

A.T. Robertson tells us that this word "Mammon" comes from the Chaldee word for the money-god.

Robertson said: "The servant of mammon will obey mammon while pretending to obey God." (6)

*And the problem with serving Money is that money is a heartless master.

Money will always demand more of you, and make you desire more of it.

I once heard a quote from Ted Turner that went something like this: "I don't want to own all the ranches, just the ranches that are next to mine."

Do you see the trap?

Money is a heartless master that never says, "Enough."

*And we can't put our trust in money, because eventually it will let us down.

One person said: "Money talks: It says 'bye-bye.'"

And one day it will.

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*Proverbs 23:4-5 puts it this way.

4. Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease!

5. Will you set your eyes on that which is not?