Pursue Great Wealth

INTRODUCTION:

Interest:

At home, I have several envelops and Ziplock bags that contain money. The money in the envelops are bills. The bills come in many of different sizes and colors. Some of the bills even have large numbers on them, numbers in the thousands. In the bags I have coins. The coins too come in a large variety of sizes and quite an array of metals. Each envelope and bag reflect currency from a country that I have visited. In some cases, I kept a small amount of currency to have as a souvenir. In other cases, it was simply left over, but not worth exchanging back to US currency because it was either a small amount or I expected to return to the country again.

The reason that I have money from all these countries is that it is necessary to have local currency when I travel. There are many places in every country that I have visited which will only accept the currency of that country; they will not take US dollars. I had to convert US dollars into the local currency. There are always places that will do that for me at the airport or at banks in the country, for a fee, of course. Once converted, I must work in the local currency which can be somewhat confusing. For example, if I were to travel back to Hungary this week, 1 US dollar would be worth about 292 Hungarian Forints. That same US dollar would be worth 1,324 Kyats in Myanmar but only 5 Reals in Brazil or 82 cents in Euros. The numbers associated with the value of the US dollar changes drastically based on where in the world I go. The various foreign currency can be confusing because I am used to working in US dollars, but it is necessary that I convert my currency to what is useful when traveling.

Involvement:

In a sense, we will see tonight, that we must have similar considerations about converting our currency as Christians. We work with the currency of this life now, but if it will be of any use in eternity, we will need to convert our money to something different.

Context:

This evening we are considering the final verses of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. We began looking at this letter back in May. Even though it is a short letter, it has taken us these several months to unpack what Paul has left behind in these words that he sent to Timothy.

By now we know that young Timothy was left to deal with issues in the church in Ephesus when Paul had to move on. Throughout the letter there have been a couple of dominant themes resulting from these issues. One, false teachers within the church had to be dealt with. Their false teaching was distorting the ministry focus of this church and endangering the gospel. Two, Timothy also needed to teach correct doctrine to the church. He had to do that through his personal example as well as his public proclamation.

Preview:

Tonight, I am really going to give us three mini-sermons. These final verses break into three rather independent sections. I could, I’m sure, come up with one generic idea that somewhat covered all three of them, but I’m not really sure what benefit that would have. Instead, I’ve decided that we won’t have one main lesson tonight, but we will consider a simple lesson from each section.

Transition from introduction to body:

The first section is the largest section this evening, verses 17–19. It is the section from which I took the title for this sermon. From these three verses we learn that…

BODY:

I. We must use our wealth generously.

Let’s read Paul’s instructions to Timothy…<read 1 Tim 6:17–19>.

It has been a few weeks since we looked at them, but you might remember that Paul had warned about the dangers of riches back in verses 9 and 10 before leaving Timothy with some final instructions. Even though the better part of a month has passed for us, for the original readers only a few moments would have passed since they heard that “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil.” Those words would have still been ringing in their ears. Also, there were probably some members in the church at Ephesus who were already rich people. Those rich people might be wondering now whether they were part of the problem simply because they are rich.

Paul is always pastoral in dealing with issues. He can be direct, but he also consistently demonstrates his concern for people. This concern leads him to add a few words to his warning about riches before he ends his letter lest those who are rich feel they are automatically condemned.

Transition:

From what Paul writes to Timothy, we can learn three principles about money ourselves, all of which show us that we must use our wealth generously. The first principle to recognize is that,…

A. Our money is from God.

In the first half of verse17, Paul identifies two hazards that rich people face. One, they run the risk in becoming conceited. It is easy for those who are wealthy to think that somehow they are better than all the people who have less. That thought quickly leads to arrogance and pride. Second, wealthy people also have the danger of thinking that their wealth will get them through every situation; they trust in their wealth coupled with their own abilities to use their wealth. The two hazards run together as arrogance causes rich people to trust in their money which ultimately means trusting in themselves.

Paul sets out to correct both ways of thinking by telling Timothy to teach rich people that everything is from God. They are wealthy because God has given them the wealth. Furthermore, their wealth is part of this present world. That means that its duration is just as uncertain as life itself. They are to trust in God who supplies the wealth, not in the wealth. God gives wealth. God takes wealth away. God gives life. God takes life away.

Application

Our money is from God. Do we really live as if we recognize that fact, because we are all wealthy? We can’t compare ourselves to the 1% of the wealthiest in America to conclude that God has not blessed all of us with riches. I have explained many times that by the standards of history and the standards of the modern world, all of us are wealthy. We have more spending power than any other generation in history and more than most places in the world. We have more money than is needed to supply food, shelter and clothing. We have so much money that we don’t have to work more than 1 job or more than 40-60 hours in a week. We are wealthy.

Illustration

Frankly, we demonstrated our relative wealth three weeks ago through our special Thanksgiving offering. In a single offering we collected over $3,500 to go toward the printing of Bibles. I was very excited by that offering. It was great! It also, though, demonstrates that compared to other parts of the world the amount of wealth God has given us as Americans. When I was in Myanmar, for example, the church there was 4 to 5 times the size of our church. And yet, the idea of raising $1,000 for a printing project, the printing of the first ever systematic theology in their language, was not even in the realm of possibilities.

We are wealthy. Yet we must recognize that all of our wealth is from God. He is the One who has richly supplied us.

Transition:

We must use our money generously. Our money is from God. Principle number 1 about money. Principle number 2,…

B. Our money is for using.

Throughout history there have always been those who teach that the secret to contentment, spirituality, and happiness is found in asceticism—the denial of all material things in life which might give ease, comfort, or pleasure. Asceticism takes the avoidance of self-indulgence to the extreme—think about the monk in the Middle Ages living in abbots without any heat.

Paul clearly brands such thinking here as another lie peddled by false teachers. God’s generosity is a blessing to His children; it is not something that should be shunned. Of course, that does not mean that Christians are to live self-indulgent lives. We have plenty of Scripture that demonstrates that self-indulgence is sinful. But that does not mean that we are to shun money. Rather we are to recognize that money, if we have it, is a blessing from God that expresses His generosity. We are to recognize that receiving it from Him places us into a stewardship position. We are to take what God has given and use it for enjoyment.

But how can we both enjoy our money and avoid self-indulgence at the same time? It seems like a paradox, doesn’t it? Enjoy your money. Do not indulge yourself with your money.

The answer to that paradox comes in verse 18 in which Paul gives four ways that wealthy people are use their wealth. In every case, the wealth is to be used by the wealthy for the benefit of others. Enjoyment comes through generously using what God has generously given to meet the needs of others. We are to “do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, to be ready to share.”

Illustration

Our offering for the BI project is an example of using our wealth generously. The money that our missions committee has set aside to cover the $1,000 printing in Myanmar is another example.

Application

Of course, we all need to examine our own personal use of the wealth that God has given us to ensure that we are using our money generously for others and not for self-indulgence.

Transition:

Our money is for using…for enjoying as we generously use it to bless others as God has blessed us. We are to use our wealth generously. The third principle regarding generous use of our money is that…

C. Our money is exchangeable.

The unexpected thing that happens when we use our money to benefit others is that doing so exchanges it from currency in this world to treasure for the future. Of course, Paul is writing metaphorically in verse 19; he is not talking about our money going through an actual currency exchange booth like what can be found in airports all over the world. What Paul means is that God considers our use of our wealth as rewardable because we are using it for His glory rather than our own self-indulgence.

In verse 12 Paul had advised Timothy to “take hold of the eternal life to which [he had been] called.” Now in verse 19, Paul uses that same expression to indicate that one of the ways that believers can take hold of our eternal life is using our wealth generously. When we use what God has given us generously, we are expressing through action that our ultimate hope is in God, not our wealth. We are trusting God with our future, looking to eternal life rather than present life.

Application

Are you a generous person? This is the time of year in which people tend to focus on generous activities; it is part of the Christmas tradition. For Christians, though, all year should be our generous time. We are to be always aware that God gave His own Son generously for our benefit—our salvation. We are to always recognize that our wealth is given to us so that we can use it to point others to Christ by reflecting God’s generous nature. We are to be exchanging our money for things of eternal value all year long, which means we must be generous.

What do you do when some extra money lands in your lap? Do you immediately think of what you want to buy for yourself? Or do you start wondering how you can use that money to benefit others? Do you think about what you might do with that money to further the cause of Christ?

Transition:

Our money is exchangeable? Are you exchanging it for eternal treasure or hoarding it for the here and now?

Paul’s first paragraph tonight is all about money, wealth. We have seen that we must use our wealth generously. Three principles: our money is from God, our money is for using, and our money is exchangeable. We must use our wealth generously. Are you using your wealth generously?

I probably could have expanded this first paragraph into a full sermon, but I want to finish this letter tonight. Moving on to our second mini-sermon, in verses 20 through the bulk of verse 21 we are reminded one last time that…

II. We must maintain doctrine diligently.

Read along with me…<read 1 Tim 6:20–21a>.

In verse 13, Paul began to give Timothy a final, solemn charge. Verses 17–19 about wealth were a bit of a digression as he realized that he needed to assure that the rich people in Ephesus that their money wasn’t necessarily a problem, they could be both wealthy and godly. Now, though, he shifts back to closing out the letter by repeating his charge to Timothy.

One thing that is surprising as we hit these final verses is what is not here. In practically every letter that Paul writes, right before the final verses there is a list of greetings from Paul and any friends with him to the recipients and friends among them. Wednesday night, we looked at this section normal section in Paul’s letter to the Romans in chapter 16. Wednesday night I chose not to read the verses out loud because they were filled with hard to pronounce names: “Greet so-and-so.” “So-and-so sends his greetings.” One of the few easy to pronounce names was “Phoebe” so I joked that Phoebe Rice should read the list for us since she was the first one listed.

Here, though, in 1 Timothy we don’t have this list. The only other letter that Paul wrote without a list of greetings is his letter to the Galatians. Both Galatians and this letter were dealing with serious false teaching that was threatening the gospel itself. In both cases, Paul is all business from start to finish.

Transition:

Well, as Paul finishes this letter, he hits two of the fundamental urgent ideas one final time. Since these are so important, we should remind ourselves of the parallel responsibilities that has been passed down to us from the 1st century. First,…

A. God has trusted us with His truth.

Timothy is to “guard what has been entrusted” to him. The word that Paul uses for “entrusted” is a banking term. A treasure, something valuable, has been given to Timothy for safekeeping,

Illustration

This is much like you and I give the bank our money to keep it for us. We don’t trust a piggy bank or our mattress to save our money in, we put it in the bank where it is protected and even insured. We expect the bank to keep our money safe.

Paul expects Timothy to keep something safe. What? What is it that Timothy is to keep safe? Well, there are two possibilities based on everything that has been written in this letter. Paul could be referring to the particular task he has left Timothy in Ephesus—refuting the false teachers and their doctrine. Or, more broadly, Paul might be referring to the apostolic contents of the Christian faith—the doctrine that Timothy was to teach. Really, though, both possibilities work out the same practical actions. The way that Timothy was to refute the false teachers was by teaching the true, pure doctrine handed down by Paul and the apostles.

Application

Of course, we have discussed several times during our series through this letter that the responsibility of preserving the apostolic contents of the Christian faith—doctrine—God’s truth—is now our job. Likewise, we now have the responsibility to refute false teachers. These two things go together. We cannot refute false teachers without true doctrine, and we will not have pure, true doctrine for long if we do not resist false teachers. God has trusted us with His truth. He has given it to us, and we now hold it on deposit. We are responsible for keeping it safe.

Transition:

We must maintain doctrine diligently. God has trusted us with His truth. This brings a responsibility to us to guard it. Second, we must remember that…

B. Distractions can draw us from the truth.

One last time Paul reminds Timothy that he is not called to refute every crazy thing that people say—every “worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments.” In fact, he is to turn away from many of them because getting sucked into the arguments will divert him from the proclamation of the truth of God’s word. Just because someone makes a claim that he or she has “truth” or has “knowledge” doesn’t mean that Timothy has to address the claim. As long as Timothy focuses on preaching the truth of God’s revelation positively, God’s truth will eventually show other claims to be false.

Application

We really need to remember this. Just become someone claims to have superior knowledge in some area does not mean that we must knock them down—even if we disagree. Our concern is the gospel. Our ministry is to be focused—the word of God matters. Other things don’t, but they can be great distractions.

In fact, notice Paul connects these distractions to what has ultimately led some to stray away from the faith. The attempts to tie things to the gospel, to have extra insight, to engage in contemporary arguments can be very dangerous; it can draw people away from the truth, astray from the faith.

Illustration

For example, I have seen many conservatives calling for pastors to address the supposed issues that surrounded the election. I very much disagree; that is not my role as a pastor. Was there voter fraud? Maybe, I don’t know. Frankly, I am not in a position to make a determination one way or another. But I am in a position to assert with the full authority of Scripture that whoever ends up being president of our country will be God’s appointed servant to accomplish God’s appointed purpose. I am in a position to lead us as a church to pray for that man along with our country, that we might be allowed to continue sharing the gospel message peaceably. Should we be concerned that justice and integrity are upheld in our country? Certaintly. But we should be even more concerned that justice and integrity are upheld in our own lives as we proclaim to those around us that God’s justice demands eternal damnation unless God’s wrath is met with Christ’s righteousness through faith in the Gospel message.

Pick whatever current controversy you want to pick—masks, vaccines, stay-at-home orders, and so forth. All of them can quickly become distractions that can draw us from the truth of the gospel message. We can end up not guarding the gospel because we get sucked into spending our time on other controversies. We are to stay focused.

Transition:

Distractions can draw us from the truth. Mini-sermon number 2, a quick repeat of ideas that we have seen throughout this letter. We must maintain doctrine diligently. God has trusted us with His truth. Distractions can draw us from the truth.

Now, one final mini-mini-sermon,…

III. We must remember grace constantly.

The final words of this letter, “Grace be with you.” Paul began the letter with the greeting to Timothy, “Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” Now he ends the letter with words of grace as well. From start to finish, the church is to be focused on grace because the gospel message is all about grace. God saved sinners who did not deserve to be saved, by giving His own Son’s life in exchange. That is grace—undeserved blessing.

One thing that we are unable to see in our English translations is that the final word in the letter, “you,” is plural. This final word is not to Timothy alone; Paul fully intended that the letter would be read aloud to the whole church and the final thought he wanted to leave ringing in their ears was “grace.”

Application

You see, the solution to all the issues that this church, these believers, our church, us…the solution for all of our spiritual issues is that we recognize that we forgot momentarily God’s grace. When we remember God’s grace, we are forced to remember our true position before God—unworthy recipients. When we remember God’s grace, we are forced to remember God’s true actions—unconstrained benevolence. Problems develop when we start to confuse these things, when we start to think that we are at least slightly worthy or that God is not quite as benevolent as we think He should be. Keeping grace in the center of our thoughts keeps our thinking straight.

Grace be with you. Are you remembering God’s grace constantly?

Transition from body to conclusion:

We must remember grace constantly.

CONCLUSION

That brings this letter to a close. Three final paragraphs with three final thoughts.

One, we must use our wealth generously.

Two, we must maintain doctrine diligently.

Three, we must remember grace constantly.

Our responsibility is to keep our ministry focused on the gospel message of Jesus Christ. These final thoughts serve that function.