1 Timothy Chapter 6
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1 Timothy 6
1 Timothy 6
1 Timothy 6:6-10
Money is Dangerous/Wealth is Dangerous, and you have both
You are Rich
Global Median Wealth per capita is about $8,000, not salary, that’s Net Worth
Similar to America, Ephesus was a wealthy Place - similar issues - Greed
And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
That means what it says. . .
As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Riches DECEIVE you - deceive you into thinking more will be enough, deceive you into thinking physical riches are better than spiritual, deceive you into thinking you have reason to boast, deceive you into thinking you don’t really need God, deceive you into thinking you are in control of your life.
Ezekiel 7:19 (ESV)
Their silver and gold are not able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. . . For it was the stumbling block of their iniquity.
Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
When forced to choose between Jesus and money, this man chose money. Only the rich must make that choice in that way.
Being Wealthy is dangerous, but isn’t itself sinful, and that isn’t the point here.
Pursuit of Wealth
Pursuit of Wealth
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.
DESIRE to be Rich
LOVE of Money
CRAVING for Wealth
THAT PURSUIT, THAT DESIRE, THAT CRAVING, THAT LOVE is the root of all kinds of evil, is the pathway to all kinds of ways to poison yourself - greed, pride, covetousness, idolatry, anxiety, despair
He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.
The desire for money is insatiable! It will never be enough, that last raise you thought would be enough was for about a month. . .
Proverbs 28:20 (ESV)
A faithful man will abound with blessings, but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Luke 12:15-21
How many times have you sought advice from an older person, or maybe they gave it without you asking - and they said, Make more Money, spend more time focusing on money, build up your bankroll
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
Pursuit of Righteousness, Godliness, Faith, Love, Steadfastness, Gentleness
Pursuit of Righteousness, Godliness, Faith, Love, Steadfastness, Gentleness
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
“Simple Life” - not seeking to make a name for yourself, climb the ladder, build your own Kingdom, you already have a Kingdom
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.
FLEE, turn away from pursuing Money, AND PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS - like two cities at opposite ends . . .
“REPENT” - You ARE PURSUING either the world or God, there are only two directions on the road, and you cant be walking in both directions at the same time
If someone watched you, how you live your life, how you spend your time, watched your desires, would they say you are pursuing God or Money?
It is natural for us to run away from things that frighten us, that are dangerous - bear in Gatlinburg
Paul says before this - THE LOVE OF MONEY WILL KILL YOU, POISON YOU, CAUSE YOUR RUIN, IT WILL DAMN YOU TO HELL . . . don’t you see the danger! FLEE!
How to do so if Rich
How to do so if Rich
17-19
Don’t Trust in Them
Don’t Trust in Them
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.
We have a tendency to think Money gives us Security . . .
Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
Psalm 62:10 (ESV)
Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them.
We shouldnt trade in materialism for asceticism, remembering that God has given us gifts so that we might enjoy them, but we must be wary of disconnecting the gift from the Giver
Be Rich in Good Works and Generosity
Be Rich in Good Works and Generosity
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.
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
You’re spending your life building up and storing up something that could be destroyed by a moth, much less by a market crash! You’re watering the plants on the titanic! What are you doing? (Well I am going to save save save here so that I can live it up for these years - what about eternity!
James 5:1–3 (ESV)
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you
Gold doesn’t corrode, the point here is that it has not been USED, its just been hoarded.
Storing up wealth for ourselves - God gives you more money and you go behind your house and bury it, standing over it, fearing nothing more than its loss, like Golem with his precious ring
Tolkien’s brilliance about the power of this sort of idolatry, its power to OWN us, and POISON us making us far less than we were intended to be
You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
Fearfully vivid picture - Like all of those unthinking beasts out in the fields indulging themselves, totally unaware that the faster they indulge themselves, the sooner will come the day of slaughter
And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
WATCH OUT! Watch out for MURDER??. . .
This is right before the parable of the man who stored up his treasures in extra barns - God didn’t give you the gold for it to rust in your quest for security
But 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.
True Wealth
True Wealth
12-16
“Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called . . . keep the commandment unstained until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ… He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion”
Contentment in What? With What?
HAVING GOD!
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
WHAT DO YOU HAVE? JESUS!
It isn’t just, well just suck it up - its REMEMBER WHAT YOU HAVE!
Psalm 36:7–9 (ESV)
How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
Ephesians 3:8 (ESV)
This grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
Little Boy Toy Truck
Philippians 4:11–12 (ESV)
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. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
WHAT IS IT? WHAT IS THAT SECRET?
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
The Book I recommend most to High School graduates is a book by John Piper called Don’t Waste Your Life. I beg them, as the rest of your peers are heading off to waste their lives, their precious and only life, pursuing money; pursue Christ instead.
Christ is the True Value - and once you have Him, you get everything else too!
Bow to the King, Repent of your sins, and he will welcome you with joy into this kingdom of Grace in which we stand.
