The Danger of the Love of Money

OPENING/ILLUSTRATION

The city had massive walls…

Jericho was fortified by a 6 ft outer wall,

and a 12 ft inner wall.

The strategy?

March around it once a day for 6 days,

and then 7 times on the 7th day.

A bit unconventional, but it worked!

God defeated the city of Jericho,

giving His people the Israelites victory!

Every other city and village was now terrified of them.

Which made it seem so strange when their next opponent,

a town much smaller than Jericho,

defeated them.

Ai was such a small town,

they only sent a couple thousand troops to attack it.

But they humiliated the Israelites and chased them off.

Joshua 7:6–7 (ESV)

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel. And they put dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, O Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all, to give us into the hands of the Amorites, to destroy us?

Joshua 7:10–11 ESV

10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Get up! Why have you fallen on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I commanded them; they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings.

In the battle with Jericho,

God had commanded them to destroy everything,

and save the gold, silver, bronze and iron for God.

But someone had disobeyed…

Early the next morning,

all the people came before God,

and Achan was found out.

Joshua 7:19–20 ESV

19 Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel and give praise to him. And tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua, “Truly I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I did:

Joshua 7:21 (ESV)

21 when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

Summary

Achan disobeyed God,

because of his love for money.

He was led into sin through what he saw.

Transition to Text

Satan’s strategy is to use the world to draw us away from God.

He lures us in through what we see in the world.

If he can get us to love/desire/pursue worldly pleasure,

then we will numbed to our need to love/desire/pursue God.

But John tells us…

1 John 2:15–17 ESV

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

If we claim to love our heavenly Father,

then we are not to love the world,

since it leads us away from God.

One of the ways Satan leads us away from God is:

through a “Love of Money”.

BUT…

a “Love of Money” leads us to hate God!

This is what Jesus said in…

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “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.

FCF

Satan wants us to think that we can find satisfaction and contentment in money,

and in our sinful human nature, we believe it!

PROP

But true satisfaction and contentment come from God!

For this reason, we must…

Beware the Love of Money

SCRIPTURE ANNOUNCEMENT

This morning we are continuing our series through the book of 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 6:3—10.

SCRIPTURE INTRODUCTION

The book of 1 Timothy is a letter from Paul, to his protege Timothy.

He wrote to give him instructions on how to structure the church,

and how to remain faithful to God’s Word.

Paul knew that Satan would bring people into the church,

to try and mislead the church through false teaching.

For this reason, he wanted to give Timothy a solid foundation to stand on.

We are nearing the end of the letter,

and this morning we come to…

RE-ANNOUNCE SCRIPTURE

1 Timothy 6:3—10

Here, Paul is going to give instruction on why followers of Christ must beware the love of money.

READ SCRIPTURE

1 Timothy 6:2–10 (ESV)

2 Teach and urge these things.

3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,

4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain,

7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.

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

9 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.

10 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.

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

Father…

BILLBOARD

None of us likes to think that we love money,

but it is something that we all have struggled with at some point.

Some ways we show our love for money might be through:

Materialism

we buy the latest thing and show it off…

sometimes spending beyond our means to get it.

Another way we show our love for money is by:

Overworking

we sacrifice time with our family, friends, church so that we can make more money.

Another way we show our love for money is by:

Being reluctant to give

we don’t want to share with others

If you’re like me,

you resonated with some of those ways we can love money!

Billboard

But, we must “Beware the Love of Money”.

This morning we are going to see how:

The Love of Money Leads Us Away from God’s Word

The Love of Money Leads Us Away from God’s Contentment

The Love of Money Leads Us Away from God’s Peace

First…

1. The Love of Money Leads Us Away from God’s Word

As followers of Jesus,

we must be committed to knowing and following God’s Word.

But when we have a love of money,

it will distort our view of God’s Word,

leading us away from a desire to obey it.

1 Timothy 6:2–5 (ESV)

2 Teach and urge these things.

3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness,

4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,

5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

EXPLAIN

Paul has been instructing Timothy through this letter,

and he begins this section by saying,

“teach and urge these things”

Paul has not been giving his opinion,

he has been declaring God’s truth through Jesus’s teaching.

Therefore, Timothy is to be rooted in what Paul is teaching.

What kind of person would stray from God’s Word?

Paul goes on to say that…

a. Anyone who strays from God’s Word is conceited

If anyone teaches a different doctrine…

doesn’t agree with the sound Word of the Lord Jesus...

1 Timothy 6:4 “4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.”

If you disagree with God’s Word,

what you’re saying is,

“I know better than God.”

It doesn’t get more conceited and arrogant than that!

We also see that…

b. Anyone who strays from God’s Word is contentious

These people don’t have a heart to obey God’s Word,

they just want to argue about it.

1 Timothy 6:4–5 “4 He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth”

Rather than coming to God’s Word with a desire to be changed by it,

they are coming to it like a starting point for debates.

The result is tension and friction with those they argue with.

Their motivation behind straying from God’s Word is…

c. Anyone who strays from God’s Word is consumed with money

Their goal is become wealthy!

And they are using religion to try and get it!

1 Timothy 6:5 “5 imagining that godliness is a means of gain.”

People who have a love for money,

are obeying God because of what they think they will get.

“If I follow God, then he’s going to bless me with money, and riches.”

This is the reason they follow God, because of what they hope to get.

The problem is,

that God’s Word teaches us about

selflessness, sacrifice, and taking up our cross.

so they have to manipulate God’s Word to say what they want it to say.

People who love money don’t come to God’s Word to be transformed,

but with false hope that it will bring them blessing.

Summary

In their arrogance and pride,

they turn away and reject God’s Word,

because of their love for money.

ILLUSTRATE

One of the most beautiful acts of love, devotion, and sacrifice,

is when Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with an expensive ointment,

using her hair.

But not everybody was happy about her act of sacrifice.

John 12:4–6 ESV

4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Judas, who walked side by side with Jesus,

was willing to reject Jesus, and strayed from His Word,

because of his love for money.

He was blinded by greed.

APPLY

Brothers and sisters…

We must “Beware the Love of Money”…

because it “Leads us away from God’s Word”

Why? Because…

You have to stray from God’s Word in order to strive for money

Think of Pastor Jake’s sermon last week…

“If you are a servant or slave, work hard and treat your master with honour.”

So,

no matter what job you’re at…

no matter how little you get paid…

no matter how mean your boss is…

work hard and treat him with honour.

If you love money, and want to strive after it,

you won’t obey that command!

You will have to stray from God’s Word in order to strive after money.

Rolling it Out…

What areas in your life are you willing to compromise God’s Word to get more money?

Maybe you’re willing to lie in to save money or make more money…

Maybe work is more important than your family because you want more money…

Maybe your relationship with God is on the back-burner because you are pursuing money…

If we love money,

we have to stray from God’s Word,

because God’s Word doesn’t get us wealthy!

Jesus taught about:

surrendering our rights…

carrying our cross…

being more concerned about others than ourselves…

Summary

If we love money,

we are not going to want to do those things.

The love of money will lead us away from God’s Word.

The next reason we must beware the love of money is…

2. The Love of Money Leads Us Away from God’s Contentment

The false teachers that Paul was warning Timothy about,

were using religion as a way to become wealthy.

They loved money, and they thought it would bring them true joy and contentment.

The truth is it led them AWAY from true contentment that can only be found in God.

Paul says in…

1 Timothy 6:6–8 ESV

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

EXPLAIN

The love of money produces only a desire for more…

because of this, contentment is impossible.

No matter how much we get, it will never be enough.

But Paul says,

“godliness with contentment IS great gain.”

How is contentment possible?

a. Contentment is possible by recognizing we don’t deserve anything

The world tries to convince us that…

“you deserve it.”

“you owe it to yourself.”

“you’re entitled to it.”

We will never be content if we think this way…

because we will always think we should be getting something we don’t have.

Paul says…

1 Timothy 6:7 “7 we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.”

Contentment is possible when you recognize you don’t deserve anything!

You had nothing when you were born…

you will take nothing when you go…

so just be happy with what you have!

Another way…

b. Contentment is possible by recognizing what our true needs are

It is very easy for us to get our needs and wants mixed up.

It’s very easy for us to feel like we need something,

but it’s usually just that we’re sick and tired of complaining about it!

Paul gives us an idea of what true needs are…

he says…

1 Timothy 6:8 “8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.”

As humans, we have basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, AIR…

Those things are needs, because without them we would die!

The fact that you are here this morning,

means you have your needs met.

If you did not have your needs met

you would be dead!

Summary

We can have contentment by recognizing that:

we don’t deserve anything… and

God has met our basic needs.

But a love for money,

will lead us away from the contentment God wants us to have.

ILLUSTRATE

This week we hosted the Watoto children’s choir at our church.

The children in the choir are orphans,

and represent thousands of children in Uganda,

who have been rescued and taken in by Watoto.

Their stories are tragic…

some lost their parents because of disease or violence…

some were abandoned by their parents…

left at the hospital after birth…

left in garbages…

We even heard of one baby that had been buried in the ground!

A dog found the baby, dug it up, and it was rescued.

Even though these children have incredibly painful stories,

they are filled with the joy of the Lord!

We had the joy of hosting a young 10-year-old boy named Job.

His chaperone was a 23 year old names Amos.

Amos serves full time with the Watoto choir as an uncle to the children.

They spend 6 months on tour with the choir,

and 5 months preparing for the tour.

As we talked I asked him what his long term plans were,

what he would like to do if he left Watoto.

He said, “That is the Lord’s will.

For now, I want to serve Him right here where He has called me.”

I felt ashamed for having asked the question.

The problem with my question was that:

I assumed Amos was not content!

That he was looking ahead to his next move.

But Amos was content!

He believes that he is right where God wants him,

and he is content with that until God calls him somewhere else.

APPLY

Don’t you wish you had that contentment in your life?

I know I do!

The truth is, you can have it!

You can be truly content with where God has placed you… RIGHT NOW!

This is not the message the world has for us.

The world is constantly telling us:

You cannot possibly be content…

because you don’t have

the new phone…

this new car… OR

a nice deck in your back yard!

You couldn’t possibly be content…

because you’re not here in Mexico…

you haven’t tried our new burger… AND

your kitchen is old!

There’s no way you can be content…

working that same old job…

living in that same old house in that same old town…

being married to that same person…

The world tells us we will be content when…

you will finally be satisfied and happy, if…

The world tells us contentment will come,

only IT NEVER DOES!

Right after we do it, buy it, or experience it,

the world turns right around and says,

“Now here, try this!”

The true message of the world is that you will never be content.

But what God wants us to know is that…

You can be truly content with where God has placed you… RIGHT NOW!

You see,

we think we will be happy when we finally get the thing we want…

we think the gain comes when we receive something.

But the truth is,

1 Timothy 6:6 (ESV)

6 But godliness with contentment IS great gain,

Contentment in itself is the gain!

Godliness is when we recognize that…

Though we are sinners deserving of death,

Through Christ,

we are made righteous, spotless, holy, blameless…

we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing…

we have all we need for life and godliness… AND

we have an eternal inheritance waiting for us in heaven!

What more could we possibly want?

Since we don’t deserve anything,

and yet in Christ we are rich… AND

Since we have all that we need,

and so much more…

we should be content!

I heard a dear sister in Christ say this week,

Some people are so poor all they have is money

Earthly riches will not bring you happiness.

But godliness, with contentment will make you among the richest people in the world!

Transition

We must beware the love of money because it leads us:

away from God’s Word…

away from God’s Word…

AND…

3. The Love of Money Leads Us Away from God’s Peace

All through the Bible,

God wants His people to live in peace.

But that is not what we get when we love and desire money…

Paul continues in…

1 Timothy 6:9–10 ESV

9 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. 10 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.

EXPLAIN

The first we see is that…

a. The desire to be rich makes us vulnerable

1 Timothy 6:9 “9 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.”

Someone who’s desire is to become rich is obsessed with getting more money!

Because of this obsession they will be more likely to:

Compromise their integrity…

Take risks…

Take advantage of others…

In their desire to be rich,

a person is willing to do whatever it takes,

with little regard for the consequences of their actions.

This will always lead to ruin and destruction,

because your sin will always find you out.

It is the desire to be rich that leads us to be tempted to be dishonest,

or do whatever it takes to get wealth.

This leaves a person vulnerable.

We also see that…

b. The desire to be rich makes us miserable

1 Timothy 6:10 “10 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.”

Those who desire to be rich will turn away from God and His ways,

because godliness is not a get-rich-quick-scheme.

In turning away from God,

they wander away from the way of faith,

and invite sorrow, pain, and misery into their lives.

The truth is,

those who desire to be rich will never have enough money,

and so they will make themselves miserable their whole lives,

as they pursue riches.

Summary

The love of money leads people away from the peace and satisfaction God wants for them.

ILLUSTRATE

Last year we preached through the book of Exodus.

After being delivered out of slavery from Egypt,

the Israelites began complaining because they were hungry.

God then provided manna for them.

It appeared on the ground in the morning for them.

They were commanded by God to only take a day’s worth per person.

So that’s what they did…

each family gathered a day’s worth.

Then Moses said…

Exodus 16:19–20 (ESV)

19 “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.

Summary

The Israelites still did not trust that God was going to provide for them.

They had already seen His mighty hand of provision and deliverance,

but doubted that God would continue to take care of them.

Because of their lack of trust in God,

they forfeited the peace and security God wanted them to have.

APPLY

It is so easy for us to fall into the same pitfall they did!

God wants us to walk by faith,

filled with peace as we trust Him.

But…

Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!

Rather than trusting God,

we trust in ourselves…

our own ability to take care of ourselves.

Maybe you didn’t have much growing up…

your parents didn’t have a lot,

so you have worked hard to give your kids a better life.

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but

Are material things the things of greatest value?

Are you pursuing money because you don’t trust God?

Are you forfeiting the peace that God wants for you?

God’s will for His children is that they:

Love Him, trust Him, and follow His Word… that they

Find their contentment in their relationship with Him… the result is

Their lives are filled with peace.

Does striving for contentment mean that we should never try to better ourselves?

Of course we can!

Paul, writing to the Corinthians said…

1 Corinthians 7:20–21 ESV

20 Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. 21 Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.)

When there are opportunities for us to improve our situation,

we are free to do that.

But we do that,

always remembering who we are in Christ.

1 Corinthians 7:22 ESV

22 For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ.

If we are in a less than ideal situation,

we remember that we are free, and have hope in Christ.

If we are in a great situation,

we remember that we are slaves to Christ.

We willingly and joyfully live our lives for the glory of Christ,

who has redeemed us,

and given us a new and living hope.

CONCLUSION

We often say that Paul is one of the greatest men in the Bible.

Because of this,

God gave him a thorn in the flesh.

Some believe this source of torment was:

temptation,

a chronic eye problem,

malaria,

migraines,

epilepsy,

a speech disability,

or even a person who caused Paul problems.

We do not know what the thorn was,

but we do know the reason God gave it to him…

2 Corinthians 12:7 ESV

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

Paul did not like his thorn!

He went on to say…

2 Corinthians 12:8–9 (ESV)

8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Paul pleaded with God for this thorn to be removed…

But God wanted Paul to learn to trust in God’s power.

We think we are going to be beneficial to God once:

we’re smart enough… once

we’re good enough OR strong enough… once

we have enough money…

But the love of money,

the love of this world,

trusting in ourselves,

will only lead us away from God.

True power is not trusting in our own strength

but realizing how weak we are,

and trusting in God’s strength!

Once Paul recognized this he said…

2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (ESV)

9 Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Summary

May we willingly come to God in our weakness,

so that His power might be made known.

May we rejoice in the hope that we have in Christ,

and live for His glory, and His kingdom…

May we find riches and wealth, in being content in whatever situation God has placed us,

so that God’s strength might be made known!

You see…

Some people are so rich all they have is Christ