I'm Not Loving the Money

Lack of Faith in God

lack of contentment is craving more than you should have.

A craving is a powerful desire or hunger for something that you should probably not have

Craving in the Greek is a sickness.

If you are discontent, you are wanting something different than what you have or MORE than what you have.

It doesn’t matter how much you have, you always want more

God is the provider though.

Philippians 4:19 ESV

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:31–33 ESV

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

If then God is the provider, but we want something we don’t have, we are sick, diseased for what God hasn’t given us. There’s a yearning for what we do not have, but looking at it another way it’s dissatisfaction with what God has chosen for us in this moment.

It’s like when your dad comes home from a business trip with a gift for you and you reject it because it’s a lousy T-shirt instead of a toy that’s made there. It’s not trusting his judgment or what he knows is good for you. What if he went to Las Vegas? The two specialties of Vegas I can think of are illegal here. I mean the T-shirt is legal to transport across state lines. If you get mad at the T-shirt, you don’t trust he loved you enough to consider what would be best. It’s a statement of unbelief that he loves you. It’s the same with us and God when we are discontent.

Hope is not craving, and craving is not

contentment does not stop us all planning and dreaming for the future.

You can dream for a new sofa. That’s not necessarily a sin. You can build a house or even buy an expensive thing as long as God’s okay with it.

And that’s the key. Is your hope submitted to God? Or are you demanding God submit to your craving?

Craving strives for things beyond our provision:

Luke 14:28–30 ESV

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Craving puts accomplishing things out of order

Proverbs 24:27 ESV

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.

If you want something so bad it moves in front of more important things beware. I’ll be honest, I’d much rather relax in a swanky hut than go hoe the dirt under the scorching sun of Judea… but if they didn’t prepare the field and build a house they would become the very definition of house poor, or house starving I suppose.

Hope looks to God in submission, trusting in his love

Psalm 84:11 ESV

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.

No good thing will you withhold from me. You might withhold all of these things I want from me. I trust you to give or withhold, because I know you will give what’s best in your eyes, and your eyes for me are eyes of love.

What is our heart supposed to do with disappointment and times of want?

There are times when you for sure are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. There are times when you are rejecting medical care because you can’t afford it. There are times when your kid needs new shoes and you’re looking through thrift shops for kids shoes that haven’t been thrashed. What are we to do practically, when what we have isn’t what we “need”?

We need to remember God’s definition of enough: food and clothing (v.8)

We need to remember that God’s provision might be seven years of lack where everybody sells their land (see Joseph and Pharaoh)

We need to remember that our wants are not our needs.

Misplaced Faith in Wealth

1 Timothy 6:5b (ESV)

… imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

1 Timothy 6:9 ESV

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.

Relationship with Stuff vs God

Faith is trust in someone. It is not trust in something, because you can’t be in a relationship with a thing that’s not a person. If you are, you’re deluding yourself. We trust the promises of God, the character of God to fulfil his promises. Stuff does not speak and makes no promises and cannot keep them because stuff is not an acting entity.

You can’t have a relationship with stuff. It’s not a person

Even so, we are tempted to try, and tempted into a snare.

one way that we can seek to relate to money is to pursue security. Instead trusting in God to provide for us, we trust in the breadth of our portfolio.

Psalm 52:7 ESV

“See the man who would not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

Another way that we can seek to relate to money is as a marker of our value in the eyes of others. Really what happens is that we yearn for honor, respect, love, whatever FROM OUR FELLOW MAN… and we lift up wealth as a means to demand what we don’t trust them to give us because we are a child of God, created in his image.

Who is in control? Me or God?

at the root, when we are turning to wealth for these things, these desires and yearnings of our heart, we are seeking to have CONTROL. If we use money to eliminate risk, we want to control risk with a tool that our hands has a stranglehold upon.

Proverbs 17:8 “A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it; wherever he turns he prospers.”

When Jesus said in Matthew 19 that it was difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom, it was because it’s easy to assume your fictional control over the world is actually real if you have the crutch of cash to lean on. Someone who cannot afford to buy off a problem must turn to the Sovereign Lord without first being confronted with the terrible choice of the golden calf. Is this an idol to pass by? Or do I behold the god who delivered me from Egypt?

Matthew 19:23–24 ESV

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.”

We are all of us rich compared to most of the world. How will we enter the kingdom of heaven? By confessing regularly, repeatedly that there is no hope for us, no deliverance, no salvation but in Christ alone. If you have a dozen dollars, or millions, if you have great ability and great wisdom, or if you are barely functional on your best day… Every other hope is a crutch made of styrofoam, ready to crack under the weight of true need.

Philippians 3:8–10 ESV

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Misplaced Purpose

a theoretical future for me vs the certain eternity of God

Paul writes in v10 that the craving is what causes some to wander away from the faith. That’s a phrase worth unpacking. The implication when you take the whole together is that craving wealth, being sick for more is the avenue that drew the false teachers off the path. compare this as well to the parallel in vv3-6 where those who

1 Timothy 6:3 ESV

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,

are

1 Timothy 6:5 (ESV)

...imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

is in apposition to

1 Timothy 6:6 ESV

But godliness with contentment is great gain,

It comes down to two purposes that we choose between

my craving for a vision of a future me I’d like to become

God’s message of the certain eternity

Craving for a future me that might be: discontent ALWAYS is rooted in some form of comparison. Sometimes it’s comparison to someone else, we look at what they have and we get annoyed or hurt because they got blessed with a Hotel empire and we have a hairless barbie doll collection or something. Other times, we are comparing what we have with what we would give ourselves if we were not limited by God’s provision. Thus it’s me focused on a me that isn’t here and maybe never will be. Then this possibility becomes a fixation in our minds, and we want it, like REALLY WANT IT. Start to worship it. As a way of worshiping ourselves.

Because craving comes from unbelief in God, it will pervert our teaching on the bible.

It’s tempting to think that our craving for something is a safe sin, something that is probably not healthy for our thoughts but doesn’t affect our theology. Idol worship does just that though. Every time. If we are worshiping the possible vision of me who owns a 300 hp bass boat, we start tithing to it. Money goes in the bass boat fund, regardless of God’s thoughts on it maybe, but for sure my thoughts are oriented towards bass boat and when I read scripture from a place of unbelief I start to discover a theology of bass boats for me in scripture.

That’s a pretty blunt instrument of an example. I don’t know if it would be helpful to look for a more subtle on, but we do have false teaching that’s pretty easy to look at the end product. Consider the prosperity gospel preachers who teach very conveniently that God blesses those who trust him because they do. Therefore the Pastor as the most trusting member of the church by definition should also be filthy rich or it’s actually a sin on his part. My not owning a Bentley is an affront to God who loves me with all the filthy lucre. If you follow my God you’ll be rich too. The more you give, the more God will bless you so give a bunch so your craving can be satisfied.

The nature of the false teaching doesn’t really matter, but the earthly self-focused attitude of the person. In contrast, we are called to be focused on God’s message.

Focusing on God’s message guards our teaching from the bible.

When Paul tells Timothy to flee the craving of wealth etc, he is instead instructed to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness, and fight the good fight of faith. Then in

1 Timothy 6:12 ESV

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

which is then connected to the good confession of Jesus himself:

1 Timothy 6:13–14 ESV

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

When we focus on God’s message, we are in effect focusing on what God himself has said instead of ourselves. We meditate on the gospel instead of meditating on a fictional future for ourselves.

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

If we pursue the one direction, the me direction, we are not being renewed by the transforming of our mind, but in fact we are being conformed to the world, and as a result, theology and religion also become conformed to the world. Instead we are called to be transformed by renewing our mind in the truth of God’s word and will.

Contentment is a key to being Transformed by the renewing of your mind.

God is certainly worthy of being in charge of when and how to bless you. Think again about the provision of God and consider it in the scope of history. Yes, there are Ethiopian Christians who starved to death in the past. Let me ask you about them. If you were to take a trip to heaven and ask them if God has been a good provider to them, do you think they are going to answer NO? If that’s the answer you give you need to consider that this is a brief and momentary affliction and every single Christian who is older than 130 years old has died of some sort of something, and now enjoys the fullness of the provision God made for your filling: the True Bread of Jesus Christ, the Living Water of the Holy Spirit in his fullness, and the eternal, ETERNAL presence of The Father. All of these in undiluted, unrestrained, uncovered fullness of their glory.

conclusion: Are you CONTENT? Is Christ your all in all? Or is their a broken yearning in your heart? You need him to be your everything. Anything else is a lie, a deception, and a poison to your joy and peace. Will you make the good confession? Pray with me:

God you are my everything. I have nothing good apart from you. Every good and perfect gift comes down from you, the Father of lights. I empty myself of all the expectations and idols that I have trusted to support me. They are all rotten bridges. I have nothing without you. In you I have all things. Lord, teach me to trust you for anything and everything

Practicalities

Given these tremendous encouragements to give, what are we practically to do? Yet this passage does give helpful practical directions, and it is with a brief exposition of these that this chapter closes.

i. Intentional

As already noted, the Philippians’ giving flowed from their ‘thinking love’. Although sending financial support was difficult—for an unknown reason they were unable to get a gift to Paul for some time—they did not give up, but continued to look for an opportunity to express their deep concern (10) in the tangible way they intended. Their giving was the opposite of haphazard. It was thought-through. It was intentional.

ii. Regular

More than once they sent aid, most likely with a disciple from the church travelling the 95 miles (145 km) along the Egnatian Way on many separate occasions to do so.38 The example set before us here is not a one-off gift, important as that can sometimes be. Rather, it is planned, regular giving.39

1 Corinthians 16:1–2 (NKJV) — 1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

iii. Generous and sacrificial

These points are regularly inferred in these verses, not just in the phrase acceptable sacrifice (19), but throughout the passage. Paul is amply supplied by the gifts sent through Epaphroditus (18). And the very fact that Epaphroditus, possibly their pastor and certainly a prominent and deeply loved member of the church, delivered the gift indicates willingness to sacrifice. That sacrifice is writ large in what Paul says about them elsewhere. Writing to the Corinthian church he declares, in 2 Corinthians 8:1–4,

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.

This is truly revolutionary discipleship. As present-day disciples, content and secure in Christ, the encouragement is to joyfully imitate their Christ-honouring example. Faithful disciples will know great joy as their finances come under the rule and reign of their good, gracious and giving God.

Scripture references

Matthew 25:23 “His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’”

Philippians 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Job 36:11 “If they obey and serve Him, They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.”

Isaiah 1:19 “If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;”

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV) — 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 8:9 (NKJV) — 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

Haggai 2:8–9 “‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.””

Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV) — 18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Genesis 13:2 (NKJV) — 2 Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.

Psalm 66:12 “You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.”

Isaiah 45:3 “I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret places, That you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel.”