23) The Love of Money
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Please turn with me to 1 Timothy 6 verse 6. We continue today with Paul’s instruction to Timothy in dealing with false teachers in the church of Ephesus. Timothy has been charged from the very beginning of this letter to address false teachers. He has been instructing Timothy on who these people are. What they do, what they teach and where they lead people. This is has been in contrast to continued calls to Timothy to teach the truth, be an example and instruct everyone from elders to slaves and including himself to live in godliness.
Last week we took a deeper look at how to discern who are false teachers.
3 If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.
The new testament is filled with warning and corrections due to false teaching. What they teach sounds good but isn’t fully true. They teach ideas that are simply contrary to what Jesus taught. Jesus’ teachings lead to godliness and false teachers’ messages do not. They are puffed up and blind. They are conceited, thinking themselves are better and more important than they really are. They argue over words and create all types of disputes and disagreements. They bring with them envy, quarreling, slander, and evil suspicions.
They are people who’s minds are without God, deprived from the truth and they “imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.” We looked at this last week and saw how there were false teachers back then and there are many false teachers today that can be seen when held up to these requirements along with the qualifications for elders in chapter 3.
Paul doesn’t just leave it there he takes his last statement about material gain and expounds on it.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. 8 If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
They are people who imagine godliness for material gain. The love of money is shown to be the driving force in their life. This was an issue for Timothy, but his church wasn’t alone.
11 It is necessary to silence them; they are ruining entire households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly.
3 They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.
Why are there so many false teachers and why do they plague the church generation after generation? They are deceived they have heard the message of godliness but missed the mystery of the message.
The Deception
The Deception
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Godliness
Godliness
What is godliness? It comes from a word that means piety. It is the idea of behaving and acting in a way that is reverent towards another. We may think of the piety of priests and monks who give their lives to act in a way that is aligned with their religion. The root of the word means to show reverence for. In the context here we have false teachers who imagine that piety is a way or a means to material gain.
They look at the church and they see the blessings of God and a simple equation develops in their mind. If I act like they do, if I behave the way that this God wants me too then I will have material gain. My wealth will be increased based on my behavior. That since God has promised blessing, all I have to do is do my part, and since God cannot lie then he is bound by my obedience to give me wealth.
This is what they imagine, this is what they see in their minds as the total truth of the work of God. That because he loves me and wants to bless me then he will give me what I want. They then start to convince others of this “wonderful revelation” and they get others to buy into this as well. There becomes a focus on giving to receive.
They have failed to hear all of the warning in scriptures about what God is really looking for.
In Ezekiel 34 God rebukes the leaders of Isreal for preying on God’s flock. Using them for their own gain.
And in Malachi he charges them with defiling the Lord’s altar.
12 “But you are profaning it when you say, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled, and its product, its food, is contemptible.’ 13 You also say, ‘Look, what a nuisance!’ And you scorn it,” says the Lord of Armies. “You bring stolen, lame, or sick animals. You bring this as an offering! Am I to accept that from your hands?” asks the Lord. 14 “The deceiver is cursed who has an acceptable male in his flock and makes a vow but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says the Lord of Armies, “and my name will be feared among the nations.
The acts of obedience were not what God desired. This is what the false teachers have missed. It is what David came to understand.
17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.
Contentment
Contentment
True godliness, true behavior, true piety comes from within. It is not a conformance of behavior but a change of the heart, through the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. True godliness is accompanied by contentment. Contentment is when a person comes to know that what ever God has provided is enough.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. 8 If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.
He simplifies it down to what is the most important. Food and clothing. Contentment stems from trust in God and a focus on the bigger eternal picture and truths. We didn’t bring anything into this world and I have never seen a hearse with a tow hitch hauling a U-Haul behind it. You can’t take it with you. The contentment comes from the great gain that the believer has been saved from their sin and has eternal life. To live and worship forever. What are material possessions when compared to salvation and eternal life?
It is believing that God is what we need. That he is adequate for life.
5 It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.
Paul explained in his own life this way.
11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself. 12 I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. 13 I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
This verse that we use for all sorts of things was Paul's way of proclaiming that regardless of his circumstances he can do everything God requires because it is God who strengthens him.
True godliness is a life that lives in reverence to God from the place of knowing that God is all I need as provides according to his will. True believers are motivated by the desire to please God which produces great gain. Not likely great financial gain but he will provide enough.
25 “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
Jesus promised that food and clothing would be provided but he never promises more than that. The false teachers missed this truth and instead pursue financial wealth. Paul continues with.
The Destruction
The Destruction
9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.
Those that want or desire to be rich. Still speaking of false teachers they are driven by the pursuit of wealth. There is no goal. This is not sitting down with a financial advisor and discussing your goals retirement and planning accordingly . This is the basic want in their lives, that constant desire from more.
We see the image of Scrooge from Charles Dickens Christmas Carol. A person that compromises every other part of their life just to add another coin to the pile. The unsatiable need for more and more. This becomes the trap, not of a person who may be rich, but of a person who desires to be rich. They are in a trap that can never be filled.
It is like going to the gym on a quest to be stronger. Is that wrong? No but when does a person come to the end of stronger? They lift and lift but never reaching an end. We see that man who has arms that are gigantic but cannot scratch his ear or perform basic tasks. It seems illogical but that is the trap.
The false teachers will fall into foolishness and harmful desires. These sink a person, they are drowning in their own destructive ways. What are the consequences of this life? Family. How many marriages are compromised due to over commitment of work? How many kids grow up without their parents because of the pursuit of wealth? How much stress and anxiety come from overly spending and the large amounts of debt that is carried around by people.
We have all felt these in our lives in different ways.
I worked with a guy who was filled with useless trivia and whimsical quotes. One day he spun around in is chair and said, Kyle “A person’s expenses will always grow to meet their income. The man who can keep this from happening is a rich man”
I looked this up and it comes from a man named Cycil Parkinson
“This law says that no matter how much money people earn, they tend to spend the entire amount and a little bit more besides. Their expenses rise in lockstep with their incomes. Many people are earning today several times what they were earning at their first jobs. But somehow, they seem to need every single penny to maintain their current lifestyles. No matter how much they make, there never seems to be enough.”
This man was speaking on what he observed as natural among people. What is natural is of the flesh. And the false teachers have taken this natural desire into the church to exploit the people of the church.
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.
The false teacher is preoccupied with the things of this world. We see all of these alive in the these teachers. And there is a root cause.
The Motivation
The Motivation
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
For these people there is a primary cause for their thoughts and actions. It is the love of money. This word is only used here in the bible and it is a compound word that brings together the word silver and the word for friend, philos. A friend of silver. They have placed this relationship above any relationship they have with God or with other people. They find that their minds and their heart is primarily concerned about sliver. How much they have or don’t have always wanting more.
They compromise that which is important and in doing so this friendship creates all sorts of evil in their lives. It creates behaviors and actions that are contrary to the will of God. Does God want marriages and families broken by the love of money? Does God desire for men and women to lie cheat or steal to get their way to the top? To compromise morals and beliefs in the name of the almighty dollar.
There isn’t anything inherently wrong with money. It is neither good or bad. God does not condemn wealth and there are those that he blesses with much and those that he blesses with little. All good things come from God. Money is never an indicator of one’s righteousness or holiness. There are those that teach that if God blessing you financially that you are in God’s favor. There are others that equate any wealth with immorality and teach that you must restrain from any sort of abundance.
Neither of these focus on what is important and that where does a person’s affections lie. Do they Love God first and foremost. Does that love bring contentment that God cares for them or does the love of money drive how they see the world around them.
There were people that Paul and Timothy knew that had fallen to this. People who originally behaved in pious and godly ways but over time they have wanderer off from the truth and in so doing they have pierced themselves with many griefs. This is the image of large thorns piercing the body. They find themselves with a life full of grief and sorrow.
Man in the Mirror.
The false teachers have missed the point of the gospel and the work of God in his church.
An Example
An Example
I looked up a prominent American Christian’s website this week. I have never looked up this person before and was genuinely curious about this person. This is what I found.
God’s word throughout holds a promise of blessing and increase for your obedience. In this first month of the new year, God has already ordained in His word, blessing in 2025 through your obedience! I believe a sudden increase will come through your obedience, so He can bless you and sustain you throughout 2025, as you honor Him – and it all begins with honoring God with His First Fruits as instructed in His Word.
God’s Word does hold a promise. A promise of eternal life and to provide food and clothing. He does not promise to give sudden financial increase when you are obedient.
Jesus declared to us in Matthew 6:33 from the Amplified Bible as He taught on the Mount of Beatitudes: “But first and most importantly (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God), and all these” things” will be given to you also. God adds “things” to your life after you seek Him!
Are you ready to go to the next level in your finances?
Are you ready to be able to do the next level ministry?
Do you have “Next Level Dreams” that require financial favor and acceleration?
You have the opportunity to create a sure foundation for your entire year as you put God first, positioned to enter 2025 strong! Often, it’s not that we are doing something wrong but not doing enough of what is right! FIRST FRUITS: We MUST put Him first in EVERYTHING!
When we honor God with our FIRST FRUITS, He will unlock “the things” for the remainder of the year- and in faith, 2025 will be a Year of Fruitfulness, Blessing and Abundance for you!
I believe what you do with your “first” in the opening days, weeks, and month of 2025 will greatly determine your entire year. This is about us putting God First and sacrificing to Him…
I challenge you today to put First Things First and honor God … I challenge you to start activating the Word by offering God your First Fruits as a seed for your harvest in 2025. I also challenge you to set aside time for God every day this first month, let it become routine, and then adapt it daily to your life and WATCH WHAT HAPPENS!
Does this pass the tests for false teachers? The promise of material gain by “acting” godly. This person continues.
As you sacrifice your offering to Him, you set a precedent of what will come. You release a great promise of provision as a result of your obedience. C.S. Lewis wrote, “When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased…”
This quote by CS Lewis had nothing to do with money but with exactly what Paul was speaking on loving the Lord.
When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.
Insofar as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all.
When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.
Lewis was speaking on his love for his wife cannot be more than his love for God. If he get those backwards we will lose both.
This leader looks to be misquoting scripture and the quotes of others and making promises that the bible does not support. The issue is that this leader then defines what an offering is.
First Fruits 2025 Offering
Proverbs 3:9 teaches us to, “honor the Lord with your possessions and with the First Fruits of ALL our increase!” Honoring the Lord in the first month of 2025, through the biblical principle of First Fruits, positions you for favor, opportunities, and financial blessings. Put God first through your first fruits offering. Many give a day’s increase, others a week, other’s more… but all give their best!
With your best first fruits offering given in obedience to God’s word, we will rush to you ______ new book titled: The Principle of God’s First Fruits.
And when you sow your best First Fruits Offering of one day’s wages, one week. or a portion of one month or more, we will rush to you for your First Fruits Offering of $140 or more today, this very special “First Fruits Bundle.” This is the very best of the revelation of first fruits!
And when you give a sacrificial First Fruits offering of $2025 for your year, ______ will touch and agree, believing for supernatural increase and abundance in every area in 2025!
Activate the power of first fruits in 2025 as you make God FIRST!
All offerings go to their own ministry.
Without knowing anything about this person, their own words testify against them. Looking further into the “store” it is filled with promises of financial blessing if you just give you seed. Your offering. based on these quotes from the website, what conclusion do you make? At first blush I would say that Paul would call this person a false teacher. Just the simple test of are they in it because they love money or are they serving because they love God.
I wanted to know who the person was who has been appointed to lead the New White House Faith Office, Paula White. We need to be in prayer for her and our nation. She is there because she has a huge following, makes lots of promises and people follow her.
But I cannot. This message sounds great in a time where very few find contentment in life.
Paul’s letter to the church of America would be much like that of the letter to Ephesus.
The Call to Godliness
The Call to Godliness
We have spent more than 20 weeks in this letter so far and if you haven’t seen it yet Paul is calling the church back to godliness.
Reverent and proper behavior, motivated by love for God, conformed to his word, in obedience to the truth of God.
15 But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
He has written to Timothy so that he will know how people are to conduct themselves. How they are to live in godliness. Eight times he speaks of this conduct. Every chapter is pointing out ungodly behavior or encouraging godly behavior. As Jesus is the revealed mystery of godliness.
16 And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
Jesus is to be the example and our understanding of what godliness is.
He urges prayer for authorities so that they are allowed to live in all godliness. in chapter 2.
1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
He encourages Timothy to train in godliness, to pursue godliness
7 But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness. 8 For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
He affirms that Jesus’ teachings promote godliness and in 2nd Timothy he warns that there will be those that look the part. But do they deny the source.
1 But know this: Hard times will come in the last days. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, demeaning, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, 4 traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to the form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid these people.
They see themselves as the one who produces this behavior instead of the one who gives power to live this way. We in ourselves do not develop this way of life.
1 Simeon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, 6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, 7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.
It is God’s divine power that has been given to each and every believer to live in this way. There isn’t anything missing to live in godliness, to live a life that is right in God’s eyes and reverent. But we must make every effort. Train. Work. Yes you have faith but the word of God says we must work and increase in these things. And what is the great gain that Paul was talking about in Timothy. Why is it so much more valuable than the earth wealth?
8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. 10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble.
We will not be useless. We will be tools used for the kingdom building what only God can build with broken and damaged tools but ones that he chooses to be used. How many Christians fear that one day they will stand before the Lord and though you have faith and are saved, will look at the fruit of their effort and see an empty basket. they will look back and never know the assurance of contentment in the Lord. Stumble after stumble, trial after trial, but God’s word says if you are growing in these qualities, including godliness you will never stumble.
Where is your effort going? Is it going to the things of this world? Or are you being used by God for his work? Are you listening to the sweet calls of the false teachers that call out to the believer.
Conclusion
Conclusion
When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased.
When our love for God increases so does everything else that matters. The relationships that we have, the church that God gathers, and the eternal blessing that will never rot or decay. We are to focus our minds on the word and the transforming work of God who has given us everything to live godly lives.
Everything that we do here is to provide our body with the food that we need to grow in increasing measure. To grow in godliness. Reverent God honoring lives. This is why we sing songs that do not promote man’s image but glorify God character and work.
This is why we teach the word. As clearly and as close as possible. Nothing else will promote godliness. It is why we take our time and we are thorough with the time we have. I have 52 hours a year if a person shows up every week. That is not enough. That is why we have small groups that simply open God’s word and learn to be obedient to it out of our love for God.
We gather to worship God and to grow in godliness. Provoking one another
10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.
Let us pray.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Communion
Warning
Children, Lost, Sin
19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
27 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Prayer
Song
Closing
Blessing/Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 equip you with everything good to do his will, working in us what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
