The Wealthy Christian’s Response to Money

Introduction:

The past several weeks we have been looking at the missing messages of the modern church. The idea has been topics or texts that don’t get addressed very often in the modern church. We have tackled topics like hell, dark emotions, and money. The week before last we looked at 1 Timothy 6:6-10. The focus of the text was on those who desired riches. The idea wasn’t that they possessed riches but rather the focus and purpose of their lives was to gain riches. The objective of the sermon was not to condemn aspirations, but to warn against the dangers of loving money. We should respond to money with caution, seek the longest happiness and greatest gain, and see money as a tool for God’s service. Godliness with contentment truly is great gain!

This morning I want to turn the focus to those who are wealthy. I want to begin by saying the wealthy have the same responsibility towards money as those in verses 6-10, with some additional risks. Listen to Luke 18:24-26

Luke 18:24–26 NKJV

24 And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

If we remember the story Jesus told of the the rich man and Lazarus. It is interesting that Jesus give the name of the beggar, Lazarus, but does not refer to the rich man by name. And in addition attributed his dependence upon riches as contributing to his loss of soul: Luke 16:25

Luke 16:25 NKJV

25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

In Jesus’ parable of the foolish farmer, it seems that the farmer was so distracted by his wealth that he did not give eternity a serious consideration. Luke 12:20-21

Luke 12:20–21 NKJV

20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

The warning against the deceptiveness of riches is real, and even more so for those who have wealth and possessions. So, what does the Bible say about the response of wealthy Christians to money? Let’s look in 1 Timothy 6:17-19

1 Timothy 6:17–19 NKJV

17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

I think a good place to begin is by establishing a baseline for describing those who are rich.

A Baseline for Wealth

As we consider wealth in our society it is a competition. For instance Donald Trump is not rich compared to Elon Musk. Musk is the wealthiest person in the world and there are 776 people between Musk and Trump in the Billionaire range.

So, it is very easy for us to say when we compare ourselves to others in our country that we are not rich. I can imagine Trump saying, “I’m not rich, Elon Musk is rich.” We could very easily say, “I am not rich, those 3028 billionaires in the world are rich. So, what is rich in the biblical sense.

I realize saying this that many of you will not agree with me, and that’s okay. Rich in the biblical sense is having everything require for a reasonable lifestyle with excess. It is not coincidental that health and wealth sound alike, because the root of wealth is well-being. The idea is to have enough financial resources to live a healthy lifestyle.

Now, let me qualify that with this statement. There is nothing wrong with having excess. There is nothing wrong with being rich. In fact, I believe God enables some people the wisdom to become rich. IT IS HOW WE USE IT!

What I do want to emphasize is this: If we have our needs met and have in excess of that, we are responsible to God with what we do with that wealth.

So, there is the biblical baseline for wealth. We are not compared to Musk or any of the 3028 billionaires of the world. We aren’t even compared to the 58 million millionaires in the world. Most of us will never rank in the wealthiest of the world in this present age, but we have riches in the biblical sense and can be rich towards God.

Now, that we have established a baseline for wealth, let’s see how the wealthy Christian should respond to money.

Humbly Trust in God’s Provision

Verse 17 begins with a command to those who are rich in this present, temporary age. What is the command?

Don’t be haughty.

Don’t trust in uncertain riches.

Rather trust in the living God, who gives us all things to enjoy.

Wealth often brings with it an arrogant attitude. That’s what the term haughty means. A feeling of superiority over someone else because of your status or possessions. The command is not to have this attitude because the riches are uncertain, but God is living or eternal.

Second, the command is don’t trust in temporal unstable riches, but rather God who gives those things for our enjoyment. Riches bring a false sense of security. Our security is in God.

I love that we see the source of our resources is not self, but God. But we also see that God gives us resources to enjoy.

Many things in life are given for our enjoyment, but become sources of incredible sorrow when used wrongly. Sex is one of those things.

What does this command say about our disposition towards money.

Thank God for his provision.

Recognize that He is the source of all things.

Not think of ourselves more highly than we out to but think honestly of ourselves.

Seek His wisdom in how to steward this temporary asset as we do other more precious assets like our children and our lives. Listen to Dr. Thomas Lea’s commentary on this text:

1, 2 Timothy, Titus 1 Timothy 6:17

Paul’s beginning reference to the “present world” suggests that the wealthy can have their wealth only in this age. It is good for this present world, but it does not convert automatically into blessedness in the world beyond.

So, one response is to humbly trust in God’s provision and not our own ingenuity. But we also must…

Seek Wealth that Never Diminishes.

I want to tell you something that every rich person has figured out. Wealth is not just about the disposable income that you can produce. It is about the losses you can stop and the investments that you can make.

Do you know why this world’s goods is a bad investment? Because it is a sure loss. Listen to 1 John 2:15-17

1 John 2:15–17 NKJV

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 lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

John says the world is a loss in three ways:

One, love for a world that is passing away is not compatible with love for God. So, this love is misplaced and leads to disappointment!

Two, the craving that the world produces is not of God, and therefore bring no lasting satisfaction.

Last, as we saw two weeks ago, the world is passing away. We brought nothing into it and will take nothing out. The best investment is the will of God because those who do the will of God abides forever.

1 Timothy 6:18-19 gives four actions that assure a good investment without risk of loss:

1 Timothy 6:18–19 NKJV

18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Do good — involves using wealth in a positive way instead of letting it feed a life of luxury.

To be rich in good deeds — points to how the wealthy should truly be excessive.

Ready to give— the idea of being generous or sharing your wealth with others. I understand that this calls for discernment. We allow the dangers to excuse us.

Willing to share — demonstrates a generosity that springs up internally.

The suggestion is that true lasting wealth that will not diminish is found in what we give, not what we have.

Conclusion

Money is a tricky thing and we must beware. Either we put it under the Lordship of Jesus Christ or it rivals for Lordship over our lives.

The way you respond to money is the evidence of what you believe about God.

If we believe that God is Lord over our lives, then He is Lord over the things we hold most dear.

Anything that is off-limits to His Lordship is an idol that puts us at risk of judgment and keeps us from His best. Notice that I said anything, but in our culture money is one of the big ones.

Response

How does God want you to respond to the message this morning?

I would say honest assessment is one of the ways. Do I have areas of my life that are off-limits to God? Money, marriage, emotions, sex.

Am I earthly minded and of no heavenly value? Have I considered what kind of investments I am making in the eternal kingdom of God?

Have my affections been transformed? Have I tasted and seen that the Lord is good? Do I find joy and satisfaction in Him or something else?