Sermon Tone Analysis

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF RICHES

7~/6~/2002 AND 7~/7~/2002

 

 

1 Timothy 6

These are the things you are to teach and urge on them.

/Love of Money /

3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing.

He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions 5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

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

9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

/Paul’s Charge to Timothy /

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

12 Fight the good fight of the faith.

Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.

To him be honor and might forever.

Amen.

17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

[1]

-We are going to talk today about the responsibility of riches.

Prayer

 

-This is not a series but I had this Scripture really come alive to me.

Paul said in Philippians 4;

“11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be */content/* whatever the circumstances.

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of */being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want/*.

13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

(Notice that the secret is that in Christ I can do all things)

 

 

-One of the things we are good at is being in need or abased.

We can make a dollar go farther than most think possible.

It is good to learn to stretch.

-I’ve been in places where I had to stretch.

-The other side of that is learning to abound.

-What does the Bible say we should do if we do have abundance?

What do we need to know about prospering?

 

 

16 Of what use is money in the hand of a fool,

since he has no desire to get wisdom?

–Proverbs 17:16

 

 

 

1 Timothy 6

verse 5-There are those who think that godliness is a */means/* for financial gain.

-I would argue that godliness promotes financial gain as in the case of the miners in England.

As they followed God, they prospered just because of their lifestyle changes.

Verse 6 says godliness with contentment is great gain.

“Contentment in this verse actually means; “sufficiency, it means one who is self-sufficient in need of no other persons or things.

One who has achieved his own potential.

The result of being at peace with God and life’s circumstances.”

-It Has to do with the promise that God will supply the necessities of life.

-Contentment has nothing to do with the external.

It is internal.

You can have contentment with 3 dollars or 3 million dollars.

-Getting more money doesn’t guarantee contentment.

Verse 8-In other words, we have enough, we have a full supply for each day.

Verse 9- Tells us that the main purpose in life can’t be to gain or we will possibly get off course.

Verse 10-Tells us that if we love money we are out of balance.

*Lu 16:13* -

"No servant can serve two masters; for ei*the*r he will hate *the* *one* and *love* *the* o*the*r, or else he will be devoted to *one* and despise *the* o*the*r.

You cannot serve God and wealth."

-Often people stop there but let’s get to the message in my heart.

-BUT YOU, O MAN OF GOD…….

17-19

17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

–NIV

 

 

 

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.

Paul-Timothy……WHAT TO TELL RICH PEOPLE

 

Define “RICH”- Rich just means abundance.

-If your bills are paid and you have $2, you are rich.

Not very rich, but rich.

-If your bills are paid and you have $2 million extra, you are very rich.

-The first key to being rich is to fix the bar at */how much is enough./*

*/ /*

*/ /*

-Ted Turner said nobody needs more than 200 million.

-I can live at a whole lot less.

You have to prayerfully ask God how much is enough?

Not based on the culture and your neighbors but on God’s plan.

-Most of you here today are rich.

-We as Americans are rich.

We have tremendous abundance.

-I’m not going to apologize for that, we are being used to bless the world.

-There is a responsibility that comes with it though.

-It isn’t our right…it is our responsibility.

-We have the responsibility of privilege.

The responsibility of riches is to use them properly.

*/1.

COMMAND RICH PEOPLE NOT TO BE HAUGHTY/*

 

 

-Did you notice he didn’t say it was wrong to be rich?

It just brings more responsibility.

-We should never let the presence of wealth make us think we are more valuable than we are.

-It should never make us think that we are above others because of money.

-NIV says not to be arrogant.

*/2.

DON’T TRUST IN WEALTH BUT IN THE LIVING GOD/*

 

-Even if you have a store of money and stuff, don’t let it be your security.

Let God be your security.

-Trust in the */LIVING GOD./*

*/ /*

-If money or greed becomes your God-that is idolatry.

*/3.

GOD GIVES US ALL/* THINGS TO ENJOY