Mo' Money, Mo' Problems
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Introduction
Introduction
Everyone plans what to do if you win the lottery
What would you do for a Hundred Grand?
$3 million on a window
From JFK assassination (may not be real)
You can actually use it!
$15,000 haircut
Sultan of Brunei flew him in from London for 30 pound haircut
$300,000 Barbie necklace
Comes with a Barbie too
$319 million Airbus A380 for Saudi royalty
Upgraded to $500 million to carry his 2 Rolls Royces and his horses
$3.2 million dog collar
1,600 diamonds with 52 carats
$14,000 tea bag
280 diamonds
$325 ice cubes
Supposedly no taste
$185 paper clip
Sold by Prada
$300,000 Barbie necklace
Comes with a Barbie too
We start with a recap of Ephesian problem
$1.3 million gold toilet paper
You can actually use it!
YouVersion: Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems
-end
Next week we start “3-Years”
We start with a recap of Ephesian problem
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.
1 tim 6:3
What have we seen in 1 Tim?
False teachers, Asceticism, Legalism, Sexual immorality, Poor leadership, Arrogant women, Uninvested men, Gossipers, People using the church
Asceticism
Legalism
Sexual immorality
Poor leadership
Arrogant women
Uninvested men
Gossipers
People using the church
That’s a lot of bad stuff!
Paul is going to close with one more
Money, money, money, money!
YouVersion: Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems
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.
Let’s jump ahead:
-end
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.
Most of us know this:
Some know the standard saying, “Money is the root of all evil”
Taken out of context in TWO PLACES
1. Money is not the root...
The LOVE of it is!
2. Not of ALL evil...
All KINDS of evil!
Money, if left alone, is not good or evil
Money, if left alone, is not good or evil
Paul is not warning Timothy that money is evil
He’s also not telling him that ACQUIRING it is evil (more on that in a minute)
THIS IS A WARNING ABOUT THE SEVERE DANGERS OF IDOLATRY!
Money often costs too much. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
What is idolatry? Putting someone or something in God’s place
Paul is saying money is a dangerous candidate for this!
21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.
Why did Jesus tell him to do that?
Money stands for what we can get from man instead of God. - John Piper
He knew that is heart was centered on one thing
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.
Money stands for what we can get from man instead of God. - John Piper
Here’s how this works:
God’s way:
35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
Money’s way:
You give me X, I give you Y
It encourages a transactional style of living
A person driven by money is always asking, “What’s in it for me?”
Drug addicts
Always taking, never giving
Generally end up with nothing
The people that hold tightly to everything end up with least
Driven by God, we see we already have everything we need!
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.
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.
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
People worried about holding on are miserable!
mat 6:31-
People worried about holding on are miserable!
Grocery fast
Always surprised at what we actually have - it’s not nothing
For most, it’s not that we don’t have enough
It’s that we don’t appreciate what we have
When John D. Rockefeller asked “How much is enough money?
Just a little bit more.
Let’s look at where a lot of our money goes...
He owned 90% of the oil/gas industry at the time!
Instead, Paul tells Timothy to worry about this:
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 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.
1 tim 6:11-
Don’t fight for money, fight the good fight!
Word “fight” means it won’t be easy
Fight to pursue good things of God!
How would the world look if we thought righteousness, godliness, faith, steadfastness, gentleness the same as money?
People work 40 hours per week to earn more money
Go to school, to earn more money
Participate in workplace politics, to earn more money
How much time to you spend in the Word? In prayer? Serving? Evangelizing?
Probably not that much...
Then Paul makes two points:
This fight for eternal life is a “calling”
Much as todays elders are “called”
1 tim 6:13
Means God “drafted” him into the fight
Draft dodgers
570,000 men dodged the draft
Another 14 million able-bodied found ways out
Even if you don’t have a choice, you still have a choice
That’s why he brings up that he made his confession in the presence of witnesses
Then he adds to it:
13 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, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
I charge you in the presence of GOD!
AND Jesus… why?
Because He made that same confession Himself!
But He did it before the man who would crucify Him!
If Jesus can do it...
The most powerful king in the world
The blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords
The immortal who dwells in unapproachable light,
Worthy of all honor and eternal dominion
If Jesus can do it, little Timmy you’d better do it too!
So that leaves one more question for Paul to address:
What about the rich people?!
1 tim 6:17
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
You got money? Use it for good!
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.
11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 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. 13 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, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.
Grace be with you.
I love money. I love everything about it. I bought some pretty good stuff. Got me a $300 pair of socks. Got a fur sink. An electric dog polisher. A gasoline powered turtleneck sweater. And, of course, I bought some dumb stuff, too. --Steve Martin
Paul is saying, all stuff you buy with money is dumb stuff!
Teach the rich to invest in something valuable...
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal,
A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart. - Jonathan Swift
What does this mean for me? I’m not rich!
I’ll bet you’re more rich than you think...
The median household income around $63,000
Top 0.17% in the world!
Fast food -
It would take a laborer in Zimbabwe 72 years to make my annual income
What I finish this year, that guy would finish in 2092
Check out globalrichlist.com to see where you land
You might say, yeah, but wealth is relative
We have to live somewhere where things cost more
True, but let me tell you this...
I told you main reason guys don’t enter ministry (money)
I left the paper mill to pursue ministry
I thought I needed a 6-figure income
Equivalent of $17,786 in East Peoria
It’s not because we were living under a bridge
We survived well because money wasn’t our God, He was!
What came out of that is most of us would have a hard time convincing me we’re not rich
We lived on $40k ($23,714 in East Peoria)
That’s why
It freed me up to do so much ministry I made a career out of it
Most of you will have a hard time convincing me you’re not rich by comparison
If you say you’ve become numb to your wealth, I’ll believe that!
11% of Americans over 25 get grad degrees: - 29% of Nigerian immigrants do
29% of Nigerian immigrants
8% of tech startups are Indian immigrants, make up 1% of the population
In fact, half of all startups are immigrants
WHY?
People from other countries see the opportunities here
We hardly appreciate them
The reality is this, we ARE rich!
So what do we do?
Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one. --Benjamin Franklin
Stop feeding money, and do this:
1. We put our trust in God
Money can never buy you real security...
John Lennon, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, Abraham Lincoln, even Notorious BIG who I named the sermon after
All were rich, but were tragically murdered
Their money didn’t protect them, it couldn’t give them life
Cling to God who offers eternal life
2. Do good, be rich in good works, be generous and ready to share
S
A lot of us think we talk about giving because the church needs money
We talk about giving because we need to be givers!
Notice he didn’t tell them to sell everything...
If God blessed you, great! Be giving!
For me, 10% goes to the church off the top...
The I try to help others when the opportunity arises
You might be wondering how much you should give?
But Paul says don’t be haughty… (better than)
Tithe to the church? 20% 30%? 80%?
Support the Andersons? Compassion Intl.? WCIC?
Homeless people? Family?
I believe the tithe is important, so I start at 10% no matter what
Then, I try to build on that for other things...
To some degree, you have to make that decision yourself...
My advice is this:
Don’t keep so much money for yourself that you love it, trust it, or depend on it more than you love, trust or depend on God!
God blessed you, remember that
When you get over that line, give it away!
He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more; He who loses faith, loses all. --Eleanor Roosevelt
20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.
Grace be with you.
He closes his letter with this thought:
He’s been saying it the whole time...
Stop believing the garbage the world tells you
Just focus on God and His teachings...
Closing
Closing
Next week we start “3-Years”