The Lifestyle of the Rich and Christian

When I was in seminary, I took a hermenutics by a well know Greek Scholar named Bill Warren. He also was fluent in Spanish and did a lot of mission work in Latin America. I remember him telling a story once in Latin America of a young man who asked him, “How can you be a Christian and live in America?” The issue was capitalism vs. socialism. I thought to myself, “What a strange thing to attach a nation’s economic policy to religion.” In this questioner’s mind capitalism was evil and socialism was good because in his mind socialism cares for others and capitalism is all about greed and looking out for yourself. Now I certainly believe that is a mischaracterization of both socialism and capitalism.

I am a massive fan of capitalism, believing that a rising tide lifts all boats and it provides the best basis for everyone to succeed. But here’s the point I want to get at, you can be a Christian and live in a socialist nation. And, you can be a Christian and live in a capitalist nation. They have very little to do with each other. But, here is the reality. Capitalism has made the average American far richer than the average person on the rest of the planet.

Listen to a few of the finding recorded in the 2019 Article entitled “If America’s Poor were There Own Nation, They’d Be Among the World’s Riches” by Chrissy Clark

In face this study goes on to say:

“Due to the huge number and outlays of American welfare programs, the poorest 20 percent of Americans actually spend more money than do the average person in the countries of Canada, Greece, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, and Japan, just to name a few.

And, just to note, gratefully God has blessed many of us not only to live in the U.S. but with jobs and resources so that we are far higher than the 20%. That brings up the question, “How should we live in America as Christians with all the resources we have been entrusted with.?”

I. Recognize the Dangers of Your Present Blessing (v.17)

No doubt that every blessing we have comes from above. But, we also realize that what God gives us can be dangerous if it is misued. That’s true with everything God gives us that is good. Foot is good, but it can turn into gluttony misused. Sex is good, but it can also destroy relationships when misused. Rest is good, but misused it can become apathy and laziness. The same is true with material wealth. Paul says if we are not careful with it, it can turn into the two dangers of pride and misplaced faith.

A. Pride (v.17)

1 Timothy 6:17 ESV

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.

Having an abundance of physical wealthy can made us prideful, as if we don’t need God because we can take care of ourselves with the wealth we have.

We see a great example of this in the nation of Israel. They had come from extreme slavery and poverty in Egypt. They had disobeyed God which resulted in 40 years of wondering in the desert. They approached the promised land as a people of great poverty. But now, God had promised to give them a land of great wealth.

In Deuteronomy, Moses stands before the people to preach them a series of sermons to prepare them for the promise land. Here is part of his warning of the dangers of the wealth they will receive.

Deuteronomy 8:12–14 ESV

12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,

“Forget the Lord”- This is a danger for all of us. Wealth creates in us spiritual amnesia. Instead of giving God the credit, we begin to credit ourselves with our wealth. Our success causes us to be quite proud of ourselves. We have this notion creep into our hearts that we have done quite well without God.

B. Misplaced Faith (v.17)

1 Timothy 6:17 ESV

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.

“not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches”- He says, “You may have a lot of wealthy, but don’t put too much hope in those riches.” They actually are not as valuable as you might right now think.

One reason is that all the wealth that you earn in this present age can only but useful in this present age. And you are going to live a lot longer than that. And, there’s a temptation to start determining your worth as a person based on how big your house is, or what kind of car you drive, or where you kids go to school, etc. I think I have an illustration that points to both of these issues.

*From time to time we take our kids to Chuck E. Cheese. Maybe its for a birthday or they go to a birthday of a friend. If you’ve never been in there, it’s a training ground for future gambling addicts. Sure, they have pizza and music and a big stuffed Rat that the kids love. But, what they really love is all the games. Parents pay good money for tokens that can only be used in the games in the restaurant. And kids go and used the tokens to play these games to win tickets. The measure of the man is determined by how many tickets you have when all the tokens run out. At the end of your time, you take all those tickets and run them through a counter that and you get a sheet of exactly how many tickets you won. 400 tickets, 800 tickets, 1000 tickets!

You then take that ticket to the redemption counter where you can redeem those tickets for prizes. The teenager working behind the counter points your child to a list of prizes they can get with their tickets, “ You walk out the door with 6 sticks of bubble gum, a slinky, and a Chinese finger trap.”

I have repeated that process many times with my children. And here’s what I concluded. Every single time, I want me and my kids to beat every other dad and their kids. Sometimes we do. Sometimes we don’t. But here’s what every dad ultimately realizes when you leave the restaurant. It really didn’t matter how many tickets you won or not. Because the tickets could only be used in Chuck E. Cheese. And there is nothing in the store that can be purchased that you are proud to own when you get home.

+Now it is easy to get caught up in the chase for greater and greater wealth. It’s easy to judge your standing and worthy comparing what you have to what others have. But here’s what we will all learn when we leave this life, all of our wealth can only be used in this present age. And there is nothing that we can purchase for ourselves here that is going to have lasting value in eternity.

So, Paul says, “Don’t put your hope in the uncertainty of riches.”

We know the dangers of wealth. What are the true blessings of wealth? How are we to live with wealth as Christians?

II. Imitate the Richest of All (vv. 17-19)

We should note that no one is richer than God. I love that he said to put hopes “on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” (v.17) Everything we have comes from God as a gift. We are to enjoy the gift as imitate the Giver.

A. Do Good (v.18)

1 Timothy 6:18 ESV

18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,

God’s gifts show us how much that he loves us. By enjoying this gifts, we enjoy his kindness and grace. He has done good to us. Now he calls us to take that same kindness and do good for others that they might see how good he is.

I love the phrase “rich in good works” because it begins to redefine what real wealth is on this earth. It’s loving God and others.

Generosity is a key to that.

B. Be Generous (v.18)

“be generous and ready to share,” (v.18)

That doesn’t mean we should be a socialist or communist nation. We see the importance of personal responsibility and ownership throughout Scripture. But what it means is that we are to hold on to our money with an open hand.

People tend to have this misguided notion that the tighter you hold on to your money the more of it you will keep. That’s completely untrue.

Listen to how Proverbs 23:4-5 describes the nature of money.

Proverbs 23:4–5 ESV

4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. 5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.

How many of you have experienced that. You had some money at one point, then somehow someway it just sprouted wing and was gone. You don’t know exactly where it went, but you don’t have it anymore? All of us. That’s why Paul called it the “uncertainty of riches.” Don’t put your trust in it because you can’t trust it to be there when you need it.

Paul tells us to bless others with it.

We can’t really keep money. It will fly away. The best any of us can do is direct it is a productive direction. Direct it through good budgets that pay off your bills and not live on more than your means. Direct it to bless the Kingdom of God through tithes and offering. Direct it by going on mission trips or sending others on missions. Direct it by giving to ministries that fight sin and evil in the world and build the Kingdom of God (Baptist Children’s Village, Local and Foreign Missions, Wiregrass Hope, Fostering Hope, give to a local Christian school, or whatever ministry you believe in).

When you do, you turn temporary tickets into wealth that lasts forever. That’s how we invest in eternity.

C. Invest in Eternity (v.19)

1 Timothy 6:19 ESV

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.

This doesn’t mean that we earn heaven by how we use our wealth. What it means is that being born again and following Christ changes that way believers think about money.

We have to ask, “Why are so many people stingy instead of generous?” The answer is because most trust in their money as an idol, the way that we are taught to trust in God.

Listen to Psalm 115:1-8

Psalm 115:1–8 ESV

1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! 2 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. 7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. 8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

This dollar has a mouth that does not speak. It has eyes that doesn not see. It has ears that do not hear; noses that do not smell. It can be just as much of an idol as the wood and stone idols of the ancient.

The thing about wealth is that “Money makes a wonderful servant, but it makes a terrible God.”

May we who are the richest people in the world, imitate the richest one in the world our God.

God gave to the point of sacrifice of his own son that we might have eternal life. It’s only right that the riches Christians in the world be the most generous people in the world for the sake of the gospel.

III. Persevere in Your True Purpose (vv. 20-21)

Paul finishes the book by summing up his main message to Timothy.

1 Timothy 6:20–21 ESV

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.

Don’t get caught up in all the distractions of this world. The most valuable thing you will ever have the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let every part of your life be devoted to his glory and expanding his Kingdom throughout the world.

So I end this series with the words of Paul. “Grace be with you!”