Sermon Tone Analysis

Inscription: Writing God’s Words on Our Hearts & Minds

Part 82: Enjoying Money

1 Timothy 6:17-19

July 15, 2012

PRAYER

SCRIPTURE READING: 1 Timothy 6:17-19 (Michel Jevons)

UNEASY RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY

I am reading a book called “THOU SHALL PROSPER.”

What to you picture when I say that?

A televangelist with a gold watch asking you to send in $100 as seed money?

Joel Osteen?

Do you imagine it is a book about how to have enough faith to get whatever you want?

~* It is written by an ORTHODOX RABBI, Daniel Lapin and the title comes from a frequent promise of God in the Bible.

He doesn’t say it expressly, but between the lines he says, “The problem with you CHRISTIANS is you think being RICH is WRONG.

You feel guilty about earning lots of money.”

And he is right.

Granted, on one side is the “HEALTH & WEALTH” theology which says that if you are righteous, God will prosper you and if you are poor or sick it is because of sin.

~* This is absolute NONSENSE and I have a lot to say about it, so I better restrain myself.

But on the other side, the majority of Christians are suspicious of WEALTH.

Just as poverty can make you second class among THE world, being rich can make you second class among Christians.

But (we think) if you are rich, you can MAKE UP for it by GIVING all of your money away.

If you don’t live on the BARE MINIMUM and give the rest away, then you aren’t REALLY BEING OBEDIENT.

ONE PASTOR I respect said, “...we should be CONTENT with the simple necessities of life because we could INVEST the EXTRA that we make for what really counts.”

~* Nothing in his sermon said anything about ENJOYING this LIFE.

MIXED MESSAGES

I understand where that ANTI-MONEY BIAS comes from – many Scriptures warn against the dangers of money:

James 5:1 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.

1 Timothy 6:10 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.

Yet at the same time, the Bible also says a lot of POSITIVE things about money:

NIV Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.

NIV Proverbs 22:4 Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.

SHARP KNIVES

Money is COMPLEX.

It can be used for GOOD and it can be used for EVIL.

It is not bad, but it is DANGEROUS.

It is like a KNIFE.

The more you have, the sharper it is.

~* A sharp knife is a GREAT TOOL, it literally make cooking more fun, but it also makes MISUSE more dangerous.

In college I had an OLD FREEZER that was not frost free so I had to defrost it.

Because I was impatient, I’d use a knife to chip the ice.

The only reason I didn’t cut a finger off or destroy the freezer is because I didn’t own any really sharp knives.

Q What would happen if you were SUDDENLY RICH?

Would it change you?

I see the sort of UNHAPPINESS MONEY can bring and I worry that I would CUT my FINGER off with it.

But I would really love to have a SHARP KNIFE to cut the vegetables.

And I would love to be able to AFFORD a good cut of MEAT.

~* What I want to know for my life is how I can ENJOY the BLESSINGS of money while AVOIDING the DESTRUCTION.

And that is why I love THIS PASSAGE so much; in it Paul brings together both the enjoyment of money and the dangers.

This passage brings the balance together in one spot:

~* “Paul’s sound advice walks the straight line between a world-denying ASCETICISM and a self-centered INDULGENCE.”

We NEED this passage, it is to us, because in Paul’s mind, we ARE RICH – we have our basic needs covered and have discretionary income.

~* If YOU WANT also want to know how to USE and ENJOY money PROPERLY, you need to listen closely.

MONEY ISN’T BAD

Let’s read the whole thing:

1 Timothy 6:17-19 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.

~* Notice what Paul does not say: “Command those who are rich to GIVE is all AWAY.”

We are AFRAID to let Jesus be lord of our money because we remember him telling the RICH YOUNG RULER to give everything away and follow him; we are afraid he’ll say the same to us.

~* There isn’t even a HINT of “if they were REALLY OBEDIENT they’d become poor.”

THE DANGERS OF MONEY

But again, money is DANGEROUS and Paul wants us to AVOID the dangers:

1 Timothy 6:17 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...

The three biggest dangers of wealth are:

1.

It easily distracts us from real treasure.

A more LITERAL TRANSLATION is “the ones rich in this age”; riches in this age and the one to come are not the same thing.

They are alike as MONOPOLY MONEY and REAL MONEY.

~* Being RICH in material things can easily DISTRACT us from being SPIRITUALLY POOR.

Robert KIYOSAKI (I think): “Money doesn’t make you happy.

I have been poor and miserable and rich and miserable.

But I would rather be rich and miserable.”

PREFER, yes, but being rich makes it EASIER to IGNORE the source your misery – spiritual poverty.

Q When you are EMPTY or MISERABLE, what is your initial response: Buy SHOES, a GAME, or TOY?

Or seek GOD?

Q What are you teaching your KIDS to do?

We tend to use money like a BAND AID on CANCER.

2. It easily leads to pride.

What is it about money that so easily makes us ARROGANT?

We might take pride in our ABILITY to earn more (skills or drive).

We might also take pride the THINGS money can buy.

~* And so often pride is a cover INSECURITY.

Q Do you use your money to feel like a BETTER PERSON?

~* It will NEVER be ENOUGH – you will never be good enough.

If you can’t experience GOD’S LOVE and ACCEPTANCE without money, you won’t experience it with money.

So many people are just trying to gain approval and value from an EARTHLY FATHER.

3. It easily fosters self-dependence

Finally, we are warned not to put our HOPE in money.

Money so easily becomes our SAFETY NET, that which makes us feel secure.

But, as Paul reminds us, money is so uncertain.

~* The safety is an ILLUSION – we are always in DAILY NEED of God’s provision and direction.

In the parable of the RICH FOOL, God faults the man for believing it kept him safe.

“This very night your life will be demanded from you.

Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?”

(Luke 12:20)

Q How would you finish this sentence: “I am not AFRAID of the FUTURE because...”

~* “My 401(k), rentals, and STOCKS?”

~* Or “Because my FATHER will take care of me?”

~* Or “I don’t have either – I am TERRIFIED!”

WHO’S YOUR MASTER?