Rev. David Holwick O 1 Timothy - Clean Up the Church, #14
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
April 18, 2010
1 Timothy 6:6-11
FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY
I. Is winning a big lottery ticket a blessing or a curse?
A. Morristown woman wins big this week.
1) $211.7 million in Powerball.
That is around $60 million in cash after taxes.
"I give God all the glory for this blessing that He has
given to me," said Sandra McNeil.
2) I wonder if she is a Baptist...
3) And I wonder how it will affect her life.
a) McNeil said she hoped to live her life quietly.
b) I spoke to my dad yesterday and he mentioned a local
man who won over $20 million in the lottery.
His friends buried him under a backyard patio.
The man's family said he would have been better off
if he had never won.
B. Everyone wants the good stuff in life.
Christians, too.
This Easter, Pastor Bil Cornelius of the Bay Area Fellowship,
the largest church in Corpus Christi, Texas, really wanted
good attendance at their Easter services.
So the church sponsored what they called "The Ultimate Giveaway."
They prepared 15,000 gift bags, each with about $300 worth of
goods and gift certificates inside.
But wait! There's more!
They also gave away flat-screen TVs, skateboards, electric
guitars, bicycles, furniture and 15 cars.
The church had to cut an opening in the chapel wall so the cars
could be pulled in on Easter morning.
Can you imagine going to church and telling the pastor, "I'll
take what's behind door number 2!"
In all, they gave out about $4.5 million in the gift bags and
around $2 million more in other loot.
They did put a spiritual spin on it.
Pastor Cornelius told his congregation, "Imagine how great
heaven is going to be if you feel that excited about a car!"
It got a lot of publicity, of course.
TWENTY-THREE THOUSAND people showed up.
Our Easter attendance was a little on the light side this year.
Maybe we should start working on the giveaway idea....
#31872
II. Godliness and money.
A. Everyone needs material things.
1) Madonna used to bill herself as "The Material Girl."
a) In a way, we all are.
b) We have material bodies, and we need material things
to survive.
2) Jesus himself acknowledges this. Luke 12:28-31
"If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which
is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire,
how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink;
do not worry about it.
For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your
Father KNOWS THAT YOU NEED THEM.
But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you
as well."
a) We need the material stuff.
b) But we need the spiritual stuff more.
B. Many religious people get this wrong.
1) In verse 5, Paul mentions how the false teachers see their
ministry as a way to get rich.
2) It is just as true today.
I've heard that when Oral Roberts had his family portrait
distributed to his followers, an artist had to first
air-brush out the heavy jewelry he was wearing.
3) Godliness is not something to make material gain from (6:5)
but is profitable in and of itself.
C. True godliness produces contentment.
1) There will be a satisfaction with what you have.
2) There will be no room for greed.
III. What exactly is contentment?
A. Contentment was a favorite virtue of Greek Stoics and Cynics.
1) These were popular philosophies in Paul's day.
2) To them, contentment signified self-sufficiency.
a) This was the ability to rely on one's inner resources.
B. Some believe Paul is using the word contentment that way here.
1) However, in Phil. 4:11 he uses the same word in a way that
turns the tables on the Stoics.
Philippians 4:10-13
I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed
your concern for me.
[Apparently they were able to send Paul some material
support.]
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have
learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
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.
I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
2) Genuine contentment is not self-sufficiency but
Christ-sufficiency. Phil 4:13
a) He gives us the power to live above both want and plenty.
b) Paul is countering the greed of the false teachers,
and anyone else who is tempted to go that way.
IV. Two reasons why godly contentment makes sense.
A. You can't take it with you. 6:7
1) When John D. Rockefeller died, one man was curious about
how much of an estate the world's richest man had left
behind.
Determined to find out, he set up an appointment with
one of Rockefeller's highest aides.
He asked him, "How much did Rockefeller leave behind?"
The aide answered, "All of it."
#10425
2) Job says the same thing. Job 1:21
Job said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked
I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name
of the LORD be praised."
a) Material gain is therefore irrelevant.
b) Greed is irrational - it doesn't make any sense.
B. You have enough already. 6:8
1) Food and clothing should be enough.
2) This reflects Stoic thought, but also the teaching of
Jesus. Luke 12:22-32
a) It is interesting that Paul is alluding to the Old
Testament and the teachings of Jesus at the same time,
just like his does in 5:18.
b) We should focus on the "now."
3) A radical example.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, knew grinding
poverty as a child.
His father was the priest in one of England's lowest-paying
parishes.
He had nine children to support and was rarely out of debt.
Once John saw his father being marched off to debtor's
prison.
When John became a teacher at Oxford University he was paid
more than enough to live on.
He spent his money on playing cards, tobacco and brandy.
While at Oxford, an incident changed his perspective on
money.
He had just finished paying for some pictures for his room
when one of the chambermaids came to his door.
It was a cold winter day, and he noticed that she had
nothing to protect her except a thin linen gown.
He reached into his pocket to give her some money to buy a
coat but found he had too little left.
Immediately the thought struck him that the Lord was not
pleased with the way he had spent his money.
He asked himself, "Will thy Master say, 'Well done, good
and faithful steward'?
You have adorned your walls with the money which might have
screened this poor creature from the cold!"
Perhaps as a result of this incident, in 1731 Wesley began
to limit his expenses so that he would have more money
to give to the poor.
He records that one year his income was 30 pounds and his
living expenses were 28 pounds, so he had 2 pounds to
give away.
The next year his income doubled, but he still managed to
live on 28 pounds, so he had 32 pounds to give to the poor.
Years later his income had risen to a little over 1400 pounds.
He lived on 30 pounds and gave away nearly 1400 pounds.
Wesley felt that the Christian should not merely tithe but
give away all extra income once the family and creditors
were taken care of.
He believed that with increasing income, what should rise
is not the Christian's standard of living but the
standard of GIVING.
Even when his income rose into the high brackets, he lived
simply, and he quickly gave away his surplus money.
He reports that he never had 100 pounds at any one time.
It even got him into trouble with Britain's IRS.
In 1776 the tax commissioners inspected his return and
wrote him that he had failed to pay tax on his silverware.
Wesley wrote back, "I have two silver spoons at London and
two at Bristol.
This is all the silver plate I have at present, and I shall
not buy any more while so many round me [lack] bread."
#2995
V. The danger of "more."
A. Greed is a trap that ultimately leads to personal destruction.
1) It doesn't produce EVERY evil, but more than its share.
a) (Note as well that it is our love of money, and not
money itself, that is the issue.)
2) Greed can make you do stupid stuff.
a) It turns people against one another and destroys
many families.
b) The obsession for wealth sucks the life out of you.
B. It is a problem for Christians, too.
1) At its worst, greed can rob you of faith. 6:10
2) You get so focused on this world, you forget about the next.
a) It appears that some Christians in Timothy's churches
had experienced this already.
C. Is it a problem for you?
1) Most of us probably think that greed is someone else's
problem, not ours.
2) We have nice possessions but they don't possess us.
a) Or do they?
3) There is a pretty easy test: Are you contented?
a) Are you satisfied with your life as it is RIGHT NOW?
b) If you won a big lottery, would it change you?
D. Flee the greed. 6:11
1) Eternal life must be your most valued possession.
2) Acquire the fruit of faith, love, endurance, and gentleness
that go with it.
3) It can't rust or get lost or be stolen. God guarantees it!
=========================================================================
SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 2995 "What Wesley Practiced And Preached About Money," by Charles Edward
White, Mission Frontiers Bulletin, 9/1/94, p. 23. Adapted from
Leadership magazine, Winter 1987.
#10425 "How Much Rockefeller Left Behind," Fredericksburg Bible Illustrator
Supplements, 9/1997.101.
#31872 "The Two-Million Dollar Giveaway," by Randy Cassingham, This Is True,
April 4, 2010. Originally from the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
=========================================================================
Outline of passage
I. False teachers seek only money, but godliness has best payoff.
A. Godliness must be combined with contentment.
1) We bring nothing into the world.
2) We can take nothing out of it.
B. We should be content with basic necessities (food, clothing).
II. Trap of wanting to get rich.
A. It leads to many harmful desires.
B. It leads to ruin and destruction.
III. The love of money is the root of a variety of evils.
A. Some lose their faith.
B. Others are pierced with many griefs.
IV. (Godly people will flee all this.) v. 11
A. Pursue righteousness and other godly virtues.
Commentaries
Luke Timothy Johnson
I. Paul's approach to the rich.
A. He does not condemn them.
B. He warns them of the dangers of wealth.
1) The assumption that wealth gives power.
a) Don't be haughty. 6:17
2) The notion that wealth gives true security.
a) Being rich has no advantage with God.
1> This is true even if they contribute to the church.
b) Put your hope in God.
1> This is the only lasting treasure. see Matt 6:20
2> Our identity must come from God alone.
c) Share your wealth. 6:18
II. Don't be a lover of money.
A. We should not derive our "being" from our "having."
1) Having "more" doesn't give you any more "real life." 6:19
2) The words of Jesus in Luke 12:15 are appropriate here.
B. The virtuous attitude toward possessions is summed up as
contentment.
1) We come with nothing and leave with nothing.
2) This echoes the sentiment of Job. Job 1:21
a) We all stand before God naked.
b) At the same time, faith tells us there is no need to
fill anything because God gives to us richly.
Gordon Fee
I. The relationship between true godliness and money.
A. Contentment - a favorite virtue of Stoics and Cynics.
1) To them it signified self-sufficiency.
2) This was the ability to rely on one's inner resources.
B. Some believe Paul is using it that way here.
1) However, in Phil. 4:11 he uses the word that turns the
tables on the Stoics.
2) Genuine contentment is not self-sufficiency but
Christ-sufficiency.
a) Jesus gives us the power to live above both want and
plenty. Phil 4:13
b) Paul is countering the greed of the false teachers,
and anyone else who is tempted to go that way.
II. Two reasons why contentment should accompany godliness.
A. Eschatalogical - we can take nothing with us at death.
1) Material gain is therefore irrelevant.
2) Greed is irrational.
B. Food and clothing is enough.
1) This reflects Stoic thought.
2) It also reflects the teaching of Jesus. Luke 12:22-32
3) Paul is alluding to the OT (Job 1:21) and the teachings of
Jesus, similar to what he does in 5:18.
C. Godliness and money.
1) Godliness is not something to make material gain from (6:5)
but is profitable in and of itself.
2) True godliness will be accompanied by contentment.
3) There will be no room for greed.
III. False teachers and money.
