Thinking Biblically About Money

How would you describe your personal financial condition right now?

Are you struggling? Are you comfortable? Or are you well off?

If you compare yourself with people who are at or below the poverty line in this country,

most all of us in this room are at least comfortable.

If we compared ourselves with most people in this world, then all of us are well off.

Now right now in this room, our levels of income, the size of our bank accounts vary widely.

And I don't know what anybody has. I just know in a gathering this size, it will vary widely.

But if you compare what we have right now, all of us, to people in the first century, in the town of Ephesus,

that Paul is writing Timothy, where Paul's writing to Timothy, all of us will be considered wealthy people.

That's who Paul is addressing in 1 Timothy chapter 6, where I want us to look this morning, verse 17.

1 Timothy 6 · chapter mention

We are among the wealthy type that Paul points out.

That Timothy, you should talk to him about this.

I want them to understand this.

Paul is writing to people like us, Christians who have money,

and some of the things that money can buy.

Now I realize that we're not a church full of rich people.

In American terms, we are not a wealthy group of people in here.

But in the larger world context,

considering the money we make or have,

the kind of houses we live in,

the cars we drive,

the clothes we have packed into multiple closets,

we are wealthy people.

So what we're going to read in 1 Timothy 6, beginning in verse 17,

it applies to you and me as Christians

who are fairly well off.

Let's read it.

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.

They are to do good,

to be rich in good works,

to be generous and ready to share,

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.

We spent about half the time last week

looking at this same chapter,

but verses 6 through 10.

And what Paul was writing there

was really a warning

to people who wanted to get rich

for the sake of being rich.

Paul warned against the temptations that come

if you're just obsessed with money

and getting it any way you can

just to make your life simpler, more comfortable,

just to live really basically a self-indulgent kind of life.

Paul was writing that

because there were some false teachers

who were trying to make money off the church.

They were taking advantage of people.

And so Paul is basically condemning

that greedy, can't ever get enough,

I gotta get rich no matter what mentality.

But here, what we've just read,

Paul's not being negative.

He is certainly not being negative about rich people.

He is addressing them who were in the church,

members of the church.

And while he's got some warnings,

he has some positive things to say about it.

And then he says, do some good things with it.

So as we look at this,

understand this is a positive word overall

to people like us, Christians,

who have some money and material things.

Number one, here's a question.

How has your wealth affected your overall attitude?

How has your wealth affected the way

that you think of yourself?

The way that you think of your future,

your security,

the way you think about God?

You know, wealth, he talks about first,

can have a negative influence on us.

Money makes some people

have an inflated opinion of themselves.

Money makes some people

think too highly of themselves.

And that's what Paul's talking about in verse 17.

He says, as for the rich in this present age,

charge them not to be haughty.

To be haughty literally means

to think exalted thoughts about yourself.

It means to think too highly of yourself,

to have an inflated opinion of yourself.

That's arrogance.

He's talking about pride.

Pride's a deadly sin

that everyone must guard against.

Pride is not something that is

especially a problem for wealthy people.

The poorest of the poor.

The total middle class.

Everyone battles pride at times

over something that we are

or something that we have.

But Paul knew that wealth

does have a way of fanning

the flames of pride in people.

Now, before we go any further,

I want to point out,

Paul's not saying

that every wealthy person is prideful.

As I was studying,

getting ready to prepare this,

I thought about,

from a day gone by,

one of the most humble

Christian leaders and servants

that I have ever known in my life

was a wealthy man.

He grew up in poverty.

But the Lord blessed him

in his work,

in his ability to save

and invest

and take care of his money.

And while I don't know what he had,

I just knew him.

Knew where he lived.

Knew some of the things that he had.

And knew some of the things

that he did with his money.

He had to be a very wealthy person.

But he didn't let anybody know.

Now, he didn't hide where he lived,

what he drove,

and that kind of things.

But he gave money

to our church,

not here,

but in another town,

another day gone by.

He would give money

for specific things in the church

that were needed.

He did it in a way

that no one knew but me.

I was his source

to get it contributed.

He never did it in a way

to try to make me impressed.

He gave of himself,

his time,

his work,

his involvement,

and his resources

to help small Christian organizations,

especially that worked with children,

did all that he could

behind the scenes.

He was a wealthy man,

but he was a humble man.

And he truly saw

what he had

as being given to him

from God.

And he wanted,

as we'll see in a little bit later,

he wanted to do all the good

that he could with it,

truly for the glory of God

and the benefit

of other people

and especially

the Christian cause,

the kingdom of God.

Now,

going back to what Paul

was talking about,

wealth can

make us proud.

Some wealthy people

pridefully think

that they have acquired

what they have

because there's something

superior

about themselves

above other people.

Some people think

they have what they have

because they're just smarter.

They've worked harder.

Or maybe they've manipulated

the system.

But for whatever reason,

some people just think

I am what I am

because of me.

And this is a warning.

One of the dangers,

what Paul's talking about,

one of the dangers

of thinking too highly

of ourselves

is that we start

thinking less

of others.

Or we stop thinking

about other people

altogether.

For a prideful person,

life's all about me.

I'm the center

of the attention.

Everyone should revolve

around me.

Everything should revolve

around me.

And it's not just

pride over money.

That's just what

a prideful person is.

Let's just think about it.

If you think

a whole lot

of yourself,

if you think

a whole lot

about yourself,

you think

that everyone

in your family,

where you work,

in all your circles,

they're supposed

to look to you,

please you,

make sure you're happy,

or at least

get your approval.

You're a prideful person.

You think too highly

of yourself.

You're arrogant.

And if this

describes you,

let it sink in

that God has

a problem with you.

You do not have

close fellowship

with God,

even if He is

your Heavenly Father,

if everything's

about you.

Both James

and Peter

warn us,

back to back

New Testament letters,

look at this,

God resists

the proud.

You can't be

close to God.

You can't serve

His purpose

when you're

jockeying for position

as being the God

of your own life

and maybe wanting

other people

to sort of

bow down

to you as well.

I want you to think,

if your money,

your material possessions,

or anything

has made you proud

like this,

life's really

all about me.

I want to encourage

you to humble

yourself now.

Don't wait

for God

to humble you.

Confess your sin

of pride.

God will forgive you.

God will help you

to change

the way you think

and act

about being

the center of attention.

God will help you

to become

a more humble

servant

and child

of His.

And I want you

to look at this,

both James and Peter,

in that same verse

they go on

to assure us

that while God

resists the proud,

God gives grace

to the humble.

You can experience

God's grace

at work in your life

helping you

just sort of

to calm down,

die to self

in this self-centered

way of life

and truly

make Jesus

your Lord

and become

a humble servant

of His

confidence

if you want

to be that.

Paul also

addresses another

negative attitude

that comes from

wealth.

Money makes

some people

too confident

about their

future.

Paul warns us

here about putting

our hope

in riches.

Look at it.

Nor to set

their hopes

on the uncertainty

of riches.

Then IV says,

nor to put

their hope

in wealth

which is so

uncertain.

The word hope

just about every

time you see it

in the Bible

does not mean

wishful thinking

but it means

confident expectation.

The word hope

in the Bible

is similar to the

idea of trusting.

So Paul is saying

don't set your

hope,

don't set your

trust,

don't set your

confidence

in wealth

because it can

give you a

false sense

of security.

Wealth is

uncertain.

Some people

understand this

better than

others.

Some of us

in here

understand it

better than

others.

Let's think

about it this

way.

If you have

always had

a good job,

a comfortable

home,

and many of

the nicer

things in

life,

you may be

tempted not

to take this

warning seriously.

You may have

only seen

where wealth

has always been

there.

I've always

had what I

needed plus

more.

And from my

experience,

why should I

not trust in

it?

I want you to

think if life's

been that

comfortable,

just thank the

Lord.

But life's not

always going to be

that way.

There are people

in this room,

some of us,

some of our

family members,

lost a job,

a house,

comforts of

what we would

call our

middle or

upper middle

class standard

of living,

through no

fault of our

own.

It happened

when we got

laid off.

The economy

tanked.

And we know

what Paul is

saying here is

very, very

true.

don't put your

hope in

wealth.

It has a

place, but it

is certainly not

eternally secure.

It's not even

promised till

next week.

You know, we

need to pause

here and understand

that Paul is not

telling us, not

telling us, that

it's wrong to

think about the

future and prepare

financially for the

future.

future.

Wisdom, the

wisdom of God, the

wisdom found in the

book of Proverbs, for

example, tells us we

need to plan for the

future.

We need to

financially plan for

the future.

For example, everyone

needs an emergency

fund of three to six

months, monthly, three

to six months of

income set aside for

unexpected expenses.

get laid off from

your job.

Everybody needs to

have this reserve

fund that if you

need a new roof,

heating and AC goes

out, or you get

cut back or laid off

from work, you're not

going to just fold up

right then.

That is just being

wise.

And if you doubt

that, look in the

book of Proverbs, over

and over again, it's a

fool who doesn't think

about the future.

It's a fool who

doesn't wisely use

their, manage their

money.

He even says, Solomon

talks about, look at the

ant and how he works

and prepares and stores

up for the future.

Paul is warning us.

Don't put your hope or

your trust or your

confidence in money or

material things.

They have a place.

They are important.

I also wanted to point

out over, skipped over

this part.

We not only need an

emergency fund, but

everybody needs to be

saving, investing for

retirement.

That is something that is

very, very important

because most people,

there's going to come a

day where you're not

able to work or no one's

going to let you work.

How are you going to

provide for yourself?

Social security is not a

retirement plan.

It's certainly not an

adequate retirement plan.

It's designed to be a

supplement.

And most of us in this

room, we know there's no

guarantee it's going to be

there tomorrow.

We have no certainty about

that kind of thing for the

future.

And so wisdom would

dictate that we plan for

our future, seeking God's

help, his wisdom, but we

need to plan that way.

But at the same time, you

cannot be confident.

There's nothing you can do to

assure yourself, I'm going

to be financially secure.

Wealth is going to always be

there.

Nothing could ever cause me to

worry.

That's foolish.

The only proper object of our

trust and confidence is a

person.

Is God not a thing?

And when we put our focus on

God instead of money, wealth

can have a positive influence on

our attitude.

Let's look at this.

We develop a thankful attitude

when we honor God as the source

of our money and material

prosperity.

Let's don't fail to see this

positive part of Paul's

command.

Some people have the idea that

the Bible is just totally

negative about money, about

having something that always

makes people proud or something

like that.

Or, you know, you never can

depend on it no matter what.

Wealth and money and material

possessions can be great

sources of thankfulness and as

we'll see in a moment, joy.

But look at what he says.

As long as we acquire what we have

the right way.

And that's very important.

We need to look at what we have as

gifts from God.

Thank God for the wisdom that you

have to do what you do.

Thank God for the abilities that you

have and have been able to develop.

Thank God for the opportunities to

use your wisdom and abilities.

Thank God because he is the source

of it all.

As Paul says in another place in

1 Corinthians 4, what do you have

that you've not been given?

And then don't overlook the other

positive influence of wealth in this

verse.

We develop a joyful attitude when we

honor God as the source of our money

and material prosperity.

He richly provides us with everything

to enjoy.

God gives us many good things in life

for us to smile, enjoy, benefit from.

Jesus even talked about how God likes

to do this.

Look at this from the Sermon on the

Mount, Matthew 7.

If you then who are evil know how to

give good gifts to your children, how

much more will your Father who is in

heaven give good things to those who

ask him?

James, he says, every good and perfect

gift is from above.

Learn to think of the good things in

life that you have, that you've acquired

the right way as gifts from God.

That will motivate you to be thankful to

him, to acknowledge him as the giver.

And it will help us to enjoy those

gifts.

You know, think about it.

How would you feel if you gave a gift to

someone that you loved?

Say a child at Christmas.

How would you feel if you gave them a gift and

they just laid it aside and forgot about it?

Or they just took it, but there's no smile on her

face, no apparent pleasure in it.

It would disappoint you greatly, wouldn't it?

Well, think about God gives us, his children, good

gifts because he wants us to enjoy them.

They're coming from him.

Our heavenly father, they're gifts of grace and

gifts of love.

Learn to enjoy what God gives you.

You know, what Paul is saying here helps us to see that

what Paul is saying here helps us see that he is not

condemning wealth or wealthy people.

Being rich is not a sin.

It can be a blessing as long as we think about it the

right way, get it the right way, and use it the right way.

And that's what we're going to look at next.

Look at this next question.

What are you doing with your money?

That's what he's going to be talking about now in verses

18 and 19.

We have responsibility to use our money for good.

Look at this, verse 18.

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be

generous and ready to share.

And a lot of what we've been looking at over the last few

weeks and talking about socialism, providing for

ourselves and our family falls under this category of doing

good.

I want you to understand that first.

Paul has already stressed this to Timothy, and we looked at it

a couple of weeks ago.

Look at this in 1 Timothy 6 or 5, 8.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and

especially for members of his household, he has denied the

faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

But that's not all he said about taking care of family.

Look on, verses 3 and 4, 1 Timothy 5 again.

Honor widows who are truly widows.

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first

learn to show godliness to their own household.

Let them, that's their children and grandchildren, first learn to

show godliness to their own household and to make some return

to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

I want to make sure that my children, daughters-in-law and

grandchildren hear this.

It's important for them to get it.

But no, seriously, we do have a responsibility to our family, to our

immediate family in particular.

We can never just forget them, ignore them, act like they don't have

needs, and be pleasing to God.

Now, I want to make it clear that this does not mean that we should only do

good for our families.

There is nothing in Scripture that says, take care of your family and

forget about everyone else.

That is not what the emphasis is in this section.

The emphasis is on doing good to be rich in good deeds, period.

That means we need to keep our eyes open to people and situations around us

where there is a need, we see it, we understand it, and we have the

resources to meet that need.

You know, as Christians indwelled by the Spirit of God, I truly believe that

there are times we see needs, it's legitimate, we can meet that need.

I truly believe if we are sensitive to the Spirit of God, He will impress upon us,

you need to help, you need to give, you need to get involved.

So I want to ask you, what good are you doing with the wealth that God has given you?

What good are you doing with the wealth that God has given you?

I want you to name some of them, not out loud, but name some of the good things

that you are doing with that which God has put in your hands.

What are you doing?

And not calling attention to yourself about it.

What are you doing not to put a band-aid on somebody's problem,

but to really help someone?

You know, some of us need to think in terms of,

there may be some people that we know,

maybe they're related to work situation or just in the community,

and we know the situation, we know the real need,

and we know that unless somebody gets involved,

takes a real interest,

they're never going to be able to get up out of the hole they're in.

So it may be that if we'll truly be faithful to the Lord,

we'll make some kind of long-term investment in some people.

Maybe help them to get a job or a better job

where they can actually provide for themselves.

Maybe get some training.

Pay for them to go to Tri-County Tech.

Maybe get involved in their lives

to help them get a decent place to live.

We're not making promises we're going to keep people up.

We're helping people to get up out of the hole they're in,

to get on their feet and be productive.

And if you have the resources,

and God lays it on your heart to do that,

that's just an example of some of the good

that we could be doing for people.

Name some of the good things in your mind.

Here's what I want to ask you.

Would God call them good?

Are they pleasing to Him?

Could you say, right now,

that you are rich in good deeds in this way?

Let's look at how Paul clarifies our responsibility.

Verse 18,

we have a responsibility to be generous with our money,

to be generous and ready to share.

Are you generous in your actual giving?

Maybe to the Lord's work in and through this church,

or through other Christian ministries?

Are you generous in giving to people in need,

just on your own?

Not asking anybody else to get involved with you.

On your own.

You know, the Bible repeatedly says

that God takes a special interest

in widows, orphans, aliens,

and people who have been abused, cheated,

or ignored by wealthy and powerful people

in their lives.

These are the kind of people

that the Bible describes as the poor.

When the Bible talks about the poor,

it's not talking about people

who just won't work.

When the Bible talks about people

who could work but won't,

they're called sluggards, slothful.

Lazy people in Scripture

are not referred to as the poor.

They're referred to,

in a more derogatory term,

sluggards throughout Proverbs.

That's the kind of person

we're not supposed to help.

If a man won't work,

let him eat, Paul said.

But what it says about helping the poor people

is talking about helping people

who just are never going to be able to make it

because of life's circumstances

unless somebody gets involved

and helps them.

Are there people that you are

trying to help this way?

Are you open to being used by God this way?

Some people are getting involved

in organizations like the Dream Center.

One thing I like about the Dream Center,

their motto is they don't give handouts,

they give hand-ups.

And they really help people

sometimes get job training,

get a decent place to live,

get on their feet,

and be on their own.

Paul describes how some Christians

were generous givers in another letter,

2 Corinthians chapter 8.

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

He commended those Corinthians

or he commended a group of people

called Macedonians

because they were not wealthy people

but they gave so generously,

sacrificially even.

And here's the reason they gave.

Look at this in verse 5,

2 Corinthians 8.

They gave themselves first to the Lord

and then by the will of God to us.

That's the key to all our giving.

If you don't give,

the reason is you don't have the commitment

to the Lord that you ought to have.

The key to giving of our money,

the key to giving of our time and service,

the key to using the gifts and talents

God has given us

is that it is first a commitment to the Lord.

Generous givers have a close relationship

with the Lord.

And what they give,

their time, talents, and treasures

is an overflow of their commitment to the Lord.

I have all my life,

as an older teenager and as an adult,

and Lisa did too,

we have always given a tithe,

started with a tithe.

But I have never thought

in terms of giving to the church.

I love this church,

but I don't give to this church.

We've always thought,

I think every time,

I am giving to the Lord

through this church.

And that's how you should give

when you're giving

tithes and offerings,

your time, talents, and treasures

to meet people's needs.

Think of it, first of all,

I'm giving to God.

I'm showing gratitude to Him.

I'm seeking to please Him

and help this person

or help this organization.

God has blessed all of us

with something to give.

But I want you to note

the last part here

provides us with some

special motivation for giving.

We have an opportunity

to make eternal investments

with our money.

Look at this last part,

verse 19.

Thus, storing up treasure

for themselves

as a good foundation

for the future.

I want you to make a statement

and I want you to hear this,

but don't take it the wrong way.

The way we use our money

will affect our reward in heaven.

That's what he's talking about.

But let's be clear

about what this does not mean.

Paul is saying

that you can't buy

your spot in heaven.

You cannot buy favors

from God

as rewards

with what you do

with your money.

Salvation is by the grace of God

through faith in Jesus.

Salvation is a gift of God.

But what we do

with our lives,

our good works,

they give evidence

of our faith.

That includes the good works

we do with our money.

Kent Hughes

has some helpful comments

about what Paul

is talking about here.

Look at this.

Paul is emphasizing

that true riches

have nothing to do

with earthly wealth,

which is uncertain

and for this age only.

The only true riches

that will survive this world

are those invested

by God's people

through generous giving.

God reconciles us

through his free grace,

moves us to serve him,

and then accepts

our services,

flawed as they are,

and bestows on our services

a reward they do not merit.

We never want

what we deserve from God.

What Paul is saying here

at the end of this section

is essentially the same thing

Jesus taught

in the Sermon on the Mount.

Look at this.

Jesus said,

Do not lay up for yourselves

treasures on earth

where moth and rust destroy

and where thieves break in

and steal,

but lay up for yourselves

treasures in heaven

where neither moth

nor rust destroys

and where thieves

do not break in and steal.

For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also.

You know,

there's many ways

we can lay up for ourselves

treasures in heaven

by the way we live here on earth.

But being generous

with our giving

is one of those ways.

As long as we're giving

for the right reason,

it's one of those ways.

What Paul and Jesus said

about laying up treasures in heaven

brings up some good questions.

What is really and truly

more valuable?

To be rich in this age

or the age to come?

What matters most?

To accumulate wealth on earth

or to have it stored up in heaven?

What is more valuable?

To take hold of a lot of money

and material things now

or as Paul says,

to take hold of that

which is truly life forever?

Do you have the right attitude

about money?

Do you look at what you have

as a gift from God?

Do you make it a habit

of thanking God

for those gifts?

Money, material possessions,

everything.

And are you without guilt

enjoying the gifts

that God has given you

because they come from Him?

You want to bring a smile

to His face

by rightly using

what He's given you.

Are you using the money

that God has given you

wisely

and responsibly?

Are you giving tithes

and offerings

as you should?

Are you giving

to meet needs

in other people's lives

that God brings

across your path

as you should?

You know,

if we're having

problems with money,

whether it be

our attitude or actions,

it may not in any way

really be a financial problem.

It could just be

a spiritual problem.

So let me ask you,

have you given yourself

first to God?

Is Jesus the Lord

of your life?

Do you have a relationship

with Him?

If you don't,

that's where you begin

this morning.

Turning from your sin,

calling upon Him

to save you

or coming back to Him

and truly seeking

to honor Him

as the Lord

of your life,

seeking to be a steward

of all that God

has given you.

What would you have

to do right now

to start thinking

and acting biblically

with your money,

with your wealth?

Well, that's what

you need to do.

Let's pray together.

Father,

show us now

how you want us

to respond

so that we can

leave here

pleasing you

by the attitude

we have

to our wealth

and by the actions

we demonstrate

in the way

that we use it.

Let's just,

in an attitude of prayer,

listen to

and respond to the Lord.

Amen.