Being Rich for the Gospel's Sake

There's an old saying, and I'm sure you've heard it. I've been poor and I've been rich, and rich is better. Those who've experienced both poverty and plenty would probably agree. Those who've only experienced poverty certainly believe that plenty is much more appealing. But there are perils in plenty.

The Bible warns us of that fact very often. The writer of Hebrews, for example, understood this when he wrote, "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you, oh God, and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonour the name of my God. Give me neither poverty nor riches."

The great danger in wealth is that the more successful we become, the more self-sufficient we tend to feel. The Bible's consistent teaching is, however, that the wiser you become, and remember, this is said by the writer of Proverbs, sayings of wisdom, the wiser you become, the more thankful you become, realising that it was only ever the Lord who gave you the things you have. This morning, we discuss the issue of wealth. And it might be surprising for us to hear that as we finish the letter of First Timothy, Paul's final statement is regarding wealth. We begin the premise, however, this morning or the topic with a surprise premise, and that is that you can be both wealthy and a Christian at the same time.

Contrary to some arguments, you can be wealthy and a Christian, but there are some very clear things you must grab a hold of. And so it is great that some of the most practical teaching on wealth and Christianity is found in these final verses of First Timothy. So we're going to go there now, and we're going to read First Timothy chapter six, and we read from verse 17 to the end of the letter. First Timothy chapter six, verse 17. Paul writes to Timothy, "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. O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. For by professing it, some have swerved from the faith."

"Grace be with you." This is the word of God. We're going to understand this passage in three points. The first point is Paul's instruction on how we are to view wealth. Again, remember the premise, you can be wealthy and a Christian at the same time, but there's one thing we have to do and that is to understand our wealth correctly.

So how to view your wealth? Firstly, Paul's paragraph begins in verse 17 with the words, "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." It's often said that wealth, in God's eyes, is not a sin. It's not a bad thing inherently. In fact, often the Bible will probably put it as a neutral thing.

What is often a biblical warning about wealth is what is associated with how people have become wealthy. Paul ends his pastoral epistle by pastorally warning the church about the attitude of the heart when it comes to wealth. And he does this by saying to Timothy, "Charge or command the wealthy in your church not to be haughty, not to be arrogant." It's a word in the Greek that cherishes high thoughts about oneself. Cherishes high thoughts about oneself.

And it's a heart attitude that is accompanied by dark and long shadows. Why? Because wealth deludes people into imagining that they are of superior value. The arrogance of wealth is a delusion which goes something like this: because I have higher quality things, or because I have more things, therefore I am superior.

And that's the craziness of this idea, this philosophy, and I was confronted by it even this morning as Desiree and I drove to church this morning. We passed by a beautiful Corvette Stingray, classic car, favourite car of mine, and I thought how cool would it be to be the guy driving in that thing this morning. And I thought about all the people who would be giving me thumbs up as they're driving past me on the highway and whatnot. And then, thankfully, to my very humble wife, I expressed this temptation. She said to me, "But isn't that silly because at the end of the day, you've moved from point A to point B in the same way that everyone else has. Everyone gets to point B."

And yet, there's something in me that thinks I would be a superior human being if I was to sit in that car getting to point B. It's the craziness of thinking that we become morally superior, we become better persons by the fact that the home you live in, or the car you drive, or the school you attended, the clothes you wear, somehow makes you those things. This pride is the same danger for the opulent homes of Ephesus two thousand years ago. When Paul is writing to the Ephesian Christians, and when Christianity had arrived in Ephesus, it was a very wealthy city.

Ephesus was a commercial hub. It was one of the wealthiest cities in the ancient world, in fact. So Paul is speaking to actual people when he's telling them that they have to be careful about their wealth and how they view it. And he urgently warns them, as he is warning us now of the danger of the things associated with wealth. And he says the most dangerous thing about wealth is our attitude towards it.

Wealth is most often a crippling temptation because it involves a crippling sin of pride. In fact, earlier in the chapter, you might remember it a few weeks ago, we saw that Paul warns Timothy about false teachers who were consumed by two things. Who can remember what they were? They were consumed by two things. You can yell it out.

Pride and greed. Pride and greed. Prosperity can devour a person. Therefore, Paul's words of sober wisdom is offered. He says, "Command those who are rich in the present age not to be haughty, not to be arrogant."

Greed and pride go hand in hand. The remedy, however, for Paul, for keeping pride in check when thinking about wealth is by seeing wealth in relation to God. That's why Paul moves on in his sentence to this idea of misplaced hope. Have a read of that second half of verse 17. "Not to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly provides for us."

In order to secure our hearts from the temptation of pride, we are to proactively direct our hearts to put our hope in God, not in the uncertainty of riches. Now think about that statement and about how hard that is to believe. To not put our hope in our riches, in our money, it's hard to believe that the things we own won't insulate us and carry us through life. It's hard not to put our trust in our riches. Again, Desiree, I'm throwing us under the bus here, but we are busy planning our financial lives together as a married couple.

We have to, right? We're putting everything together. So now we have to start thinking about our last will and testament. Where our money goes if we were to die. Before, as a single guy, I don't care where it goes, I'm dead.

Now I have to think about it. The little bit that we have tucked away to invest, what are we going to invest it in? Are we going to look for a house or whatever? But the more you think about this, the more you start believing that this matters. What I do with this is somehow going to prevent tragedy from hitting my household.

But again, the more you think about it, the greatest tragedies in life can never be prevented by money. Death and sickness comes whether we're wealthy or poor. That's why Paul urges Timothy to command the church to put their hope in God who richly provides. Notice how carefully Paul says this, however. Paul doesn't jump to the other extreme and tell the rich in this present age to divest themselves of their wealth.

He doesn't tell them, "Go and sell everything that you have now. Because by being poor, you don't secure your future either." You don't become morally superior because you're poor. Paul doesn't call for that false self-denial that was also being preached by the false teachers in his church, that the exchanging of the sin of materialism for the sin or the heresy of asceticism is a better way to live. We're not told to divest ourselves of our possessions, to quit our jobs, but we're told to divest our hope in our possessions and to invest our hope in God.

Divest our hope in these possessions, invest in God with this understanding that He is the one who provides us with everything to enjoy. That's a wonderful little statement in the end. How God is for us to enjoy this life. How God will provide us with a life to enjoy. Our Lord is a good master.

He gives His children good things, enjoyable things even. Our attitude and how we view our wealth is to take our eyes off our money, to place it on God who fills our lives with good things. So that's firstly how we are to view our wealth. Secondly, verse 18, we are told how to use our wealth. Paul writes about the wealthy, "They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share."

The verb that is used to say to do good is used only here and in Acts 14:17. So it's a very rare verb. In Acts 14:17, Paul quotes it or uses it when speaking about how God does good to the people of the entire world by sending them rain from the heavens, by giving them fruitful seasons, and as he says, "to satisfy your hearts with food and gladness." That is the doing of good by God. Specifically, Paul is instructing here the wealthy to be rich in good works.

In other words, to do good means to be rich in good works. Now that means that goodness is an action. Goodness is not a feeling of goodwill. Goodness is not a feeling of nice things about other people at all times. Goodness is something of substantive action.

This is nailed down by that last clause in verse 18, "to be generous and ready to share." In other words, you are doing the substantive action of doing good by being generous, by being willing to share. So what's being demanded here from the rich is to both have a kind heart and a generous hand. And this is true when it comes to being a giver as a Christian, to be a giver in the church. It can be regarding anything.

It could be regarding your tithe, your offering to the church. It can be about opening your homes in hospitality, which costs money. It can be in helping a family member in need, your own family member. Your entire being, therefore, is involved in giving. Why?

Because firstly, your heart has to be filled with good and kind thoughts to give. Then it is translated into your hand that is filled with good and generous gifts. The New Testament teaches that wealth is not a sin, but it teaches that wealth is a massive responsibility. It is not a sin. It is a massive responsibility.

If wealth can feed pride, and when wealth entangles us deeper into the world, then wealth has killed us. Wealth has devoured us. But wealth, when it is understood and used correctly, gives us a vast opportunity for amazing work. And as Paul will explain in the final verse or two in the passage, especially gospel work. John Calvin once said, "A man's opportunities to do good to others increases with the abundance of his riches."

The degree that you can help is tied with how much you have. To understand it perhaps in reverse, and more from a secular understanding, Warren Buffett said, "If you were a jerk before, you'll be a bigger jerk with a billion dollars." A man's opportunities to do good increases with the abundance of his riches. Just think for a second about the lasting, eternal impact that your dollar can make when you graciously, freely and generously give that work to the gospel ministry of a church. You are directly sponsoring the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You keep the lights on for a church whether you are here or not. You keep a pastor from not having to divide their time between a daytime work and part-time preaching. You make sure that the gospel is being beamed out via the internet to all sorts of different corners of the world. And the more generous you are, the greater that impact can become. The greater your wealth, the greater the generosity with that wealth, the more opportunity there is.

I think that is an awesome way to think about that dollar that we give every now and then. It is not some black hole. That money that's given in those bags doesn't just disappear. It is an investment, every time. And it's the reason why Paul concludes his thoughts in verse 19 when he writes, "that we store up treasures for ourselves as a good foundation for the future" when we are gospel generous in this way.

It's essentially restating what Jesus taught famously in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:19-20. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, where thieves do not break in and steal." Jesus nor Paul obviously taught that you can buy salvation through your wealth.

Far from the idea of buying shares in heaven, Paul is emphasising that true riches have actually got nothing to do with earthly wealth. The only riches that ever survive are those invested by God's people into the things that matter. Why is it not worth our money to invest into the lives of other people and into the fate of their souls? Why is that not a better investment? Who can ever think that it is unwise to invest in something that brings joy, eternal joy to the heart?

That is always a better investment than a shiny new Corvette Stingray. And that's the reason why Paul finishes verse 19 by talking about wealthy people, taking hold of that which he says is truly life. Truly life. A generous Christian has shown that their hope is set on eternity already. They know that their hope is secure.

Last week or the week before, we spoke about taking hold of the eternal hope. It was last week. Take hold, fuse to your eternal hope. That is true life. A Christian who gives towards the things that matter, never suffers loss.

Because the more they give away, the richer and richer they get. Generous givers experience the life that is truly life by being thrilled by the hope of their salvation for themselves, but now also for others. They rejoice in the fruit of the Spirit which causes them to do good and to be generous. They live their life now as though they have already entered eternity. So friends, use your wealth well.

Think about what return on investment you are really getting from the things we might be tempted to use our money on. So firstly, Paul directs our thoughts on how we view our wealth. Secondly, how we use our wealth. And then finally, Paul says goodbye to Timothy with a final statement, a final sentence summing up everything he said in his letter. And that is to guard the gospel with your life.

Paul finishes his letter essentially the same way he started it. Verse 20, "O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it, some have swerved from the faith." You'll know, if you've been following the talks that we have, at various times, understood what Paul is referring to when he talks about this deposit. At other times, he's called it good teaching, sound doctrine, or simply the faith.

Here, it's called the deposit. And what is that? What is that? It's the gospel, right? The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.

What Paul is saying is, "Timothy, stand watch over this precious message, this holy revelation, this unbeatably good message. Guard it. Don't let anything happen to it because it will do work. It must do work. It is in the business of saving souls.

It is in the business of expanding the kingdom." Rich Christians, poor Christians, and everyone in between should view their possessions, but now their gifts, their calling, their entire life with this one overriding command in mind. Guard this deposit. As we finish our study of the letter of First Timothy with this last sentence, we are reminded that the gospel has work to do. This gospel which explains just how much God loved the world, sending Jesus Christ to pay for our sin, to save us from eternal death, eternal separation from all that is good, all that is God.

That God so loved us. Paul says that message has work to do. And in order for it to do its work, it must be both defended and it must be wielded like a spiritual weapon. It must be defended from false teachers and it must be used to cut down rebel sinners like us who stand in defiance against God. Cut us down at the knees so that we bow on those knees to the one who is truly King.

Guarding the gospel, then for Paul, results in all these practical things he tells Timothy to do in the church. Why? Well, because truly converted Christians who have believed the true gospel will inevitably live godly lives. A godly church, therefore, will be known for doing godly things like looking after widows, like Paul wrote, in an orderly fashion. Godly Christians and a godly church will be thoughtful about how they elect elders and deacons who must continue to guard the deposit to make sure that it is applied in the life of their church members.

Good and godly churches will offer their teaching elders, their ministers of the word, a double honour. Why? Because they must guard the deposit entrusted to them. They will make sure that their pastors are paid to do that work as much as they can. And it's for this same reason that the guarding of the good deposit that a guarded church must also then treat each other like a family.

Timothy is told, we also saw, to treat older members like fathers and mothers, younger members like sisters and brothers. And it means two things. Firstly, to stay in their orbit, to be invested in them intentionally like they are biological family members, and secondly, to not shy away from encouraging them to return to the good deposit of the gospel. They are our family in this message. They must be realigned with that message.

Can you see why we will treat our church as a family? Why would we risk investing our lives into people? Why would we look after widows? Why would we be careful about training good elders and deacons? Why give our finances to support a pastor?

Because godly Christians treasure the gospel that has made it possible in the first place. All of these practical commands of godly conduct are therefore ours to believe and obey. They are ours to implement in our lives and we must because we believe the gospel has work to do today. And it begins with me. It begins with us.

We desire to guard the deposit of the gospel by keeping it beyond reproach, by aligning our lives to reflect the glory of it and the new life it has given us. In closing, my spiritual family. This is why Paul ends his letter to Timothy with all these final encouragements and they just come one after the other in chapter six. God has told us these past months how the church must look and act if it is to glorify Him and align with the true doctrine of Jesus Christ. But we know a church that glorifies God is difficult to find because it is difficult to be.

There is sin that always seeks to subvert that action. There is Satan who is the enemy of the church seeking to devour that precious message, seeking to take our attention away from it. And so we come to the end of First Timothy by closing with the same thought that we started it with, to guard the good deposit of the gospel and to guard it with our lives. To believe it, to hold on to it above anything else, to set our hope on the new life that it has given us. May the Lord bless us in protecting this truth with our lives.

Let's pray. Father, we come into this time of prayer, thinking, Lord, of our lives, recognising that there may be parts of it that have not yet fallen in line with this understanding. But we can only be called to set our hope on eternity. We can only be encouraged to view our wealth without anxious greed, anxious holding onto it, by realising, Lord, that we have received more than we could ever imagine. We have received more than we could ever hope for in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so now, in light of that great claim, everything else falls into place. Our anxieties and our worries fall away. Our joy remains constant in any situation. There is peace in our hearts and there is always hope because we have been adopted, we have been taken into the family of the Master and the Father who gives His servants, His children good things always. Father, we pray that we may believe these things.

Help us to believe them when we tell our hearts to believe in the simple message that Jesus Christ has died for our sins. If God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him for us freely, how will He along with Him not give us all things? Father, we thank you for this truth. May we as a church, may we as leaders, may we as individuals guard this message from anything that seeks to rob it of its incredible power, including the sin in our lives. Encourage us, Holy Spirit.

Strengthen us in our fight. Help us to believe this in every aspect of our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.