Listen to Your Lord’s Advice About Your Wealth!

8th Sunday after Pentecost, 7/30/23 1 Timothy 6:17-21 Listen to Your Lord’s Advice About Your Wealth! I. Possess Christian attitudes about your wealth. II. Display Christian behavior with your wealth. III. Practice Christian stewardship with your spiritual wealth. I’ve heard it said that there are two kinds of people: those who want to get wealthy and those who are wealthy. Do you think that statement is fairly accurate? Two kinds of people: those who want to get wealthy and those who are wealthy. As an objection to that statement, there are those who choose a life of poverty. And that’s nothing new. The thinking that the desire for riches only enslaves you has existed for thousands of years. There are even those inside Christianity who take vows of poverty and live an impoverished life by choice. But, regarding most people, I think you’d agree that statement is accurate, and it makes me wonder if the person who authored that statement did so after reading 1 Timothy 6. In that chapter, St. Paul states that those who want to become rich fall into a spiritual trap that leads to destruction. And in this portion of chapter 6 before us this morning, St. Paul speaks to Christians who are rich. While you might think the first description fits you better than the second, isn’t it true that both descriptions are accurate? There are times when you dream of what it would be like to be filthy rich. And, you don’t have to look very far or very hard to find all sorts of people who would consider you to be so. Look what you have compared to the masses who live in poverty! You’re rich! And your Lord has some advice for you today. So, listen to it. Listen to your Lord’s advice about your wealth. What he tells you is practical for every day of your life. Part I. Do you know any humble rich people? If you think about it just a little, you probably do. And what makes that person so amazing is not only the wealth they possess, but also the fact that they’re humble. That’s a rare combination. Our default impression of rich people is that they’re pretentious and haughty. They make it plainly clear that they don’t have time for the hoi poloi. They expect preferential treatment and get nasty when it isn’t offered. Our impression is that most rich people are so buried in their money that they have no idea what your life and mine are like. Would you agree with that assessment of rich people? Then it’s no wonder why the Lord addresses it here in these words of the Apostle Paul. “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant.” Paul gives Timothy a task that might not be all that pleasant or easy: command the rich not to be arrogant. Obviously, that was a temptation among the early Christians who were wealthy, just as it is today. Arrogance might not sound all that wicked when it comes to the scale of sins, but realize that it’s a violation of the First Commandment. It’s idolizing self. Paul also issues another warning. He tells Christians not to “put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain.” Paul is referring to materialism here. Materialism is the thinking that our security and our value is found in what and how much we possess. It’s the false thinking that we’ll be happy if we can just get that next thing that our sinful heart desires. But it doesn’t work. I’ve tried it. I’m sure you have too. Instead, Paul urges wealthy people to be humble. But how can that happen? When the rich person realizes that he or she spiritually is no different than anyone else. They deserve nothing from their God but punishment for their sins. Their wealth is not a sign from God how pleased he is with them. Their wealth is a gift of his grace, and they are responsible to him for how they use it. And lastly, Paul urges the wealthy to “put their hope in God.” Remember that, whether or not you consider yourself to be wealthy, everything you have can be gone in a flash. Recall what the Lord allowed to happen to Job, and he was extremely wealthy. Let it be said of you, that if the Lord should allow everything to be taken from you, you would still possess your hope in the Lord, who made you and redeemed you. Listen to your Lord’s advice about your wealth. Possess Christian attitudes about it. Part II. What do you hear about more often: wealthy people who misuse their wealth, or wealthy people who do amazing things with their wealth? It’s the second one, isn’t it? Every wealthy person I hear about has established a foundation which makes funds available to some incredibly helpful causes, such as cancer research or education grants for students who can’t afford their education. And the list of charitable endeavors wealthy people undertake goes on and on. But wealthy Christian people have the highest of motivations to do wonderfully good things with their wealth—love for Jesus, their Lord and Savior. Jesus paid what all their wealth could never pay—the debt of their sins. No amount of money can purchase forgiveness for a single sin or buy a minute in the bliss of heaven. But Jesus paid it in full out of the depths of his love, and wealthy Christians have the opportunity to reflect that love in the way they use their wealth each day. And just to make it clear what he’s talking about, Paul gives wealthy Christians this advice, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age.” When Paul urges wealthy Christians to do good things with their wealth, he’s talking about what is good and honorable in the eyes of God. He tells them to be generous, not stingy; to be willing to share with others, and the word he uses stresses the idea of fellowship. Their wealth is an opportunity for them to practice fellowship with less fortunate people. He wants them to use their wealth to bring them close to others, not as a reason to place themselves several levels above others. In doing so, Paul reminds them that they are laying up for themselves treasures. These are not good works that earn God’s favor. That’s not possible. They’re treasures in the sense that they are evidence of their Christian faith and others will praise God for them. Listen to your Lord’s advice about your wealth. Display Christian behavior with it. Part III. As often happens, the best comes last, like dessert after a fine meal. Paul has a third and final course of advice for you about using your wealth. He states, “Take hold of the life that is truly life. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care.” Certainly, your Lord is concerned about how you use your earthly wealth in this life. That’s his main point in the first half of this text. But the Lord isn’t mainly concerned about giving wealthy Christians a quick-reference guidebook on how to use their wealth in a way that pleases him. He’s concerned most of all with their spiritual lives. That’s what he means when he speaks about the life that is truly life. You see, the Lord states that there is no real life without him. There’s only death, meaning there’s only separation from him which can easily lead to eternal separation from him. So, while the rest of the world is in a mad dash to accumulate money and possessions, your Lord urges you to make your life with him your top priority. And you do so when you heed this imperative, “Guard what has been entrusted to your care.” Obviously, Paul is not telling Timothy or us to improve our home’s security so that we protect our earthly wealth from thieves. He’s talking about the gospel—the good news about Jesus as your Savior from sin. Your Lord is most concerned about the spiritual wealth he has deposited in your heart. And the world’s most successful thief, Satan, is attempting to rob you of it every day. One of the ways he does so is through materialism—getting you to believe that your earthly life is more important than your spiritual life. Another way he does so is through false teachings, which is the satanic method Paul warns Timothy about in the closing words of our text. The Lord has made you spiritually wealthy beyond imagination. You possess right now what all the money in the world cannot buy—forgiveness and eternal life. And you have a part in taking care of that wealth. Listen to your Lord’s advice about your wealth. Practice Christian stewardship of your spiritual wealth. I’m sure you’ve received a good deal of human advice about how to use your wealth. In fact, it’s so prevalent, it’s hard to miss. But then it’s up to you whether to take that advice or not. But what we’ve just heard isn’t merely advice from another person; it’s the advice of our Lord. Unfortunately, we ignore it too often, and, when we do, it reveals the corruption of our hearts. He warns us against materialism. Yup, I’ve ignored that warning. He warns us against becoming arrogant over what we possess. Yup, I’ve ignored that warning, too. He warns us against being selfish and stingy. Yup, I’ve ignored that warning, too. And far too often I’ve been more concerned with my earthly wealth than my spiritual wealth. Somehow, I’m duped into thinking that my spiritual life will take care of itself while I focus on the here and now. How about you? Pitiful, isn’t it, that our Lord, who gave us his all, can’t get us to reflect our love and appreciation to him with what he’s given us? We’re guilty! How comforting, then, is the gospel that our Lord has entrusted to us! It announces that we are not guilty of all sins through the life and death of Jesus. There is nothing we can do or must do to be forgiven and acceptable to him. He’s done it all. And now he empowers us through his gospel to offer not only our wealth, but our entire lives to him. Lord, assist us every day to heed your advice about the wealth you’ve given us. Empower us to live to your glory! Amen.