PEOPLE IN THE LIFE OF A SERVANT

1 Timothy 6

Part 4

Verses 17-19

Introduction:  Today we are at the end of our study in this important New Testament book of First Timothy.  I have felt that this has probably one of the most important studies I have preached and taught in my years at this church.  It has given us a clear view of the ministry.  We looked at the picture of a servant in chapter one.  We saw the prayer of the servant in chapter two that included in the right place for the people in the life of a servant.  We viewed in chapter three the purity that is needed in the life of the servant.  One reason why preachers of the Gospel are on the bottom of the list of people that folks have confidence is that preachers are careful in their ministry in the area of purity.

      Then in chapter four, we found the problems in the life of the servant.  We have the examples and exhortations of Paul to help us in our problems in the ministry.

      Chapter five gives us the procedures in the ministry.   We saw procedures in dealing with widows, both young and older.  We saw the procedure in dealing with elders.

      Then in this the final chapter, we see other people that the pastor has to deal in the ministry.  We looked at false teachers, which had been a theme in many of the verses in this book.  We saw how the pastor dealt with himself.  We also looked at good employee and employers relationships that ought to be a goal of every believer has in their life.

      Today we will deal with a group that I have very little experience.  It is dealing with the rich.  One of the themes that Christ preached and taught was the theme of riches. 

      Paul dealt with the “love of money”. Money is not the root of all evil.  It is the love of money.  Even though Paul had dealt with this subject very well, he knew that he need to add a special charge to this group of people

        Some many try to argue that this message is not fitting for us but it is really.  If you would look at what we have and put in proportion to most of the world’s population, you would be considered very rich.  Our standard of living would have made us rich in Paul’s day.  Can you imagine what Paul’s ministry would have been like if he would had a minivan, computer with a modem and the books that I own?  In some ways Timothy’s congregation would have been envious in comparison with us.

      Today let’s look at this section and Paul’s charge to them.

THE RICH

I.    ENBRACE HUMULITY  Vs. 17a

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded”

      This is one of the hardest graces to get.  The time you think you have it, you really do not.  Some of the greatest believers in the Bible were men and women of humility.  Paul was a humble man.  One of the key truths of humility is realizing where you came.         

                              1 Corinthians 15:10a

“But by the grace of God I am what I am”

      Some times this charge to be humble is hardest for the rich to grasp.  Why?  They forgot who gave the ability to get riches. Deut. 8:18

“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”

      If wealth makes one proud, then he or she understands neither himself nor his wealth.  We are not owners; we are simply stewards.  If we have wealth, it is by the goodness of God and not because of any special merits on our part.  The possessing of material wealth ought to humble a person and cause him to glorify God, not himself.  Why is this?  Luke 12:48

“But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

      Humility is a theme of the Bible that can take much time to study.  It is not the intent of this message to do that.  But it does bear a part in that I must explore it further.   James 4:6

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

                              James 4:10

“Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

                           1 Peter 5:5

“Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

                           Proverbs 16:18

“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

      I believe I say this in a previous message but it bears repeating.  Some men are proud that they are humble.    It is very possible to be rich in this life and be poor in the next.  A prime example is the rich man in hell.  He did not go to hell for being rich.  He went to hell because he did have the Lord in his life.  Lazarus did not got heaven because he was poor.  He went to heaven via the angelic taxi service because of the condition of his heart before God.

      A believer can be both rich in this life and in the eternal life if he or she uses what he or she has to honor God.    Matthew 6:19-34

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

  In fact one could be poor in this world and use his limited means to glorify God and discover great reward in heaven.  Case in point is the little widow lady.

                           Mark 12:41-44

“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” 

II.   ENTER INTO A TRUST RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD AND NOT WEALTH

                           Vs. 17b

                  “nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God,”

                           Proverbs 3:5-6

“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

      We can see this in the parable of the rich farmer given by our Lord.             Luke 12:16-21

“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

      He thought his wealth was security.  It was in reality evidence of insecurity.  He was trusting in uncertain riches.

      These last few weeks should show the insecurity of riches.  Many people believe in and trusted Enron.  When the truth was told and I personally do not believe all the truth has been revealed, there was problems up and down the money markets.  What are certainties of riches?

                  1. Their value changes constantly.

                  2.   Their durability changes.

                  3.   Thieves can steal wealth.

                  4.   Investments can drop in value.

5.   The ravages of time can and will ruin houses and cars.

      If God gives us wealth and He has in so many ways, we should trust Him, the Giver and not in the gifts.

      There are two thoughts that Albert Barnes gives on this section that I feel is needed for our study.

1.  He is able to supply all our wants, and to do for us what riches cannot do.

2. He never changes, or leaves those who put their trust in him. He is able to meet our wants if in the flames or in a storm at sea or when a friend dies, or when we lie down on a bed of death, or wherever we may be in the eternal world.

 

III.  ENJOY WHAT GOD GIVES YOU.

                           Vs. 17c

                  “who giveth us richly all things to enjoy”

      You can and should enjoy what God gives you.  The opposite of enjoyment is discontentment.  The brother of discontentment is murmuring against God.

      The word “enjoy” suggests the advantage or pleasure to be obtained from a thing.  It is like I enjoy being around Hannah.  It is also a lavish emphasis to the generosity of God.

      This principle of enjoying what God has given you is a principle in the Book of Ecclesiastes.

                           Ecclesiastes 2:24

“There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.”

                           Ecclesiastes 3:12-15

“I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.”

                           Ecclesiastes 3:22

“Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?”

      These are just a few passages in Ecclesiastes.  I think you get the point the Lord is trying to make.

      This is not hedonism, which is the pursuit of pleasure.  It is that is living for the pleasure of life.  It is simply enjoining all that God gives us for His glory. 

4. EMPLOY WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU.

                                                Vs. 18-19

“That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

      What is one of the reasons to have wealth?  It should be to help others.  We should share.  We should put our money to work.  When we do, we enrich ourselves spiritually and invest in the future.

      Many times riches can lure a person into a make-believe world of shallow pleasure.  But riches plus God’s will can introduce a person to life that is real and ministry that is lasting.

      This does not mean give to every Tom, Dick or Harry that comes along.  You need to seek God’s wisdom in what and where to give.   

Conclusion: The last sentence of the book showed that Paul had not meant the book for Timothy’s eyes alone.  It is “Grace be with thee”.  Paul had the entire church in mind when he wrote these words.  As the pastor of the church, Timothy needed to heed the words of the Apostle.  But all the church had a responsibility to hear and obey as well.  It is for our admonition also.