1 Timothy 6:17-21
Sermons
Did you use your block map this week? Love your neighbors
Let’s be frank. It mostly comes down to two things: time and money.
We gave away free ice cream in our front yard Friday afternoon
But last weekend we went to a graduation party and there was an ice cream truck! It was awesome! Who do you think felt more loved? My neighbors, or us?
Adventure
What are you getting by spending?
Paul writes to Timothy, and Jesus tells us a parable so we can get so much more. And you know what, along the way so will our neighbors.
Development
Paul says this:
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”
I don’t think I need to tell you that Americans are rich. If you have a net worth of $100K, you are in the top 10% globally. If you have a net worth of $1 million, you are in the top 1% globally. That’s not income, that is net worth. If you live in this area and you own most of your home, you’ve paid off the mortgage, you’re net worth is more than $100K.
Still, I know “rich” has to do with buying power and how I perceive life. I don’t feel rich as a pastor and the father of 5. I’m pretty sure I am.
Let’s get really plain. There are a few of us who are financially in a tough spot. But you know, if I ask so many how things are, people will say they’re blessed. Or they’re well. Busy. Poor in time. But we’ve got more than enough money to get by. I haven’t had to help anyone get significant financial assistance during the pandemic. Not housing, not utilities. Not even significant groceries. I don’t know if we’re rich. We’ve got more than enough!
The Bible almost says more about generosity than really anything else. Hope is mentioned 185 times, faith 246 times, love 733 times; generosity: 2285 times. (JD Greear, “A Generous Spirit”, 2011) You know what means?
Money matters. What you do with your money matters.
So what’s he saying? Spend your money. Be generous. You’ll actually be saving! It’s amazing. “In this way [the rich] they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
You see what Paul does there?
He doesn’t say, money doesn’t matter. He draws on something. He knows people want treasure. He says “they will lay up treasure.”
I bet a lot of you have seen the movie series “National Treasure”. It tells the story of a man named Benjamin Gates. His family knows some secrets about this treasure that has been hidden since the Revolutionary War. He commits a good part of his life to the search for treasure. As the movie plot goes, he eventually finds this incredible treasure.
Before we get there, there is this scene where Ben and his dad are fighting. His dad says, stop it, just stop searching. There is a clue, then another clue. Then he says, “There is no treasure. I wasted 20 years of my life. And now you’ve destroyed yours.” He lost his wife. His lost his job. He lost his son.
He was captivated by treasure. He was inspired. Awed by it. Enthralled by it.
You’ve got to have more than wealth. You’ve got to have treasure. Your search for wealth will never do it. You’ve got to discover treasure.
There is nothing wrong with wealth. Some of the richest people were and are Christians. Job. Abraham. David. Solomon. Joseph. Lydia. Philip Ng in Singapore. Karl Albrecht of Germany. Paul wouldn’t say these words if there weren’t enough rich Christian people.
There is only one way to get real treasure. Spend what you have. Then you’ll save. What do I mean? Jesus puts it this way today.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”
Do you see what happens here? This is crazy, isn’t it? The guy discovers treasure in a field. So he buries it and buys the field. Wait a second, why did he buy the field?! No one knew it was there. Just take it! And even more, what does he do? He sold all he had. Why!? No one else wanted the field. See? This is the surprise. This is the twist.
First, these men have an epiphany. Both of these men are illumined. They see a value that other people don’t see. They understand something of value and beauty is there that other people miss. They have the insight. They have the revelation. They’re illumined. They understand it.
Then secondly, they realize there is no halfway way to get it. There’s no trying things out. There’s no incremental. There is all or nothing. They’re going to have to risk everything. They’re going to have to lose everything. They’re going to have to sell everything. They look at that race car they wanted since they were a kid and say, even this, I won’t keep.
An absolute transformation has taken place. Can you think how awesome that treasure must be? I think of the example of Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf.
“Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf, a German nobleman who was born into great power and privilege and lived from 1700 to 1760, was one of the founders of the Moravian Church. Over the years he spent his wealth down to practically zero doing good deeds, pouring himself out for others. Why? What happened that motivated him so radically? As a young man of nineteen, he was sent to visit the capital cities of Europe in order to complete his education. One day he found himself in the art gallery of Dusseldforf gazing at Domenico Feti’s Ecce homo, a portrait of Jesus wearing a crown of thorns. This image of the suffering Lord was very moving to Zinzendorf. Underneath the painting the artist had penned an inscription, words that Jesus might say to any one of us: “All this I did for thee; what doest thou for me?” (Timothy Keller, Jesus the King, pg 166)
Zinzendorf gets something. He gets the difference between real treasure and fake treasure.
Fake treasure tries to prove its own value and its own worth. Fake treasure looks shiny. It might look impressive. It might look good.
Real treasure proves your value. Your worth. Real treasure says, you my owner, my master, my Lord, you are worth something. You are worth more than you ever imagined.
What does Jesus say? “The Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” He serves you.
God may be his Father, but as a man he serves you, his owner, his lord. He proves
He proves your value and worth. How can you not spend all the treasure he is?
Spend what you’ve got and save. Save yourself. Save others.
Can you do that?
This lesson has nothing to do with earning forgiveness, acceptance, and eternity. Nothing to do with that.
There is something God says you must do to receive forgiveness, acceptance, and eternity.
There’s nothing you can do to earn it.
Imagine you’re a light switch. Turn on the light switch on the wall. It seems to bring on the light, but it doesn’t. What turns on the light is the power. The light switch simply is a channel of the power. It has no power of its own.
This is one of the most important distinctions both in Christian teaching and your own Christian experience. There are things to do to receive God’s gifts.
The total commitment is the way in which it’s received but not earned. That man found the treasure and he sold everything he had. What is that?
Repentance. Commitment. Letting go of everything.
It’s not a spend to get saved. It’s not even a spend for saving. It’s a spend and be saved.
Some of my most favorite people spend more than they even have. (KL, DK) I remember one of them was offended that I offered to pay for his coffee when we had breakfast. Offended! That I bought coffee!
Action
Let’s spend and save. The people around us might be more loved than we could imagine. Just as important, we’ll lay up treasure for real life. Spend and sav