THE LOVE OF MONEY
THE LOVE OF MONEY
(1 Timothy 6: 3-10)
Preached by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Sunday Evening, July 3, 2011
1 Tim. 3:10: “For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Beginning with Verse 3, Paul is warning Timothy about false teachers. Two tests will reveal their character:
- The sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Godly teaching ---instruction which aims at promoting Godliness.
The character of these teachers is next exposed. (4-5) “He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof comes envy, strife, railings, evil surmising. Perverse disputing of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is Godliness: from such withdraw yourself.”
They are to be distinguished by three things:
- Conceit
- Contention
- Covetousness.
Though he is conceited, such a man is written off with a curt phrase---‘he…understands nothing’. According to the NEB he is ‘a pompous ignoramus’. Contentious, he wrangles over words. This arises from an unhealthy interest in controversies. “Perverse” contrasts decidedly with “wholesome words” in verse 3. When men leave the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, they will never agree, but perpetually wrangle and quarrel. The words of the Lord Jesus Christ heal the church’s wounds.
This spirit of contention produces a host of evil things. Such individuals are corrupt in moral judgment and are robbed of the truth. They have only a commercial interest in the faith, and so add covetousness to their other sins.
This leads to a practical sermon on the Christian’s attitude to wealth”
(6-8) “Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”
Prov. 10:22: “The blessing of the Lord, it makes rich and He adds no sorrow with it.” We know the Lord blesses with prosperity. Paul concedes its truth but only where it is utterly free of covetousness. Contentment for the Stoic philosopher carried the sense of an independence of and indifference to money and circumstances. For the Christian it bears a deeper mean, a satisfaction with the situation ordained of God. In 2 Co. 9:8 it means “enough of everything.” “God is able to make all Grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work;”
Phil 4:11: Not that I speak in respect of want; for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
Paul gives us three reasons for this contentment:
- He emphasizes the futility of concentrating on that which is of a temporal nature only.
Luke 12: 16-21: “And He (Jesus) spoke a parable to 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 to bestow my fruits? 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, you have much goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you; then whose shall those things be, which you have provided? So is he that lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Job 1:21: “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed by the name of the Lord.”
Secondly, contentment requires the minimum for its sustenance, only food and clothing. Both are the subject of Jesus’ assurances to us.
Mt. 6: 25-33: “Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; not yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for the sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature? And why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how the grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; And yet I say to you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
Thirdly covetousness has tragic results:
(9-10) But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
- S. Way translates 9 & 10: “But they that crave to be rich fall into temptation’s snare, and into many witless and baneful desires which whelm men in pits of ruin and destruction; for love of money is a root from which spring all evils. Some have clutched there-at, have gone astray from the faith, and have impaled themselves on anguish manifold.’ He then adds the interesting footnote: ‘The metaphor…may be taken from the wild beast which, leaping at the bait hunger over a pit, fall in, and is impaled on the stake below.’ The determination to get rich, whatever the excuse offered to the soul, cannot but prove spiritually disastrous, and Paul thinks sadly of some who through the love of money have wandered from the faith.
(11-12) “But you, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereto you are also called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.”
Paul is encouraging and challenging Timothy to not only flee the evils, but to pursue those virtues in which the Christian’s true wealth consists. Timothy was called, baptized and set apart for the work of God. The appeal is that Timothy should live up to God’s calling and his own public confession. To be faithful will be costly. Paul then charges Timothy:
To succeed he must take hold of eternal life.
(13) “I give you charge in the sight of God, who makes alive all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession.” Jesus was fully aware of the inevitable consequences.
(14-15) “That you keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in His times He shall show who is the blessed and only King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach; whom no man has seen nor can see; to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen
The theme of these verses is the incomparable glory of God. He is the only Ruler. His control over time and affairs is absolute. He is unique in His supremacy, King over all kings, Lord over all lords. He is transcendent in holiness dwelling in unapproachable light.
(17) “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy; 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 to eternal life.”
In the present world system, riches are uncertain. Our God gives to us richly all things to enjoy.
Timothy is bid to guard what has been entrusted to him. The deposit of which he has been entrusted is the Christian faith. Let us not compromise this faith. I charge you to walk what you speak and be a vessel of grace to a perishing world.
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries, Inc.
Scripture from K.J.V. quotes from A. J. May and Allen G. Nute, F.F. Bruce Bible Commentary. Comments and conclusions are my own and not meant to reflect the views of those from whom I have gleaned.