June 30, 2025 • 48 mins
Does Money Make Us Happy? In a world driven by wealth, we often chase financial security, early retirement, and material comfort. But what if the deeper issue isn’t money itself, but our love of it?
In this message from our Blueprints series on 1 Timothy, Pastor Bob confronts the powerful lure of money, examines the FIRE movement (“Financial Independence, Retire Early”), and offers a gospel-shaped perspective on true contentment. Drawing from Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 6:3–10, we’re invited to trade worldly cravings for eternal priorities, and discover that godliness with contentment is great gain.
June 29, 2025
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Well, that video raises a really important
(00:01):
question.
Does money make us more happyand secure?
Now, I'm sure if I were to pollthe audience, I imagine a large
percentage of you would give aresounding yes.
Yes, when my bank account isfull, I am happier and my
anxiety is low.
When I have more money, myproblems go away.
Or do they just create differentproblems?
(00:23):
Because, you know, more money,more problems.
Does this simply reveal where weare placing our trust?
Those are some pretty crucialquestions because money, or
rather the love of money, is atthe heart of our passage today
in 1 Timothy 6, 3-10.
I invite you to join me therewhere Paul very famously writes
(00:43):
this in verse 10.
For the love of money is theroot of all kinds of evil.
The love of money is the root ofall kinds of evil.
Now, over the centuries, thisverse has been misunderstood and
misapplied.
Does this verse say that moneyitself is evil?
(01:04):
No.
Money is a part of the worldeconomy, and of course, it's not
simply about money.
Rather, it's about the stuffthat money can get us, like
maybe an early retirement.
Did you know in the financialworld, there is a growing
movement known as FIRE?
Have you heard of the FIREmovement?
It stands for FinancialIndependence Retire Early.
(01:25):
Financial Independence RetireEarly.
FIRE is a movement of peopledevoted to a program of extreme
savings and investment that aimsto allow them to retire far
earlier than traditional budgetsand retirement plans would
permit.
In other words, this movement isfilled with people who want to
have enough money in theirinvestments that they can live
(01:46):
off the growth at an early age.
Now, some of you out there aresaying, is that even possible?
I'm not sure I'm ever going tohave enough money to retire.
And yet, indeed, there are somepeople who achieve this goal.
But the sacrifice needed isenormous.
In fact, most save and invest upto 75% of their annual income.
(02:08):
That is commitment.
Now, the movement has gainedenough traction where there's
actually several differentvarieties.
First, there is the fat-firegroup of people, and those are
the high-income earners.
They have nine to five jobs.
They want to save enough tomaintain their current standard
of living.
Then there's the lean-fire.
(02:28):
These are the people devoted toa minimalist lifestyle where
somehow they live on less than$25,000 a year.
And then finally, there's thebarista fire, which maybe should
be known as Starbucks fire.
These are the people that wantto quit their 9-to-5 job and
live off a combination ofsavings and part-time jobs like
Starbucks.
(02:49):
Now, maybe you haven't heard ofthe fire movement before today,
but perhaps it soundsattractive.
I mean, how many of you outthere would love to retire early
if you're still working?
Yeah, quite a few of youprobably would raise your hands.
But it begs the question, areyou willing to sacrifice to save
that much money?
And what would you do if youdidn't work?
(03:09):
Some young people have the goalof achieving fire in their 30s,
quite a long way ahead of, theyhave a long life ahead of them.
Now, what I want you to alsonotice, and what I notice, is
that when it comes to money, Iusually ask this question later
in the process.
What does God want me to do withmy money?
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What does God want me to do withmy money?
Because we like to invite Jesusinto many areas of our lives,
but when it comes to our money,we don't like to give Jesus that
multi-factor authentication.
And yet, ironically, thispassage and the fire movement
have a principle in common.
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And it's this, sacrifice now andenjoy life later.
Sacrifice now, enjoy life later.
The only difference is this.
The Christian hope points toenjoyment in eternity, which
allows us to sacrifice more now.
Now, some of you also are sayingout there, here Pastor Bob goes
(04:14):
again talking about money,which, by the way, I don't know
who makes the preaching schedulearound here, but I seem to get
all the money passages.
Pastor Dave, you are next up forthe next one.
Maybe the Lord is speaking to myown heart.
Or maybe he's speaking to ourchurch.
(04:34):
We are in a series calledBlueprints where we've been
examining the principles of ahealthy church and we've seen
throughout the course of 1Timothy that the church should
be grounded in the gospel.
We've looked at the requirementsfor godly leadership.
We've seen how we should carefor the poor and the widows.
But do you know what many ofthose principles require?
Money.
(04:54):
Funding.
And yet many don't like to talkabout this topic, but ministry
requires money.
Now, I need to make an explicitpoint as we begin.
Again, money is not evil.
Money is not evil.
And some of us out there havethe ability to make a lot of
money.
That's part of our skill set.
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You are gifted in that area.
But the point that Paul ismaking in this passage is really
about how we handle and relateto the money that we make.
Because a church can becomeunhealthy when people don't give
to support the work of theministry.
Or people can use their wealthto leverage influence rather
than develop a servant's heart.
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God wants generous, humblepeople in his church.
And at the same time, I knowmany churches that don't handle
money well, and that gets theminto trouble.
Other churches develop problemsbecause they're obsessed with
money.
Now here at NBC, as you've heardus say throughout this series,
we take how we handle money veryseriously.
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We want to do that well.
We also want to be a generouschurch.
And as an example, we givenearly 20% of our budget out the
doors to missions and outreachefforts.
You heard from one of ourmissionaries today.
So your giving helps to supportthose lives that are being
transformed at TCNJ inPrinceton.
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That's a mark of a healthychurch.
There must be a balance betweenministry and money.
Now, I hope, however, thatreading a verse like 1 Timothy
6.10 causes you to see that ourrelationship with our money is
deeply spiritual.
After all, what does it meanwhen Paul says the love of money
is a root of evil?
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That's some pretty harshlanguage from Paul.
You might say, well, are peoplein this fire movement, are they
evil?
Are you evil because you want toascend in your career and make a
higher income?
Am I evil because I buyunnecessary coffee at the local
coffee shop on a regular basis?
(07:02):
Purchase a nicer car, buy abigger home, take a lavish
vacation.
Is that evil?
Not necessarily.
But the reality is that all ofus have a certain number of
resources to live in this worldand invest in the kingdom of
God.
And if you're a growingChristian, you have probably
wrestled with this pointedquestion.
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How much is too much?
How much is too much?
Or put another way, how muchshould I keep?
And how much is God calling meto give away?
Does money or the things moneyaffords me have a controlling
position in my heart?
Do I trust my money more thanJesus' provision?
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And then, of course, you havepassages in the Old Testament
where Like this one in Proverbschapter 30, verses 8 and 9,
where King Solomon writes,first, help me never to tell a
lie.
Second, give me neither povertynor riches.
Give me just enough to satisfymy needs.
For if I grow rich, I may denyyou and say, who is the Lord?
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And if I am too poor, I maysteal and thus insult God's holy
name.
Now, these two verses capturethe tension of money and God's
kingdom beautifully.
Give me neither poverty norriches.
Why?
He says, because if I'm too poorto live, I may be tempted to
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steal for life's necessities.
But if I am too rich, I may betempted to think I don't need
God because I'm good on my own.
Lord, help me to trust you tomeet my needs.
Help me to be generous, butdon't make me so rich that I
forget who blessed me with thatwealth.
Wealth.
See, that concept causes atension.
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What does it look like?
Well, in 1 Timothy 6, 3-10, Paulis going to disciple us toward a
proper relationship with moneyand wealth.
And while people in that firemovement want to sacrifice to
retire early, God is looking fora different kind of fire in our
lives.
Fire for his kingdom.
(09:11):
Money is a necessity in life,yes, but sacrifice now...
and you will enjoy eternitylater.
So how do we avoid the love ofmoney?
How do we avoid the love ofmoney?
Well, Paul outlines the problem,and then he offers a solution.
And so I'm going to make itsimple today.
We got two main points, andthey're simply this.
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The problem, we have obsessionwith worldly cravings.
And then number two, we got asolution.
We focus on eternal contentment.
We got cravings, And then if wefollow his teaching, we can
avoid the love of money andinvest more in God's kingdom.
So let's pray and then we'lllook at God's word today.
Heavenly Father, thank you somuch for your goodness and your
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grace and your mercy and yourlove.
And thank you for the way thatyou provide for us, Lord.
Help us to see that today.
Speak to our hearts as wewrestle with this very practical
topic in all of our lives.
And may we lift our eyes up toyou and say you are the good God
who blesses us with so manythings.
We trust you and we give thistime to you in Jesus' name.
(10:17):
Amen.
Amen.
So first, the problem.
Obsession with worldly cravings.
So a craving is a vehement,urgent, and consuming desire.
A vehement, urgent, andconsuming desire.
That if you crave something, youjust have to have it.
(10:37):
For example, I've not been herethe last two Sundays because I
took a trip to Colorado with myoldest daughter.
And while we were there, Idiscovered that the famed West
Coast franchise In-N-Out Burgerhas now opened shop in Denver.
And if you've never had theseburgers, they are succulent.
They are worthy of a craving.
(10:58):
In fact, we were texting my wifemultiple times and she became
very jealous.
By the end of our trip, wedeveloped a craving, a desire
for this worldly delight.
But now obsession with worldlycravings can very much take our
eyes off Jesus.
And that's what Paul starts tocommunicate in 1 Timothy 6, 3 to
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5.
And then he returns to the topicof the false teachers at Ephesus
who And applies the principle tothem.
So he says this in verse 3.
He says, Now notice in verses 3to 5, he is calling back to the
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opening of the letter.
If you go back to chapter 1,verses 3 and 4, Paul charges
Timothy to guard against peoplewho teach a different doctrine.
And then when he says, if anyoneteaches, he clearly has the
false teachers at Ephesus inmind since he's been referencing
them throughout the letter.
And after he addressed theteachers...
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He defines the false doctrineitself, anything that goes
against the teaching of JesusChrist and the truth of his
gospel.
That is not sound teaching.
Now that word sound that you seethere is actually a medical
term.
It refers both to the type ofinstruction as well as the
effect it has on the lives ofthe listeners.
And as you can see, when peopleingest unsound teaching, they
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become conceited and understandnothing.
In other words, their spirituallives are unhealthy.
And that's why at NBC we take,again, very seriously the sound
teaching of the Word of God.
Because in the age of theInternet and social media and
YouTube, there are plenty ofdietary options out there for
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you.
That if you want to hear Bibleteaching, you can listen to
Pastor Dave or myself on aSunday morning, and then in the
evening go and ingest a popularYouTuber for dinner.
But if that YouTuber is notfeeding you a wholesome meal,
you should get indigestion fromthe teaching.
So beware, because bad teachingcan make you conceited and
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seriously impact yourrelationship.
It's good teaching thatchallenges our worldly cravings.
And that's what Paul addressesnext in verse 4.
He says, Depraved in mind anddeprived of the truth.
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Imagining that godliness is ameans of gain.
Now, what is the fruit here ofunsound teaching?
It is this unhealthy craving forcontroversy.
It can also be translated anunhealthy interest in disputes.
Now, do you know anybody likethis?
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Are you somebody like this?
So I want to pause and ask whythis is.
Why does bad teaching produceunhealthy controversy?
I would argue that the person issick.
They are ill.
How many sick people have youmet in your church life?
Perhaps you've been wounded byChristians craving unhealthy
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controversy and I'm sorry if youhave.
Maybe you've attended a publicchurch meeting where members of
a church said nasty words toeach other and quarreled.
Maybe you've raised legitimateconcerns to someone and they
minimized you for their owngain.
In our modern world, theseunhealthy controversies play out
on social media sites.
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I mean, have you seen the waypeople argue on social media?
It's amazing what people willsay when they are not
face-to-face with someone.
Do you have an unhealthy cravingfor controversy?
Because it can destroy a church.
Now, that does not mean thatthere are not legitimate
concerns and questions to raiseabout There are, but they should
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be done in a respectful way witha desire to build up the body of
Christ.
In fact, if you'll remember backin chapter one, verse five, Paul
outlines the aim of the gospel.
He writes this, the aim of ourcharge is love that issues from
a pure heart and a goodconscience and a sincere faith.
So in chapter 1, he was directlyconfronting the cancer spreading
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from these false teachers.
Paul did not want it tometastasize to the rest of the
body because if it did, whatwould happen?
Well, if you look back at verses4 and 5, we see what would
happen.
It would produce envy.
See, when new trendy teachingarises, people can become
envious.
They are not part of thein-crowd.
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The false teaching also causesdissension or strife.
In other words, it breaks unitywithin the body.
And then what happens?
Well, people slander oneanother.
And this word can also mean theyslander the name of Jesus
himself.
So if somebody ever slanders thename of Jesus or the teaching of
Jesus, you've got to run awayfrom them.
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People develop evil suspicionsof others and the teachers.
This would also destroy a churchthrough the constant friction.
And that constant friction isplaced last because it sums up
what results from this unsoundteaching.
There's constant friction withinthe church.
So do you see the result of anunhealthy spiritual diet?
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Church, beware the worldlycravings that result from
unsound teaching.
That if somebody is telling yousomething you want to hear in
your flesh, be skeptical of thatperson.
He now offers three negativeresults from this unhealthy
activity.
First, he says their thinking iscorrupted.
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They're depraved in their mind.
See, when you're surrounded byconstant bickering and
backbiting and quarrels, howeasy is it for you to think?
Second, they are deprived orrobbed of the truth.
And that verb means to cheatsomeone out of what is
rightfully theirs.
Have you ever been robbed?
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I have, ironically, on a missiontrip.
On my first trip to Senegal backin 2014, Paul Wilf, I was
telling Paul before this, heremembers this.
We went to Senegal, and at theend of our trip, we were
preparing to visit Goree Islandin Dakar, Senegal.
And it was just the two of us,and to get out there, to get out
to this tourist site, you haveto take a boat, and you've got
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to wait for a while.
And so we decided, well, let'sgo out and explore.
Let's walk up to this publicsquare.
And we were there during thetime of the year where
apparently petty theft wasencouraged.
And so what would happen isyou'd have two people that would
come up to you, and one wouldtry to distract you, and the
other would pickpocket you.
So we made our way up to this Wewere on our way back to where
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the boat was and these two guyscame up to me and they were
trying to get me to getdistracted.
And so they were doing thatverbally and we just tried to
ignore them and we kept walking.
But eventually one guy grabbedmy pants and pulled it down and
the other guy pickpocketed mebecause I foolishly left my
phone in my pocket rather thanputting it in my money belt
under my clothes.
But I still remember as the guywalked away from me looking back
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and realizing, my phone is gone.
I was robbed.
I was robbed.
And in that moment, I feltviolated.
I felt angry.
I felt scared.
And that's what Paul'sdescribing here.
We can be robbed of the truth bya craving for controversy.
That earlier in the letter,chapter 2, verse 4, Paul told us
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that God wants all people to besaved and come to a knowledge of
the what?
Of the truth.
He also told us that the churchis the pillar and foundation of
what?
Of the truth.
These false teachers are robbingpeople of the truth.
Now don't miss, third, Paul tiesthis all to the pursuit of
financial advancement.
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He says they imagine thatgodliness is a means of gain and
that where gain has a financialmeaning.
But it does not refer toopulence or extravagant wealth.
In fact, commentator RobertYarborough sums it up well.
He writes this.
He says, it's not a fixationwith obscene wealth that Paul
rejects.
His objection here is moresubtle.
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Now listen to this.
Wherever people think that thegospel message is primarily
about better quality of life,personal well-being, or gain as
measured in a materialist humanconsumer society...
then they run afoul of Paul'sstrictures here.
Now, the modern application ofthis false teaching is most
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clearly seen in the health andwealth prosperity gospel peddled
by so many teachers, which isoften followed by a plea for
extravagant giving to theirministry and a promise of
blessing.
For example, you're probablyfamiliar with Jill Osteen, who
leads the Lakewood Church inHouston, Texas, a well-known
television preacher who makesstatements like this.
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Believe in yourself and God'sfavor will be upon you.
Have faith in your abilities andthe universe will conspire to
bring you abundance.
Universe will conspire somehowto bring you abundance.
Is that what the scriptures say?
Or take Joyce Meyer, anotherpopular preacher with a
following.
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And here's what she says.
Generosity is a seed that yieldsa harvest of blessing.
Give with a joyful heart andwatch how your resources grow.
Now, I agree we should give witha generous heart, but should our
motivation for giving generouslybe grounded in what we will
receive in return, thinking it'sa guarantee?
In contrast, Paul tells us thisin Ephesians 1.
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He says, We have redemptionthrough His blood, the
forgiveness of our trespassesaccording to the riches of His
grace which He lavished upon usin all wisdom and insight.
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Friends, Paul exalts our wealthin Christ.
Our riches lie in Him.
Now, verse five begins Paul'stransition into this application
for love of money.
But after reading those quotesand before we move on to verse
six, it's worth asking ourselvesthe question, have I been
ingesting false teaching?
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Has it given me indigestion orhas it altered my mind?
Or do you know anybody in yourlife who's been listening to
false teaching?
This is an important question toanswer because it can and it
will impact your view of moneyand wealth.
So many people find theiridentity and security in wealth
and resources.
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Why?
Because money toucheseverything.
Again, when the bank account isfull, we feel good.
When the bank account is empty,we panic.
It's only then that we cry outto God when we should have been
thanking him all along for hisabundance and his blessing and
his provision in our lives.
Money can easily become a snare,a trap.
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And that's the application forthis section.
Don't forget it.
In fact, say this with me.
You have to beware the snare.
Let's say that together.
One, two, three.
Beware the snare.
Turn to your neighbor.
Tell him it's time to wake up.
Beware the snare.
Oh, you've got to beware thesnare.
That's right.
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Get excited today.
We all will face it.
And one day, money has a way ofgetting into our hearts that all
of us, especially right now,we're acutely aware of money.
Right?
Inflation's rising.
Do you remember those$10 eggs?
Can't afford a home?
A car?
Yet all of us wish at somelevel, as Rockefeller once said,
we had just a little bit more.
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Just a little bit more.
And so Paul closes with awarning about the desire for
wealth.
Verse 9, if you skip down there.
He says, but those who desire tobe rich fall into temptation.
Into a what?
Into a snare.
into many senseless and harmfuldesires that plunge people into
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ruin and destruction.
Now, do you notice anythingabout this verse?
Yeah, it's tempting to read thisverse and think, oh yeah, Paul's
coming after those millionairesand those billionaires and
pretty soon those trillionaires.
That's right, he's giving thoseone percenters the business.
But is that who he's talking tohere?
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Now, perhaps it applies topeople in those categories, but
does Paul say the rich fall intotemptation?
No.
He says those who desire to berich fall into temptation.
And my friend, that could beanybody.
You could have a negative networth and simultaneously desire
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to be rich.
In fact, John Stott argues thatthese verses directly apply to
the covetous poor.
So what's Paul saying here?
Well, first, all of us,regardless of socioeconomic
status, can and probably aretempted by material things.
Second, Paul has in mind thepeople obsessed with the worldly
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cravings that he depicted inverses three to five.
Now, specifically, he'sattacking the false teachers of
Ephesus again, because remember,in Ephesus, it was the home of
the temple of Artemis and thegoddess Diana, where religion
was lucrative.
Big religion, as it were, waseverywhere in the city.
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And while get rich sounds likeover-the-top wealth, Paul's
rebuke here is for people whohave not grasped the riches of
their sufficiency in Christ.
Third, when you don't find yoursufficiency in Christ, you will
be tempted by riches of theworld.
And your actions then may seemsenseless, leading to potential
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harm and ruin.
But notice again, in the middleof the verse, Paul issues that
warning, beware the snare.
Or as Admiral Ackbar famouslysaid, it's a trap.
It's a trap that when you'retempted and consumed by the
allure of worldly riches, if youthink they will save you, you
will quickly find yourselfcaught between the Death Star
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and a Star Destroyer.
Friends, has the desire to berich ensnared you?
Again, this is not to say thatmaterial things in and of
themselves are evil.
But what Paul is describing hereis a scenario where Christ has
been moved to the side for thesake of our lesser desires.
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Why does this happen?
Why do we feel trapped?
I'll give you a couplescenarios.
First, I think sometimes peopleprioritize the temporal over the
eternal.
That we are impatient.
We want blessings here and now,and we will do anything to get
it.
And the second, when youprioritize the temporal, it puts
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you on a hamster wheel toachieve it.
That if you work harder andharder and harder and harder,
eventually you can't get off thewheel because you've developed a
lifestyle where you need to bethere.
Does anybody feel that way?
And then, finally, when you workso hard to make all that money,
you're on this wheel, you'regoing and you're going and
you're going, and eventuallyyour relationships may suffer.
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You may lose family and friends.
You lose what really matters.
And then at the end of yourlife, if you're not careful, you
may be left with that big emptyhouse, but you're all alone.
Friends, don't get trapped.
Beware the snare.
So how can we avoid the love ofmoney?
First, recognize the problem.
There can be an obsession withworldly cravings.
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But second, you need to movetowards the solution, and that
is to focus on eternalcontentment.
Focus on eternal contentment.
So helpfully, Paul does notleave us hanging with all our
problems.
In verse 6, he does offer asolution.
And before I read this verse, Iwant to say I believe this is an
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extremely important verse forall of life.
In fact, the topic raised inverse 6 is one my wife and I
speak about regularly.
That when I get the idea for anew project or a new endeavor,
she will challenge me with thistopic.
And if you're an achiever outthere, you know what I'm talking
about.
You never feel like you haveenough money.
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You always feel like there'smore to do.
You feel like there's the nextmountain to climb, problem to
solve, challenge to conquer.
1 Timothy 6.6 is for us.
And so Paul, in grand fashion,gives us the solution to so many
of our problems.
What is it?
He just simply says, godlinesswith contentment is great gain.
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Godliness with contentment isgreat gain.
Now, what did Paul just say?
See, I want us to sit with thisverse for a few minutes here
because it's not just thatgodliness is great gain.
Paul pairs it with contentment.
So let's talk about contentment.
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How many of you sitting heretoday, or if you're listening at
home or listening to this lateron, how many of you are content
with your life?
And how many of you arediscontented with your life?
Why?
Why are you content ordiscontent?
Now, I'll give you a definition.
Contentment is simply the stateof being satisfied, the state of
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being satisfied.
So what we're really asking is,are you satisfied with your
life?
Now here is why I think thisverse is so important and the
solution to so many of ourproblems, because many seemingly
good godly people are just notsatisfied with their lives.
But in 1 Timothy 6.6, Paulqualifies, again, godliness with
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contentment.
And the reason he does this issuper important.
And so I want you to hear this.
The Greek word translated ascontentment is the Greek word
autarcheia.
And it's used only one othertime in the New Testament in 2
Corinthians 9, verse 8.
The giving passage we covered afew months ago in our 2
Corinthians series.
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Now look how the New LivingTranslation translates this
verse.
It says, So here's what I wantyou to see.
In 2 Corinthians 9a, Paul istalking about material needs.
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But in 1 Timothy 6.6, he'stalking about inner contentment.
And what's the connection?
That in both cases, Paul isfinding his contentment in Jesus
Christ and his provision fromhim.
More than that, that contentmentseems to be directly related to
what we think we need or what wethink is sufficient for the good
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life.
Now, again, that word autarchiawas used in Greek philosophy at
the time to describe a personwho had all their resources in
themselves.
They were self-sufficient.
But a Christian should never beself-sufficient.
They should beChrist-sufficient.
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And yet so much of ourdiscontent stems from a lack of
satisfaction in Jesus.
We're like little toddlerssometimes, right?
In fact, Phil Reichen offers ahelpful illustration.
He says, our discontent beginsin childhood.
He calls it child property ortoddler property law.
And he gives, this is how thereasoning goes.
(31:04):
If you have little kids, you canresonate with this here.
Think about a kid arguing over atoy.
This is what it's like.
They say, if I like it, it'smine.
If I can take it away from you,it's mine.
If I had it a while ago, it'smine.
If I say it's mine...
Now that may sound childish, butsome people remain childish
(31:40):
their whole lives.
Never learning the secret ofbeing content.
So Christian, you have to askyourself this question.
If this is you, why are you notsatisfied with your life?
Is it perhaps because you thinkyou need more than you have?
Or is it because Jesus himselfis not sufficient to bring you
(32:01):
contentment?
And if that's the case, you willalways be seeking contentment in
other places.
Does Jesus need to reorient ourheart towards him?
See, friends, my prayer today isthat you would find contentment
in Christ, in Christ alone.
Because what we need in thechurch is more Christ-sufficient
(32:21):
contentment.
Now, how do we get that?
You've got to tap into theblessings you have in Christ
that we spoke about earlier.
Do you know that as a Christian,you have been united with Jesus
Christ?
All his riches are yours.
He opened up access to heavenfor you.
And he left a deposit in yourheart, the Holy Spirit, until
(32:42):
the day he returns to the earth.
You are rich in Christ.
Paul continues this challenge inverses 7 and 8.
He says, Now is that verse asmind-blowing for you as it is
(33:04):
for me?
No.
Think about your life for just amoment.
Do you realize that so many ofus, especially in central New
Jersey, so many of us spend ourentire lives acquiring stuff.
If you ever sell your house atthe end, imagine how much stuff
is in your house that you'veacquired.
(33:25):
Over the course of our lives, weacquire grades in school and
degrees and professionalaccolades.
And we acquire cars and homesand clothes and books and toys
and trinkets and knickknacks, somany other things.
In fact, there are things thatare important to us.
We will sacrifice time and moneyand effort to acquire the
resources to get these thingsbecause at some level they're a
(33:49):
prize to us.
By the way, none of those thingsare not necessarily bad.
But the crazy part is this.
One day, you're going to die.
I'm going to die one day.
We don't know the day or thehour.
One day we will die.
And all of those things weworked so hard and spent so much
time and so many resources toacquire, you can't take it with
(34:12):
you.
It's gone.
As the famous play said, youcan't take it with you.
What Paul is saying in thisverse is just that.
The eternal reality of our livesshould reshape our contentment
and our satisfaction.
We brought nothing into theworld, we can take nothing out
(34:33):
of the world.
Now, like most of you, I waspresent on the day of my birth,
but hopefully like most of you,I don't remember that day, which
probably would have beentraumatic.
But I was there and I do verymuch remember the days each of
my children were born.
(34:54):
And I can tell you from thatexperience that they came into
the world with nothing but anaked body and a loud scream.
And I've been in the room withpeople moments after they died.
And whatever they are holding orthey are wearing in that moment
stays here.
It's not eternal.
(35:18):
What do you actually need?
Food?
Clothing?
Shelter?
And yet so many of us are livingdiscontented, unsatisfied,
disgruntled lives because wecan't have all the things we
think we want.
And what Paul is calling forhere is a reorientation of the
heart towards the gospel ofJesus Christ.
(35:40):
It will revolutionize the wayyou live and give.
Are you content, Christian, withyour life?
Is Jesus enough?
And if the answer is no...
I would challenge you this weekto go home and talk to the Lord
and ask him and say, Lord, makeme satisfied with you and you
alone.
But if you're not, at somelevel, we're buying into a sort
(36:04):
of false gospel.
And that message is all over theplace.
In fact, I came across a recentarticle from Money Watch by
Hannah Lang, and it capturedthis narrative, and this is what
she writes.
She says, maybe money does buyhappiness, after all, especially
if you can afford more of itthan your pals.
So she cites a paper publishedfrom the National Bureau of
(36:27):
Economic Research, and the papersurveyed Dutch households to
determine whether they werebelieving, whether believing
you're in better financialstanding than your peers can
impact your belief or behaviors.
And this was the finding theyfound, that believing that you
earn more than your peers, whomresearchers defined as people of
(36:48):
similar age and education andmarital and homeowner status,
believing you earn more thanyour peers actually makes you
happier.
And that impact is evidentregardless of actual income,
researchers said.
In other words, it didn't matterhow much respondents made.
You can make$25,000, you canmake a million.
It doesn't matter how much youmade, only compare it with
(37:09):
others' earnings.
And so one of the lead authorsof the study said, when you
realize your relative positionis good, then you're more happy.
It's not about that absolutenumber.
Now, I would just say, how doesthat compare to the words of
Paul in 1 Timothy 6, 6-8?
See, when Paul writes godlinesswith contentment is great gain,
(37:29):
why is it great gain?
Because you don't care whatother people think.
You only care what Jesus thinks.
Are you building his kingdom,giving generously, serving him?
That's all that matters.
And when your eyes are focusedon Jesus, money cannot be your
master.
And so now we come back to verse10.
(37:50):
which makes a whole lot moresense in the context we've just
explored.
He writes, for the love of moneyis a root of all kinds of evil.
It is through this craving, thiscraving, right, that some have
wandered away from the faith andpierced themselves with many
pangs.
(38:10):
And so do you see now that moneyis not evil in and of itself.
It is our attitude, ourobsession with money, and dare I
say our potential worship ofmoney that causes many to wander
from the faith.
Now the Greek word that Pauluses here for love is the word
philargia and that'sintentional.
(38:32):
Paul is quoting an ancientproverb which called philargia
the capital city of all evils.
The level of depravity here isequivalent with Adam and Eve
taking the fruit and thinkingthey can become like God.
That the love of money is sotempting, it's as tempting as
that initial fruit in thegarden.
And Paul says that is the rootbecause it serves a hidden
(38:56):
motivation driving ourbehaviors.
Indeed, that axiom, follow themoney, is very true of many evil
actions in this world.
Actions which lead todestruction in so many cases.
Now again, I will say this.
Those of us who have beenblessed with the gift of
wealth...
who have the ability to make alot of money, it requires great
(39:18):
spiritual maturity.
Because the temptation is realto flaunt wealth, to leverage
wealth for our own gain, and toallow wealth to take the place
of Jesus in our hearts.
It is a spiritual battle for therule of our hearts.
And how does that battle playout?
Money promises answers to threepowerful desires.
(39:42):
First, security.
Security.
Money promises you security.
Money says, if you have more ofme, you're safe.
No one can touch you.
Any problem that comes your way,you can pay your way out of it.
Second, power.
Money promises you power.
That when you have money, youcall the shots.
(40:04):
When you have money, no onetells you no.
You get whatever you want.
And it's pretty intoxicating.
You know what I hear from peoplemany times?
They'll look at somebody whothey perceive has more money
than them.
And do you know what they'lloften say?
It'd be so nice to have thatmuch money.
Why?
Security and power.
(40:28):
Third, meaning.
Money promises to give youmeaning.
That when you wake up every day,you will always find ways to
make more and more and more.
And you get to the top of yourfield and you want more money.
The promises of money are soalluring, but they can so easily
take your eyes off the trueprize.
But now if you read the Bibleand you listen to the words of
(40:50):
Jesus, you might start to seethat the gospel speaks to each
of those promises as well.
And it turns them upside downand it elevates them to
eternity.
Security?
Jesus says the greatest securityyou could ever have is the love
and salvation you receive whenyou believe in me.
That on the cross, I securedyour future forever.
(41:13):
Power?
What does that mean?
It means you recognize the onewho actually holds all the power
in the world and you submit tohim.
The power comes from Jesus'sacrifice on the cross and the
presence of his spirit in yourlife to live a life pleasing to
God.
Meaning, oh, you were made bythe creator of the universe,
friend.
(41:34):
And you were made to love and toworship Him.
And you only find real meaningthrough His Son, Jesus Christ.
You believe in Him.
But the danger is real foreveryone.
You have to beware that snare.
So, how do we avoid money love?
Well, let me leave you with fourdiagnostic actions for this
(41:55):
week, rooted in our points thismorning.
And what I encourage you to dothis week is find a space in
your journal, take some time topray, listen for the voice of
the Spirit.
First, get out that journal andlist your cravings.
List your cravings.
Now, let's just be honest.
We all have them.
We can all just look around.
Everybody's got cravings.
It doesn't need to be In-N-OutBurger, okay?
(42:17):
There are things of this worldthat we are drawn to which
become preeminent in our lives.
They can take the place ofJesus.
And those cravings are inflamedby the narratives of this world.
Just like certain foods areaddictive, so are the world's
stories.
And many of today's narrativesare focused on our individual
desires where we become thecenter of the universe.
(42:40):
What are your cravings?
List them and recognize whereyou're tempted.
Second, pray and ask Jesus forcontentment.
Pray and ask Jesus forcontentment.
Now I'm giving you that actionbecause I am assuming all of us
wrestle with this point.
And as I mentioned, Many of uslive discontented lives, but if
you're a follower of Christ,there is a better way, the road
(43:04):
to Jesus.
Phil Reichen writes, discontentis life's burglar.
Don't let comparison of othersand obsession with your wants
rob you of joy.
Ask Jesus for a content heart.
Third, act.
Act, remove those traps fromyour life.
This is the beware the snare.
(43:26):
Now, some of us know our snares.
We know our traps, the placeswhere our desires are tempted.
Maybe it's a circle of friendsyou run with.
It could be the investment orgambling websites you visit or
the apps you look at.
Where do you feel tempted to getrich at the expense of following
and trusting in Jesus?
Remove those traps and placeyour eyes back on the Savior,
(43:49):
the one who is sufficient tobring you contentment and
provision this week and always.
And then finally, I would justsay aspire.
Orient your lives towardssimplicity.
Now, have you noticed that thereason we often need more money
is because our lives become morecomplex?
(44:09):
When I was in college, likeFelicity who got up here before,
I was pretty happy with waterand ramen noodles.
Like anybody else?
That's kind of all I needed.
Some friends to hang out.
Now, I got a hundred things Igot to pay for every month.
Right?
Everybody wants more money.
My kids come up.
I want to buy this.
I want to do this.
I make more money than I everhave in my life.
And I'm always finding ways,things to use that money for.
(44:31):
Anybody else deal with that?
What if I simplified my life?
And what if you simplified yourlife?
Perhaps then money would haveless chances to grab a hold of
your heart as you seeksimplicity this week.
So can we avoid the love ofmoney?
First, recognize the problem.
It's worldly cravings.
Second...
(44:51):
Pursue the solution.
It's eternal contentment.
And then, with the finished workof Christ on the cross and the
empowering presence of the HolySpirit, we can.
Amen?
Let me invite the worship teamto come back on stage and lead
us in one last song.
And as they come, I want to justgo back to the beginning of the
message where we began with thatfire movement, that financial
(45:15):
independence, retire early.
That movement had a keyprinciple that we can learn
from.
Sacrifice now, enjoy life later.
Sacrifice now, enjoy life later.
And as I mentioned, that'sactually a very biblical
principle.
But we have a vastly differentmotivation.
Jesus wants us to have fire inour lives, but a very different
(45:36):
kind of fire.
He wants us to set our hearts onfire so that we will sacrifice
now for the sake of the kingdom.
And then...
We will enjoy an eternalretirement with Christ.
So give, and give generously.
And then later, more people willenjoy the benefits of eternal
life with Jesus, because thislife is not the end.
(45:57):
One day we will be with Him.
And so Paul comes back to thistheme later in chapter 6, and he
develops it.
He writes this in verse 17.
He says, but on God, who richlyprovides us with everything to
(46:19):
enjoy.
They are to do good, to be richin good works, to be generous
and ready to share, thus storingup treasures for themselves as a
good foundation for the futureso that they may take hold of
that which is truly life.
Did you hear that?
(46:41):
Sacrifice now.
Don't focus on the riches now.
Focus on God, the one whoprovides for us.
Instead, do good.
Be rich in good works.
Be generous.
Share your blessings.
And as you do this, you arelaying up a foundation for when?
The future.
The future.
(47:02):
The future when we take hold ofeternal life.
And when you get that truth downin your heart, you can avoid
money love now.
as you focus on the forever loveof Jesus Christ.
And that will bring the greatestsatisfaction ever.
Amen?
Amen, let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you somuch, Lord, for your word, which
(47:25):
challenges us, which convictsus, Lord.
And yet I pray, Lord, for all ofus here today that we would lift
our eyes up to you and see thatyou are the provider of all that
we need.
In those times when we arediscontent, Lord, help us to
recognize we're taking our eyesoff of you.
And bring us back, Lord.
Bring us back.
(47:45):
And as we are blessed, may webless others as you have blessed
us.
And may we do that for yourglory and for the sake of your
gospel.
We ask that in Jesus' name.
UNKNOWN (47:57):
Amen.
Well, that video raises a really important
(00:01):
question.
Does money make us more happyand secure?
Now, I'm sure if I were to pollthe audience, I imagine a large
percentage of you would give aresounding yes.
Yes, when my bank account isfull, I am happier and my
anxiety is low.
When I have more money, myproblems go away.
Or do they just create differentproblems?
(00:23):
Because, you know, more money,more problems.
Does this simply reveal where weare placing our trust?
Those are some pretty crucialquestions because money, or
rather the love of money, is atthe heart of our passage today
in 1 Timothy 6, 3-10.
I invite you to join me therewhere Paul very famously writes
(00:43):
this in verse 10.
For the love of money is theroot of all kinds of evil.
The love of money is the root ofall kinds of evil.
Now, over the centuries, thisverse has been misunderstood and
misapplied.
Does this verse say that moneyitself is evil?
(01:04):
No.
Money is a part of the worldeconomy, and of course, it's not
simply about money.
Rather, it's about the stuffthat money can get us, like
maybe an early retirement.
Did you know in the financialworld, there is a growing
movement known as FIRE?
Have you heard of the FIREmovement?
It stands for FinancialIndependence Retire Early.
(01:25):
Financial Independence RetireEarly.
FIRE is a movement of peopledevoted to a program of extreme
savings and investment that aimsto allow them to retire far
earlier than traditional budgetsand retirement plans would
permit.
In other words, this movement isfilled with people who want to
have enough money in theirinvestments that they can live
(01:46):
off the growth at an early age.
Now, some of you out there aresaying, is that even possible?
I'm not sure I'm ever going tohave enough money to retire.
And yet, indeed, there are somepeople who achieve this goal.
But the sacrifice needed isenormous.
In fact, most save and invest upto 75% of their annual income.
(02:08):
That is commitment.
Now, the movement has gainedenough traction where there's
actually several differentvarieties.
First, there is the fat-firegroup of people, and those are
the high-income earners.
They have nine to five jobs.
They want to save enough tomaintain their current standard
of living.
Then there's the lean-fire.
(02:28):
These are the people devoted toa minimalist lifestyle where
somehow they live on less than$25,000 a year.
And then finally, there's thebarista fire, which maybe should
be known as Starbucks fire.
These are the people that wantto quit their 9-to-5 job and
live off a combination ofsavings and part-time jobs like
Starbucks.
(02:49):
Now, maybe you haven't heard ofthe fire movement before today,
but perhaps it soundsattractive.
I mean, how many of you outthere would love to retire early
if you're still working?
Yeah, quite a few of youprobably would raise your hands.
But it begs the question, areyou willing to sacrifice to save
that much money?
And what would you do if youdidn't work?
(03:09):
Some young people have the goalof achieving fire in their 30s,
quite a long way ahead of, theyhave a long life ahead of them.
Now, what I want you to alsonotice, and what I notice, is
that when it comes to money, Iusually ask this question later
in the process.
What does God want me to do withmy money?
(03:32):
What does God want me to do withmy money?
Because we like to invite Jesusinto many areas of our lives,
but when it comes to our money,we don't like to give Jesus that
multi-factor authentication.
And yet, ironically, thispassage and the fire movement
have a principle in common.
(03:52):
And it's this, sacrifice now andenjoy life later.
Sacrifice now, enjoy life later.
The only difference is this.
The Christian hope points toenjoyment in eternity, which
allows us to sacrifice more now.
Now, some of you also are sayingout there, here Pastor Bob goes
(04:14):
again talking about money,which, by the way, I don't know
who makes the preaching schedulearound here, but I seem to get
all the money passages.
Pastor Dave, you are next up forthe next one.
Maybe the Lord is speaking to myown heart.
Or maybe he's speaking to ourchurch.
(04:34):
We are in a series calledBlueprints where we've been
examining the principles of ahealthy church and we've seen
throughout the course of 1Timothy that the church should
be grounded in the gospel.
We've looked at the requirementsfor godly leadership.
We've seen how we should carefor the poor and the widows.
But do you know what many ofthose principles require?
Money.
(04:54):
Funding.
And yet many don't like to talkabout this topic, but ministry
requires money.
Now, I need to make an explicitpoint as we begin.
Again, money is not evil.
Money is not evil.
And some of us out there havethe ability to make a lot of
money.
That's part of our skill set.
(05:16):
You are gifted in that area.
But the point that Paul ismaking in this passage is really
about how we handle and relateto the money that we make.
Because a church can becomeunhealthy when people don't give
to support the work of theministry.
Or people can use their wealthto leverage influence rather
than develop a servant's heart.
(05:38):
God wants generous, humblepeople in his church.
And at the same time, I knowmany churches that don't handle
money well, and that gets theminto trouble.
Other churches develop problemsbecause they're obsessed with
money.
Now here at NBC, as you've heardus say throughout this series,
we take how we handle money veryseriously.
(05:58):
We want to do that well.
We also want to be a generouschurch.
And as an example, we givenearly 20% of our budget out the
doors to missions and outreachefforts.
You heard from one of ourmissionaries today.
So your giving helps to supportthose lives that are being
transformed at TCNJ inPrinceton.
(06:19):
That's a mark of a healthychurch.
There must be a balance betweenministry and money.
Now, I hope, however, thatreading a verse like 1 Timothy
6.10 causes you to see that ourrelationship with our money is
deeply spiritual.
After all, what does it meanwhen Paul says the love of money
is a root of evil?
(06:41):
That's some pretty harshlanguage from Paul.
You might say, well, are peoplein this fire movement, are they
evil?
Are you evil because you want toascend in your career and make a
higher income?
Am I evil because I buyunnecessary coffee at the local
coffee shop on a regular basis?
(07:02):
Purchase a nicer car, buy abigger home, take a lavish
vacation.
Is that evil?
Not necessarily.
But the reality is that all ofus have a certain number of
resources to live in this worldand invest in the kingdom of
God.
And if you're a growingChristian, you have probably
wrestled with this pointedquestion.
(07:24):
How much is too much?
How much is too much?
Or put another way, how muchshould I keep?
And how much is God calling meto give away?
Does money or the things moneyaffords me have a controlling
position in my heart?
Do I trust my money more thanJesus' provision?
(07:46):
And then, of course, you havepassages in the Old Testament
where Like this one in Proverbschapter 30, verses 8 and 9,
where King Solomon writes,first, help me never to tell a
lie.
Second, give me neither povertynor riches.
Give me just enough to satisfymy needs.
For if I grow rich, I may denyyou and say, who is the Lord?
(08:09):
And if I am too poor, I maysteal and thus insult God's holy
name.
Now, these two verses capturethe tension of money and God's
kingdom beautifully.
Give me neither poverty norriches.
Why?
He says, because if I'm too poorto live, I may be tempted to
(08:29):
steal for life's necessities.
But if I am too rich, I may betempted to think I don't need
God because I'm good on my own.
Lord, help me to trust you tomeet my needs.
Help me to be generous, butdon't make me so rich that I
forget who blessed me with thatwealth.
Wealth.
See, that concept causes atension.
(08:51):
What does it look like?
Well, in 1 Timothy 6, 3-10, Paulis going to disciple us toward a
proper relationship with moneyand wealth.
And while people in that firemovement want to sacrifice to
retire early, God is looking fora different kind of fire in our
lives.
Fire for his kingdom.
(09:11):
Money is a necessity in life,yes, but sacrifice now...
and you will enjoy eternitylater.
So how do we avoid the love ofmoney?
How do we avoid the love ofmoney?
Well, Paul outlines the problem,and then he offers a solution.
And so I'm going to make itsimple today.
We got two main points, andthey're simply this.
(09:32):
The problem, we have obsessionwith worldly cravings.
And then number two, we got asolution.
We focus on eternal contentment.
We got cravings, And then if wefollow his teaching, we can
avoid the love of money andinvest more in God's kingdom.
So let's pray and then we'lllook at God's word today.
Heavenly Father, thank you somuch for your goodness and your
(09:54):
grace and your mercy and yourlove.
And thank you for the way thatyou provide for us, Lord.
Help us to see that today.
Speak to our hearts as wewrestle with this very practical
topic in all of our lives.
And may we lift our eyes up toyou and say you are the good God
who blesses us with so manythings.
We trust you and we give thistime to you in Jesus' name.
(10:17):
Amen.
Amen.
So first, the problem.
Obsession with worldly cravings.
So a craving is a vehement,urgent, and consuming desire.
A vehement, urgent, andconsuming desire.
That if you crave something, youjust have to have it.
(10:37):
For example, I've not been herethe last two Sundays because I
took a trip to Colorado with myoldest daughter.
And while we were there, Idiscovered that the famed West
Coast franchise In-N-Out Burgerhas now opened shop in Denver.
And if you've never had theseburgers, they are succulent.
They are worthy of a craving.
(10:58):
In fact, we were texting my wifemultiple times and she became
very jealous.
By the end of our trip, wedeveloped a craving, a desire
for this worldly delight.
But now obsession with worldlycravings can very much take our
eyes off Jesus.
And that's what Paul starts tocommunicate in 1 Timothy 6, 3 to
(11:21):
5.
And then he returns to the topicof the false teachers at Ephesus
who And applies the principle tothem.
So he says this in verse 3.
He says, Now notice in verses 3to 5, he is calling back to the
(11:52):
opening of the letter.
If you go back to chapter 1,verses 3 and 4, Paul charges
Timothy to guard against peoplewho teach a different doctrine.
And then when he says, if anyoneteaches, he clearly has the
false teachers at Ephesus inmind since he's been referencing
them throughout the letter.
And after he addressed theteachers...
(12:15):
He defines the false doctrineitself, anything that goes
against the teaching of JesusChrist and the truth of his
gospel.
That is not sound teaching.
Now that word sound that you seethere is actually a medical
term.
It refers both to the type ofinstruction as well as the
effect it has on the lives ofthe listeners.
And as you can see, when peopleingest unsound teaching, they
(12:40):
become conceited and understandnothing.
In other words, their spirituallives are unhealthy.
And that's why at NBC we take,again, very seriously the sound
teaching of the Word of God.
Because in the age of theInternet and social media and
YouTube, there are plenty ofdietary options out there for
(13:01):
you.
That if you want to hear Bibleteaching, you can listen to
Pastor Dave or myself on aSunday morning, and then in the
evening go and ingest a popularYouTuber for dinner.
But if that YouTuber is notfeeding you a wholesome meal,
you should get indigestion fromthe teaching.
So beware, because bad teachingcan make you conceited and
(13:23):
seriously impact yourrelationship.
It's good teaching thatchallenges our worldly cravings.
And that's what Paul addressesnext in verse 4.
He says, Depraved in mind anddeprived of the truth.
(13:53):
Imagining that godliness is ameans of gain.
Now, what is the fruit here ofunsound teaching?
It is this unhealthy craving forcontroversy.
It can also be translated anunhealthy interest in disputes.
Now, do you know anybody likethis?
(14:14):
Are you somebody like this?
So I want to pause and ask whythis is.
Why does bad teaching produceunhealthy controversy?
I would argue that the person issick.
They are ill.
How many sick people have youmet in your church life?
Perhaps you've been wounded byChristians craving unhealthy
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controversy and I'm sorry if youhave.
Maybe you've attended a publicchurch meeting where members of
a church said nasty words toeach other and quarreled.
Maybe you've raised legitimateconcerns to someone and they
minimized you for their owngain.
In our modern world, theseunhealthy controversies play out
on social media sites.
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I mean, have you seen the waypeople argue on social media?
It's amazing what people willsay when they are not
face-to-face with someone.
Do you have an unhealthy cravingfor controversy?
Because it can destroy a church.
Now, that does not mean thatthere are not legitimate
concerns and questions to raiseabout There are, but they should
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be done in a respectful way witha desire to build up the body of
Christ.
In fact, if you'll remember backin chapter one, verse five, Paul
outlines the aim of the gospel.
He writes this, the aim of ourcharge is love that issues from
a pure heart and a goodconscience and a sincere faith.
So in chapter 1, he was directlyconfronting the cancer spreading
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from these false teachers.
Paul did not want it tometastasize to the rest of the
body because if it did, whatwould happen?
Well, if you look back at verses4 and 5, we see what would
happen.
It would produce envy.
See, when new trendy teachingarises, people can become
envious.
They are not part of thein-crowd.
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The false teaching also causesdissension or strife.
In other words, it breaks unitywithin the body.
And then what happens?
Well, people slander oneanother.
And this word can also mean theyslander the name of Jesus
himself.
So if somebody ever slanders thename of Jesus or the teaching of
Jesus, you've got to run awayfrom them.
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People develop evil suspicionsof others and the teachers.
This would also destroy a churchthrough the constant friction.
And that constant friction isplaced last because it sums up
what results from this unsoundteaching.
There's constant friction withinthe church.
So do you see the result of anunhealthy spiritual diet?
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Church, beware the worldlycravings that result from
unsound teaching.
That if somebody is telling yousomething you want to hear in
your flesh, be skeptical of thatperson.
He now offers three negativeresults from this unhealthy
activity.
First, he says their thinking iscorrupted.
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They're depraved in their mind.
See, when you're surrounded byconstant bickering and
backbiting and quarrels, howeasy is it for you to think?
Second, they are deprived orrobbed of the truth.
And that verb means to cheatsomeone out of what is
rightfully theirs.
Have you ever been robbed?
(17:27):
I have, ironically, on a missiontrip.
On my first trip to Senegal backin 2014, Paul Wilf, I was
telling Paul before this, heremembers this.
We went to Senegal, and at theend of our trip, we were
preparing to visit Goree Islandin Dakar, Senegal.
And it was just the two of us,and to get out there, to get out
to this tourist site, you haveto take a boat, and you've got
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to wait for a while.
And so we decided, well, let'sgo out and explore.
Let's walk up to this publicsquare.
And we were there during thetime of the year where
apparently petty theft wasencouraged.
And so what would happen isyou'd have two people that would
come up to you, and one wouldtry to distract you, and the
other would pickpocket you.
So we made our way up to this Wewere on our way back to where
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the boat was and these two guyscame up to me and they were
trying to get me to getdistracted.
And so they were doing thatverbally and we just tried to
ignore them and we kept walking.
But eventually one guy grabbedmy pants and pulled it down and
the other guy pickpocketed mebecause I foolishly left my
phone in my pocket rather thanputting it in my money belt
under my clothes.
But I still remember as the guywalked away from me looking back
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and realizing, my phone is gone.
I was robbed.
I was robbed.
And in that moment, I feltviolated.
I felt angry.
I felt scared.
And that's what Paul'sdescribing here.
We can be robbed of the truth bya craving for controversy.
That earlier in the letter,chapter 2, verse 4, Paul told us
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that God wants all people to besaved and come to a knowledge of
the what?
Of the truth.
He also told us that the churchis the pillar and foundation of
what?
Of the truth.
These false teachers are robbingpeople of the truth.
Now don't miss, third, Paul tiesthis all to the pursuit of
financial advancement.
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He says they imagine thatgodliness is a means of gain and
that where gain has a financialmeaning.
But it does not refer toopulence or extravagant wealth.
In fact, commentator RobertYarborough sums it up well.
He writes this.
He says, it's not a fixationwith obscene wealth that Paul
rejects.
His objection here is moresubtle.
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Now listen to this.
Wherever people think that thegospel message is primarily
about better quality of life,personal well-being, or gain as
measured in a materialist humanconsumer society...
then they run afoul of Paul'sstrictures here.
Now, the modern application ofthis false teaching is most
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clearly seen in the health andwealth prosperity gospel peddled
by so many teachers, which isoften followed by a plea for
extravagant giving to theirministry and a promise of
blessing.
For example, you're probablyfamiliar with Jill Osteen, who
leads the Lakewood Church inHouston, Texas, a well-known
television preacher who makesstatements like this.
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Believe in yourself and God'sfavor will be upon you.
Have faith in your abilities andthe universe will conspire to
bring you abundance.
Universe will conspire somehowto bring you abundance.
Is that what the scriptures say?
Or take Joyce Meyer, anotherpopular preacher with a
following.
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And here's what she says.
Generosity is a seed that yieldsa harvest of blessing.
Give with a joyful heart andwatch how your resources grow.
Now, I agree we should give witha generous heart, but should our
motivation for giving generouslybe grounded in what we will
receive in return, thinking it'sa guarantee?
In contrast, Paul tells us thisin Ephesians 1.
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He says, We have redemptionthrough His blood, the
forgiveness of our trespassesaccording to the riches of His
grace which He lavished upon usin all wisdom and insight.
(21:23):
Friends, Paul exalts our wealthin Christ.
Our riches lie in Him.
Now, verse five begins Paul'stransition into this application
for love of money.
But after reading those quotesand before we move on to verse
six, it's worth asking ourselvesthe question, have I been
ingesting false teaching?
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Has it given me indigestion orhas it altered my mind?
Or do you know anybody in yourlife who's been listening to
false teaching?
This is an important question toanswer because it can and it
will impact your view of moneyand wealth.
So many people find theiridentity and security in wealth
and resources.
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Why?
Because money toucheseverything.
Again, when the bank account isfull, we feel good.
When the bank account is empty,we panic.
It's only then that we cry outto God when we should have been
thanking him all along for hisabundance and his blessing and
his provision in our lives.
Money can easily become a snare,a trap.
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And that's the application forthis section.
Don't forget it.
In fact, say this with me.
You have to beware the snare.
Let's say that together.
One, two, three.
Beware the snare.
Turn to your neighbor.
Tell him it's time to wake up.
Beware the snare.
Oh, you've got to beware thesnare.
That's right.
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Get excited today.
We all will face it.
And one day, money has a way ofgetting into our hearts that all
of us, especially right now,we're acutely aware of money.
Right?
Inflation's rising.
Do you remember those$10 eggs?
Can't afford a home?
A car?
Yet all of us wish at somelevel, as Rockefeller once said,
we had just a little bit more.
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Just a little bit more.
And so Paul closes with awarning about the desire for
wealth.
Verse 9, if you skip down there.
He says, but those who desire tobe rich fall into temptation.
Into a what?
Into a snare.
into many senseless and harmfuldesires that plunge people into
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ruin and destruction.
Now, do you notice anythingabout this verse?
Yeah, it's tempting to read thisverse and think, oh yeah, Paul's
coming after those millionairesand those billionaires and
pretty soon those trillionaires.
That's right, he's giving thoseone percenters the business.
But is that who he's talking tohere?
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Now, perhaps it applies topeople in those categories, but
does Paul say the rich fall intotemptation?
No.
He says those who desire to berich fall into temptation.
And my friend, that could beanybody.
You could have a negative networth and simultaneously desire
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to be rich.
In fact, John Stott argues thatthese verses directly apply to
the covetous poor.
So what's Paul saying here?
Well, first, all of us,regardless of socioeconomic
status, can and probably aretempted by material things.
Second, Paul has in mind thepeople obsessed with the worldly
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cravings that he depicted inverses three to five.
Now, specifically, he'sattacking the false teachers of
Ephesus again, because remember,in Ephesus, it was the home of
the temple of Artemis and thegoddess Diana, where religion
was lucrative.
Big religion, as it were, waseverywhere in the city.
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And while get rich sounds likeover-the-top wealth, Paul's
rebuke here is for people whohave not grasped the riches of
their sufficiency in Christ.
Third, when you don't find yoursufficiency in Christ, you will
be tempted by riches of theworld.
And your actions then may seemsenseless, leading to potential
(25:15):
harm and ruin.
But notice again, in the middleof the verse, Paul issues that
warning, beware the snare.
Or as Admiral Ackbar famouslysaid, it's a trap.
It's a trap that when you'retempted and consumed by the
allure of worldly riches, if youthink they will save you, you
will quickly find yourselfcaught between the Death Star
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and a Star Destroyer.
Friends, has the desire to berich ensnared you?
Again, this is not to say thatmaterial things in and of
themselves are evil.
But what Paul is describing hereis a scenario where Christ has
been moved to the side for thesake of our lesser desires.
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Why does this happen?
Why do we feel trapped?
I'll give you a couplescenarios.
First, I think sometimes peopleprioritize the temporal over the
eternal.
That we are impatient.
We want blessings here and now,and we will do anything to get
it.
And the second, when youprioritize the temporal, it puts
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you on a hamster wheel toachieve it.
That if you work harder andharder and harder and harder,
eventually you can't get off thewheel because you've developed a
lifestyle where you need to bethere.
Does anybody feel that way?
And then, finally, when you workso hard to make all that money,
you're on this wheel, you'regoing and you're going and
you're going, and eventuallyyour relationships may suffer.
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You may lose family and friends.
You lose what really matters.
And then at the end of yourlife, if you're not careful, you
may be left with that big emptyhouse, but you're all alone.
Friends, don't get trapped.
Beware the snare.
So how can we avoid the love ofmoney?
First, recognize the problem.
There can be an obsession withworldly cravings.
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But second, you need to movetowards the solution, and that
is to focus on eternalcontentment.
Focus on eternal contentment.
So helpfully, Paul does notleave us hanging with all our
problems.
In verse 6, he does offer asolution.
And before I read this verse, Iwant to say I believe this is an
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extremely important verse forall of life.
In fact, the topic raised inverse 6 is one my wife and I
speak about regularly.
That when I get the idea for anew project or a new endeavor,
she will challenge me with thistopic.
And if you're an achiever outthere, you know what I'm talking
about.
You never feel like you haveenough money.
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You always feel like there'smore to do.
You feel like there's the nextmountain to climb, problem to
solve, challenge to conquer.
1 Timothy 6.6 is for us.
And so Paul, in grand fashion,gives us the solution to so many
of our problems.
What is it?
He just simply says, godlinesswith contentment is great gain.
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Godliness with contentment isgreat gain.
Now, what did Paul just say?
See, I want us to sit with thisverse for a few minutes here
because it's not just thatgodliness is great gain.
Paul pairs it with contentment.
So let's talk about contentment.
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How many of you sitting heretoday, or if you're listening at
home or listening to this lateron, how many of you are content
with your life?
And how many of you arediscontented with your life?
Why?
Why are you content ordiscontent?
Now, I'll give you a definition.
Contentment is simply the stateof being satisfied, the state of
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being satisfied.
So what we're really asking is,are you satisfied with your
life?
Now here is why I think thisverse is so important and the
solution to so many of ourproblems, because many seemingly
good godly people are just notsatisfied with their lives.
But in 1 Timothy 6.6, Paulqualifies, again, godliness with
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contentment.
And the reason he does this issuper important.
And so I want you to hear this.
The Greek word translated ascontentment is the Greek word
autarcheia.
And it's used only one othertime in the New Testament in 2
Corinthians 9, verse 8.
The giving passage we covered afew months ago in our 2
Corinthians series.
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Now look how the New LivingTranslation translates this
verse.
It says, So here's what I wantyou to see.
In 2 Corinthians 9a, Paul istalking about material needs.
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But in 1 Timothy 6.6, he'stalking about inner contentment.
And what's the connection?
That in both cases, Paul isfinding his contentment in Jesus
Christ and his provision fromhim.
More than that, that contentmentseems to be directly related to
what we think we need or what wethink is sufficient for the good
(30:23):
life.
Now, again, that word autarchiawas used in Greek philosophy at
the time to describe a personwho had all their resources in
themselves.
They were self-sufficient.
But a Christian should never beself-sufficient.
They should beChrist-sufficient.
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And yet so much of ourdiscontent stems from a lack of
satisfaction in Jesus.
We're like little toddlerssometimes, right?
In fact, Phil Reichen offers ahelpful illustration.
He says, our discontent beginsin childhood.
He calls it child property ortoddler property law.
And he gives, this is how thereasoning goes.
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If you have little kids, you canresonate with this here.
Think about a kid arguing over atoy.
This is what it's like.
They say, if I like it, it'smine.
If I can take it away from you,it's mine.
If I had it a while ago, it'smine.
If I say it's mine...
Now that may sound childish, butsome people remain childish
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their whole lives.
Never learning the secret ofbeing content.
So Christian, you have to askyourself this question.
If this is you, why are you notsatisfied with your life?
Is it perhaps because you thinkyou need more than you have?
Or is it because Jesus himselfis not sufficient to bring you
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contentment?
And if that's the case, you willalways be seeking contentment in
other places.
Does Jesus need to reorient ourheart towards him?
See, friends, my prayer today isthat you would find contentment
in Christ, in Christ alone.
Because what we need in thechurch is more Christ-sufficient
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contentment.
Now, how do we get that?
You've got to tap into theblessings you have in Christ
that we spoke about earlier.
Do you know that as a Christian,you have been united with Jesus
Christ?
All his riches are yours.
He opened up access to heavenfor you.
And he left a deposit in yourheart, the Holy Spirit, until
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the day he returns to the earth.
You are rich in Christ.
Paul continues this challenge inverses 7 and 8.
He says, Now is that verse asmind-blowing for you as it is
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for me?
No.
Think about your life for just amoment.
Do you realize that so many ofus, especially in central New
Jersey, so many of us spend ourentire lives acquiring stuff.
If you ever sell your house atthe end, imagine how much stuff
is in your house that you'veacquired.
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Over the course of our lives, weacquire grades in school and
degrees and professionalaccolades.
And we acquire cars and homesand clothes and books and toys
and trinkets and knickknacks, somany other things.
In fact, there are things thatare important to us.
We will sacrifice time and moneyand effort to acquire the
resources to get these thingsbecause at some level they're a
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prize to us.
By the way, none of those thingsare not necessarily bad.
But the crazy part is this.
One day, you're going to die.
I'm going to die one day.
We don't know the day or thehour.
One day we will die.
And all of those things weworked so hard and spent so much
time and so many resources toacquire, you can't take it with
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you.
It's gone.
As the famous play said, youcan't take it with you.
What Paul is saying in thisverse is just that.
The eternal reality of our livesshould reshape our contentment
and our satisfaction.
We brought nothing into theworld, we can take nothing out
(34:33):
of the world.
Now, like most of you, I waspresent on the day of my birth,
but hopefully like most of you,I don't remember that day, which
probably would have beentraumatic.
But I was there and I do verymuch remember the days each of
my children were born.
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And I can tell you from thatexperience that they came into
the world with nothing but anaked body and a loud scream.
And I've been in the room withpeople moments after they died.
And whatever they are holding orthey are wearing in that moment
stays here.
It's not eternal.
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What do you actually need?
Food?
Clothing?
Shelter?
And yet so many of us are livingdiscontented, unsatisfied,
disgruntled lives because wecan't have all the things we
think we want.
And what Paul is calling forhere is a reorientation of the
heart towards the gospel ofJesus Christ.
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It will revolutionize the wayyou live and give.
Are you content, Christian, withyour life?
Is Jesus enough?
And if the answer is no...
I would challenge you this weekto go home and talk to the Lord
and ask him and say, Lord, makeme satisfied with you and you
alone.
But if you're not, at somelevel, we're buying into a sort
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of false gospel.
And that message is all over theplace.
In fact, I came across a recentarticle from Money Watch by
Hannah Lang, and it capturedthis narrative, and this is what
she writes.
She says, maybe money does buyhappiness, after all, especially
if you can afford more of itthan your pals.
So she cites a paper publishedfrom the National Bureau of
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Economic Research, and the papersurveyed Dutch households to
determine whether they werebelieving, whether believing
you're in better financialstanding than your peers can
impact your belief or behaviors.
And this was the finding theyfound, that believing that you
earn more than your peers, whomresearchers defined as people of
(36:48):
similar age and education andmarital and homeowner status,
believing you earn more thanyour peers actually makes you
happier.
And that impact is evidentregardless of actual income,
researchers said.
In other words, it didn't matterhow much respondents made.
You can make$25,000, you canmake a million.
It doesn't matter how much youmade, only compare it with
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others' earnings.
And so one of the lead authorsof the study said, when you
realize your relative positionis good, then you're more happy.
It's not about that absolutenumber.
Now, I would just say, how doesthat compare to the words of
Paul in 1 Timothy 6, 6-8?
See, when Paul writes godlinesswith contentment is great gain,
(37:29):
why is it great gain?
Because you don't care whatother people think.
You only care what Jesus thinks.
Are you building his kingdom,giving generously, serving him?
That's all that matters.
And when your eyes are focusedon Jesus, money cannot be your
master.
And so now we come back to verse10.
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which makes a whole lot moresense in the context we've just
explored.
He writes, for the love of moneyis a root of all kinds of evil.
It is through this craving, thiscraving, right, that some have
wandered away from the faith andpierced themselves with many
pangs.
(38:10):
And so do you see now that moneyis not evil in and of itself.
It is our attitude, ourobsession with money, and dare I
say our potential worship ofmoney that causes many to wander
from the faith.
Now the Greek word that Pauluses here for love is the word
philargia and that'sintentional.
(38:32):
Paul is quoting an ancientproverb which called philargia
the capital city of all evils.
The level of depravity here isequivalent with Adam and Eve
taking the fruit and thinkingthey can become like God.
That the love of money is sotempting, it's as tempting as
that initial fruit in thegarden.
And Paul says that is the rootbecause it serves a hidden
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motivation driving ourbehaviors.
Indeed, that axiom, follow themoney, is very true of many evil
actions in this world.
Actions which lead todestruction in so many cases.
Now again, I will say this.
Those of us who have beenblessed with the gift of
wealth...
who have the ability to make alot of money, it requires great
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spiritual maturity.
Because the temptation is realto flaunt wealth, to leverage
wealth for our own gain, and toallow wealth to take the place
of Jesus in our hearts.
It is a spiritual battle for therule of our hearts.
And how does that battle playout?
Money promises answers to threepowerful desires.
(39:42):
First, security.
Security.
Money promises you security.
Money says, if you have more ofme, you're safe.
No one can touch you.
Any problem that comes your way,you can pay your way out of it.
Second, power.
Money promises you power.
That when you have money, youcall the shots.
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When you have money, no onetells you no.
You get whatever you want.
And it's pretty intoxicating.
You know what I hear from peoplemany times?
They'll look at somebody whothey perceive has more money
than them.
And do you know what they'lloften say?
It'd be so nice to have thatmuch money.
Why?
Security and power.
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Third, meaning.
Money promises to give youmeaning.
That when you wake up every day,you will always find ways to
make more and more and more.
And you get to the top of yourfield and you want more money.
The promises of money are soalluring, but they can so easily
take your eyes off the trueprize.
But now if you read the Bibleand you listen to the words of
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Jesus, you might start to seethat the gospel speaks to each
of those promises as well.
And it turns them upside downand it elevates them to
eternity.
Security?
Jesus says the greatest securityyou could ever have is the love
and salvation you receive whenyou believe in me.
That on the cross, I securedyour future forever.
(41:13):
Power?
What does that mean?
It means you recognize the onewho actually holds all the power
in the world and you submit tohim.
The power comes from Jesus'sacrifice on the cross and the
presence of his spirit in yourlife to live a life pleasing to
God.
Meaning, oh, you were made bythe creator of the universe,
friend.
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And you were made to love and toworship Him.
And you only find real meaningthrough His Son, Jesus Christ.
You believe in Him.
But the danger is real foreveryone.
You have to beware that snare.
So, how do we avoid money love?
Well, let me leave you with fourdiagnostic actions for this
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week, rooted in our points thismorning.
And what I encourage you to dothis week is find a space in
your journal, take some time topray, listen for the voice of
the Spirit.
First, get out that journal andlist your cravings.
List your cravings.
Now, let's just be honest.
We all have them.
We can all just look around.
Everybody's got cravings.
It doesn't need to be In-N-OutBurger, okay?
(42:17):
There are things of this worldthat we are drawn to which
become preeminent in our lives.
They can take the place ofJesus.
And those cravings are inflamedby the narratives of this world.
Just like certain foods areaddictive, so are the world's
stories.
And many of today's narrativesare focused on our individual
desires where we become thecenter of the universe.
(42:40):
What are your cravings?
List them and recognize whereyou're tempted.
Second, pray and ask Jesus forcontentment.
Pray and ask Jesus forcontentment.
Now I'm giving you that actionbecause I am assuming all of us
wrestle with this point.
And as I mentioned, Many of uslive discontented lives, but if
you're a follower of Christ,there is a better way, the road
(43:04):
to Jesus.
Phil Reichen writes, discontentis life's burglar.
Don't let comparison of othersand obsession with your wants
rob you of joy.
Ask Jesus for a content heart.
Third, act.
Act, remove those traps fromyour life.
This is the beware the snare.
(43:26):
Now, some of us know our snares.
We know our traps, the placeswhere our desires are tempted.
Maybe it's a circle of friendsyou run with.
It could be the investment orgambling websites you visit or
the apps you look at.
Where do you feel tempted to getrich at the expense of following
and trusting in Jesus?
Remove those traps and placeyour eyes back on the Savior,
(43:49):
the one who is sufficient tobring you contentment and
provision this week and always.
And then finally, I would justsay aspire.
Orient your lives towardssimplicity.
Now, have you noticed that thereason we often need more money
is because our lives become morecomplex?
(44:09):
When I was in college, likeFelicity who got up here before,
I was pretty happy with waterand ramen noodles.
Like anybody else?
That's kind of all I needed.
Some friends to hang out.
Now, I got a hundred things Igot to pay for every month.
Right?
Everybody wants more money.
My kids come up.
I want to buy this.
I want to do this.
I make more money than I everhave in my life.
And I'm always finding ways,things to use that money for.
(44:31):
Anybody else deal with that?
What if I simplified my life?
And what if you simplified yourlife?
Perhaps then money would haveless chances to grab a hold of
your heart as you seeksimplicity this week.
So can we avoid the love ofmoney?
First, recognize the problem.
It's worldly cravings.
Second...
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Pursue the solution.
It's eternal contentment.
And then, with the finished workof Christ on the cross and the
empowering presence of the HolySpirit, we can.
Amen?
Let me invite the worship teamto come back on stage and lead
us in one last song.
And as they come, I want to justgo back to the beginning of the
message where we began with thatfire movement, that financial
(45:15):
independence, retire early.
That movement had a keyprinciple that we can learn
from.
Sacrifice now, enjoy life later.
Sacrifice now, enjoy life later.
And as I mentioned, that'sactually a very biblical
principle.
But we have a vastly differentmotivation.
Jesus wants us to have fire inour lives, but a very different
(45:36):
kind of fire.
He wants us to set our hearts onfire so that we will sacrifice
now for the sake of the kingdom.
And then...
We will enjoy an eternalretirement with Christ.
So give, and give generously.
And then later, more people willenjoy the benefits of eternal
life with Jesus, because thislife is not the end.
(45:57):
One day we will be with Him.
And so Paul comes back to thistheme later in chapter 6, and he
develops it.
He writes this in verse 17.
He says, but on God, who richlyprovides us with everything to
(46:19):
enjoy.
They are to do good, to be richin good works, to be generous
and ready to share, thus storingup treasures for themselves as a
good foundation for the futureso that they may take hold of
that which is truly life.
Did you hear that?
(46:41):
Sacrifice now.
Don't focus on the riches now.
Focus on God, the one whoprovides for us.
Instead, do good.
Be rich in good works.
Be generous.
Share your blessings.
And as you do this, you arelaying up a foundation for when?
The future.
The future.
(47:02):
The future when we take hold ofeternal life.
And when you get that truth downin your heart, you can avoid
money love now.
as you focus on the forever loveof Jesus Christ.
And that will bring the greatestsatisfaction ever.
Amen?
Amen, let's pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you somuch, Lord, for your word, which
(47:25):
challenges us, which convictsus, Lord.
And yet I pray, Lord, for all ofus here today that we would lift
our eyes up to you and see thatyou are the provider of all that
we need.
In those times when we arediscontent, Lord, help us to
recognize we're taking our eyesoff of you.
And bring us back, Lord.
Bring us back.
(47:45):
And as we are blessed, may webless others as you have blessed
us.
And may we do that for yourglory and for the sake of your
gospel.
We ask that in Jesus' name.
UNKNOWN (47:57):
Amen.
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