The Real Motive

Series on I Timothy

VI Worth

A Financial Gain, Text: 6:3-10

Title: The Real Motive

Introduction

Do you ever stop to ask yourself what’s really important to you or what your goal in life is? A sensitive follower of Jesus Christ walks a very fine line between spiritual success and success in the affairs of this world. Even genuine Christians have doubts about the degree of their commitment, and often those doubts arise from our involvement in worldly success. We need to be constantly examining our motives and checking that Christ is really Lord over our lives. One verse that always makes us think about these things is found in this passage, verse 10, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. The New International Version translators have got it right. The love of money is “a” root of evil of all kinds, not “the” root of all evil as frequently quoted from the King James Bible. Nevertheless, what we are dealing with here is a very serious temptation. Getting rich removes us from real dependence on God and it demands more and more of our time and energy. We are bombarded with the message that financial independence is the great goal of life. Security is life insurance, money market funds, pension funds, and IRA’s. We should prepare for the future, but half truths have a way of dominating the whole. At what point in life do we trust God? Does God provide for our necessities, and what are they? Do we keep on expanding our needs list forever? Consumerism is an infectious lifestyle. Let’s face squarely the Scriptural truth that every one of us has here a temptation that is subtle, stupid and serious.

I A Subtle Temptation

The subtlety of this temptation may be seen clearly in verses 3-5, If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. Note the way Paul refers back to the false teachers that he mentioned at the beginning of this letter. If you compare the passage in 1: 3-7 with this passage you can see that he is talking about the same people. The parallel is unmistakable. In chapter one he speaks of certain individuals teaching differently, causing disputes and departing from sound doctrine. Here in chapter 6 he refers to anyone teaching differently, causing controversy and departing from sound words. The thing that is new here is Paul’s reference to their greed. Their conduct produces envy and reviling and wrangling and suspicion and agitation but the point that is relevant to our text is that they think that godliness is a means of gain. Here we go from the heights to the depths and from the best to the worse. Religious practitioners who are greedy. Does this surprise us? It ought not. To what extent are appeals to others to accept Christ based on selfish gain. To what degree are appeals for others to give based upon the false guarantee that it will make them prosperous. Such appeals are appeals from greed to greed. We have seen the public downfall of men who pursued money in the ministry, men who used God and the gospel to become wealthy. However we should not think that we are exempt from the temptation. As it was subtle for them, it is subtle for us. In a culture saturated with materialistic gain people regard wealth as a sign of God’s blessing. but pornographers and organized crime bosses become wealthy. Verse 11 should warn us Paul says to Timothy, Flee from such things and run after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. The world runs after money, but the man of God runs after virtue.

II A Stupid Temptation

Everything takes on a different significance when we view it in the light of God’s Word. In verses 6-8 what seems to be so wise by earthly standards can appear very stupid when examined in the light of the truth, But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Didn’t Paul tell the Corinthians that God had made the wisdom of this world foolishness by the wisdom of the gospel? The words stupid and foolish are harsh but anything less would be understatement. Our text says we brought nothing into the world and we can carry nothing out. Almost 4000 years ago Job said the same thing, Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. The reason we should be content with food and clothing and pursue godliness is that there is no other reasonable choice. All of the wealth and security we can accumulate comes to absolutely nothing at the moment of death. As Jim Elliott said, “That man is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” The wisest king of all, king Jesus once told a parable in Luke 12:16-21 that says it all! And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Watch out, be on your guard.

III A Serious Temptation

We learn first of all in verse 9 that greed is serious because it is a snare and a trap, People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. The prophet Amos speaks of those who pant after the dust of the earth. They are ensnared just like an animal caught in a trap. It is a dangerous threat to the soul. The pilgrim in Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” in his journeys comes to a silver mine in a hill called lucre. Demas says, “Turn aside.” Hopeful says to Christian, “Turn aside, here is treasure,” and Christian says, “Let us keep on it is dangerous.” Some companions went over and were never seen again, and as they progressed Christian saw a monument, a woman in the shape of a pillar, and the inscription said, “Remember Lot’s wife.” Secondly, greed is serious because it is a root of other evils: bitterness, jealousy, and addictions of all kinds. We place ourselves in the way of temptation. We pray lead us not into temptation and then rush foolishly into it ourselves, and we get the opposite of what we desired. We desired happiness and instead we get ruin and destruction. Lastly, greed is serious because it disorients life. Paul says it causes people to wander from the faith. The word wander is the Greek word from which we get our word planet. The ancients saw the planets quite correctly as wandering in contrast to the fixed position of the stars. As the planets orbited around the stars they were going in circles. There are just two kinds of life. Life with a purpose and life that goes in circles of grief and disappointment. When we wander from the faith we end up going around and around and getting nowhere.

Conclusion

I think of that oft quoted verse in which Paul tells us that Jesus became poor so that we through his poverty might become rich. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ was to die to redeem us and take us to heaven. The temptation to be rich in this world is subtle, stupid and serious. It robs us of our only hope. It rewards us with disappointment. It makes us forget that the true riches is found only in Jesus Christ. His sacrifice for us makes us rich. We need no other riches.