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1 TIMOTHY 6:6-12 A Cure For Sin: Part 2

Review  Primary goal of service - Develop Jesus-like hearts

Society’s Abiding Sin Materialism: Pornography Abortion Poverty Corporate greed Bad philosophy

The man of pseudo-faith will fight for his verbal creed but refuse flatly to allow himself to get into a predicament where his future must depend upon that creed being true. He always provides himself with secondary ways of escape so he will have a way out if the roof caves in. What we need very badly these days is a company of Christians who are prepared to trust God as completely now as they know they must do at the last day. A. W. Tozer

Far too many evangelical Christians have succumbed to the heresy that this present life may be lived disobediently without serious effects on their eternal state. Never have so many Christians believed the lie that their money and possessions are theirs to do with as they please. Randy Alcorn

“Money is an exact index of a man’s true character.” Richard Halverson

Luke 19:9 And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham.” Zacchaeus

Rich Young Ruler Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:21-23

Rich People Luke 12:15 Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.“ 1Timothy 6:9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.

Poor woman Mark 12:41-44 And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on."

“We were made for only one person and one place. Jesus is the person and heaven is the place.” Randy Alcorn

Is Money Evil?

Gen 1:31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good...

1 Timothy 4:3-5 … men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

1Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil…

Priorities, Values, Sanity  God’s priorities  God’s commandments  Destructiveness of Materialism

Ecclesiastes 5:10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.

James 5:1-6 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!

Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

Matthew 26:15-16 … and [Judas] said, "What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?" And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus.

“… the beloved ate and drank, and were enlarged, and grew fat, and kicked. From this came emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity … because each of you leaves off the fear of God and is dim-sighted in his faith … and each walks according to his own evil lusts, having taken up unjust and unholy envy, by which also death entered into the world.” - Clement

1 Timothy 6:11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

Seven Sins and Seven Virtues PrideHumility Envy Kindness Lust Chastity WrathPatience Sloth Diligence Gluttony Temperance Greed Charity

Greed Corrodes our spirit Squeezes our life Chokes our relationship with Yahweh, and can do irreparable harm to our souls

1 Timothy 6:6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 1 Timothy 6:7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 1 Timothy 6:8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

1 Timothy 6:9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

1 Timothy 6:11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Stewardship is Primarily …

Stewardship is Primarily  Glorifying God  Changing the heart of the believer

Giving  Stifles Materialism  Creates Generosity  Creates dependency upon God  Develops godly virtues

Matthew 6:20-21 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Some Ideas  If you’re not giving at all, start  If you’re spending foolishly, stop  If you’re giving irregularly, tighten that up and be rigorously disciplined  If you’re not budgeting, get counsel and start

 If you’re not giving a set percentage, decide on a percentage and stick to it – Don’t rob God  If you’ve got some toys that are distracting you from doing what God wants, sell them, give some of the proceeds to your church, and don’t look back  If you’ve got a percentage, up it – you can’t out-give God

 If you’ve got some valuable assets, sell them and give them to God’s work (Barnabus, Acts 9)  Downsize – sell the junk, buy a smaller house in a less prestigious neighborhood (Rich Young Ruler)  Et cetera – get counsel from Elders and Pastors

Giving … Changes me!