Drew Boswell

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Generous Sermon Series “Our Money is Directly Tied to our Heart” Malachi 3:1-12

https://youtu.be/gQc4g2kXYdY

Generous Sermon Series

“Our Money is Directly Tied to our Heart”

Malachi 3:1-12

Opening

One Sunday morning because the mother was sick she sent her son on to the country church without her.  The said now “You go straight to church.”  Before the small boy left his mother gave him two quarters.  She said “One quarter is for you to get some ice cream on the way home and one quarter is for God.”

So putting the quarters in his pocket, he left for church.  On the way he stopped momentarily at a bridge on leaned over the side to see the water.  When he did this one of the quarters fell out of his pocket and fell into the river below.  He jumped down and checked for the other quarter.  Having found it he said “wheh I sure am glad I didn’t lose my quarter for ice cream!”

Often times we have the same attitude toward giving as the little boy.  When we have gotten what we wanted we have nothing left to give.  God is warning the Israelites through the prophet Malachi that they should prepare because a king was coming who would judge them on how they worshiped God, specifically on how they worshiped Him with their giving.  This morning I want you to understand that this is not a message on tithing, but a message on how we are to worship and show loyalty to our Lord.

In terms of the number of verses on a topic, the subject of money and wealth is the second most dominant theme in the Bible, second only to idolatry. The Bible has 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2000 verses on money and possessions.  Jesus talked more on money than heaven and hell combined.

Why?  Because we hold money very close to our hearts.  God knows that money is the chief rival for our heart’s affection.  Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.”

This is an Old Testament passage, aren’t we under grace now? First tithing was done before Moses and the Law.  In Genesis 4:1-8 Cain and Abel tithe off of their first fruits. In Genesis 14:20 Abraham tithes to Melchizedek, the priest of God. This was before the Law was given.

And in the New Testament Christ had the perfect opportunity to do away with the tithe when talking with the Pharisees.  Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.”

Our Hearts as it Relates to Worship (vv. 1-5)

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. 5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.”

(v. 1) “my messenger” is a reference to John the Baptist.  Jesus 400 years later referring to John the Baptist says in Matthew 11:10 “For this reason is he of whom it is written:‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’

“prepare the way” It was custom of the Near Eastern kings to send messengers before them to remove obstacles to their visit.  He would go through the towns and the people would fill in any holes In the road, clean up, etc…

God is giving the people a warning, to get their lives right, to repent and turn from their evil ways before the king comes in judgment.  He had sent messengers like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.  God had sent many messengers, but now the king was coming Himself.

“suddenly” does not mean immediately, but instantaneously and unannounced.  When all things have been prepared Jesus will return to rule (Matt. 24:40-42).

We are now in between the messenger of the covenant, and His second coming in judgment. We are in a state of grace. It is a day for repentance (or turning from our sin) and salvation.

“whom you desire” is likely sarcastic. They are saying that they are seeking him but in reality this is shown to be false because of their actions. According to the prophet, the people were guilty of many serious sins.  The priests were offering blemished animals in a formal but insincere religious ritualism.  They were going through the motions.

Many were divorcing their wives to marry unbelieving women. Most had been disobeying God’s laws by withholding tithes of their harvest. And they were accusing God of loving them only halfheartedly and of being unjust in his dealings with them – because he had had not prospered them adequately.

In essence they were saying “God look at all this we are doing for you, what have you done for us lately?  We believe that we should have much more material possessions for as much as we serve you.”  (Do you see the irony?  They were doing nothing that pleased Him.)

(v. 3) “a refiners fire” and “a launderer’s soup” — fire is a reference to burning off dross of silver or impurities and launderer’s soup is a reference to alkali that whitens fabrics. When a silver smith would work silver he would heat up the metal to a boiling point where the impurities would rise to the surface.  He would then skim off the impurities.  He would do this until all the impurities were gone and he could see a perfect reflection of himself in the silver.

If God is not pleased with our worship of Him he will heat up our lives to remove the impurities until he can see His Son in us. A launderer would use the harsh and abrasive alkali to whiten cloth.  When we go to heaven we will wear white because we have been cleansed by Jesus’ death on the cross.

It is only when those who present the offering have been cleansed that the offering would be acceptable. This is also a reference to the motive behind the offerings. Simply presenting the offering to God is not enough. It must be done with a clean heart, a pure motive, and obedience to God.

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.”

The Pharisees would bring their tithe of everything down to the spices in their cabinets, but their motives were so that people would see them and say “wow aren’t they religious!” They did it for the glory it gave them from others.

“swiftly” Jesus second coming will happen suddenly in “the twinkling of an eye.”  His judgment will be quick as well. He will testify against “I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, . . . and do not fear me” In other words those that do not respect or fear the Lord.

Malachi is saying that Jesus will return and He will sit in judgment of those who do not fear the Lord.  The Israelites did not fear God because they gave with wrong motives, they gave their second best, and they were unconcerned about their sin. While the Lord is a God of wrath he is also a God of mercy, long-suffering and grace. The Lord’s response to the people’s rebellion and sin was to say that he does not change.

Our Hearts as it Relates to Money (vv. 6-12)  

6 “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the LORD of hosts”.

“I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed Genesis 15:9 ff. God made a promise to Abraham and to his descendants that they would be His people. It is because of this promise that no matter what Abraham’s family did God would still keep his promise. It was because of this promise they had not been destroyed because of their sin long ago.

In theology this doctrine is called immutability. It means that, being perfect, God cannot and does not change.  God cannot get any better nor can he get any worse, either would mean that he was not God to begin with. It is therefore we who change.  It was because of this character of God that the people were not destroyed.

They thought that God was not being faithful to them, even tough it was them who had changed, showing disrespect and sin toward God. There is a pattern all throughout the Old Testament. God will bless the nation, and they love God.  Over time they grow complacent and forget God and that it is He who had given them all that they had.

They then become involved in any number of sins and after warnings from various prophets they are judged by God. The people would then repent and turn back to God who would then forgive them and bless them, and they would follow His ways again.

“Return to me, and I will return to you,” The people have always had the option of returning to Him through repentance and renewed obedience. God’s people asked what have they done that they needed to return from.  Did they not know what they were doing wrong? They ask “How are we to return, we haven’t done anything wrong?”  “You are the one who has been unfaithful.”

God says that they were robbing Him “In tithes and offerings.”

A pig and a chicken were walking down the street one morning and they passed by a local club who were having a bacon and egg breakfast cook-off to raise money for their organization. The chicken said let’s go in and see if we can help.  The pig said no way, you would be able to give, but I would really have to sacrifice.

Well, let’s see if we can tell the difference between giving and sacrifice.

What is a tithe? An offering? The meaning of the word ‘tithe’ is 10%.  God says that we are to bring the whole 10% of their income into the storehouse.  The storehouse was a section of the temple where the agrarian Israel would give their grain, animals, etc… It therefore is a reference to the Church.  Tithes are to go to the local church.  Offerings are what we give above and beyond the tithe.

The reason for the tithe is so that “there may be food in my house.”  Ministries within the Church are dependent upon the faithful giving of each member.  God has not designed any other way for fund raising other than the tithe and offerings. The financial stability of the church is dependent upon the member’s hearts being right with the Lord.

God promises that if we will tithe, we will be blessed. How are we blessed?  (v. 11) “I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the LORD of hosts.”

protection from destruction – plagues have throughout the Bible been a way that God would judge Israel.  Lev. 26:24, 25; Deut. 28:21; Egypt 12:29, 30.  When we choose to be disobedient we step out of God’s protective circle.  But if we are obedient we remain within God’s protective graces.

A curse therefore may be that our possessions or what we depend on for our income may be destroyed.  He would do this to strip us of what we idolize so that all that would be left is God – because He is faithful to discipline us as his children.  Discipline hurts.

productivity in labor —  “fields will not cast their fruit.” Our work will yield a harvest.  When we are obedient to God our efforts will be multiplied because God is directing it instead of us.

A curse therefore would be that no matter how hard we toil we can never seem to get ahead.  We sink deeper and deeper in debt.  We become anxious and worried because we are depending on ourselves instead of trusting in God to provide.

popularity – when we are obedient to God will bless us because it is His desire that His name be lifted up.  We can say when I added up all that I owe (to God and the world) and the money that I am taking in I would not have enough.  God provided the money that I needed to do both.  The blessing is that we will be able to be a witness of what God as done with our lives. There will also be joy in your household because of your relationship with the Lord.

 A curse therefore would be that we have robbed ourselves of the blessing that comes from giving.  We have no testimony of how God has done the impossible with our finances and lives.  People will not call us blessed but instead will know that we have done it our way and in our own strength.

Still not convinced about this whole tithing thing?  This is the only place in the Bible where man can test God.  “Test me in this.”

Another reason God requires a whole tithe is that tithing ultimately is a test to determine if we trust God.  It reveals the reality of whom we love more God or money.

Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days A Study of James The Purpose of Pain James 1:1-12

Seeking Wisdom in Difficult Days

A Study of James

The Purpose of Pain

James 1:1-12

Introduction

  • Helping a butterfly out of its’ chrysalis. It’s all about the struggle.

Prayer

A Servant Leader (v. 1)

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

James was well known by the various churches, he is an elder, and an apostle (Galatians 1:19), the half-brother of Jesus, but he doesn’t refer to himself in those terms – instead, he chooses to call himself, “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” He is one who has authority, yet refers to himself as a servant (servant-leader).

He is writing the scattered church described as “the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:” (diaspora) who are experiencing persecution. In the original Greek “Dispersion” means “scattered.” James is using metaphorical language to describe the scattered church (twelve tribes meaning all of the church) who are living in places other than their home (with Christ in heaven).[1]

Acts 11:19 gives us some background as to when and the church in Palestine was scattered, “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.” Stephen was a Christian believer that was stoned and sparked persecution in the early church, where they scattered as far as “Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch,” Saul, who we later know as Paul the apostle, was determined to destroy the Christian church and was going to house to house forcibly taking men and women to prison.[2]

Finding Joy in a Sea of Sorrow (vv. 2-4)

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

“meet trails” the word used here for meet means to “fall into” and trials can mean inward affliction, as in a temptation to sin in a particular way, or an outward affliction such as being persecuted.[3] Here it seems to indicate, “afflictions, troubles, or difficulties.”[4] Jesus in his parable in Luke 10:30 in discussing the Good Samaritan said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, . . .” When man looks up, he finds himself surrounded by robbers.[5]

In all of these trials that the Christian may find himself in, we are to meet these events head on with joy – We don’t wait until everything is over, the dust settles, and look back, and then choose joy – as we wade through the difficulty, like James, consider ourselves servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we sit down and consider our time in experiencing these trials we are to “count it all joy” When a person has joy, they have an emotional response to having a long-term view of life. Happiness is a short-term view; it is a response to what is immediately in front of you and what you are experiencing in the moment.

James knows that to be joyful in trials is absurd.[6] So he addresses this by helping us to see the benefits of the trials. We are joyful regarding our salvation (Psalm 51:12) because it is an eternal perspective. We lose hope when we move our gaze from the long view to what is immediately in front of us.

We are to count it joy because there is an end result that is happening in our lives. These trials are producing something within us that is strengthening our faith. Trails do not show whether we have faith or not, they strengthen what is already there.

The visual imagery we are to see is one of metal being heated up and the dross and waste rises to the top where it is siphoned off.[7] The metal is then made stronger and purer.[8] Your pain and heartache will not be wasted; God is doing a work in your life.

“you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” – steadfastness is defined as “patient endurance,” and it is these tests that lead to the ability to endure.[9]

The apostle Paul says some similar in Romans 5:3-5, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Some years ago, I decided that I wanted to run a marathon, and having ran several half-marathons I set out on a training schedule. Usually, you run increasing miles over several months to where you have a “long run” – and for me, the long runs were on Friday morning, where I would run until lunch time. If you missed a week of training, the miles would jump up instead of by two to four mile differences. Your body would go into shock if you set out to run 26.2 miles with no training, no preparation – but if you slowly add mile after mile, week after week your body adjusts – you build endurance.

“let steadfastness have its full effect” – The pain and suffering will happen, that’s a part of life. But the process that God desires to work in our lives, the “steadfastness” has to be allowed in the life of the believer. We have to let the patient endurance point us toward spiritual growth – otherwise it is for nothing that we went through the trial.[10]

Patient endurance or steadfastness is not the end goal, it is the means to get there. The ultimate goal that God is working in our lives is so, “that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” To be perfect in this circumstance is to be mature – a perfect plant is one fully mature because it can accomplish what it is supposed to accomplish.

To be complete is to be adequate, or to be fully “what God requires and approves.”[11] “to have all your parts, whole, not unsound anywhere” The word is used of stones untouched by a tool, of an animal without blemish.[12]

God’s favor upon our lives is not that we avoid distress, but God’s working in us that we are “lacking in nothing.” It is so encouraging to be around mature Christians – they are joyful and they trained to do the work of the church. Very few things rattle them; they have seen it before and endured through it.

The trials and the resulting consequences in the life of the believer are directly linked to the character of God, and God is the only one deserving of such trust. The believer trusts that the pain and suffering have a purpose and that God has the believer’s best interest in mind.[13]

If we don’t believe in God then life has no meaning and the pain is just pain. If we believe in God but have a wrong understanding of His character, then He is seen as cruel for allowing it to happen, or weak because He did not keep it from happening. But James shows us that God is good and has an eternal view in mind of our pain and suffering.

Jesus says in Matthew 13:44 “The kingdom of heaven[14] is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” The man would feel the pain of selling all that he has, but he is joyful in his loss because of what he will gain by purchasing the field (the treasure). When we take a long-term view of suffering, we should choose joy because of what we gain in the end.

“Paul and Silas sing in the Philippian prison because the bars could not prevent their serving Christ’s cause. In that service they found the source of their happiness, so their trials only proved their faith and the steadfastness of their devotion.”[15]

Two Stumbling Blocks to Our Spiritual Growth 

1) A Lack of Wisdom (vv. 5-8)

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Tennyson says, “knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.”[16] For James in his discussion of wisdom, he is talking about the right use of one’s opportunities in holy living. We need wisdom in order to properly view the trials that we encounter. If we don’t have this wisdom, then we can “ask God, who gives generously.”

Paul reminds the church in Corinth that the wisdom of God appears foolish to the world, just as the wisdom of the world appears foolish in God’s sight.[17]

God doesn’t answer all of our prayers the way we desire, especially as they may relate to our experiencing less pain in trials, but He is always willing to “say yes” for our request for wisdom. With wisdom he doesn’t talk about the cost, or your lack of it – He gives it generously and doesn’t bring up the past. But, there is a requirement – we are to ask “ask in faith, with no doubting.”

A father once came to Jesus and asked for help for his son in Mark 9:21-24 “And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” We ask God for wisdom, we pray to Him, and believe that He will help us and answer our prayer – but if we don’t really believe then why are we asking?

When we pray there are two wills that are coming together, our will and God’s will. When you seek God’s will in prayer, while still wanting to hold on to your own – this is being double-minded. “Lead me oh God, except in the direction that I do not wish to go.”

“To doubt is to have a divided mind that draws him two ways, like the poor donkey that starved because he could not choose between two stacks of hay.”[18] The end result of doubt is inaction. The testing of faith leads to perseverance, but doubt leads to unstableness. When James is talking about double-mindedness he means trusting in God and trusting in the world. You can’t do both.

“the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” This person sways back and forth in life. Whenever a hard time comes they are moved, because they don’t trust God. They have no anchor of hope – holding them in one place.

Paul in writing to the church in Ephesus says that the spiritual leadership’s job was to equip the church “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians 4:14) but here instead of bad doctrine causing the tumult it is trying to live in two worlds at the same time.

The promises of the gospel all assume a commitment of the individual to, and trust in, God – The foundational issue is trust. Where does your trust lie? If you trust in yourself to take on the world, then don’t pray to God and seek His help. But if you trust in Him for salvation, and life in general, then continue to trust that He will answer your prayers in the way that is best for you.

2) Money (vv. 9-11)[19]

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Another area that may trip up a person with regard to their spiritual growth is money. It is easy to have a worldy view of wealth in that riches brings happiness. “James has a different ideal of happiness because he holds a different theory of the meaning and purpose of life. The purpose of life cannot be accomplished by the attainment of ease or luxurious comfort, but only in the achievement of Christlike character.”[20]

Just like earlier during trials we are to have a long view, and how joy has a long view, our station in life (rich or poor) is a short-term thing (in comparison to eternity). “like a flower of the grass he will pass away”

No matter how much wealth a person may have, eventually he will face eternity, and you can’t take it with you, whether that be a luxury yacht, or a brown paper lunch. Job said 1:21, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.” So our life’s truly only have significance when it is concentrated on the eternal. Power and wealth are a means to an end – not the end in and of themselves. To be better off is not to be better.

In light of this long view of life and eternity, James says, “Let the lowly brother,” he is encouraging us to remember that we are all brothers in Christ, and that we will spend eternity together. In Christ we stand at the foot of the cross on level ground.

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

 The crown mentioned here was a wreath awarded to the winner in athletic games in recognition of an achievement built upon rigorous discipline.[21] James describes to us the Christian life as being active and strenuous and as we grow in endurance and character there is a promised reward from God for the trials.

We endure the trials, and endure the pain because we love the one who loved us first, and gave His only Son for our salvation.

_________________________

[1] See John 7:35; 1 Peter 1:1.

[2] George M. Sulac, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, James (Downers Grove, Illinois; Intervarsity, Press, 1993) 31.

[3] Satan referred to as a pirate; Matt. 4:4; 1 Cor. 7:5; 10:13; 1 Thess. 3:5; 1 Tim. 6:9 (Nystrom, 47).

[4] Clifton Allen, Gen. Ed., Broadman Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1972) 107.

[5] A. T. Robertson, Studies in the Epistle of James (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman Press, 1959) 34.

[6] David Nystrom, The NIV Application Commentary, James (Grand Rapids Michigan; Zondervan Publishing House, 1997) 48.

[7] “For gold is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity.” (Sirach 2:5,  apocryphal book). Robertson, 37.

[8] Moo, 60.

[9] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, R-Z (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1962) 440.

[10] Peter H. Davids, New International Biblical Commentary, James (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1989) 28.

[11] Allen, 108.

[12] Robertson, 40. It is also used of a complete or unbroken household.

[13] Nystron, 49.

[14] See sermon on King of God and its’ meaning – https://drewboswell.com/424413-2/

[15] Buttrick, 22.

[16] Ibid.

[17] See 1 Cor. 1:18-21.

[18] Robertson, 43.

[19] Sic transit gloria mundi is a Latin phrase that means “Thus passes the glory of the world.” It has been interpreted as “Worldly things are fleeting.” It is possibly an adaptation of a phrase in Thomas à Kempis’s 1418 work The Imitation of Christ: “O quam cito transit gloria mundi”.

[20] George Arthur Buttrick, The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume 12 (Nashville, Tennessee; Abingdon Press, 1957) 22.

[21] Buttrick, 26.

 

 

Gain is Loss, and Loss Is Gain: It’s All In How You See It, 1 Timothy 6:6-10

00-rat-race-01[1]1 Timothy 6:6-10

 “. . . imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

This is a transition from Paul’s discussion of false teachers and teachers desiring to preach the gospel for the express desire to become rich. In response to those trying to make the gospel merchandisable Paul says, “godliness with contentment is great gain.”

First, what does the author mean by “godliness?” For our discussion, I interpret godliness to mean one’s relationship with Christ, through faith, and what He has done upon the cross. The contentment that we find through this relationship is where one finds meaning and happiness in that relationship. It is a sufficiency that comes completely from Him, as we trust in Him.

If one can learn to be content in their relationship with Christ then the lure and bright lights of this world will fade. There is a refrain in the old gospel hymn “Turn Your Eyes,”

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,


And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,


In the light of His glory and grace.”

Paul then references eternity. Contentment in Christ will keep one focused on what is truly important in this world. For you can’t take the car, the home, the clothes, the awards, diplomas, or anything else we have in this world with you into eternity (Job 1:21).

Paul says to be content with food and clothing. Why does he mention these items? And not shelter, security, family, etc.? Why food? Why clothing? Each time we sit down to eat or put on our clothes we know that these things will not last. Hours later we will crave something else to eat, and eventually our clothes will wear out, fade, unravel, or stain and we will need more.

contentment1Paul is saying that if we have food for the moment and clothes for the moment then be content in that moment. Don’t worry about lunch as you are putting the fork in your mouth at breakfast. Trust him now. Contentment is being satisfied with what you have at the moment and not having anxiety about the future.

Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (ESV)” 

But the real question is “are we content with the provision that the Lord has given to us?” Are we thankful for the grace of the Lord and His hand upon our lives? There are consequences for those that continue to stretch out from under His hand. The love of money is described as a snare and a temptation. He even has one metaphor lead to another.

 Temptation – Snare – Harmful Desires – Ruin & Destruction

The progression is one from freedom to slavery. You have a choice to give in or walk away from a temptation (Hebrews 2:18). Then if you walk into the temptation then you are snared. With a snare the more you move the tighter it becomes. Once you are tight in the snare and have given up on resisting your desires change. Then when you have become trapped in these desires you are ruined, you are destroyed.

The Greek word used for “love-of-money (specifically love-of-silver)” is “philarguria.” It’s root is “phila” like Philadelphia, “the city of brotherly love.” Wikipedia describes it as,

“Philia (φιλία philía) is “mental” love. It means affectionate regard or friendship in both ancient and modern Greek. This type of love has give and take. It is a dispassionate virtuous love, a concept developed by Aristotle. In his best-known work on ethics, Nicomachean Ethics, philia is expressed variously as loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality, and familiarity. Furthermore, in the same text philos denotes a general type of love, used for love between family, between friends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as well as between lovers.[1]”

It’s interesting that Paul uses the “root” as a metaphor for this love of silver. Those that seek after it see it as something that sustains them and gives them nourishment. If a person loves money and sees it as the source of happiness and fulfillment then they will do “all kinds of evil” to get it. It doesn’t last so they must continue to seek after it, continuing to do even more evil in pursuit of it. We are encouraged to have this kind of love and pursuit after Christ — so the lie is that we give something else this adoration.

The true evil of lacking contentment in our relationship with Christ and desiring the things of this world above Him, is that we lose the freedom to pursue God’s calling upon our lives. We lose His voice and direction upon our day-to-day lives. This is one of the greatest strategies of the evil one.

If Satan has lost someone to Christ (eternity), then he will seek to make him ineffective for Christ’s kingdom (here and now). Satan will encourage him to seek after smoke, fool him into believing it will last forever, and convince him into taking time to store it in bottles. While he is chasing smoke a world dies around him.

Paul also describes this behavior as a “craving” or “to stretch toward” as if reaching for a fruit on a branch just out of reach. The love of money has one always reaching, stretching, and craving something that will not last.

tumblr_mz9pxuJK091s32vjxo1_500The stretching and craving after money leads one away from their God given calling and purpose and “pierced themselves with many pangs.” Another way to say this is to be “pushed on all sides to pain” The world seems to be falling in on them to the point of pain. They feel as they are starving to death, the pangs of hunger. Instead of having peace and contentment in Christ, they are always anxious and in pursuit of something that fades.

The folly of having love for money (above one’s love for the Lord) is that it changes our perception. We don’t see money as a tool instead it becomes our source of happiness. We walk away from our God given purpose, and we believe that our purpose is to be rich (or to have just a little more than we have right now). We see the world as permanent, and believe that eternity will never come (even though we would never admit that at church). Even if death knocks at our door, we can take our wealth earned on earth to heaven.

But those that see the truth have been so focused on Christ they have been seen by others as being poor. Their lives were not spent in seeking after riches but instead were steady predictable servants for Christ. If they do stand out in the crowd for their dress or meal it was because of its’ apparent poverty. What the world didn’t realize that their wealth was stored up in heaven, their purpose firmly understood, and their paths straight.

What the world sees as gain, Christians see as loss. What the people of God see as gain to the world it appears as loss.

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Francis Chan is one “celebrity” pastors who seems to have taken this idea to heart. Click here to read an article about how he has put his into action.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_words_for_love

"Your greatest life messages and your most effective ministry will come out of your deepest hurts." Rick Warren

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