Date:   11/07/2010

Text:   1 Timothy 6:17-19

Title:   Be Generous

Theme: Since God is the giver of all good things, His children are to be lavish in doing good.

Introduction:

  We have heard this statement: I've been rich and I've been poor; and I can tell you that rich is better. I don’t think there is anyone here who deliberately wants to be poor. Some of us may remember when we first came to this country, how thin our wallets were. . One individual had only $50 to $100 in his pocket and had to work in a farm to pick apples. Others had to paint houses or work in packaging warehouses in the summer to pay for tuition, room and board. No one likes to repeat those life experiences, nor do we want our children to experience that. We’d all rather be rich.

  Two weeks ago, in our study of 1 Timothy 6:3-10, we learned about how to live when we have few resources, when we are poor. We are told to be content with what we have. If we try to satisfy the insatiable desire of wanting to have more wealth, it can lead us into temptations, possibly destroying us.

This morning, In Paul’s final words to Timothy in this letter, he turned his attention to the wealthy. . Of course, wealth and poverty are relative terms and neither can be clearly defined. Some of us may count ourselves poor, but we can always find those poorer than us. Few of us would consider ourselves rich, for we can always point to others who have far more . If I would commented that you were rich, you probably would say, compared to Bill Gates, I am a beggar. In every society, there is a recognized difference between the poor and the rich. In this country, according to the federal government guidelines; for a family of 2, if the total income is $14K, or $22K for a family of 4, it is considered poor.

  For those with some money, what are we to do with what we have? The passage before us clearly tells us the truth that since God has given us much, so we are to be generous in helping others.

I •  Believers are to enjoy the good things from God.

Vs.17b, “ 17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” In James 1:17, “ 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” These two verses tell us that all good things are from God. Good things include friends, families, food, travels, paintings, music and money. Yes, money is from God and is good. The scripture never teaches that money is evil. Only our desire for more money can become the root of all evil. Money itself is good and Paul writes that it is for us to enjoy, just as we enjoy friends, families and arts.

This means that we don’t need to feel guilty about using money to buy something we like. Once in a while it will be good for us individually or with friends and family members to enjoy good food in a fancy restaurant. Instead of staying in a Motel 6, we can also enjoy staying at, Holiday Inn or Hilton. God has given us good things for us to enjoy. When we see others with a better car, a bigger TV screen or a bigger house, we should be happy for them. Instead of making envious sour grapes comments.

II •  Believers are to avoid the danger money can bring.

When I was in China this May, I heard this: When man has money, he will become corrupt, while Women make money by corrupt means. ( 男人有錢會變壞，女人變壞會有錢 ) . There is some truth to this statement, right? In vs.17, we read that Timothy is to charge, meaning to command, to instruct the principles about being rich. Please note that these are not simply suggestions or options for us to consider. . No, rather, they are commands, truth to be instructed and followed. What is the truth about money that the wealthy ought to listen and obey? Vs.17, “ 17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches,…” This is negative instruction, dangers that the wealthy need to avoid.

First, when we have money, it can easily lead to pride& arrogance. Wealth can brings us a sense of achievement. Do we remember the first new car we bought, or the first house we bought? “I have worked so hard for this day. We finally can say, this is my car, my house.” There is that air of self-congratulation. We take pride that with our bare hands, we have created such wealth around us. With wealth, also comes power. The more money one has, the more power we accumulate. People like to flock to the wealthy.. In this week’s mid-term election, much was about power. We want to grasp the power we don’t have or keep the power that we have. With power, there also come privileges, even though some of those privileges are bought, such as membership in different kinds of club houses. Wealth, achievement, power and privilege can all lead to pride and arrogance. Look at what I have accomplished in life through hard work. Even though we say it is all God’s grace, yet what is clearly communicated is our own ability.

The scripture clearly tells us that pride has no place in God’s kingdom. This is the prayer we read about in Proverbs 30:7, “ 7 Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, 9 lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.” When we have too much, we’ll say, Who is the Lord? Very often the rich person will think that he/she is God. The Chinese have a saying, that money can even turn a devil/ghost listen to you, “ 有钱使鬼推磨。 ” With this kind of power, it’s difficult not to brag. So the first danger to avoid when you are rich is pride.

The second danger to avoid when we are rich is: false security. If we are honest with ourselves, when we look at our fat check book, it does bring us a sense of security, right? I think most of us remember the hay days of the stock market. Looking at the Dow Jones Stock value, keep going up and up, can really make us happy and feel secure. Now I don’t have to worry about my children’s tuition and my retirement. We map out the plan for retirement, & travel plans around the world. But when the stock market drops under the 10,000 mark, we woke up one morning and found a large portion of our investment gone. For those in Houston , we definitely remember the days when Enron’s stock was high. People put money in, some even depending on Enron’s stock for their retirement. Yet, literally, overnight it was gone. It’s like that rich man in Luke 12:16ff. He had a good harvest, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’" 18 "And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods." 19 "And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’" 20 "But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’" he thought his security was in building a bigger warehouse to store his abundance and to enjoy life. But God said, if I am to take your life tonight, what will happen to your wealth?

Instead of putting our trust in our wealth, we are to put our trust in God. We are to trust that he is the provider and sustainer of our lives. He will never let us down.

III •  Believers are to be generous with what God has given them.

We have learned not to be proud, nor to place our hope and security in wealth. These are the negative instructions on possessing money. Now we come to the positive aspects. What are we to do with money? When we have little, we are to make sure not to be greedy. But now, what are we to do with what we have? Vs.18, “ 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,…”

We are to use what we have to do good, rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. Give to those who are in need. Not just occasionally giving some money to the needy, like once a year during Christmas. But, instead, to do it regularly. Not out of a legalistic spirit, but ready to share, meaning a willing heart to share with those who have little. We may not have the money to share with others, but we can share the warmth and laughter of our home. God wants us to be generous in helping others on a regular basis. Wealth is not for us to hoard and keep accumulating, but to share with those who are poor, weak and helpless.

God wants us to use what we have to show kindness to the poor around us: in this city, in this country and in other parts of the world. God has given us much so we can give much to others.

I am often encouraged to see the congregation generously giving generously to the church’s Benevolent Fund. The money in this fund is used to the needy.

I remember several years ago, an elderly man came to me saying, “Pastor, I have enough money for my daily expenses. I know how much I need every month. Any additional amount of money, I want to give away. Can you help me decide where to give it?” I was touched by such a generosity in doing good.

What is the consequence of such living? Vs. 19,“ 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” This verse tells us two things.

First, when we share our possessions with others , we are actually saving our treasures in heaven. Yes, when we share, our earthly bank account will decrease, but the account in heaven will increase. Secondly, when we share with others, we’ll then truly live. This means when we live a life of generous giving, we are then truly living in this world. Living a life of love is true living. In Psa 73:25, “ 25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.” When we refuse to let go of our money, it will be really tough for us to read and listen to these words by the psalmist.

Conclusion:

  I want to conclude with a story I heard last weekend. It is about a family where both the husband and wife are professors at a medical school in Michigan . Besides their own children, they have also adopted and raised two handicapped children. The annual combined income of this couple is about $400K. They kept $50 to 60k for themselves and give away the rest. They are rich and generous in good works.

  This couple has a son who is trained in medicine. After he completed his medical training, he joined Doctors without Boarders, working in the Sudan and Ethiopia area. On his trip home, he shared that the best food he could find in Ethiopia was cockroaches. Why? Because of the oil in this insect. He also shared that having served in that part of the world; it would be very hard for him to return to live in the States. He was visiting his friends in Washington D.C. one winter night. They were driving down the streets and suddenly he asked the friends to stop the car and turned around. They went to a Kmart where he, bought many blankets. They then drove to a shelter that they passed earlier and distributed the blankets to the homeless. Here was a young man, even though he had little, yet was generous in doing good works. He was ready to share with those who had little or none.

  Most of us would not be considered poor according to our society’s standard. What are we doing with our money? Are we accumulating more and more, and our bank account getting more and more? God’s word teaches us that he has given us much, so that we can give away to help the poor.

  I often hear people say: so and so is very rich, or that church is rich. How nice would it be to hear: “they are very generous in good works. Or, look at this church, how much she gives away every year, this church is rich, in good works.