Instructions to Those Who Are Rich

Transcript

GR 1284
10/17/2004
Instructions to Those Who Are Rich
1 Timothy 6:17-19
Gil Rugh


I want to direct your attention in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 6. We’re moving toward the end of this letter of the Apostle Paul to Timothy, who is acting as Paul’s representative in the church at Ephesus. And we come as the letter closes to the subject of money. I don’t know whether that would be a good subject to close the letter on, but it was for Paul under the direction of the Spirit. The Bible has much to say about money, not as much as some people make it say, but more than other people think it says. And as you sort through the various passages dealing with money, wealth, material possessions, you find that there is a rather consistent pattern of warning about the dangers associated with wealth. The Bible does not condemn wealth that is properly acquired. The Bible does not require God’s people to divest themselves of their wealth. The Bible does caution us as God’s people on how we use our wealth, and to be careful about our attitude toward wealth. The Bible does indicate that wealth and abundance of material possessions present special dangers to those who have it or desire it. Many people will spend eternity in hell, shut out from the glories of heaven because their wealth became an obstacle to their humbling themselves and coming to know Jesus Christ.

Leave a marker in 2 Timothy and go back to the gospel of Luke, near the beginning of your New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke. In Luke 18 we have the account of Jesus’ encounter with a very wealthy man, a man that moved the heart of Jesus, as we read in some of the other parallel gospel accounts. Look in Luke 18:18, a ruler questioned Him saying, good teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? What a question. As is consistent when someone comes to address Jesus in this way, he calls attention to who He is. This teacher calls Jesus good, and Jesus said, why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. The challenge is, do you really realize who I am? And the response of the young man will indicate this was a respectful address, but he did not understand who Jesus Christ really is.

And Jesus goes on to tell him what the law said. Keep the law, obey the commandments. The young man says, I’ve done this. He is a “good” young man, a man of high quality, high character. Jesus doesn’t deny that he has faithfully tried to keep the commandments. But He says, there is one thing missing in your life. Verse 22, one thing you still lack, sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. And come follow Me. What must I do to inherit eternal life? Give away everything you have, become my follower. That’s the answer. That’s simple. What would you give for eternal life?

Sadly, verse 23, when the young man heard these things he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus looked at him and said, how hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Riches can be a curse, because they get a hold on us, and we get a hold on them. And I would like to add salvation and heaven to my riches, but I would not let go of my wealth for heaven. So Jesus said, this is a normal pattern among the rich. Just like trying to get a camel through an eye of a needle, that’s a pretty extreme example.

The people there recognize the seriousness of the matter because they ask in verse 26, then who can be saved? I mean this is an impossibility. The answer is, only God could do it. Things that are impossible with people are possible with God. It is possible even for a rich person to be saved, but it is difficult. Riches can be an obstacle to salvation.

Back up to Luke 12. We don’t have time to look at all the occasions where Jesus addressed this. Luke 12:13, someone in the crowd said to Him, teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me. Bickering over inheritances, money in families is not new. He said to him, man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?
The same kind of issue. When the rich young ruler came and said, good teacher, He said, why do you call me good? Only God is good. Now someone comes and says act as the judge or arbitrator in our family. Jesus said, who appointed Me judge or arbitrator? It’s a challenge to this man. Jesus Christ is the judge of all men. In John’s gospel chapter 5 Jesus said God the Father has committed all judgment into the hands of the Son. But the challenge is, do you understand who I am? You’re coming to me for judgment. Do you understand that I am the judge, that God the Father has appointed Me judge of all.

Then He said to him, 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. Crucial statement. Even when one has an abundance, life does not consist of possessions. He told a parable to them. The land of a rich man was very productive. He began reasoning to himself saying, what am I going to do? I’ve run out of room to store all my crops. This is what I’ll do, I’ll tear down my barns, I’ll build larger storage bins. Then what will I do? Verse 19, I will say to my soul. Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come. Take your ease, eat, drink and be merry. The future is secure, retirement will be comfortable, enjoy life. But God said to him, you fool, this very night your soul is required of you, and now who will own what you have prepared? So is the man who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

The tragedy that the things of this world, the wealth, the possessions come to occupy people. They are consumed by it, they think about it day and night, they’re looking for ways to make more money, to get to the point when they can have a life of ease, settle back, not have to be driven by a schedule and work. And enjoy life. And they've given no thought for eternity. And this night this man will depart this life, and what will he have? All his possessions will be here. If he has no riches in heaven, he has nothing. We won’t take the time. Luke 16 Jesus tells another account, the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man occupied with the good things of this world, Lazarus, the beggar, had nothing. But Lazarus had treasure in heaven and the rich man had nothing.

Come back to 1 Timothy 6. We live in an affluent country, an abundant country, we are rich compared to most of the rest of the world. And most of the people in our country are more concerned about their riches and their wealth and their retirement, their possessions than they are what they have in eternity. Riches can be an obstacle to life that is eternal. Paul has already addressed Timothy on the subject of money. In verses 6-10 he warned of the danger of desiring more, of loving money, and all the trouble that brings to life and the sin that it draws you into. There he was warning people who may be poor about the danger of the pursuit of wealth. He was not rebuking working hard, being diligent, being wise, but he was rebuking the love of money, rebuking those who focus their life on acquiring things.

Now he comes back to that and it almost seems like a step down. In verse 11 he warned Timothy to flee from those kinds of things—the pursuit of money and riches and loving money and so on. That led him into a great doxology on the greatness of our God. Look how verse 16 ends, to Him, God, be honor and eternal dominion, amen. You’d think we could have the last statement of verse 21 now, grace be with you. Let’s close the letter. But he goes from that great doxology, to Him be honor and eternal dominion, amen. Instruct those who are rich in this world. Paul, you should have put that up with the former material on riches, would have flowed better, we would have built to a peak. But Paul reminds us under the inspiration of the Spirit, if we’re going to give honor and declare the greatness of God, we do that with our entire lives, including our possessions. The Bible knows nothing of a distinction that we come here to worship together as God’s people, and we do, but then through the week we live our lives driven by other things. No, for us life is Jesus Christ, and what I do with my material possessions is just as much involved in my honoring God as when I come here and sing praises to Him or we study His Word. We are to honor Him with our entire lives. So it is very fitting that he move from the wonder of that doxology to the instruction for those who are wealthy, because giving glory to the eternal God is not simply a matter of a certain hour of worship. It is a life given to Him, and possessions become a key part of our life in this material world.

So Paul is going to move to give instructions in verses 17-19 to the rich. Earlier he had given instructions to those who might desire to be rich. Now he is going to give instructions to those who are already rich, have an abundance of material possessions. Riches are relative. In this auditorium we’d look around and we might say, oh they are rich, I'm not. Depends on who you compare yourself with. When I look at other countries and say, oh the average income is $30 per month, I say, wow, maybe I ought to move there. If I could only take my income from here and live there, I would be filthy rich. So it depends on who you are comparing yourself with, and there is no doubt God has blessed us in this country and blessed us with an abundance, and all of us share in that. Already in the church at Ephesus some of the rich and wealthy had come to trust in Jesus Christ. Praise God, the camel had gotten through the eye of a needle. God had done the impossible, He had even saved rich people. That’s how great His grace is.
But now the Spirit of God is going to address the rich in the church through Paul and through Timothy, giving instructions to what he is to say.

What he is going to do is give words of warning. As consistent when we talk about wealth and riches, there are warnings attached to it. Then instructions on what we ought to do, and included in that will be, we ought to enjoy what God has given us.
We’re not going to find any instruction that we ought to give away our wealth because it’s not right for us as believers to be rich. Nor will there be any indication that we ought to feel guilty or some sense of shame because we have so much. Often misconceptions and wrong understandings of the Word lead people to think that all believers ought to have a sense of guilt, because look how much we have. You won’t find that here. Believers ought to give away if they’re rich, their possessions, we ought to live more on the same level. You don’t find that in the scripture, either. Not that it never happened on occasion, but there are no instructions that, that is God’s plan for everyone.

Let’s look at what God does say. 1 Timothy 6:17, instruct those who are rich in this present world. No doubt who this instruction is geared to—those who are rich, those who have more than enough of earthly possessions. And in the biblical world, in this day, we often talk about the growing divide between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have-nots. You know there was a huge divide in the [ancient Roman] world of New Testament times between the rich and the poor. And it was almost impossible to cross from the realm of the poor to the realm of the rich. But in God’s grace evidently some at Ephesus who were rich were saved. We know from Acts 19 that Ephesus was a prosperous city. The unbelievers testified about their prosperity in Acts 19, long about verse 25, I don’t remember the exact verse. So by God’s grace some had been saved, and now they’re in the church at Ephesus.

Timothy is to instruct them. This is the fifth time this command is given, instruct. It means to command, to instruct. It was used in verse 13 and was translated charge. I charge you, I instruct you, I command you. The word means to command or instruct, but the word “instruct” here is the idea of authority, a commanding instruction. Here is what you are to teach the rich with authority that they must do. And it’ s something he is to do regularly, present imperative, command given in the present tense. You be constantly authoritatively teaching the rich to do this. Two reasons—one, there’ll always be maybe new rich getting saved; secondly there is always the danger that we forget what we’ve been taught. And we’ll see as we move along how that comes. This command, instruct, dominates verses 17-19. This is all one sentence, these three verses are made up of one sentence. And you know how you look and you teach the children and they get a simple sentence as they begin to understand grammar and you have the subject, verb, and the object. Well the verb ruling in this sentence is the word, instruct. We have it as the first word in verse 17 in our English Bible. Now everything else flows out of this command. Timothy is to be instructing or commanding

Those who are rich. The word “rich” will be a dominant thought here. Four times in verses 17-18 we’re going to have a form of the word “rich” used. Instruct those who are rich. Further in verse 17, not to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches but on God who richly supplies. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works. So playing on this word, rich and richly and riches, to emphasize material riches, spiritual riches and proper conduct.

In this present world. We’re talking about the rich in this present world. He adds that because we’re not talking about those who have spiritual riches in heaven, which would include every believer no matter what your material possessions are. Right now he’s talking about those who are materially rich, who have an abundance of material possessions, and so have a comfortable life. They would have some of the pressures and stresses that those who are poor would have. They don’t have to be concerned about meeting their daily needs. They are rich in this present world. That’s literally in the now age, to translate those words literally. And in the present world gives you the idea, but it literally says those who are rich in the now age. And there is an emphasis on the transitoriness of this period of time, of the now age, of this present period of time. Reminder, these material riches are limited to this present period of time. We know that as believers, don’t we? Peter wrote in his second letter in the third chapter that everything in this material world is going to be consumed by fire. And so since we as believers understand that all these things that we see and touch are to be destroyed by fire, see what manner of people we ought to be in all godliness and holy conduct. We have a proper perspective or are to have a proper perspective on the things of the now age.

Look over in 2 Timothy 4, just a page or so over, 2 Timothy 4:10. He tells Timothy in this second letter, make every effort to come to me, for Demas, having loved this present world. Literally, having loved the now age, has deserted me. Here is a man who has served with Paul who is mentioned in other letters, but a change in his thinking occurred and he fell in love with the now age. So he couldn’t keep on in the ministry with Paul. Look at Titus 2:12. Verse 11, for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the now age, in the present age, in this present period of time.

So come back to 1 Timothy 6. Reminder, subtly but clearly, I’m writing to those who have an abundance of material things in this present age. You understand what that means. These are transitory things. He’s going to now give two commands, and this command will be directed to two negative things, and then he’ll give four positives. You have the leading verb and then you have an infinitive. In English we usually have the word to that marks out our infinitives. Instruct those who are rich in the present world not to be conceited. To be conceited is the verbal, it’s an infinitive, to be conceited. Second thing, they are not to fix their hope. So two negatives—don’t be conceited, don’t fix your hope on these things. That’s the command. Then he’ll give the positives. Verse 18, to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, to be ready to share. So the negatives and then the positives, warnings to the rich.

They are not to be conceited. An unusual word, only used one or two other times in the New Testament. Compound word, to be high and to be minded. Now don’t think highly of yourself. You know riches have a way of doing that. We look at them in the world, and the rich are interviewed, the rich are honored, the rich expect special attention, to be catered to. They have things and that translates over in their thinking to think they are better than people who don’t have things. They have to be treated with honor and respect, but they can treat the people who don’t have things in any way. Now we have to be careful, because even as believers this thinking can begin to corrupt our minds, and I can being to think because I have more, maybe I am better. I mean why would God give me more than they? Obviously, I’m more trustworthy; obviously, I’m a man of better gifts; obviously, I’m not thinking clearly. Because the Bible says, don’t think highly of yourself. In other words, don’t think like the world thinks when they have wealth, is the emphasis. Listen to Romans 12:16, uses the same two words here, a little different form, but the same two words. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not be haughty in mind. Two basically the same words we have here, high-minded. Don’t be thinking highly of yourself, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. You see the danger. He has to warn the wealthy, even in the church. Well you know we like to associate with our kind. That doesn’t mean that if I don’t have much, it wouldn’t be good for me to go out and spend more than I can afford on dinner with people who can afford to do it. And it doesn’t mean they can’t afford to go out and have dinner that costs more than I would be able to spend on dinner. That’s doesn’t mean we have to do all the same things. But it does mean, if I have more and can drive a better car and live in a nicer house and eat at nicer restaurants that I should not be involved. I should associate still with those who have less. If I only want to do the things that take money, I need to adjust my thinking. But it doesn’t mean the rich have to live like the poor all the time. But I have to be careful if I have riches, if I have wealth that it does not begin to seep into my attitude that for some reason I am better than they, I am more important than they. So the first command, don’ t be conceited.
Simple. And it’s something that the rich are to be constantly told about, because we easily slide over that. Because when we have things of this world naturally we rub shoulders with the people of this world, all of us do, whatever our status. And when we have wealth we tend to rub shoulders with those who have wealth, and pretty soon their thinking rubs off on us. Don’t be conceited, that’s the first command.

Second command is don’t fix your hope on those riches. Instruct them not to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches. Perfect tense here of this infinitive, to fix your hope. Remember perfect tense, something that happens and remains settled. So don’t settle your hope on the uncertainty of riches. Reminder, the riches are uncertain. They are uncertain for two reasons—1) there is uncertainty to life. Remember the rich man who was building more storage places for his wealth? Then God said, you fool.
You’re going to die tonight, then what do you have? Life is uncertain. You know the rich die as well as the poor. You don’t know. The poor may get run over on their bicycle, the rich may die in the crash of their airplane. But they’re both dead. Life is uncertain. Disease affects the rich, it affects the poor. So life is uncertain. 2) riches themselves are uncertain. In Matthew 6:19 Jesus said, don’t store up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal. In other words, material wealth can be lost. The stock market goes down as well as up, businesses fail, and on it goes.

So don’t fix your hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God. This is embarrassing, if I can say it that way. Maybe sad is a better word. That God should have to tell His people not to fix their hope on their riches, but on Him. The Spirit would direct Paul to direct Timothy to be constantly telling the rich not to fix their hope on their riches, but on God. Listen to what Jeremiah wrote, we won’t turn there for time. Jeremiah 9:23-24, thus says the Lord, let not a wise man boast of his wisdom and let not the mighty man boast of his might. Let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts, boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. That’s basically the same thing Paul wrote. Jeremiah the prophet spoke it 500 years before Paul wrote it. Don’t let the rich boast in their riches. Have their attention focused on Me.

Paul goes on to Timothy, instruct the wealthy not to fix their hope on riches but on the God who richly supplies us with all things. You understand everything you have is a gift from God, His graciousness. Why were we born in this country? I mean, that is a blessing. You watch the news, would you rather have been born in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan? I say, Lord, thank you that I’m born here. Did I pull that off? Not likely.
Why do we have abundance of food? Why are our decisions, not how do we get enough to eat, but what car should we buy next? Not, do we have a place to live, but is it time to move up to a bigger place? We are living in a country of abundance. We have to scratch our head and decide, where should we take our next vacation. It’s not a matter of survival for us. Why? God has blessed us. All things. I mean, why do you have a mind and a body healthy enough to be able to work and acquire wealth? It all comes from God, He’s the God who richly supplies us with all things. And we as believers of all people recognize this. Peter wrote that in Christ we have been given everything necessary for life and godliness. We know that every good gift, that every perfect act of giving comes down from above from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow caused by turning. Every good gift, every perfect act of giving comes down
from the unchanging God. We as His children I look at my abundance, I get
up and look at my home and say, wow, look what I’ve been able to get. Thank you,
Lord. I don’t deserve this. It’s not because of me, but thank you for your goodness.

Because you’ll note, he richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. It is not wrong for me to enjoy the abundance God gives me. It is wrong for me not to give God the credit, it is wrong for me to focus my affections and my hope on the things He has given. We give our children gifts, but we don’t expect them to begin to love the gifts that focus their hope on the gifts and not on us as their parent who gives the gifts. And He gives them to enjoy. I don’t get up in the morning and look at my lovely home and say, Lord, I don’t deserve this; Lord, I feel guilty living here; Lord, I just can’t enjoy it because it’s not right that I have this. I not only don’t do that, I shouldn’t do that.
Present time in my life, perhaps [many possessions] with abundance, but you understand it’s still not mine. That’s where he’s going with this.

Come back to Ecclesiastes. My next breath is a gift from God. You see these are things God has bestowed, it is part of His plan that we be able to enjoy the fruit of our labors. Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and to rejoice in his labor. This is the gift of God. So God has bestowed on you wealth and riches, thank
Him for it. Perhaps you inherited it, perhaps through labor and God enabling you with the gifts of your mind and providing the right opportunities, you acquired it, whatever.
It’s a gift from God, enjoy it. And part of enjoying it is to use it as God says. But one of the proper uses is your enjoyment. This is His reward.

The end of verse 18, this is the gift of God. So be sure to give Him glory for it, and thanks. Enjoy it. We get in our comfortable cars and we turn on the air conditioning. Thank you, God, for a car that has air conditioning. Oops, it’s winter. Thank you, God, for a car that has a heater. Thank you, God, for a car that doesn’t break down. You say, my care breaks down. Well then you’re not one of the rich. Go back to the earlier part of chapter 6. But these are blessings. I don’t have to say, I can’t enjoy this car, it doesn’t break down. It’s not right, my car doesn’t break down. I know Christians whose car breaks down. I just can’t enjoy this car. Well give it to me, I’ll enjoy it for you. I mean why should you have it and not enjoy it? You’re missing the blessing. You might as well be poor and not have it and be miserable. Though if you’re poor and don’t have it, you shouldn’t be miserable. We’ve already seen that, because your contentment is in the Lord as well.

All right come back to 1 Timothy 6. You know what? You have to go back to Deuteronomy 8. I’m going to use all my time on verse 17 and then we’re going to run like crazy through verses 18-19. Deuteronomy 8. Israel is on the verge of going into the promised land. God tells them when they go into the promised land, He’s going to give them more than they ever [had in happiness] have more than enough of everything. God is going to bless them as a nation in the land. Deuteronomy 8:10, when you have eaten and are satisfied you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you. You see that? You enjoy it and give praise and honor and glory to God for so graciously enriching your life. Then verse 11, beware. Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments and His ordinances and His statutes which I am commanding you this day. Otherwise when you have eaten and are satisfied and have built good houses and have lived in them, when your herds and your flocks multiply, your silver and gold multiplies, and all that you have multiplies, then your heart will become proud and you’ll forget the Lord your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. And on He goes. Come down to verse 17, otherwise you may say in your heart, my power, the strength of my hand made me this way. But you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Great danger to Israel, going into the land. You know that very thing happened.

That very thing happens to the church of Jesus Christ. It’s been documented across the world. As the gospel comes in, primarily it’s the poor who respond. Some of the rich, but basically the poor. And then by God’s grace as they work and toil and the church gets richer, its fervor cools. You know our riches absorb us. Now we have so much playing to do, we have less time for the Lord. I have so much relaxing to do, I have less time for the Lord. I have so much fun to have, I have less time for the Lord.
We have to be careful, God gives us riches to enjoy, but not to replace Him. How sad it is that the poor have more time for the Lord than the rich. Been in poor countries. You know I find the fervor and the diligence often among those who are so poor and working so hard and struggling to make ends meet, that is lacking here. They don’t consider it a burden to go to church. I’ve shared with you, one of the countries where the don’t even observe the weekend so they don’t get Sunday off, and they ride their bicycles and go there after dark because they have to work long. And the place is packed, and the bicycles are everywhere. I say, would I have made it today after doing all the work they have to do and pedaling to where I have to go, then I have to ride my bike to church.
But see, somehow our affluence begins to replace the Lord. We say, oh, I wouldn’t do that. Israel didn’t think they would do it, either. Not us, oh no we wouldn’t do that.
But you know riches just have a way of occupying us. And then I just have so many things to do now. And I’m not abandoning the Lord, I just don’t want Him interfering too much with my life. And pretty soon things come up, do we have to have this church,
we have to have this activity for young people, we have to You know we
have so many things we’re doing. Maybe if we didn’t have so much, maybe if we weren’t so wealthy we wouldn’t have found it so easy to replace the Lord with other things.

So it’s a serious matter. Moses wrote this under the inspiration of scripture 1500 years before Christ, a warning to the people of God. And here now the church comes into existence and what is the spirit of God saying to the people who have become part of the church? Same warning.

Come back to 1 Timothy 6. Now he’s going to tell them the positive things. They’re brief and to the point, so we don’t have to elaborate them. He elaborates the warnings more than he does the positive instruction. Often like we do as parents. We spend more time cautioning our children in what they have to beware of than we can summarize here are the things you do. Instruct them to be good. You’ll note in verse 18 the words instruct them are in italics. That means they’re not in the original text.
But the command is up in verse 17, so he wants you to know the command is still governing this. The instruction is to the rich, not to be conceited, not to fix your hope on the uncertainty of riches, but to do good. God provides wealth and more than I need for my enjoyment, but not only for my enjoyment, but so that I can do more for others, to do good, to be rich in good works. And these four things really go together in pairs. To do good, I mean to be rich in good works. Not just rich in possessions, but rich in deeds. You know when you have more than you need, now you are in a position to do more for others. When I have more than I need, I am in the position to enjoy more in this life in that sense, for myself. We have a more comfortable life because of more possessions. I enjoy that. But it’s not only for me, it’s also to enable me to do more of the Lord’s work, to be rich in what I do with what He has given me.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians in his earlier letter, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. Now you see these good works that God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them, the verse goes on to say, includes using my material possessions. If He has blessed you with abundance, then enjoy it and be rich in what you do with it. You must be rich in good works. He goes on, to be generous. 2 Corinthians 8-9, he talks about the giving of a believer that’s to be bountiful, willingly, joyfully. These are things that are to characterize us in our giving. We are to be generous people. I have more than I need, that’s why I’m wealthy, and it’s not all for my selfish enjoyment. It is for my enjoyment and to enable me to be generous, to be ready to share. The Greek word for fellowship or sharing is koinonia. We’ve carried it over and use in a lot in English. In some places they talk about their home Bible studies as koinonia groups, fellowship groups. Now this word is koinonekas and so I am to be generous, ready to share with others, in others’ lives. Now this is not treasure just for me to enjoy, but for me to provide for others and share in their lives.
This is a sacrifice offered to God.

Listen to Hebrews 13:16, do not neglect doing good and sharing, koinoneas, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased. So He has blessed me with wealth and I am using that wealth properly. I enjoy it, I praise God for it, and I am offering it as a sacrifice to Him by using it properly and sharing it with others.

In the doing of this, they will be storing up for themselves, verse 19, the treasure of a good foundation for the future. What did Jesus say? Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, Matthew 6:19-20.
Matthew 19:21, you have to store up for yourself treasure in heaven. Doesn’t mean you can’t have any treasure on earth. We’re talking to the rich, and God has given you your riches to enjoy and to share. And when you properly use your riches, keep your hope fixed on God, you’re storing up treasure that will endure beyond this life. What exciting truths that are our privilege as believers is to take these material things that are transitory and limited in duration and use them to acquire treasure in the glories of heaven.

Storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, storing up treasure in heaven, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. Paul said the same thing to Timothy in verse 12, fight the good fight of faith. Take hold, that’s the same word we have down in verse 19, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. Take hold of the eternal life, that which is life indeed id eternal life. And just like Timothy who was a believer in Christ and had eternal life, was to take hold of that life, fasten himself onto it, live in light of it, live it. So the wealthy are to take hold of that which is life indeed. We don’t live for this physical life, the things of this life, the treasures of this life. We live for the treasures of heaven. So by acknowledging that their wealth comes from God, not becoming conceited, not fixing their hope on it, but recognizing it as a blessing from God for them to enjoy and also to enable them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, to share with others. Living your life like that as a wealthy person means you’re storing up treasure in heaven, living your life with a grasp on that which is life eternal.

Isn’t God a good God? He has so blessed us that He gives some wealth. We have been blessed in this country to be a wealthy people. Even the poor [are wealthy compared to many in other countries.] But our wealth is a responsibility, a blessing and a responsibility. We need the wisdom of God to use it wisely. And also a word of warning. You could be here and your hope is fixed on your wealth. How would you be if you were the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and He said, you have to give it all up. Oh do you get saved by giving away your possessions? No, you get saved by letting go of everything and taking hold of Christ by faith. Well if I trust Christ will I have to give up everything? I don’t know. You have to be prepared to, you may have to. Oh, I don’t think I’m ready. Then you’re not ready. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. If you count your possessions more dear than Christ, you can’t have Christ. You’re not saved by giving away your money, we’re not saved by good works. We’re saved by God’s mercy and grace. But in true salvation we have to let go of everything to take hold of Christ. How foolish that we would think that we could earn our way to heaven, that we could buy our way to heaven. Lord, riches corrupt, riches are an obstacle. It’s hard for the rich to humble themselves and say I am nothing before a holy God, but a hell-deserving sinner. I have nothing of value, but I claim His grace. Lord, your grace not only brings salvation, but you are the God who provides all good gifts. Lord, you’ve blessed us in this country with an abundance, we are a rich people. The poorest of us are rich. We can only thank you and honor you and praise you for your graciousness to us. Lord, we thank you that we can enjoy the wealth and riches that are ours, but Lord we are not allowed to be selfish with those riches, to think they belong to us for our own selfish pleasure. But we are stewards of what you’ve entrusted to us, privileged as stewards to enjoy these things, but responsible as stewards to use them according to your will and purposes. Lord, I pray for any who are here, maybe their wealth has been an obstacle to their coming to the Savior. Lord, may they see that life and true riches are found in the one who loved them and died for them. We pray in His name, amen.