When Wall Street Occupies ME! 1 Timothy 6:3-10
On Guard – Defending the Truth: 1 Timothy Sermon 21
For the past month, thousands of Americans have “occupied” a park near Wall Street in New York, as well as in many other American cities. While the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) throngs have had a hard time agreeing on a coherent list of demands, they seem to agree that America’s free enterprise system—or what’s left of it—has got to go. They look at America and see greed, inequality, and a top one percent of income earners who take more than their fair share, and leave the rest of the 99% percent, supposedly, in destitution and poverty. If there’s one policy the protesters seem to agree on, it’s that the government needs to confiscate the wealth of this one percent and give it to the “99%.”
I think that most of us would admit that we’re bothered by some of the same things that these protestors are upset about. They’re right to be bothered by the cozy relationship between the federal government and some businesses and banks. After the 2008 financial crisis, Americans sensed that the rules were manipulated and suspended for the politically well-connected. We saw the government protect and bail out certain banks and businesses because they were supposedly “too big to fail.” Whatever you call this—crony capitalism, crony socialism, corporatism—it’s a real problem.
OWS is also fueled by the fact that millions of Americans are hurting. Unemployment has been over nine percent for most of the last three years. Most experts think that won’t drop much in 2012. Many of the protesters are disillusioned college students who have tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, yet they can’t find jobs that pay well enough to repay their debt, and our hearts rightly should go out to them.
Many are bothered by what they presume to be the “haves,” particularly if they feel that they themselves are a “have not.” The Occupy Wall Street protesters are angered with the greed, opulence and seemingly moral insensitivity of the haves – the Wall Streeters. But they need to take a hard look in the mirror, THEY ARE Wall Street. Ironically, compared to the poor in much of the world, most of the OWSers are rolling in it. The occupiers’ incomes, on average, are in the top 5 to 10% worldwide. They themselves are benefiting from free enterprise and they consistently use Wall Street for their own advantage.
For example, Oakland, California anti-Wall Streeters who blame large banks for the economic downturn have decided that one of those same institutions is the best place to stash their money. Protesters at an Occupy Oakland meeting last week voted to deposit a $20,000 donation into a Wells Fargo account. The move comes just days after one of Wells Fargo’s branches was vandalized during a massive downtown demonstration.
Many OWS protesters arrested in New York City “occupy” much more luxurious homes than their 99% rhetoric suggests. For each of the 984 Occupy Wall Street protesters arrested in New York City between September 18th and October 15th, police collected and filed an information sheet recording the arrestee’s name, age, sex, criminal charge, home address and — in most cases — race. Among addresses for which information is available, single-family homes listed on those police intake forms have a median value of $305,000, a much higher number than the $185,400 median value of owner-occupied housing units in the US. Even in the nation’s currently depressed housing market, at least 95 of the protesters’ residences are worth approximately $500,000 or more. The median monthly rent for those living in apartments whose information is readily available is $1,850. Add to that, they own cell phones, laptops and even Kindles. They need to look in the mirror, they are Wall Street. And so are we…
That fact was vividly brought home to our home recently. A tragedy took place – our son, Aaron, who’s away at college in Minnesota – well, his cell phone broke. And for a brief moment in time, life as we know it ended on planet earth. In his defense, Aaron does have several leadership responsibilities at school and needs to be available. Yet, he still did have his computer with Internet access, Skype and Instant Messenger. He also has an I-pod with Internet access that he can send emails from. And shock of shock, even though he’s in Minnesota and the land of the snow (not to mention Vikings), they still have snail mail. You know, stick a letter in an envelope, put a stamp on it and you’ve got mail.
We are Wall Street. Nearly all of us went out to eat this past week. We have cable TV, Internet, cell phones, more food in our refrigerators, freezers and pantries than our grandparents ever dreamed of. We are Wall Street but the problem is When Wall Street Occupies ME!
When people are focused on getting what they want it leads to unhappiness and unfulfillment; the more we have, the more we want, and the more unhappy we become! That’s When Wall Street Occupies ME! And most of us, if we were honest, would have to admit that it does occupy us.
These are not new problems. As Paul brings his letter to Timothy to a close, he deals with how money and a quest for things can be a problem. It steals from us what really matters and encourages us to replace that with that which doesn’t matter, doesn’t satisfy and doesn’t count, 1 Timothy 6:3-10 (p. 993).
One of the greatest blunders that we make in the church is that when we talk about money most of us conclude that the talk is for rich people. We are the rich people. This is for all of us.
Let me challenge you to today to come with an open heart. Let the Holy Spirit probe your soul to help find disease and to bring you to the true spiritual health that Jesus wants each of us to have. If you’re taking notes…
1. There are those who will sell their souls to be rich, vss. 3-5, “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.”
Religious hucksterism isn’t new. It was rampant in the 1st century and in the early church. Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8) was one of the first to want to make bucks deluxe off of the gospel. Sadly, he was not the last.
Throughout history, deadly epidemics have ravaged mankind. In the 14th century, Black Death killed millions in Europe. Our generation has witnessed the rapid spread of the fatal disease of AIDS. So today, if you knew before you came, that one of our church greeters had AIDS, would you hesitate to come here? If you did come, would you be careful to not shake their hand? Would you keep a careful distance? More deadly than any disease that has ever afflicted the human race is the plague of false teaching that has infected the church throughout its history. Because while disease may kill the body, false teaching damns the soul. But like AIDS, false teaching has a definite, observable pathology. It has observable characteristics that we can recognize so that we’re better equipped to protect ourselves and combat it. Every church leader and every Christian needs to be a spiritual pathologist and able to discern deviations from spiritual health. Sadly, many believers are very ignorant of those who are enemies of the cross because they sound so good. In this day of the Internet to be naïve about what you listen to is inexcusable.
Throughout this letter Paul has been concerned about those who teach false doctrine. So what are some symptoms of these deadly teachers?
a. False teachers are distributors of poison, vs. 3. "Sound words” is literally healthy doctrine. Our word hygiene comes from this word. Such teaching is about "our Lord Jesus Christ." Healthy doctrine focuses on Christ which leads to godliness. False teaching minimizes Christ and holiness. It’s man-centered not Christ-centered, and it’s deadly for our souls.
Throughout 1 Timothy Paul has emphasized again and again the need for both sound teaching and godly living. What makes teaching authentically Christian is whether or not it glorifies Christ and leads to godliness. True Christianity should make us act like “Christians.” It changes our behavior. Yet, you will not spot false teaching unless you know God’s Word. Those who know the Word easily spot anything contrary to it. All of us are theologians, sadly too many of us are not very good ones.
b. False teachers are arrogant, vs. 4a. Those who reject sound doctrine, according to Philip's translation, are "conceited idiots." That’s strong language! Yet, being Christlike and truly understanding Scripture should result in humility. At best such are confused, "understands nothing;” at worse they’re corrupt, "hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (4:2). Mark it down. Arrogance and false teaching are kissin’ cousins.
c. False teachers are divisive, vs. 4b-5a. Proverbs 13:10 says, “Pride only breeds quarrels…” Apostates are stimulated by word battles not godliness. "Unhealthy" literally is sick. Anyone who craves controversy, who loves stirring up quarrels is spiritually sick. Five sinful attitudes are observed. "Envy" is the resentment of what others have; "dissension” is contention; "slander” is false talk; gospel fellowship is based on trust not "evil suspicions;" and "constant friction" is the fruit of self-will and selfishness. While truth unifies, false teaching spreads the disease of disunity. The ultimate conclusion is, “constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth.” As the NIV renders it, they are rotting minds rejecting the gospel.
d. False teachers commercialize Christianity, v. 5b. These apostates turned ministry into a racket. Over the centuries false teachers have used Christianity and gullible believers to pad their own bank accounts. People that are supposing that godliness is a means of gain, that Christianity is a root to financial success, are not reading the Bible, because the person we are following, Jesus Christ, did not enjoy nor did He encourage financial success. He died impoverished and His apostles did likewise. It’s incredible that people turn this on their head and teach that we should be prospering and financially well off by following Christ. False teachers commercialize Christianity. They live like royalty taking million dollar salaries, living in mansions, driving luxury cars, owning corporate jets – all of it paid for by duped supporters.
We need to be discerning about who we listen to, who we endorse and support. On your insert, there are a couple of web sites where you can check out various ministries for yourself. It is imperative that we are discerning and avoid those who will sell their souls to be rich.
2. There are those who are rich with what really matters, vss. 6-8. “Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.” You know the problem with these three verses. Too many Christians think that this is pipe dream stuff. For them, it goes in the same unbelievable category of “God will supply all of your needs” or that “you can do everything through Christ.” It’s kind of the church version of urban legends, like that story about alligators in the New York City sewer system. According to the story, discarded pet alligators made their way to the sewers, where they mutated into full-grown albino creatures.
Do you really believe that being godly is great gain and not financial gain, but something that really matters and lasts? If you believed that, wouldn’t it change your life? Most people believe that if you smoke, you’ll get lung cancer. Many of you quit smoking or never started because you didn’t want to get cancer…and that’s a good thing. Statistically, if you smoked two packs a day for fifty years, you have about a 1 in 10 chance of getting lung cancer. While there are other diseases that you are at a higher risk for because of smoking but at two packs a day, it’s a 10% chance of getting lung cancer. Yet most of us are petrified of getting lung cancer so we don’t smoke.
The Bible promises, it doesn’t say that it is a statistical chance, that “there is great gain in godliness.” Most of us act like it’s an urban legend. We think it’s silly, even preposterous. How do I know? Because if we believed that then it would change the way we live. It’s true though because the God who cannot lie said it’s true. It’s believing God’s truth that things will never bring me happiness. It’s believing God’s truth that I need to focus on the things which are permanent, that I can take with me after I die.
a. Contentment comes from having the priority of godliness, not gain. Paul would have nodded approvingly of the story of a king who was suffering from a persistent malady and was advised by his wise men that he would be cured if the shirt of a contented man was found for him to wear. The search began for a contented man, but none could be found. Emissaries were sent to the far edges of the realm, and after a long search a man was found who was truly content. But he had no shirt! The pursuit of material riches is empty and futile.
If you’re not content with the house you have now, you’re not going to be content with the next one. If you’re not content with the car you drive now, you’re not going to be content with the next one. If you’re not content with the clothes you have now, you’re not going to be content with new ones. If you’re not content with the job you have now, you’re not going to be content with the next one.
So how much money do you think that it would take to make you happy? According to a survey done by US News & World Report, for Americans with household incomes under $25,000, it would take $54,000 a year to fulfill the American Dream. Those who make $100,000+ crave an average of $192,000 to live as they want. In other words, the American Dream usually lies nearly twice the distance away. Billionaire Ted Turner was more honest about it than most Christians. He admitted, “It’s all relative. I sit down and say, ‘I’ve got $10 billion, but Bill Gates has $100 billion; I feel like a complete failure in life.” My friend, if you’re satisfaction is not in Jesus Christ, nothing will ever be enough.
Most are looking for something out there to bring satisfaction. Contentment is an inside job. It comes from godliness. Please understand, Paul is not saying that there is virtue in poverty, but he is saying that if our basic needs are met, we should be satisfied. Too many of us are living that old Rolling Stones song, “can’t get no satisfaction.” Yet, it’s our own fault. We don’t believe godliness satisfies, that it’s gain. When we believe that, we’ll treat our resources as our servant, not our master. We’ll give rather than grasp. To be content is to be satisfied, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (Phil 4:11). True contentment is sourced in Christ.
We live in a culture of discontentment, “If I only had ____ I’d be happy.” I remember finally buying an I-pod. I’d saved up some money and I got it, but about three months later, it started bugging me that my I-pod had such limited memory. True contentment comes from godliness of heart not wealth in hand. It’s independent of our circumstances, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength."
Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity, told of a workshop he conducted at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary with 200 pastors in attendance. The assembled pastors quickly pointed toward greed and selfishness as the reason the church never had enough money to accomplish its mission in the world. Millard then asked this seemingly innocent question: “Is it possible for a person to build a house so large that it’s sinful in the eyes of God? Raise your hand if you think so.” All 200 pastors raised their hands. “Okay,” said Millard, “then can you tell me at exactly what size, the precise square footage, a certain house becomes sinful to occupy?” Silence from the pastors. You could have heard a pin drop. Finally, a small, quiet voice spoke up from the back of the room: “When it is bigger than mine.” In a society steeped with materialism and greed, it’s hard for believers like us to know when we have the same disease. We can see it in others, but we rarely see it in ourselves. Wise are the words of R.C. Sproul, “Our problem isn't wanting things too much, it's not wanting Him enough.”
b. Contentment comes from having the perspective of the eternal, not the temporal. You and I must remember that any wealth we have is temporal, v. 7. Birth and death are the bookends of life. We came into this world naked and we exit naked. How much are you going to leave? All of it.
Having an eternal perspective is so freeing. It frees you from anxiety because this world is not the end. It frees you from depending on circumstances for happiness. Since your trust is in the Sovereign God, you’re not thrown by changing circumstances. So do you have an eternal perspective? Are you focused on the real world? Let me share several questions that will help you answer that question honestly:
* What do I want most in life? When I reach the end, what do I want to look back and see that God did with my life above all else?
* What do I think about the most? We all have a lot to think about—family, jobs, future, the news, school, friends. But what occupies your mind when you’re alone? Do you think about the cause of Christ and how you fit in?
* How do I spend my spare time? You may be saying, “What spare time?” If you’re a workaholic, that says something about your values. The way you spend your time reflects what you’re seeking in life. It may be obvious, but it needs to be said: Jesus did not say “Seek first the TV set and all these things shall be added unto you.”
* How do I spend my money? Where you put your money is where your heart will be. Jesus did not say, “Where your heart is, there your treasure will be.” It’s the other way around. Your heart follows your treasure. If you put your treasure into the stock market, your heart will follow. If you put your treasure into recreation, your heart will follow. If you put your treasure into the kingdom of God, your heart will follow.
I’d encourage you to invest wisely in that which furthers the kingdom of God. That will include giving generously to His cause, of course. But it also includes spending your money on developing relationships with people you’re seeking to win or build in Christ (Luke 16:9). Perhaps, take your family on a short term mission trip. Invest in attending a good conference on ministry to increase your ministry skills. Rather than cluttering your home with junk, why not invest in good Christian books and worship CDs to help your family grow in Christ?
* Who are my heroes? Whom do you admire the most? Is it someone who has climbed the ladder of financial success? Or is it someone who has accomplished much for the kingdom of God? Your heroes reflect your values. The eternal perspective means seeking God’s kingdom above all else.
c. Contentment comes from trusting God to meet my needs, not being driven by my greeds. We must learn to be content when we possess life’s necessities. The term “clothing” in verse 8 is general enough to include both clothing and shelter. Paul is referring to life’s necessities. Most of us covet more than we need. Thoreau reminded us that we are wealthy in proportion to the number of things that we can afford to do without. I wonder if God is using our current economic situation to encourage us to simplify our lives. The fact is that the more we have, the more complicated our lives are.
Please understand, Paul is not describing the maximum that is permitted to the believer but the minimum that is compatible with contentment. He’s not advocating that we become Amish. We are though to replace materialism and covetousness with contentment.
3. There are those who really want to be rich, vss. 9-10. “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. 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.” Do you know who are some of the most miserable individuals you’ll ever meet? Individuals who want to be rich. Some of them are already rich. Many are middle class or poor but they long to be rich, or as they would say, “a little better off.” That’s who Paul is talking about here. Is that you? Do you find yourself dreaming about having money, being well off?
They’re looking for their ship to come in. They often try scheme after scheme to get to what they think is arriving but they never do. What’s ironic is that many of them not only think that being rich will bring them happiness but they also want security from wealth. The more you have, the more anxious you are – because the more that you have to lose.
Some years back when Robert Herbert Thompson owned 180 newspapers, 290 other companies, and was worth an estimated $300 million. Someone asked him, “How much would you give for the New York Times?” Like a flash he answered, “I think I’d mortgage my soul.”
A desire for wealth is a satanic trap. The verb here indicates a continual fall, over and over again. People are desperate to win the lottery, to win their million. They are hoping some rich relative will kick the bucket. My friend, search your own heart. It’s easy to believe the lie that if we only had a little more we’d be satisfied. Materialism lies deep in each of our hearts. And if you don't think you're vulnerable, you're entrapped. Christians will rationalize, “Well if I had a million dollars I’d give half to the church.” Please don't hide your greed in a spiritual disguise.
Such desires are "senseless" because they are irrational; "harmful" for they lead to bondage and spiritual disaster, "ruin and destruction." Mark 8:36, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world yet forfeit his soul."
This first part of verse 10, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” is one of the most misquoted verses in the Bible. Money is not intrinsically evil. Paul is condemning the love of money. Ecclesiastes 5:10, "whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income."
Do you see where all this leads, v. 10b. "The faith" refers to the core of biblical truth. Greed diverts people away from the gospel. What a description of the American dream. It’s a nightmare scripturally: beautiful homes but cold hearts; extravagant clothing but godless living; scrumptious meals but no hunger for God or His Word.
It is “the love of money” that can pull people into the quicksand beginning a slow descent into misery and even eventual damnation. Satan lures us to the quicksand the way a hunter may draw an animal into a trap, by placing irresistible temptations along the path until the animal finds himself captured.
Money opens a whole new world of possibilities for us.
Imagine a young couple when first married who have little money. They shopped only for the necessities. Their time was spent in the simple things, going for walks, reading, going to a movie, church activities, and perhaps an occasional trip to Dairy Queen. Later, as their income level rose, they began buying some luxuries, bought a house with an accompanying mortgage, more insurance, a couple of new cars, and a membership at the country club. They suddenly saw a lot more things they could buy, a lot more objects that drew their attention, time, and resources. Some of those things they could have done without, but once the “status bug” gets hold of us, it becomes very much the same as a chemical addiction.
This is so deceptive that we’re imprisoned by it and don’t even know it. Our hands are so full of the temporary trinkets of this world that God cannot fill our lives with lasting, eternal treasure. As you can imagine, there are millions of pets in New York City. However when a pet dies there’s no where to bury it unless you have a jack hammer. So the City offered to dispose of your pet for $50. One woman thought she could make easy money, so she placed ads offering to do the job for only $25. How did she dispose of the pet? She’d go down to the Salvation Army store, buy the best looking suitcase she could for under $5. Then, she’d place the deceased pet in the suitcase and take a ride on the subway. Without fail, as she sat dozing, someone would come running along and snatch the suitcase. Sometimes she’d even call out: “Stop! Thief!” They just kept running. What a surprise they had later on! They’d run and snatched the suitcase looking for happiness but found only a dead animal. How often do we chase after things in life, thinking that they’re a suitcase of happiness, only to be disappointed in the end?
Sound biblical judgment is the key to maintaining balance. Check your Bible and you’ll find that the subject of money is the second most frequently dealt with topic behind salvation. Essentially, the antidote to money love is to replace it with a love for God, His Word and His truth.
Conclusion: We live in a society that’s constantly searching for satisfaction. Dr. Cal Rychener, social commentator, writes in his paper, “Study of an American Culture: “We are experiencing a phenomenon in our society today. Americans have more possessions, we are both healthier and wealthier than any other American generation in our nation’s history but we are the most discontented of all generations.”
Most of us have seen the TV commercial where an angry army of Vikings comes charging over the hill, weapons high, war cries raging, ready to destroy. The scene then shifts, to a man about to make a purchase who opens his wallet and pulls out a certain brand of credit card. When the Viking army sees that particular band of credit card, they stop, disappointed, hang their heads, and turn around and slowly go home. The tag line comes, “What’s in YOUR wallet?” Let me ask a slightly different question. “What’s in your heart?” There may be some hearing these words who are reasonably content in life. You’re in good health, your needs are met, you enjoy many good things in life, you have a nice family. But your contentment is not tied in with godliness. It’s the contentment of circumstances. Being diagnosed with a terminal illness, becoming paralyzed from an accident, losing your job, the death of loved ones—any of these unforeseen events would plunge you into despair, because you’re not living for the eternal, but for the temporal. You need to see that true contentment only comes from making godliness your priority and eternity your perspective.
Others may profess to be Christians, to have the hope of heaven, but you’re caught up in the pursuit of the things of this world. It’s an easy trap to fall into. You need deliberately to reaffirm your commitment to God and to free yourself from the dominion of money. That might mean having a giant yard sale and giving the proceeds to the Lord’s work. It definitely means getting out of debt and becoming faithful in your stewardship. It means getting your priorities straight and setting some goals in line with them.
God has called His people to a life marked by contentment. Contentment comes from having the right priority--godliness, not gain; and the right perspective—the eternal, not the temporal.
Jim Elliot, who was martyred at 28, wisely wrote in his journal when he was a 22-year-old college student, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
You can’t keep the things of this world; you can’t lose the promises of God regarding eternity. Order your life in line with that truth, and you will know God’s contentment. Nearly all of us need to replace Wall Street in our hearts with Jesus Christ. We need to let His Spirit fill our souls and control our passions and desires. By God’s grace, let’s choose to stop being occupied by Wall Street and instead be occupied with the One Who is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
