This sermon is based off of a few ideas in Craig Groeschel’s book “The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but Living as if He Doesn’t Exist.” Zondervan, 2010. ISBN: 9780310332220
CHRISTIAN ATHEIST: MONEY
1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19
INTRODUCTION… “In God We Trust”
When it comes to the currency of the United States, you can be sure of several things when you look at it. For a long time US currency was always the same, but they have been fiddling with bills and coins over the past few years and it seems like every time I get a bill or a coin there is a new design or new color on it. I guess I don’t care as long as they take it at the grocery store.
What can you always find on US Currency?
You can always find a historical figure. Kennedy, Roosevelt, Lincoln, Sacagawea
You can always find a historic place. White House, Lincoln Memorial, Monticello.
You can always find US symbols. Eagles, stars, olive branches, torches.
You can always find the word “Liberty.”
You can also always find the words “In God We Trust.”
Today as we think about money, we are going to be thinking heavily about the sentiment which is printed or minted on each bill and coin… “In God We Trust.”
Do we really trust in God?
Do we really trust in our money?
Do we say we believe in God and yet live as though He doesn’t exist?
Do we say we trust in God and in His security and yet live as though we trust only in money?
READ 1 TIMOTHY 6:6-10, 6:17-19
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
…
“17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
We are going through the ideas presented in pastor Craig Groeschel’s book “The Christian Atheist.” He has given us a great platform to talk about the Lordship of Jesus in many aspects of our lives. We say we believe in God and trust in Him, but in all areas of our lives we do not always show it, act it, or believe it. Christianity is a faith that should not be compartmentalized into one small area of our lives, but rather Christianity is a faith that touches every area of our lives. Today we are going to speak about the ever popular topic of money. We all face the temptation to make money a priority and the love of money an active pursuit. We say we believe in God and trust in God, but are we actually living as though we believe in money and trust in money.
When it comes to money, I always think of math. Money is numbers. Money is addition and subtraction and percents. This morning, I’d like us to take a look at the passages in 1 Timothy 6 in mathematical terms so that we can uncover what love of money does in our lives. We won’t get complicated, but let’s look at 1 Timothy 6 in terms of “equal to,” “addition and multiplication,” “subtraction and division,” and apply much of what we talk about with “greater than.”
I. (=) equal
Basic mathematics shares with us that when numbers don’t change either up or down, this is due to numbers being equal. In math, equality means the amount on one side of the “=” is the same as the other. As we look at 1 Timothy 6, what do we find that the love of money is equal to? To be honest, it is in this part of our discussion this morning where we truly discover what the love of money actually entails.
First, we find that the love of money equals a root of all kinds of evil (verse 10). We should note that the verse does not say that “money is the root of all evil” as is often misquoted. Actually, the root of all evil is sin (Romans 5:12, James 1:15). The love of money does lead to an evil… what is that root? What sin does the love of money lead us into? I would have to say that the root that the love of money is equal to is greed. Greed is a powerful root of sin. The love of money is equal to greed.
Matthew 23:25 says, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.”
Ephesians 5:3 says, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.”
Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”
2 Peter 2:14 says, “With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed -- an accursed brood!”
Second, we find that the love of money equals hope in wealth which is uncertain (verse 17). As we look at verse 17, we find that the Apostle Paul shares with Timothy that the only lasting place for any of us to find hope and lasting enjoyment is in God. Nothing else lasts. Money does not last. Money does not provide lasting hope or lasting enjoyment or happiness.
At the beginning of verse 17, Paul remarks that he is speaking to people who are “rich in this present world.” People who have a roof, cars, jobs, extra money in an account, cash in their wallet, and other material goods often face the temptation that Paul warns about. There is a great temptation when it comes to money and material goods to place our hope and trust in them. Wealth is a great temptation. We are tempted to hold on to what we have and keep it as security. Job 31:23-28 describes for us this temptation, “For I dreaded destruction from God, and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things. 24 "If I have put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, 'You are my security,' 25 if I have rejoiced over my great wealth, the fortune my hands had gained, 26 if I have regarded the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor, 27 so that my heart was secretly enticed and my hand offered them a kiss of homage, 28 then these also would be sins to be judged, for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.”
We must be mindful of where we are setting our hope and placing our trust. The love of money is equal to and means greed and placing our trust and security in money. What else does 1 Timothy 6 share with us? Let’s also look at money in terms of what it adds and multiplies in our lives.
II. (+) add OR (x) multiply
Basic mathematics shares with us that when numbers increase, this is due to addition and multiplication. As we look at 1 Timothy 6, what do we find is added to our lives or multiplies when it comes to the love of money?
First, we find in verse 9 that the love of money adds temptations and traps for foolishness which is harmful. The Apostle Paul explains to young Timothy that when money becomes a priority, that foolishness is added into our lives because of what we are willing to do for money and with money. In fact, Proverbs 17:16 tells us, “Of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom?” Money can create in us foolish actions and traps which lead us to sin… simply because we love what money can do and buy for us.
Second, we find in verse 9 that the love of money adds ruin and destruction. The Apostle Paul is explaining to Timothy that when money becomes a priority, ruin and destruction are added. The love of money may lead to workaholism which leads to a loss of family relationships and stress in marriage. The love of money may lead to gambling which in the end destroys finances, trust, and self-control. The love of money may lead you to over spend and over extend yourself with credit which in the end you truly cannot pay back. In fact, even Jesus says in Luke 12:15, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Third, we find in verse 10 that the love of money multiplies griefs. That means money, spending money, or desiring money does not help, but only makes things worse. Pastor Kevin A. Thompson, a minister in Arkansas (http://www.kevinathompson.com/money-and-grief/#comments) says rightly that “grief creates a sorrow which money can temporarily soothe.” I never thought about that, but it is certainly true… the love of money can bring its own set of grief, but also does not completely help any other sort we are going through. He goes on to say, “Yet there is never a worst time to spend money than while in grief. Our vision is blurred. Our wounds are exposed. Our ability to think is compromised. If ever we should not be making decisions, it is while we are experiencing grief.” Grief is not just experienced at a funeral home, but we can all experience grief when life doesn’t turn out the way we wish, when a medical diagnosis is given, when a promotion is delayed, or when a season in life is left behind. Grief can come into our lives in many ways and money will not help, but only make things worse.
ILLUSTRATION… It all started with a TV (p)
What does any of this addition and multiplication look like? Let me give you an example. You get an extra $400 in your bank account from a tax refund and you are completely happy. You happen to be in Wal-Mart that same day shopping for everything under the sun and you find yourself in the electronics section. You see it… a beautiful flat screen TV… and it is even on sale. Now you don’t need a new TV because your old one is working just fine. You know it is unwise, but the temptation is there to buy it. Should you or shouldn’t you?
Swimming in your mind is also the bad medical news the other day that all tests indicate you are most likely a diabetic. Not only that, the kids’ grades have been sinking lower and you have been frustrated at home. You think to yourself that you deserve something good coming your way. Buying this TV will make you feel good.
You succumb to temptation and buy the not-needed-unwise TV with the extra $400 burning a hole in your bank account. On the way home from Wal-Mart, your car breaks down and you complain to friends that you don’t have the money to fix your car. There is no extra money. In an effort to get money to pay for the car repair, you work longer hours at work and even grab a short-term second job. You beg your spouse to get another job too. This strains your relationships at home and increases fights, stress, and sleepless nights. Your spouse notices the new TV and charges on credit cards things they want and you get further in debt… “hey if you get new stuff then I get new stuff.” Now your spouse has to take an extra job and your family is now busy working, skipping family meals, and now you are too busy even to watch TV. Uh… then you decide to pray about it all. On and on it will go. The love of money has added and multiplied temptations and foolish traps, ruin and destruction, and grief.
Certainly the “love of money” adds and multiplies things in our lives. Not only does it add and multiply in our lives, it also lessens and divides.
III. (-) less OR (/) divide
Basic mathematics shares with us that when numbers decrease, this is due to subtraction and division. As we look at 1 Timothy 6, what do we find is subtracted in our lives or divided when it comes to the love of money?
First, in verse 8, we see that with the love of money, we end up with less contentment with what we have. King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 5:10, “Whoever loves money, never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.” There is something about the love of money which centers around the word “more” which breeds less contentment in our lives. We always want more because the love of money offers the false promise that the next level of more will bring contentment. It does not.
Second, in verse 10 we find that the love of money divides our faith and loyalties. Paul tells Timothy that the love of money makes people “wander from the faith.” Jesus tells us in 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.” The love of money is one of those masters that creeps into every area of our lives and demands to be #1 as the priority. When money is the priority, we act and work a certain way. When God is the priority, we act work a different way.
ILLUSTRATION… A Miserable Millionare http://www.kentcrockett.com/cgi-bin/illustrations/ index.cgi?topic=Money (George Foreman, God in My Corner, Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007, p.71-72)
Former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman and seller of a way cool grill, in his book God in My Corner, explains how money couldn't buy him happiness. He writes:
Before I met God, my attitude was about as bad as it could get. Even when everything was going well for me, I couldn’t see it. And I didn’t appreciate it. When Muhammad Ali fought me for the heavyweight championship, I received a five-million-dollar paycheck. That purse was an astronomical amount of money in those days, and would be worth many times more than that amount in today’s dollars. No fighters had ever been so well-paid in the history of boxing. You’d think that being a multimillionaire would bring instant joy to my soul.
It didn’t. Because I lost the boxing match, I couldn’t enjoy my money. I had five million dollars in the bank, but couldn’t find pleasure in even one penny of it!
I chose to see the worst in my situation, and my stomach was tied up in knots as a result. My sour attitude caused me to sink into deep depression, even though I was filthy rich. Five million dollars could buy me anything I wanted—except happiness.
So far, we have talked about the Scriptures, but none of this has any hope of being practical if we do not take one more step forward together in thinking about the “love of money” and our faith in God. Our next step involves the math symbol “greater than.”
IV. (>) greater than
One of the biggest questions we always have when we think about 1 Timothy 6 is we wonder “Is it me?” Do I have a problem with making money more of a priority than it should be? Am I someone who has fallen into the trap of the love of money and I am headed down a path of many griefs and destruction? Is God happy with how I spend my money? How do I know if I have contentment or not? How do I know if I have divided loyalties? How do I know if I am a Christian Atheist in this area… saying that I believe in God, but living as though He doesn’t exist or hasn’t spoken about money?
We are going to use the “greater than” sign to put some of these questions into perspective and hopefully give us some guidance. In the end, what we want is for God, His will, His opinion, and His manner of managing money to be our priority and the way we run our lives. Here is where the sermon moves from preaching God’s Word to meddling and often makes us angry, but I hope that you think about these items as a way to self-reflect on how we are doing in this area.
To be honest, only one of these next examples I can say for sure. For sure, I know without a shadow of a doubt, that if you don’t tithe at all or tithe just a couple bucks whenever you feel like it, then you do not understand God. You do not understand His commands to His people about money and it is true that you love money more than God. I know for a fact that if you do not tithe, you have an issue in this area.
The rest of these may indicate an issue with money. None of this is fun, but it is necessary to talk about if we are going to cease fooling ourselves that we are acting like Christians when indeed we are not:
* If you love God more than money, then giving to God each month will be greater than the cost of your entertainment. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
* If you love God more than money, then giving to God each month will be greater than the amount you spend going out to eat. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
* If you love God more than money, then giving to God will be greater than your cell phone bill. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
* If you love God more than money, then helping others and serving God will be greater than the desire to keep money in your wallet. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
* If you love God more than money, then effort with God, with worship, and with Bible study will be greater than your money making opportunities and your job effort. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
* If you love God more than money, then going on a mission’s trip and giving to missionaries will be a greater desire than your desire to take and spend money on vacations and cruises. If it isn’t, you might be a Christian Atheist in this area.
CONCLUSION “In God We Trust”
It says on our money… on the money that we use every day… “In God We Trust.” The challenge presented to us today in 1 Timothy 6 is that we keep that motto in our hearts and not just on our money. We are challenged today to keep God as priority and not to live as Christian Atheists who say we believe in God, but live under the control and love of money.
INVITATION
