A. Opening illustration: Contentment in wedding vows, “for richer or for poorer,” 80% 5.6 billion people live on less than $10/day ($3650/yr), half are less than $2.50/day ($912/yr). US poverty line is over $12K/yr, 4X the global rate, 44 million people. 20% of Troup Co. below poverty line, 13,510 living on $12/yr. Now, are we content with our cars, homes, phones, paychecks? How about our jobs, marriages/relationships, our church, are we content?
B. Background to passage: Paul has been dealing with issues in the church since the beginning of the letter. I am going to skip over vv. 3-5 because we have hit them so many times. The Ephesian church had many teachers that were focused on old wives’ tales, Jewish mythology, genealogies, and false salvation doctrines. He has been dealing with relationships within the church, taking care of widows, pastors, servants, and masters, but now after his reminder of the dangers of the false teachers, he warns of greed and misuse of personal resources. The teaching here is two-fold: contentment vs. greed and instructions to the rich. The common bond is the purpose of blessing and contentment with provision for the greedy and for the rich.
C. Main thought:
1) Operate According to Reality (v. 6-10)
a. Paul states the obvious, you can’t take it with you. Greed for more money, or more anything for that matter, has been around since the beginning. Then he warns about the temptations that inherently come with greed. Specifically, he mentions ruin, destruction, suffering and the loss of faith. He encourages contentment with what you have been given to steward, rather a little or a lot. He ends with the often-misquoted verse about the root of all kinds of evil. The issue here is focus; it is one of the heart.
b. Argumentation
c. Illustration: jokes about the man who wanted to take his gold with him, “went the other way” and “pavement”, I believe that the gospel and the American Dream have fundamentally different starting points. The American Dream begins with self, exalts self, says you are inherently good and you have in you what it takes to be successful so do all you can, work with everything you have to make much of yourself. The gospel begins with God, the reality that we were created to exalt his name to the ends of the earth. -David Platt,
d. To spend your life striving to achieve the American Dream, which is to be the pinnacle of success, you will focus on yourself and your advancement. Even if our path is not littered by the people whom we have thrown aside to reach the top and gain the riches, we have focused on ourselves. Our greed will reveal itself as we value possessions over people and power and use people to gain possessions and power. If we are content with the resources God has provided, we will rather view them as a means to bless others. These are the reasons that God blesses us. God will inspect your heart to see if you view the things you are given as temporary and fleeting, therefore bless others, of if greed is the potential shipwreck of your faith.
2) Operate According to Generosity (v. 17-18)
a. To the rich among the congregation, Paul says the dangers of riches are pride, self-sufficiency, and self-indulgence. A principle to keep them focused was that God was the provider of all things. Truly, whether you are rich or poor, greedy or generous, frugal or extravagant, the idea is trust. We do not trust in riches or the security they provide. We can lose them all in a moment. We do not trust in our abilities. They, too, can be gone in an instant. Riches and abilities came from God anyway. The question is, do we trust him?
b. Remember Jesus’ warning about the rich entering heaven, eye of the needle,
c. Illustration: the guy at the zoning application hearing. When we let go of money, we are letting go of part of ourselves and part of our security. But this is precisely why it is important to do it. It is one way to obey Jesus’ command to deny ourselves.… When we give money, we are releasing a little more of our egocentric selves and a little more of our false security.… Giving frees us to care. It produces an air of expectancy as we anticipate what God will lead us to give. It makes life with God an adventure in the world, and that is worth living for and giving for.
d. No matter how business savvy we are, no matter many breaks we catch, we are reminded that God provides them, and gives to us whatever we have. God gave you the business skill you have. He gave you the breaks that just went your way. 2. The riches are not inherently evil, but the goal is the same, bless others. 3. Hold loosely to “things” and be willing to part with them on behalf of others that God wants to bless through you. If the issue is how loosely we hold to “things” and how much we trust in God, shouldn’t we be the most generous people.
e. I am not here to guilt you into giving, and neither of these two paragraphs deal with it explicitly, but I think because they are in a letter that centers around correct teaching and practice in the church, I think it is safe to apply them here. Now, Jesus assumes that you will give because he gives instructions on giving several times (widow’s penny, sounding no trumpet, right hand/left hand). Paul says that we are to give regularly, sacrificially, joyfully, and in proportion to our income. Membership brings with it a responsibility to give. We don’t inspect W-2s, it’s the honor system. We do not discriminate and take any money that comes in, but it’s expected of members. God promises to bless those who are faithful in giving. You may think you can’t afford to give, but unless you make no money, that is a lie from Satan. It is a faith/trust issue. Do you trust God to provide for you if you give some of his back for the kingdom? If you have never consistently, biblically given, I challenge you to give immediately when you get paid. consistently and see. I heard a story of a missionary in Africa who received a knock on the door of his hut one afternoon. Answering, the missionary found a native boy holding a large fish in his hands. The boy said, "Reverend, you taught us what tithing is, so here. I've brought you my tithe." As the missionary gratefully took the fish, he questioned the boy. "If this is your tithe, where are the other nine fish?" At this, the boy beamed and said, "Oh, they're still back in the river. I'm going back to catch them now."
3) Operate According to True Value (v. 19)
a. The lure of money is fulfillment. In this verse Paul speaks of the true foundation built upon of laying up treasures in heaven rather than earth. He is speaking of the fullness of good works that will repay in heaven as reward. He continues to what is the most important truth of the passage: a purpose clause for all of these instructions. He says the motivation for all these is not guilt, not duty, not responsibility, not ability, not pity, not even missions, but that we should aim for that which is truly life. Here is actually where the concepts of contentment and discontentment actually come together. Our happiness was designed to be found in God (he is the most deep, permanent satisfaction), and our discontentment in our current spiritual state, high or low, drive us to seek happiness in God. It’s almost if you would, greed for satisfaction. Content, but always discontent. Satisfied, but always hungry. Quenched, but ever thirsty.
b. Argumentation
c. Illustration: “We don’t have time to play games with our lives, and we don’t have time to play games in the church. We do not have time to waste our lives on a nice, comfortable Christian spin of the American dream.”
d. You see, money is not life, church giving is not life, charity is not life, avoiding greed in not life, generosity is not life, laying up treasure in heaven is not life, what is truly life is Jesus Christ! He is the center of the universe of our soul. He is the only thing that satisfies. He is the only treasure that truly motivates us to give/steward our resources. If he is your treasure, you will desire to glorify him, and you will look for areas to make much of him, money is not the only, but definitely one place. So, we ask the question, how will I best use my resources to put on display your glory? How can I be faithful with what you have given, so that your faithfulness is made manifest? How can my decisions with my resources point to the fact that the cross of Christ and my transformation by him is the most beautiful thing in the universe? God gave his son generously to put on display his glory. Isn’t he wonderful! Isn’t he faithful! Isn’t he gracious! Be enamored by Christ, and giving will not feel sacrificial even if you sell it all, because you have that which is truly life!
A. Closing illustration: There was an article in the Wednesday, June 26, 2002 issue of the Colorado Springs Gazette by Michelle Singletary titled “How Much is Enough in the Pursuit of Money?”
She began by writing about Karen Hughes, counselor to President Bush, who decided to leave the White House so that she could return home to Texas and spend more time with her husband and teenage son. Turning down the pursuit of fame and fortune for family is a radical concept these days.
Ms. Singletary quotes workplace consultant Pamela York Klainer from her book “How Much Is Enough? Harness the Power of Your Money Story -- And Change Your Life” in which she writes:
“In our American culture money has moved to the center stage.” “Money, Klainer points out, ‘has gone well beyond its literal function as a way to provide for our essential needs and has become, in itself, an essential need. We’re working harder and earning more, yet we continue to be driven, restless, unsatisfied.’”
If your satisfaction is in Christ, you will be driven, restless, unsatisfied (in a complete sense), all the while working harder, earning more, and seeking more satisfaction.
