BIG IDEA:
FOCUS ON WHAT IS REALLY VALUABLE IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY
Balances the warnings in vs. 6-10 so that those who are already rich don’t feel necessarily condemned, but can view these riches from the proper perspective as God’s blessing to them to be used for His glory.
I. (:17-19) FINAL INSTRUCTIONS TO THE RICH -- INVEST YOUR EARTHLY RICHES FOR ETERNITY
A. Danger of Earthly Riches
1. Can Cause one to become Conceited
"Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited"
2. Can Divert one’s Trust from God
a. Negative: Don’t trust in riches
"or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches"
Why? Riches are uncertain -- Prov. 23:4-5
Gromacki: "The value of hope rests upon the innate strength of the one on whom it is placed. Rich men’s folly was to put hope upon things. They literally set their hope ’upon the uncertainty of riches’… The irony is that they put hope on uncertainty; not even upon the riches themselves. The uncertainty is caused by the brevity of life (James 4:13-17) and the relative value of money, which is affected by inflation, war,
and other complicated factors. Solomon warned, ’He that trusteth in his riches shall fall’
(Prov. 11:28). Jesus used the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21) to illlustrate the folly of this false security."
b. Positive: Trust in God
"but on God"
Why? "who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy"
B. Opportunity Afforded by Earthly Riches = to meet the needs of others
1. "Instruct them to do good"
Fernando: "Before Paul asked the rich to give, he told them to be rich in good deeds. It is not enough for them to dole out funds in a detached way. They
must become involved with deeds of kindness. It will help others and also help.them to live complete lives."
2. "to be rich in good works"
3. "to be generous and ready to share"
Fee: "The ’enjoyment’ of ’everything’ as God’s generous gift leads away from ’high-mindedness’
and false security to the freedom of giving generously… Hence true ’riches’ is found in the giving, not in the having."
C. Potential for Great Reward for Eternity and Abundant Life Right Now
1. Great Reward for Eternity
"storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future"
2. Abundant Life Right Now
"so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed"
Wiersbe: "’That they may lay hold on the life that is real’ would express it perfectly. Riches can lure a person into a make-believe world of shallow
pleasure. But riches plus God’s will can introduce a person to life that is real and ministry that is lasting."
Gromacki: "When a believer lives for eternity, he better enjoys the reality of eternal life in the present. He recognizes the continuity between the two realms of personal existence."
II. (:20-21) FINAL INSTRUCTIONS TO TIMOTHY -- GUARD THE TREASURE OF THE FAITH
A. Primary Focus -- "O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you"
2 Tim. 1:12-14
Campbell: "What is this deposit that Paul instructs Timothy to guard? In Second Timothy 1:12, Paul says, ’for I know in whom I have believed, and I have been persuaded that he is able to guard my deposit unto that day.’ Paul affirms here that he himself has a deposit … This deposit was directly revealed to Paul by Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:12; cf. 1 Cor. 2:6-10; Eph. 3:2-11; 1 Thess. 2:13). The contents of this deposit
had previously been kept secret but were revealed to and through the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 2:7; Rom. 16:25-26; Col. 4:3-4). Paul also speaks of that which Christ deposited with him as being his Gospel, i.e., my Gospel (Rom. 2:16; 16:25; 2 Tim. 2:8). He also
refers to this truth deposited with him as being the Gospel of the Grace of God (Acts 20:24). In summary, the word ’deposit’ is used by Paul with reference to the distinct body of truth for the Church revealed to him."
Kent: (does not try to maintain the same meaning across all the references to "deposit" in 2 Timothy) --"Here Paul’s meaning is clearly the Gospel in its wider connotation, the true doctrine of Christian faith, as opposed to the heresy and worthless speculation of false men."
B. Distractions to Avoid
1. "avoiding worldly and empty chatter’
Gromacki: "The noun (’vain babblings’) literally means ’empty sounds or voices.’ These babblings have no doctrinal content. They make no positive
contribution to spiritual development."
2. "and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge"
Guthrie: "The false teachers were claiming quite naturally that their teaching was the true science or knowledge (gnosis), a characteristic certainly not
confined to second-century gnosticism. It is evident in all the modern cults which claim an exclusive grasp of true ’knowledge’.
C. Examples to Avoid
"which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith"
Hiebert: "By their professed adherence to this spurious teaching they have tragically
strayed from the path of Christian truth Their example constitutes a solemn warning which Timothy must hold up before the congregations."
BENEDICTION
"Grace be with you"
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) Based on our modern day standard of living, should many of us consider ourselves in the "rich" category as pertains to these instructions? Does inclusion in this category of the rich depend more on an absolute standard based on a worldwide comparison or more on a relative standard based on one’s own culture?
2) When we increase our expenditures and expand our standard of living do we take into account lost opportunities to invest for eternity and to be generous in meeting the needs of others?
3) How can rich people determine where their confidence lies? How can they be sensitive to where they are manifesting pride or false security? What will humility look like on their part?
4) What type of "worldly and empty chatter" and "falsely called knowledge" do we face in our day?
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