Man’s Failing Control Dissipates
Man’s effort to control and secure the forces of life generates greed and idolatry. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Man’s system simply does not work – if the goal is a good, Godly life of abundance and peace.
Some things just don’t work!
Windows Operating Systems – don’t work!
Jumping out of an airplane without a parachute – doesn’t work!
Trying to get a 2 year old to hurry on your way to church Sunday morning - doesn’t work.
Getting your husband to go on a Sunday afternoon drive during football season - doesn’t work.
Classical music written for banjo or steel guitar - doesn’t work. I read recently that Bach and Handel works have been transcribed for banjo. The very thought of that inspires an emotional mix of fascination and horror in me. In other words it gives me the creeps.
There was a golden oldie from a few years ago the listed some things that don’t work…
You don’t spit into the wind,
You don’t pull on Superman’s cape,
You don’t take the mask off of the ’ol Lone Ranger, and
You don’t mess around with Jim..."
There is more but I’d have to sing and that is another thing that just doesn’t work!
The Love of Money– doesn’t work.
At least it doesn’t if what you want out of life is contentment, happiness, joy, and peace. The love of money does not produce good things. It does produces greed and it is the root cause of all kinds of evil
But many love money because it gives them a sense of It is an issue of power and control. “Look at what I have and what I can do”
Slide 2
Man’s Control Dissipates Power
Man’s effort to control and secure the forces of life generates greed and idolatry. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Man’s system simply does not work – if the goal is a good, Godly life of abundance and peace.
This is idolatry and it dissipates your power
I learned recently that 70% of Americans are in such financial difficulty and owe so much unsecured debt that if they pay only the minimum charges. They will never get out of debt.
According to Anthony Carr of Realty Times, this difficulty is not because they do not earn enough. It is not because the economy is in a down turn. It IS because they are out of control in their spending patterns and they have fallen into the trap of greed.
Look at what God’s word says about this idol worship in 1 Timothy 6:10-11
Slide 3
Money is the Idol of the Age
1 Timothy 6:9-10 (NCV)
9 Those who want to become rich bring temptation to themselves and are caught in a trap. They want many foolish and harmful things that ruin and destroy people.
10 The love of money causes all kinds of evil. Some people have left the faith, because they wanted to get more money, but they have caused themselves much sorrow.
Money is like a Brick. Money in itself is not evil. It’s the love of money. Money is like a brick. You can use it to build a cathedral or to crush someone’s skull. Money is neither good nor evil in itself. It is greed that is the root of all evil.
- Paul W. Powell, {Taking the Stew Out of Stewardship,}(Dallas, TX: Annuity Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1996)
What are you willing to do for $10,000,000?
Two-thirds of Americans polled would agree to at least one, some to several of the following:
· 25% would abandon their entire family.
· 23% would become prostitutes for a week or more
· 16% would give up their American citizenships
· 16% would leave their spouses
· 10% would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free
· 7% would kill a stranger
· 3% would put their children up for adoption
· 25% would abandon their church.
Money does not make you rich. Serving God does.
The Godly attitude is that “We have brought nothing into this world and we’ll take nothing out. If we have food and clothes, we will be satisfied.” Having this attitude Depends on letting go of the control and trusting God with your life.
We’re going to discover today in 1 Timothy 6:10-19 the five commands that Paul instructs Timothy, a young preacher, to give to those in danger of falling into the dangerous life-sucking trap of loving money. We would do well to hear and obey
Slide 4
Live in the Right Way
1 Timothy 6:11
11 But you, man of God, run away from all those things. Instead, live in the right way, serve God, have faith, love, patience, and gentleness.
Run away from all those things. What things? The stuff and evil that the love of money produces!
Sometimes the smartest thing a soldier can do is to run – especially when the enemy is overwhelming.
Put some distance between you and the love of money because it is overwhelming. Live in the right way, serve God, have faith, love, patience and gentleness Don’t love things and use people; Love people and use things!
Following this command changes your whole perspective on living
· I make no apologies this morning for talking to you about money and giving.
· I make no promises that if you give God will make you wealthy.
· I make no weepy request for offerings because we need it to catch up financially (even though we do and even though we are constantly struggling to keep up).
· I make no demanding guilt-producing statements that if you don’t respond we may have to make some major cutbacks or if you don’t give God may take my life.
Why don’t I do this? For one simple reason – it isn’t about money. It’s about you changing the very foundation of your life.
Now that can be a little scary but making the financial decision to invest your life in the Kingdom of God is a critical step to breaking the control of money in your life that dissipates and destroys your power to live abundantly.
This is why I love to preach about money. I want to see you set free.
When you make this decision to return the tenth or at the very least to begin to change your finances and move in that direction; when you begin to give a valuable offering according you what you have then – and only then – you begin to let loose the prevailing power of God in your life.
Osceola McCarty
One person whom we may be able to learn from is Osceola McCarty. You my remember hearing of her in the mid 1990’s.
Osceola McCarty was a quiet, unassuming woman who died at the age of 91. She was from Mississippi and lived most of her life doing laundry for the people in her neighborhood for a few dollars.
She quit school at the age of 8 to go to work and helps provide for her family. She would have died in obscurity had it not been for the gift that she gave to the University of Southern Mississippi. Interestingly enough, just 3 years before she died, Osceola presented the University with a check for $150,000.
Somehow, through all of the years of her life until 1995, she was able to work steadily, budget carefully, save consistently, invest wisely, and give generously. I want to repeat that. She was able to work steadily, budget carefully, save consistently, invest wisely, and give generously.
It isn’t any wonder that Harvard University gave Osceola an honorary doctorate. Bill Hybels says that she may have been one of the smartest people to have ever lived.
When asked about her philosophy of life, she expressed it in fairly simple terms. She believed in working hard, saving as much as possible, trusting in God, developing good relationships with all people, and in living by God’s word.
Slide 5
Fight the Good Fight of Faith
1 Timothy 6:12
12 Fight the good fight of faith, grabbing hold of the life that continues forever. You were called to have that life when you confessed the good confession before many witnesses.
“Grabbing hold of the life that continues forever”
When I read this verse I always come back to way you take hold of the bar when you are a trapeze artist in the circus. You tape up your palms, you chalk your hands, you take a firm grip and you don’t let go!
Paul said, “Remember your confession”
Do you remember your confession? Do you remember the first time you said the words, “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God”?
One of the reasons people like weddings is because they remember their own vows. Remember is important because it helps us stay focused.
God gave us two ways wonderful gifts to help us remember our confession…
Baptism helps us remember in two ways.
First, we are connected to the cross. We are connected to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. This is depicted in our baptism by immersion, which was how baptism occurred in NT Church.
Second, we are connected by way of our personal promise and covenant. It is the vow and pledge of your life to God.
If you have not yet been baptized into Jesus in a way that depicts the DB&R and makes that personal pledge I would love to have you ask me about how you can be baptized! We’ll make the arrangements!
The Lord’s Supper helps us to remember
Its whole focus is to aim our thoughts to the cross and to the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. That is one of the reasons I love to celebrate the Lord’s Supper every week. It’s one of the reasons that I love to have our “Family Communion Time” up front.
It helps me to remember my confession and that gives me strength.
Slide 6
Do What You Were Commanded to Do
1 Timothy 6:14
14 Do what you were commanded to do without wrong or blame until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
Christians have one commander and one overriding command…
Follow Me
There is no other law. He is the law. He embodies it. He lived it and we are to simply follow him. That command is the driving direction of our lives and embedded in that is powerful purpose – Tell everyone about Him.
Jesus left us with some a simple but powerful purpose, “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded.
I don’t apologize to anyone that I am a follower of Jesus. I follow with hurting or blaming. I just follow and I just invite my friends, my relatives, my associates, and my neighbors to do the same.
At MCC we are doing what we were commanded to do.
We are not a seeker church. We aren’t a “believers only” assembly. We are a community of people who found their way home. We’ve discovered that the prodigal can come home and that no only is he welcomed there but that our father is throwing a party.
Can you imagine the prevailing power of MCC when the whole of us begin to tell our friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors about what it’s like to part of God’s family! And when they don’t understand we just say, “Why don’t you come and see?”
2003 Open House Snap Shots – See what develops!
Remember it is about People - not stuff. Last week I asked you to pray for someone. Some of you didn’t catch the drift or more likely I wasn’t as clear as I should have been – pray for someone that needs to follow Jesus.
This week we’re asking you serve and love that same person.
· Call them up and ask them to give you a hand with a project. That’s a great way to build a relationship – when you offer to help them they’ll politely turn you down – when you ask for help, if they can, the will!
· Offer to watch their kids so they can get a night out without having to pay a babysitter.
· Take them a plate of cookies and just say these were extra and I thought you’d enjoy them. (Make enough that they really are extra!)
Find a way to “love on” that person you are praying for.
Slide 7
Put Your Hope in God
1 Timothy 6:17
17 Command those who are rich with things of this world not to be proud. Tell them to hope in God, not in their uncertain riches. God richly gives us everything to enjoy.
Do not be proud of what you have - Be proud of who you are. The secret of being content is in Jesus. Trust in God not in uncertain riches.
Look at any coin or bill of the realm – “In God We Trust”
Next time you pick up a coin look at the inscription placed at the top. It says, " IN GOD WE TRUST ", what a great value. Do we still hold this to be true or should it read in money we trust?
It used to be that cathedrals were the center of every city and the tallest buildings of that city.
Cathedrals were not only places of worship but places of social gatherings and meetings. Life and families revolved around churches and the values they stood for. Now look at what is in the center of our cities, and our tallest buildings, it is banks. What is the subliminal message here?
This doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy money or the stuff money buys. God has given us everything to enjoy!
Enjoy what God gives you – just remember that He is the source of all good things – not you! Give him the thanksgiving.
Slide 8
Decide to Do Good
1 Timothy 6:18-19
18 Tell the rich people to do good, to be rich in doing good deeds, to be generous and ready to share. 19 By doing that, they will be saving a treasure for themselves as a strong foundation for the future. Then they will be able to have the life that is true life.
Here is where we find real contentment and joy in life!
Be rich in doing good deeds. Be generous and ready to share
It’s fun to give of our selves to others. It really is more fun to give than to receive.
It is here this final command that we build a true life. It’s important that you understand some truths about these commands or you’ll miss out on the prevailing power in your life.
Slide 9 – build 1
Three Truths About These Five Commands
· The 1st command involves the toughest decisions
It is not easy to run from the things in this world. We are surrounded on all sides. It’s not easy to stop moving in a direction that we’ve been moving in for years or even decades. There is a lot of momentum built up focusing our energies on money and all that it promises.
The decision to obey the command to run from the love of money and to live the right way is the toughest of them all.
Slide 9 – build 2
Three Truths About These Five Commands
· The 1st command involves the toughest decisions
· Your strength will grow as you progress in obedience to these commands
These commands are in a progression. They lead from one life to another life. Each one builds on the previous ones. Each one adds new power and strength to the direction and purpose of your life.
In some ways you can like it to an expositional explosion of power – each level multiplying the power of the previous one.
What that means is that the last decision to “Do Good” isn’t five times more powerful than the first. It’s 256 times more powerful! That’s prevailing power that overcomes everything in its path – in you and in the church.
The church is like a locomotive. If it’s stopped a 2X4 on the tracks will keep it from moving! If it’s moving – even a little – it will go through a brick wall like a hot knife through soft butter.
Slide 9 – build 3
Three Truths About These Five Commands
· The 1st command involves the toughest decisions
· Your strength will grow as you progress in obedience to these commands
· Obedience to the last command leads to Obeying the last command leads to prevailing power when built on obedience to previous commands
The last truth is that you can’t go backwards through these commands and gain any prevailing power.
Let me remind you that God has called us to be part of a community of believers that changes the landscape of our world and of the world. It takes PREVAILING POWER – HOLY SPIRIT POWER – GOD’S POWER to make that happen.
If you start with “Doing Good” you will do good but it won’t change much in this world.
This week I’ll be sending you a letter asking you to carefully consider these commands for your life.
Why? Because God has called us to be a people of prevailing power!
Slide 10
Family Encouragement Time…
If you are a guest, we invite you to enjoy our family time – sit back enjoy the music or jump right in!
· Exchange your burdens and pray for a person in your life that needs to follow Jesus – Cards are down front on the tables.
· Encourage One Another – Go to someone in the auditorium and let them know that their presence is an encouragement to you
· Come to the front and we’ll pray with you during this time.
When the singing starts – Join in and prepare for a time of communion.
"Here at Meridian, we really want to help people find their way home. And as you have heard us say before, when we meet together on Sunday mornings to worship God, we are here in the family room.
So, we are going to incorporate some opportunities for family time into our service each Sunday. There will be times when we will partake in Communion as a family down front around the tables.
Other times, we will pray for one another and you can just come and know that the family is sharing in your needs. Some Sundays we will hear each other’s testimonies of the things that God is doing in our lives. And other Sundays we will have an opportunity to encourage one another. And that is what we are going to do today.
In a few minutes I just want you to spend some time with the family. Find someone that you haven’t seen for a while and encourage them, pray for them, let them know how they have been a blessing to you. Or take this opportunity to get to know someone that you haven’t met before. We have a big family, and we don’t all know each other.
Find someone you don’t know and introduce yourself and start a whole new relationship with them right here this morning. Maybe some of you need to come down front because there are things heavy on your heart that you just need to lift up in prayer.
There are people down here waiting to pray with you, so if you would like, you come down here for that. Others of you may have missed the opportunity to fill out a prayer card for someone that you would like to pray for to bring to the Open House. So you come down and get your card. Let’s just take a few minutes and spend some time together, encouraging one another and meeting as a family."
