Sermon(1 Tim 6:17-19): The rich people in the church

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025252000

 

 

 

>> 17 As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed. (1 Tim 6:17-19) <<

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What is the most delicious coffee in the world? Maybe it is 'the instant coffee after a meal' of those who work hard at the construction site every day, who support their wife and children, and who, being poor, have bought the instant coffee. Or perhaps the best coffee in the world is the coffee of a coffee vending machine, which the workers who labored hard drink after they had lunch. Conversely, the finest coffee in a fancy coffee shop may not taste best to the upstarts and their sons, even if it has a particular fragrance. The coffee drunken by a man having too much money can never be the most delicious coffee in the world. Every meal that you buy for the money which you earned by hard labor will be most delicious in the world. But it seems that only poor people enjoy such benefits. He who works hard because of poverty sleeps a sound sleep, doesn't he? God the Creator is delighted in him who works hard with sweat on his forehead. God helps him. God grants him a wide and straight way to success. God willingly forgives him his sins. Because such a faithful worker is a worker of God. God makes the world beautiful and valuable through such diligent people. Who is worthier to God, a man of 10 billion won who kills his time going sightseeing or a man who works each day to earn the money for the day? The latter is! Labor has a divine value in God's sight. on the contrary, a life of no labor and much eating is nothing but a waste of precious life (time) if it is not for the rest and recovery.

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Today's word of God is apostle Paul's letter to pastor Timothy his disciple. Here, in particular, Paul exhorts Timothy to teach the rich thoroughly. Yes, my brethren! The saints grow properly when they are properly educated by the word of God. The Bible gives good teachings not only to the rich but also to the poor. The poor must first beware of the temptation to be rich quickly (Prov 28:20). If you try to get rich quickly, you may get poorer. Gamblers who went flat broke belong to that kind. He who wants to be rich quickly can easily step into crime, so that he becomes a sinner, let alone a rich man. Drug makers and sellers fall into this category. You can lose even the principal if you trust your money to him who promises high interest rate. This also is one of the traps that people who try to make much money quickly frequently fall into. God the Father works, God the Son works, and so does the Holy Spirit in the world; why should man want to be rich quickly without working hard? The Trinity delights in him who is faithful, diligent and hard-working. Unfaithful are those who have too fantastic dreams. The Bible teaches poor people that they must not envy unrighteous wealthy people. To envy them is nothing but to have an intention to be a rich man without fail even by unjust means when getting a chance. This is not an earnest attitude, so God has no delight in it. God who hates injustice does not like those who envy the unrighteous wealthy people, for they pay respect to those unjust people. The Bible teaches the poor to give thanks to God always, to be glad always, and to pray to God for his help always. The Bible teaches the poor not to worry about tomorrow. You poor ones, control your mind. Make up your mind not to worry, and drive away your fear and anxiety from your heart. Look only to God, and seek his help. The God good, merciful and gracious will give you all that you want. The word of truth, life and grace guarantees that.

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The Bible's lesson for the rich is that the wealth is 'uncertain' (v. 17). 'Uncertain' means that riches are not a thing that tends to firmly attach to a person for a long time. The riches have never known such thing as faithfulness to the owner. Even if you cherish and love a lump of gold very much like your children or your beloved one, you have to break off your relationship with it when another man takes it with him. Riches (money) know neither ‘affection or friendship of a long relationship’ nor tear. My brethren, do not love the riches one-sidedly. If you fall in love with money (the riches) with all your heart, you're holding on to a rotten rope that can't keep you safe. Especially he who has gathered a great deal of unjust money will have to see the money run away from him one day, for sometimes the wealth strictly obeys God and goes somewhere else. The poor worry because they have no money; the rich worry because they can be robbed. The rich can't have a comfortable night and a sound sleep because they are afraid of thieves breaking in. Some Christians live in that fear because they are in unbelief. If you acknowledge that the riches are God's, God will keep those riches. We Christians must not be glad or sad at the movement of the uncertain riches.

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The Bible tells the rich to set their hope not on uncertain riches but on God. As mentioned above, sometimes you have riches, sometimes not. Riches are not such things as you can easily deal with. Can you quench a fire just by crying to the flames, "Stop!", when your house is on fire? No, you can't! Foolish is he who sets his hope on riches, because he does not know that his wealth frequently does not protect him, that he can't receive help of God who can help him with all kinds of support, if he sets his hope on riches. Money itself does not educate your children well, give you wisdom, take the responsibility for the health of your family upon itself. Of course, money makes it easy to achieve them. Nevertheless riches work in the range of God's blessing. Can you see the effect of hundreds of millions of won that was spent on the cure of disease that God did not permit? Absolutely not! When God does not want to bless a man's sons and daughters, nevertheless, can he succeed in educating them well if he uses a lot of money? No! on the contrary, If God blesses your business, home and job, all the money in the world will be used to fulfill your blessings. If God withdraws his blessings, riches piled up on you will disappear; if God blesses a man, he, though the poorest man, can become the chairman of a chaebol. My brethren, set your hope in God. All is God's - all silver and gold, all cattle and beasts, and all talented people in the world. If you set your future hope not on uncertain riches but in the sincere and unchanging God, all good things of the world will be used to make your future perfect and beautiful.

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What attitude do rich Christians show when their hope is in God? They are humble before God and men. They attribute all their success to the grace and help of God. Those who are humble before God like this will never stop tithing. They will never offer up gratitude offertory to God with a stingy heart. They let others not know his deed when they help others, because they want the thanks for the good deed to be directed not to themselves but to God only. And the rich who are humble before God serve God not only by wealth but also by body and heart. A haughty man because of a lot of money is he who neglects other duties he must undertake after he has offered up some money or because he is the richest man in the church. A modest rich man takes it for absolutely granted to use his wealth for the kingdom of God. He thinks it to be a sacred mission entrusted to him. Furthermore he devotes as much time and effort as others to do the work of God. What does this man look like when he is humble before people? Others can feel his humility if his humility is real humility. Of course, some people of peculiar character see a humble man as a haughty man, which is a special case. In general, you look modest to others if you are humble. If you are modest, you don't try to be others' master. If you are modest, you don't try to make others your servants by your wealth. And you don't try to help another man before all eyes of people. Even your left hand does not know the good deed your right hand did to others. You help another man, not making him know the helper. Because you don't want to make the man receiving your help your servant. He who is humble before others does not show off his riches and enjoy luxury. A Christian can have a 100 million won foreign car. However he may not call himself a humble rich man, riding such a car. How can you, wearing expensive clothes whose prices are ten times reasonable prices, expect that others will think you humble? What difference is there between the two, one who, after learning a foreign language, tries to show off his ability of the foreign language, the other who, after earning some money, enjoys only luxurious goods? Aren’t both haughty? I think that a humble rich man need to have a nice figure. If a poor man is a little fat, people will feel relieved to think he manages to live thanks to God's grace. However if a rich man gets around in fat figure, he hardly looks humble to others.

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Today, the word of God advises the rich as follows: "They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous. (v. 18)" It is not a mere recommendation but an order. Just as it is a sacred duty for a pastor having a lot of words of God in heart should preach the gospel to the saints ceaselessly, so it is a sacred duty for a rich man to do work of God with his wealth. A rich man who neglects this duty will be severely reproached by God. God orders the rich to use their riches for good purposes. He who spends his money in sinning will receive severer punishment than thieves or robbers. It is the most wicked sin to use the blessings of God in destroying oneself and his family and others. Do not use money to satisfy your sexual desire. Do not bribe. And do not indulge in extravagance. And do not accumulate wealth more than necessary. A pile of money will make you arrogant, and in this case you are lazy concerning the wealth. If your pastor only accumulates the knowledge of Bible and theology, but does not give you good sermons, you'll surely blame him for laziness. But, why do you keep laying up wealth, but not gladly use even one dollar for the kingdom of God, and feel sad about the lost one dollar? Do not just keep accumulating wealth, but use it for good purposes as for the kingdom of God and for the poor neighbors. This is God's command.

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If you, like this, use the wealth, which you've gained honestly by the power that God gave you, for the good purposes, you are a Christian who sets his hope not on riches but in God. God will grant you the holy heavenly blessings and the abundant worldly blessings, the blessings that riches can't give you, whenever you need, if you, like this, become a humble man in relation to the wealth. In addition, the Bible promises also this: "thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed. (v. 19)" If you use your wealth for good purpose, God will regard it as laid up in heaven, and will give you a priceless gift, the eternal life.

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May God give you the ability to earn a lot of money. And may you well use your wealth for the kingdom of God, be praised by God and receive a precious gift the eternal life.

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Chong Tack Kim

                                      - Dongtoma Sunshine Church -

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