1 Timothy 6 will be the text this morning. Chapter 6, verses 6 to 10, and then 17 to 19. Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, With these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness. and pierce themselves through with many sorrows. Verse 17, Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. But let them do good, that they may be rich in good works. ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life. Let's pray. Father, we once again thank you for the guidance of your holy word and we pray, Lord, that you will help me as I preach and teach this scripture passage and help the people to grasp it and to live by it. And I pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. This morning, the title of my message is Proper Attitudes Toward Money. Now, we all like money. We like receiving it. We like being able to spend it and use it. But perhaps not as many are all that focused on having the right attitude toward money. As Christians, we are certainly taught to have the right attitude toward money and possessions. Jesus taught much about this subject, and so it is a very important subject for us to consider this morning. Now I'm not going to talk much about giving. In fact, only one verse deals with the subject of giving, and actually it talks about wealthy people giving. But I believe if you will adopt what Paul says about having the right attitude toward money and possessions, you won't have any problem giving a worthy percentage of what you have, what your income is, to support the Lord's work and to bless the lives of others. I hope you'll listen carefully because if you adopt the right attitude toward possessions, I believe you will be happier, you will be more contented, and you are less likely to be unhappy and discontented. Some folks have a lot, but they're still not happy. They have a lot, but they're still not satisfied. But you can be a Christian and have little and still be contented and joyful in your heart. And so let's see, first of all, from this text of Scripture that we should obey the commands concerning money. I found five commands in this text of Scripture that I believe we should obey as Christians. And notice the first command. The first command, if obeyed, I think will take care of all the other commands. And what is that first commandment in verse 6? It is to be content. In verses 6 to 8, Paul says, Now godliness with contentment is great gain, and having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. Now when Paul uses that word content, he's actually using a word from Stoic philosophy. You see, the Stoics believed that one of the most important things you should strive for in life is to be self-sufficient. Regardless of the ups and downs of circumstances in life, you should have a contentment about you. You should have a self-sufficiency about you. But the apostle Paul takes that word and gives it Christian meaning. But here's the difference. Our sufficiency is not ourselves. Our sufficiency is the Lord. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 3, verse 5, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God. And the Lord told Paul, remember, my grace is sufficient for you. So whether you have much or whether you have little, God's grace is all that you need. to be content, to have the sufficiency for all that you really need. And you know, there are other scriptures that talk about developing an attitude of contentment. In Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 5, The author says, let your conduct be without covetousness, be content with such things as you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you. In Matthew 6.33, Jesus taught us to seek first the kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added to you. In Philippians 4.11, Paul says, I've learned in whatever state I am in to be content. And you know the secret of his contentment? He went on to say in verse 13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So whether I have poverty or whether I have abundance, God is all I need. God will provide all of our needs. Our contentment comes through our relationship with God who will provide us all that we really need. And notice with what we should be content. Paul said in verse 8, having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. I think I'm looking at an audience that has all the food that you really need, right? Yeah? I think you have enough clothes to wear. In fact, I probably would guess your closet is full of clothes, you know. So Paul says, if you've got food, if you've got clothes, you should be content. The question is, are you content with what you have? You see, that's the point we're trying to make this morning. And notice one reason why we should be content, found in verse 7. We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we will carry nothing out. I think that statement reflects what Job said. I came into the world naked and naked. I shall leave this world. I came in with nothing, I will leave with nothing. And that is certainly true, isn't it? And so, what is it that has lasting significance? It's not money, it's not possessions, because you can't take it with you. We ought to be content with what we have And recall that what really matters are those things that have eternal value, and possessions aren't among them. And so concentrate on things that are permanent. Think long term. And I believe you will have the right perspective. Now let's move on down to verse 17. We've seen the commandment concerning being content. But then starting in verse 17, we have four more commandments. But these are directed to wealthy people, people who are well off. And we might think that the early church was made up of just about nothing but working class people, the poor, slaves, but the New Testament does give examples of Christians who were wealthy And so there were some people that were in the church in Ephesus where Timothy served that were wealthy. They were well-off. And lest you think that I'm not preaching to you, think about this. We live in one of the most wealthy countries in the world. Most of us, in comparison with the people of the third world, are pretty well-off, aren't we? So I think that these next commands probably apply to most of us as well, and what are they? The command that we should not be conceited and proud because we're well-off. Verse 17, command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty. You see, with wealth, we tend to climb the social ladder. And when you climb the social ladder, you have a tendency to look down on those who are lower on the social ladder. And that's not good. The human heart is prone to pride and wealth can lead to more pride. And that's a sin, folks. And so don't let wealth bring pride into your life thinking that you're better than someone else. Now my branch of the Felker family tree is mostly middle class. But I do have some more distant cousins that are wealthy. Some are multi-millionaires and I've met some of my distant cousins. And I have to say that I kind of detected a little air about them. You know, they kind of look down on this poor cousin that doesn't have as much as they have, you know, and that comes with wealth all too often. But you know it ought not to be true. Back in Deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 17, God promised that If they would be obedient, He would bless them, and they would be blessed with many material possessions. But then they were warned that they might say, My power and the might of My hand has gained me this wealth. Then Moses said in verse 18, You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth. If you are well off financially, it's because in some cases you inherited it, or maybe you married into wealth, or even if you earned it, You must remember who is it that gave you the intellect? Who is it that gave you the talent? Who is it that gave you the energy? Who is it that saw to it that you were not born with a significant disability so that you could earn wealth? God is the one who gave you the power to earn your wealth, and don't you ever forget it. There's no reason in the world to be conceited and proud because you're well off. And then furthermore, don't trust in your wealth. Paul's saying in verse 17, not to trust in uncertain riches. Now I'm sure we have no small number of people in this church that have accumulated thousands of dollars in savings, investment. We may have some that have over a million dollars in savings, investments, and property. All of your combined wealth could be over a million dollars. And you might be tempted to think, well, you know, I've got enough and I'm just counting on all that I've saved up, all that I've invested in, all I've accumulated. You know what? I don't need to trust God every day for my provision because I can trust in my wealth. Remember the parable that Jesus gave of the rich man? who was prospered one year, he had such a big harvest that he decided, you know what I'm gonna do? I'm just gonna build bigger storage units, and I'm gonna just store away all this wealth, and I'm just gonna eat, drink, and be merry. Take it easy for the rest of my life. And you know what God said to him in that night? Thou fool, this night Your soul shall be required of you. Then whose will be those things that you have stored up? No, the fact is that you can trust in the accumulation of your property and wealth, but it can be taken from you. It is uncertain that you will still have it five years from now, a year from now. Shall I give examples? Think of all those people in 1929 that lost just about everything when the stock market crashed and the country plunged into the Great Depression that lasted over 10 years. Remember 2008? I lost about half of my retirement in 2008 in just a few weeks. Think about those people in Los Angeles. Over 10,000 structures and homes have been lost and burned to the ground and some of those folks didn't have insurance. It's a total loss. Inflation, business failure, war, revolution, a major illness, and certainly death will take it all from you. You say, well, I've got insurance. My home's well protected. Well, you better look at all the fine print because there's probably some exclusions in there where you could lose it all. Instead of trusting in what you have, you ought to trust in God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills and created everything and who will never be taken from you if you're a Christian. Don't trust in uncertain wealth. And then he commands us to be rich in good works. Verse 18, let them do good that they may be rich in good works. You see, the more God has blessed you with, the higher obligation you have to use that wealth, not just for yourself, but for God and to bless others. And he says you should use your wealth to do good works. You know, there are certain good works that wealthy people can do that a lot of others can't do. And so use your wealth for good, to do good work. And the fact that he talks about doing good works means it's not enough just to donate your money. You need to donate your time as well if you're going to be the Christian that God wants you to be. And then finally, yes, those that are well off should give and share generously. Paul says in the last of verse 18 that we should be ready to give willing to share. Two adjectives there that describe what we should do. The first one literally refers to giving well, giving liberally. The second word refers to sharing what you have, having it in common with someone else. You have been blessed. and someone else also enjoys the blessing that God has given to you. The Bible says, quoting Jesus, it is more blessed to give than to receive. True riches is not found in how much we have but in how much we give. Last Tuesday, I had an errand to run in a neighboring community And I recalled, you know, there's a restaurant there that I don't eat at. We don't eat at very often, but I would like to eat lunch there. So Cheryl and I went there. It's a restaurant owned by a Baptist layman. And business has done well. So we enjoyed a good lunch and I went up to pay and he wouldn't take it because he knew I was a preacher. He knew I had served in that community for many years, and I asked somebody else about it and found out that every preacher he knows, he gives them a free meal. I guess I'm going to eat there more often. But anyway, here's a man who's done well with his business, and he just wants to bless the servants of God. helps others as well. That's the kind of thing that I'm talking about. I wonder how many of you saw the Kendrick Brothers movie, The Forge? The Forge, great movie, you ought to watch it. There's an analogy that really stuck with me that came out through that movie. And it's a question. Are you a fountain or a drain? Are you the source of blessing that's being given out to others? Or are you a drain always just wanting to receive? There's a big difference, isn't there? We ought to be a fountain, far more than a drain. You know, there are flood victims in North Carolina that still need help. There are obviously people in Los Angeles that are going to need help. And if God has blessed you, then we should consider about helping these folks, sharing with these folks. But let me encourage you to do it through a Christian organization like sinrelief.org or Samaritan's Purse so that it's done in Jesus' name and oftentimes with a gospel witness. And so we see these commands regarding our possession. But we also see some warnings about our possessions because the accumulation of wealth, if we're pretty well off, it comes with some dangers spiritually. Now notice verse 9, he talks about those who desire to be rich. And the word desire literally refers to someone who has a plan, purpose, and ambition to become rich. Not just someone who said, you know, it'd be nice, but someone who is actually actively planning to become rich, to be wealthy. Concerning these folks, Paul says there's some dangers. Desire for wealth comes from the love of money, verse 10. It talks about the love of money, literally the love of silver, which was the primary currency in that day. And in 2 Timothy 3 and verse 2, Paul said in the last days, many would have the love of money. Now Paul doesn't say that money is the root of all evil. He says that the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. And so why do people want to be rich? Why do they love money? Partly because they're fooled into believing that happiness comes from money. And it can. but lasting happiness certainly doesn't come from money. But then, you know, Jesus talks in Matthew 13, 22 about the deceitfulness of riches. Riches will deceive you into thinking that when you're not happy with what you have, if you can only get some more, then you'll be happy. And so you get some more and realize, well, you're not so happy after all. All the deceitfulness of riches. But here are the dangers that Paul talks about. First of all, it will lead to more temptations. Verse 9, those who desire to be rich fall into temptation. You know, Jesus taught us to pray, lead us not into temptation. We are to avoid temptations. But the pursuit of riches comes with added temptations in your life. And he also mentions temptations in a snare. See the image there? There's a trap and there's a bait. And the temptation is the allurement to take the bait. And you take the bait and then you're caught in the trap. That's what the love of money does. It baits you into doing things you ought not to do. And so temptation then leads to more sin. Verse 10, the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Not only will you be tempted by money, but it will cause sin in your life. Shall I give you examples of how the love of money can lead to all kinds of sin? It can lead a person into the wrong ways of getting it, such as robbery, theft, embezzlement, fraud, extortion, deceptive advertising, gambling, prostitution, and even murder. These days, there are so many people that are using deceptive scams to try to drain people's savings away from them. People have betrayed their country for money and married innocent women just to get their money. Too many have worked way too much to neglect their family because of the love of money. There are so many ways we can fall into sin because of the love of money. And it can even lead you away from Christ. Paul says in the last of verse 10, "...for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness." He talks about the faith, the Christian faith. Yes, they get to where they stop praying, they stop reading their Bible, they stop serving the Lord, they stop even attending church because they're so bent on the accumulation of wealth. Remember Demas? 2 Timothy 4.10 says, Demas has forsaken me having loved this present world. He left the mission field in pursuit probably of the wealth of this world. Remember the rich young ruler who would not follow Christ because he was wealthy and he didn't want to give it up. The pursuit of wealth can also lead to troubles in your life. He warned in the last of verse 10 that for the love of money, some have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Consider the kind of pains and sorrows that wealth itself can bring you. You see, the more you have, the more you can lose. The more you have, the more you're concerned about holding on to what you have. Proverbs 15, 16 says, Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure with trouble. You see, on your march to wealth, it's a constant battle. There's so much competition. There is so much trouble. And the sins that result from the love of money has led to marital conflict and divorce, guilty conscience, stress, overwork. Many wealthy people end up getting hooked on prescription drugs and illegal drugs and alcohol, trying to cope with all the stress that they're under. And too many wealthy people have died far too young. Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, just to name a few. In the pocket of a rich man who had just committed suicide was found $30,000 and a note that said, I have found that money does not bring happiness. I am taking my life because I can no longer stand the solitude and boredom. And finally, not only does it lead to trouble, it can lead to ruin and destruction. The last of verse 9, we see that the love of money will cause people to yield to many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. The use of the imagery of a ship that goes down with the loss of all of its cargo and the loss of lives and many people in the pursuit of wealth have gotten into big trouble. They have committed great sins and it has ended up ruining them and destroying them. Judas, for the love of money, partly betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and ended up committing suicide and going to hell. Ananias and Savirah, for the love of money, died before the Lord, Acts 5. And so these warnings ought to keep us staying clear of the love and pursuit of wealth just for the sake of accumulating wealth. But finally this morning, in contrast, note the benefits of contentment, the benefits of having the right attitude toward wealth. And the first is this, that godliness with contentment is great gain. Now, it's fine to have Prosperity. But only if you honor the Lord with your substance. Only if you're content with what you have. Only if you pursue godliness at least as much or more than you pursue wealth. It's godliness with contentment that is great gain. How do you spend your time? Is it primarily in the pursuit of godliness or in the pursuit of wealth? Now, which has lasting value? Godliness, not wealth. Can't take it with you. Furthermore, if you have the right attitude, you can enjoy life far better even with little. The last of verse 7, we are to trust in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy. Oh, listen, even if you have little, if you have God, if you love God, you can still be very joyful and very, very happy. You know, in my ministry, I've known a lot of people, older people that would talk about, growing up, living during the Depression, and they said, we were poor, but we didn't know we were poor. They still had food, they still had clothes, and they didn't have much, but boy, they could be creative and play with little toys that they would make and invent and just have a good time. In fact, when I was growing up, we were very middle class, lower middle class perhaps, and I didn't have a lot, but you know what we did have? Man, we'd go out and play, and again, we would invent things and make our own toys, and we would find scrap wood and make huts and tree houses, and it didn't cost hardly anything. But we had a great time. I enjoyed playing in the creek, making up dams, looking for tadpoles and salamanders and turtles and everything else. Just had a great time. And I tell you what, the way I grew up prepared me for life a whole lot better than handing your kids a bunch of game devices. Screens. And when you don't use your imagination to learn to make things and to play. Now kids today think they have to have $400 game consoles to be happy. They have to have expensive uniforms and expensive cleats and all the latest and greatest of everything. And the question that parents and grandparents need to ask themselves, are we teaching our children the biblical values regarding possessions? Because I can tell you, we are raising a generation that are discontent. Always complaining, always discontent. We ought to be content with what God has given us. Yes, God has ritually given us all things to enjoy. Have you noticed that God created food not just for your nourishment but also for your enjoyment? Man, we love to eat, don't we? It's a pleasure that God has given us. God has given us a lot of other pleasures just to sit and see a beautiful sunset, to see the beautiful snowfall. Listen, it doesn't cost anything. You can be poor and have a lot of happiness and joy in your life. And finally, verse 19 says that you can have great reward. He talks about storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life. Gifts and sharing. What God has blessed us with, these are investments in eternity. Jesus talks about laying up treasure in heaven, and that's something that you will have for all eternity. And so I asked you this morning, do you have an attitude of contentment or discontentment? If you do a lot of complaining, you're not content, right? You know, if you're not content with what God has provided for you, you need to heed the commandment to be content and to learn to enjoy all the things that God has provided for your joy and blessing. Have the right attitude toward material possessions, and you will be far better off. Join me in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you show us how we ought to live. And I pray that we will give heed to these commands, that we will give heed to these warnings, that we will be incentivized by the promise that godliness with contentment is great gain and has great reward. Lord, help us to take this to heart in these coming days. And Lord, help us to search our hearts to make sure that we have what's most important of all, and that's Jesus in our hearts. Help us to respond in this time of invitation, and I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.